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not_nosferatu's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
I won a copy during a Storygraph giveaway.
This was...not great. The idea is there, but not executed well. There were a number of very basic grammatical errors (three in the first chapter is a VERY bad first impression), such as the wrong your/you're, "ill" instead of "I'll", "were" instead of "we're", that sort of thing.
Bare minimum, this needed another round of editing and different beta readers.
There's a lot of "show, then tell, then show again to make sure the reader really gets it" moments, such as in the beginning when we're first introduced to Sybil. We can tell it's an unhappy marriage by the interactions, we don't need to be explicitly told the marriage is unhappy. Or that James doesn't believe like Eric does.
For about half the book, I didn't buy that Sybil and James even liked each other, let alone that they're supposed to be in love.
Some of the stuff is just awkwardly placed and awkwardly done, primarily the chapter where James puts in the earpiece and thinks he's shooting Sybil, and most of Chapter 11.
Also, could probably stand to cut down on the number of named characters. It felt like a lot for a <200 page book.
The idea is there. I can see what the author is going for. But this needs heavy work.
This was...not great. The idea is there, but not executed well. There were a number of very basic grammatical errors (three in the first chapter is a VERY bad first impression), such as the wrong your/you're, "ill" instead of "I'll", "were" instead of "we're", that sort of thing.
There's a lot of "show, then tell, then show again to make sure the reader really gets it" moments, such as in the beginning when we're first introduced to Sybil. We can tell it's an unhappy marriage by the interactions, we don't need to be explicitly told the marriage is unhappy. Or that James doesn't believe like Eric does.
For about half the book, I didn't buy that Sybil and James even liked each other, let alone that they're supposed to be in love.
Some of the stuff is just awkwardly placed and awkwardly done, primarily the chapter where James puts in the earpiece and thinks he's shooting Sybil, and most of Chapter 11.
Also, could probably stand to cut down on the number of named characters. It felt like a lot for a <200 page book.
The idea is there. I can see what the author is going for. But this needs heavy work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, and Blood
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual assault, and Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and War
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