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rachd24's review against another edition
1.0
Check out my full review on Confessions of a Book Geek:
https://confessionsofabookgeek.com/2017/03/03/review-rockadoon-shore/
It’s not like me to be so negative about a book. But honestly, what did I just read?! It started out so well – the cover was enticing, the blurb delicious, and I was really excited for what promised to be a fantastic Irish YA novel. Sigh. It all went downhill from there.
This book is told from 7 points of view, in alternate chapters. This wasn't a problem. Usually with so many view points you would expect it to get confusing. But it doesn't. It's just negative, dull, and boring. Even when the "dramatic" bits happen, it reads like a bad Christmas special for a soap opera.
I didn't connect with any of the characters at all, on any level. I wasn't rooting for them, I couldn't relate to them, none of them were likeable/redeemable, they lacked depth and the promised wit/humour. There was angst upon angst, and dramatic story-line piled on top of dramatic story-line, all involving self-absorbed, vapid, and rather uninteresting characters. It felt like an attempt at making John Green's characters darker, more flawed, drunk and/or high, and Irish.
On a slightly more positive note - this book includes alcohol, drugs, cursing, and sex, and it is unapologetic about it. This, I enjoyed. It’s refreshing to read a book with older teens that depicts a bit of debauchery.
I really struggled to finish this book, and almost put it down on a few occasions. However, to write a complete review, I had to finish it. This novel is told in third person, and the dialogue doesn’t use speech marks, just “-” before each new line. On a personal reading and enjoyment level, I found this irritating.
Malachy’s chapters also flash back to the past a lot, to his youth, which on the one hand was a nice incorporation in to the contemporary story being told through the 6 friends, but on the other hand kind of felt like it never really went anywhere and ultimately I was left confused by that ending. Overall, the tone was pretty sinister and dark, and I was left deflated, wishing I had have stopped reading it after all.
I was provided with a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book.
https://confessionsofabookgeek.com/2017/03/03/review-rockadoon-shore/
It’s not like me to be so negative about a book. But honestly, what did I just read?! It started out so well – the cover was enticing, the blurb delicious, and I was really excited for what promised to be a fantastic Irish YA novel. Sigh. It all went downhill from there.
This book is told from 7 points of view, in alternate chapters. This wasn't a problem. Usually with so many view points you would expect it to get confusing. But it doesn't. It's just negative, dull, and boring. Even when the "dramatic" bits happen, it reads like a bad Christmas special for a soap opera.
I didn't connect with any of the characters at all, on any level. I wasn't rooting for them, I couldn't relate to them, none of them were likeable/redeemable, they lacked depth and the promised wit/humour. There was angst upon angst, and dramatic story-line piled on top of dramatic story-line, all involving self-absorbed, vapid, and rather uninteresting characters. It felt like an attempt at making John Green's characters darker, more flawed, drunk and/or high, and Irish.
On a slightly more positive note - this book includes alcohol, drugs, cursing, and sex, and it is unapologetic about it. This, I enjoyed. It’s refreshing to read a book with older teens that depicts a bit of debauchery.
I really struggled to finish this book, and almost put it down on a few occasions. However, to write a complete review, I had to finish it. This novel is told in third person, and the dialogue doesn’t use speech marks, just “-” before each new line. On a personal reading and enjoyment level, I found this irritating.
Malachy’s chapters also flash back to the past a lot, to his youth, which on the one hand was a nice incorporation in to the contemporary story being told through the 6 friends, but on the other hand kind of felt like it never really went anywhere and ultimately I was left confused by that ending. Overall, the tone was pretty sinister and dark, and I was left deflated, wishing I had have stopped reading it after all.
I was provided with a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book.
fiendfull's review against another edition
3.0
Rockadoon Shore is an enjoyable novel about a group of young university friends who go to spend a weekend away at Rockadoon Lodge in the Irish countryside. Their planned break of drink, drugs, and hilarity goes somewhat awry as they fight and push their friendships to breaking point, all whilst a nearby old man watches from his house and remembers the house's past.
The novel feels like a cross between Skins and an Iain Banks novel given an Irish setting, with the hotheadedness of youth combined with a strange house and nearby lake. The action takes place entirely over one weekend, but by cutting between the characters, it doesn't feel drawn out. However, the drama falls a little flat and the characters not as compelling as this kind of novel perhaps requires, meaning that though the novel is a decent read, it doesn't feel like it has a lasting effect on the reader.
The novel feels like a cross between Skins and an Iain Banks novel given an Irish setting, with the hotheadedness of youth combined with a strange house and nearby lake. The action takes place entirely over one weekend, but by cutting between the characters, it doesn't feel drawn out. However, the drama falls a little flat and the characters not as compelling as this kind of novel perhaps requires, meaning that though the novel is a decent read, it doesn't feel like it has a lasting effect on the reader.
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