Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly

1 review

bree_h_reads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I was really curious to see what Amberlough would do with its characters and plot. Overall I think it really delivered.

I thought the book had a really strong setting. The world building felt well done and consistent. I was curious about the wider world, but I was always given enough information to understand what was going on. The aesthetic of the world also felt well described. I felt like I could always clearly visualise what things looked like in a scene.

One of the biggest downfalls of the book were, unfortunately, the characters. Each character was uniquely interesting. I was always curious as to what they were doing, their thoughts on things, and how they would react to events in the story. The struggles I faced were finding Aristide and Cyril likeable. Cordelia was easily my favourite, and I didn’t face that struggle with her. It was just a mix of how Cyril and Aristide acted and treated others that pulled me away from them. This was also a struggle as a lot of their plot and actions hinges on their relationship, but I couldn’t get into it. I just wasn’t invested in their relationship and it damaged the plot.

On the topic of the plot, I generally found it hard to keep track of. I felt like there were huge swaths of information I was missing. Something would happen and I would try to remember why or where the buildup to it was. The book handled plenty plot points well, but enough felt very out of where it left me confused.

Overall it was an enjoyable book with an excellent setting. There were just a few short comings that stopped it from being great.
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