Do you guys ever notice that at least once a week I have The Mixed Feelings™? Because I do. And today is no different, yay! So, as usual, we're just going to break it down into the yays and nays! (P.S.- this book is nearly impossible to review properly without spoilers, so it's going to be pretty vague. But let's be honest, since when do I "review properly" anyway?)
The Things I Liked:
- •It's quite a unique book. I don't think I have read anything like it, and that is always good.
- •Once I got a sense of what was going on, I started to really enjoy it. Again, vagueness is our friend here, but once I got to a certain level of understanding, I was able to get much more invested.
- •The atmosphere is on point. I mean, the author wants you to get that these characters are in a bad old situation in the middle of nowhere, and you definitely do get that impression. It was vividly depicted, and I really appreciated that.
- •The whole concept of the world and the premise were fabulous, and well-depicted. Once I finally got the gist of what was going down, things were really quite interesting in regards to the world and the situation that the characters found themselves in.
The Things I Didn't:
- •I felt a bit disconnected from the characters. This is probably just because of the way it was set up, it is hard to feel a real connection over the course of a few (repeated) hours, but yeah.
- •The beginning confused me a bit, and was a little draggy. I get that we weren't exactly supposed to know what was happening, but I was just kind of bored since I had no idea where the story was headed, why the same stuff was happening over and over. Once it began to pick up, it was a lot more exciting, but it took awhile to get there. I think slower or confusing could have worked, but both... is rough.
- •I was just a bit underwhelmed in general. Like- the ending was fine, I just... my mind was never fully blown at any point, I guess?
Bottom Line: A very cool premise that was certainly intriguing, if a bit lackluster at first, manages to pick up by the second half. Also so hard to review without spoilers, so I am proud of me.