ammaarah
Written on Sep 20, 2015
Shimmer is a reread. I didn't reread Shimmer because I enjoyed it. I reread Shimmer because I wanted to weed out all the books on my shelves that I didn't want to keep. I reread Shimmer because I couldn't remember what the hell it was about, who the characters were and what happened to them. I felt like I was reading a new book instead of rereading an old one.
My dislike stems from the fact that this book is a horror and a thriller, two genres that don't sit well with me. This book feels more like a thriller than a horror, which is good for me and my nightmare-less sleep, but it's bad for people who are looking for an actual scare. I'm an easy person to scare and this book didn't scare me AT ALL! In fact, Shimmer is all about people running away from other people who want to harm them and if that isn't thriller, I don't know what is. (disclaimer: my knowledge of horror and thriller is almost nonexistent)
This book didn't manage to scare me because I felt distant from the story and the characters. My favourite character in Shimmer is Betina and I wish she had a much larger role. I also like Emma who has the most logical and practical solutions to every challenge that's thrown her way. My least favourite character is Russ and unfortunately, he is one of the main characters in Shimmer.
There is a brief romance and it's one of the minor side plots. Thank goodness it didn't overpower the whole novel because I hated it! There is an attraction between Justin and Emma and Emma and Russ. There is a relationship that develops between one of these pairs and it's so insta-lovey that it makes me want to punch something (preferably my soft, fluffy pillow).
I love the whole idea of the myth surrounding Pandora's Box. I'm a huge Greek mythology fan and the whole concept and idea makes me happy and excited. Unfortunately, this excitement is marred by the whole zombie-people aspect and a lack of in-depth information about the box. Shimmer has potential to become a deep novel about the human psyche when it comes to sins and survival, but none of these concepts are thoroughly tackled. Everything ends up seeming quite shallow.
I felt distant while reading Shimmer and I couldn't wait to stop reading this novel. Horror is a genre that I avoid, especially when it ends with an almost-happily-ever-after copout. This book fails to make me feel shimmery. Shimmer serves as a warning that horror and I are a terrible combination.