Infandous

by Arnold Elana K.

[shannonmiz]

This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight

Ever finish a book and think "um, what exactly did I just read?". That sums up this book. Good day.

Fine, fine. A few things before we begin:

This book is kind of insane. There is a twist too, that was just... WHOA. Like, if you saw that coming too early, you and I might not want to speak anymore.
I don't usually do content warnings because I don't think they're usually necessary, but this one kind of needs a warning. It is definitely for a very mature YA, and if you are easily offended by things of a sexual nature, then this is probably not the book for you.
Okay then. Now, this book had some really big positives for me, but also some pretty significant negatives. We'll start with positives, because that makes me happier.

The Good:

Holy twist, Batman! Like I said before, if you saw this coming (somehow?) then I seriously am not sure what that says about your psyche. I didn't necessarily like the twist (I am not saying either way, read it for yourself!), but I didn't expect it either. I like being caught off guard, I really do.

The dark and messed up fairy tales were really fascinating. I think I may have liked some of them more than the actual story at hand! They were dispersed throughout the book, but they were very unsettling versions of stories we know on a much... tamer level. I don't even know how to describe these stories because they were so often horrifying and gruesome, but they certainly were unique and got my attention.

Sometimes, I really liked and felt for Sephora. There were moments that I really connected with her, and could sympathize with some of her plights. There was one really lovely quote that hit home for me that Sephora says:
"Have you ever had the feeling that you aren't the main character in the story of your life? That you fill a more minor role- supporting cast, maybe, comic relief, or even antagonist."*

There was some hope in an otherwise dismal setting. The backdrop was a beach, but that was about the only sunshine in this place. But there were glimmers of hope to make the tough stuff more bearable.

The not-so-good:

Sometimes, I didn't understand Sephora at all. She had a very weird relationship with her mother, and it kind of creeped me out. Sephora was almost jealous of her, but at the same time craved her. She also had a very weird fascination with her mother's body, and that just plain old grossed me out, because I really don't think people do that? I mean, maybe a very young child is fascinated by an adult's different body, but not a teen.

I didn't like most of the other characters in the book. These people all just made some horrible life choices, and I simply couldn't understand why. I understand when some of the characters can't get it together, but I don't really understand how none of them can. Like they need one big Dr. Phil intervention, perhaps.

This is a very character driven novel. Usually, I am fine with that, but when it is a character driven book and you either can't connect with or don't like most of the characters, things can get ugly. That said, it is a short book, so even the slower parts don't drag too much.

Bottom Line: While I may not have liked this book, I am glad I read it. It certainly threw me for loops on several occasions, and was interesting enough to keep my attention for sure. Obviously, I have mixed feelings, so it gets a middle of the road rating.

2.5*

*Quote taken from uncorrected proof, subject to change.

**Copy provided from publisher for review