Reviews with content warning for Death - Verity

Reviews tagging 'Death'

literatureleaf's review

dark mysterious 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? Yes

2.0

Age: 18+

Reading time: 1 day

Difficulty level: 1 out of 5

Overall Rating: 5.5/10

The best part of this book was the suspense. The plot was entertaining and easy to follow, and each chapter did an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing and wanting to read “just a few more pages” to find out what would happen to Verity, Lowen, and Jeremy. The pacing was relatively well done, and there were several jaw-dropping, visceral moments that were depicted so vividly, it was as if the words were jumping off the page and onto a movie screen.

This book’s best moments are in the sections that comprise Verity’s autobiography. Hoover did an excellent job of distinguishing Lowen and Verity’s individual voices, and the quality of Verity’s sections outshine Lowen’s in every way. If this was intentional, it was executed nearly perfectly. Even though the sections detailing Lowen’s experiences were not on par with Verity’s, there were some shining moments there as well. Lowen’s thoughts and feelings when she was struggling with imposter syndrome, anxiety, and depression were well written, and were the only times that she felt genuine.

Unfortunately, this book is lacking in several arenas. The writing style comes off as overly simplistic, which is not necessarily a bad thing if done for the ease of reading, but the feeling that the book was intentionally “dumbed down” permeated the story. There were several sequences and sub plotlines that, well written well, felt like they were shoehorned in. In the book, it is explained that Lowen struggles with sleepwalking, and familial trauma that stems from her episodes of sleepwalking as a child. This would come up at seemingly random times, and did not seem to have much to do with the overall story, leading to these scenes coming off as a bit unpalatable.

The characterizations in this story also missed the mark. Lowen feels unlikable and unrelatable to the reader, and her character feels fairly one dimensional. She tends to express certain feelings towards her situation and the people around her that do not make sense, and this aspect of the book ends up feeling like a poor attempt at foreshadowing. This carries over into the other characters in the story, including Jeremy and his son, Crew. The dialogue between them feels flat, stilted, and, frequently, plainly unrealistic. The pacing of Jeremy and Lowen’s romance, especially when considering the circumstances that brought them together, feels untrue to life. Some stories call for characters and situations that feel fantastical when compared to typical everyday living, but sadly this is not one of them.

Undoubtedly, Verity is a flawed book, but it has redeeming qualities that make it worth reading. It’s fast paced and suspenseful, and the unique story and thrilling cliffhangers make it a relatively fun and enjoyable read, even in the face of bland, unrelatable characters and, at times, subpar writing.

Content Warnings