Reviews

Base Notes by Lara Elena Donnelly

missreaderlove's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Base Notes was an incredibly interesting premise and there were some fantastically creepy, haunting lines but unfortunately for me it just dragged on. I absolutely loved the technical information of the perfume process, and the discussions surrounding scent, memory and fantasy, but the way the story was told made it hard for me to stay engaged. I also struggled with the characters; all of them in their own ways unlikable and selfish, but it also felt performative rather than realistic.
Overall it was an interesting read but one I probably won’t pick up again for a long time. 

vengefuldime's review

4.0

It does a great job at building the sense of anticipation for everything to go wrong- each step is technically making a problem go away but safety also gets farther and farther away.

transparent_tea's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

3.75

This book was suggested by Storygraph and I thought, fragrance and murder seem like a good combination, let's try it out.

The introduction was hazy, but the story made more sense after Chapter 9. I did enjoy the descriptive introduction of each chapter, giving me a "whiff" of what to expect from the chapter, as it described the moment Vic Fowler was walking into. In addition, the author supplemented the story by using ornate terms to visualize something, adding to the notes de fond, if you want to put it in the author's terms.

The issue lies within the actual novel. I understood this was a murder/horror novel, but I did not expect this many murders in one book. Similar to what Vic does after "decanting" for his customers, I felt a hot shower and elbow grease isn't going to solve how dirty I felt after finishing the book (even though I predicted the ending).

eherold's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

frankchester's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

daisystitch's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

theangrystackrat's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

lauramusich's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

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

4.75

judelon's review

4.0

Absolute poetry and deeply disturbing. I haven't encountered an anti-hero like Vic Fowler since Patricia Highsmith's heyday.
Most disturbing of all was seeing the author's picture for the first time (?) at the end of my Kindle edition. Exactly the androgynous face and haircut I was picturing for slippery, young Vic Fowler. I like Chanel #5. Call me stodgy.

hudsononaux's review against another edition

This main character is insufferably pretentious