Split

by J.B. Salsbury

[mayavswords]

Well. When I saw the movie preview I was intrigued, and decided to check it out from the library once it was available there. I'm the kind to read the books before watching the movie, but I did not know until later that the book is very different from the movie. Anyways.

I was initially unaware of the fact that this book was categorized as a romance, so it was already out of my general ballpark of what I typically read. However, I powered through, definitely intrigued by the character of Lucas, initially (though I'd already held a strong annoyance for ShyANN)...and then my journey ended approximately halfway through the book.

First of all, Split the movie already got a lot of heat because of how it stigmatizes DID but this book basically romanticizes and sexualizes it. Additionally, the poor decisions and obnoxiousness of Shyann really turned me off. After being nearly killed and practically terrorized by Gage, Lucas' protective personality, you still want more? Additionally, I felt that some parts were really out of character and too cliche for my taste. Gage was too capricious and aggressive for me, and though I have no issue with sociopaths or any other villainous personas, I just did not feel any kind of legitimacy with Gage. I will say that I adored Lucas' character, how genuine he is yet how frightened he is of hurting Shyann and people he had began to care for. I think that is realistic of someone who has dealt with trauma or has such a disorder.

I absolutely loathed the scenes of romance and sexual tension, which really underlined why I dislike most romantic novels in the first place. Salsbury's style only exacerbated this.

Salsbury's writing style isn't anything special to me. The style reminds me of a lot of fanfics or stories I read online, and even my own style at times (and I am truly an amateur). This only added to how little intrigued or stimulated I was by this book. So I give it 2 stars and regret that I did not research more before deciding to read this book. I am immensely disappointed, so much that it is not worth my time in trying to finish it.