Before She Ignites (Fallen Isles, #1)

by Jodi Meadows

[ladygrey]

So this is the book where nothing really happens. I mean, I’d A LOT of book for so little plot. Plenty of character building for Mira, less so for everyone else so there’s not a lot of depth to it either. Some world building, even to drape the thin story over. But mostly this is a book of internal monologue, the emotions and reactions of an intentionally passive character and so excruciating detail of panic attacks. And then the end.

I feel like if you condensed this book to just actual plot and story progress you’d have barely a hundred pages. If this trend continues then the whole trilogy probably could have been a single book, but I’m not sure on that part yet.

The one advantage is that Meadows is a good writer so she can get away with a giant book that’s all panic attacks and internal reactions. She keeps the emotions and thoughts rolling well enough that you don’t get bogged down by it or feel bored even if NOTHING is happening (for like the entire first half—and then a lot of pages after that too). And all with minimal repetition. Why do YA books insist on explaining “the last time this happened...” when I know what happened last time, it was less than four chapters ago? I was there! I read it! Please get on with the story.

In fact, it’s almost surprisingly well written considering it’s moderately engaging even with such a dearth of story. It’d just be a lot more interesting if it was tighter and there was less what Mira’s thinking and more actual story.