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littlepiscesreading's reviews
32 reviews
The Wedding by Kelly Smith
The writing’s in third person but closes in on different characters’ perspectives at times – without always seeming in-character. ‘Token red head’ is an odd way to view your friend. Similarly the break up flashbacks all go from one to a hundred in seconds. None of the characters know how to communicate which is fine – except they all miscommunicate the exact same way.
The premise promises character driven narratives. It’s not until chapter three that Sydney becomes distinct. Even so her date with Daniel is a summary. You’re not interested in writing it, why should I be in reading it? I got to Sydney’s gran dying hours after learning mine did and felt nothing. It’s disappointing, especially as a later crisis is affective and engaging.
Structuring the story by building up repeatedly to revelations then having the characters talk about it at a later date, isn’t a style I enjoy. It wildly undercuts tension. In other circumstances, however, it utilises this style effectively, segueing naturally. And when it doesn’t tip too far, I appreciate the directness. The chapter titles are also a touch I enjoyed.
‘Most mysterious friend’ is an odd way to introduce a character. But even from the beginning, when they were least distinguishable, you knew who was who. It constantly builds their characters. And speaking of character, I usually hate when anyone not on the side of the protagonists are bad. It’s shallow. I didn’t mind here. I like that they can be nippy sweeties, and judgemental and superior. Still, the sheer not-like-other-girls of it could be painful at times.
It’s sad a book so focused on friendship tended to be most interesting when they were with their partners though. Most of the conflicts lay in other relationships and so they were fleshed out with more stakes. But it’s a quick read and compelling.
Thanks to iReadBookTours and author Kelly Smith for this review copy. I leave this review voluntarily.
The premise promises character driven narratives. It’s not until chapter three that Sydney becomes distinct. Even so her date with Daniel is a summary. You’re not interested in writing it, why should I be in reading it? I got to Sydney’s gran dying hours after learning mine did and felt nothing. It’s disappointing, especially as a later crisis is affective and engaging.
Structuring the story by building up repeatedly to revelations then having the characters talk about it at a later date, isn’t a style I enjoy. It wildly undercuts tension. In other circumstances, however, it utilises this style effectively, segueing naturally. And when it doesn’t tip too far, I appreciate the directness. The chapter titles are also a touch I enjoyed.
‘Most mysterious friend’ is an odd way to introduce a character. But even from the beginning, when they were least distinguishable, you knew who was who. It constantly builds their characters. And speaking of character, I usually hate when anyone not on the side of the protagonists are bad. It’s shallow. I didn’t mind here. I like that they can be nippy sweeties, and judgemental and superior. Still, the sheer not-like-other-girls of it could be painful at times.
It’s sad a book so focused on friendship tended to be most interesting when they were with their partners though. Most of the conflicts lay in other relationships and so they were fleshed out with more stakes. But it’s a quick read and compelling.
Thanks to iReadBookTours and author Kelly Smith for this review copy. I leave this review voluntarily.
What Happened at Hawthorne House by Hadassah Shiradski
dark
2.0
The prose is straightforward but not undescriptive. I like the little details that give you a quick insight into each of the girls– Sophie’s ‘little huff'. And this goes for the narrative more broadly too. More subtle forms of realistic horror do tend to be less effective for me as a reader. It can take me some time to put the pieces together and by then it’s gone from subtle to over. Sometimes that’s intentional on the part of the author. Sometimes I’m oblivious. It was very effective here.
Rosalyn’s voice isn’t without character, and her feelings certainly bleed into the text. There is a matter-of-factness to the prose that I find lends itself well to the casual cruelty of the children. This is just what their lives are. This is just what they do. And that was utterly horrifying.
And then we find ourselves in the second part of the book. I still don’t know how to feel about it. I knew that the girls’ game would simmer over at some point and I sat there, breathless, as it did. It remained as gothic but there was a noticeable shift in the type of horror it portrayed. It felt like a change of genre. And by the end I felt like I had read two books, not one.
A pity. The first was brilliant. I thought the second would hone in on the idea of self-inflicted torment that I ached to read. It did. It both faded into the background and became more blatant, this time by having it outright stated more than once. The narration shifted too. It became more internal, more repetitive. ‘If Rosalyn remained, he thought it likely that the rest of the children did as well’ and ‘he highly doubted that only Rosalyn had remained’ are from the same paragraph.
There are interesting ideas in the second. I wish they had been executed well. However it opened a chasm that distanced the reader from the girls and undercut the mounting horror it had built to so effectively. On a formatting note, I use dark theme and the clover line breaks did not resemble clovers. A little more definition would have served the illustrations well.
Thanks to Book Sirens and Hadassah Shiradski for this review copy. I leave this review voluntarily.
Rosalyn’s voice isn’t without character, and her feelings certainly bleed into the text. There is a matter-of-factness to the prose that I find lends itself well to the casual cruelty of the children. This is just what their lives are. This is just what they do. And that was utterly horrifying.
And then we find ourselves in the second part of the book. I still don’t know how to feel about it. I knew that the girls’ game would simmer over at some point and I sat there, breathless, as it did. It remained as gothic but there was a noticeable shift in the type of horror it portrayed. It felt like a change of genre. And by the end I felt like I had read two books, not one.
A pity. The first was brilliant. I thought the second would hone in on the idea of self-inflicted torment that I ached to read. It did. It both faded into the background and became more blatant, this time by having it outright stated more than once. The narration shifted too. It became more internal, more repetitive. ‘If Rosalyn remained, he thought it likely that the rest of the children did as well’ and ‘he highly doubted that only Rosalyn had remained’ are from the same paragraph.
There are interesting ideas in the second. I wish they had been executed well. However it opened a chasm that distanced the reader from the girls and undercut the mounting horror it had built to so effectively. On a formatting note, I use dark theme and the clover line breaks did not resemble clovers. A little more definition would have served the illustrations well.
Thanks to Book Sirens and Hadassah Shiradski for this review copy. I leave this review voluntarily.