Reviews

Darkly Beating Heart by Lindsay Smith

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blakehalsey's review

5.0

Well, this was completely dark and completely delicious. Beautiful and malicious story!

This is a super hard book to review. On the one hand it has this amazing premise and idea behind it. It also is written by an author that I love reading from. Lindsay Smith always has these unique worlds and locations for her books. However, this book fell completely short of my expectations. I spent the first 40% or so the book completely annoyed with the protagonist and annoyed with the "fake" world I felt like Smith was sharing with us. I wanted to immerse myself in the culture and the places Reiko was visiting.

Once Reiko really began her story in Miyu's life I became much more invested in the story. But then in the last 20 pages of the book we went full speed to a conclusion that was rushed and left me unsatisfied at the end. I had such high expectations for this book that I think really dampened my enjoyment. While this book has it's flaws, the premise should be enough for you to at least enjoy the story. I just wish it had been longer and had a better immersion into the culture.

One other thing I will say, is Reiko is severely depressed throughout this story and some of her thoughts and words could could be triggering to some people.

bookishnicole's review

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Page 77 - I could not get behind her quest for revenge, like, what happened? From reviews it was going to be too long for me to find out also.

sammy234's review

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1.0

*THIS BOOK WAS REVIEWED FOR KISS THE BOOK AND MAY BE CROSS-POSTED ON THE KISS THE BOOK GOODREADS ACCOUNT.

My review:

Smith, Lindsay A Darkly Beating Heart, pg. # 261. Roaring Brook Press, 2017. $17. 99 Language: R (30 swears, 9 ‘f’)
Mature content: R (sexual themes, nudity, severe self-harm and abuse) Violence: R (graphic murder)

Reiko’s life is spiraling out of control. Expelled from school and betrayed by someone she gave all her trust, she is sent to work for her cousin in Japan. However, her fresh start is ruined because the hatred towards those who have wronged her still simmers in her heart. She swears nothing will distract her from her revenge, but a girl from another time and a town full of secrets surprise her and tempt her with things she never knew she wanted.

A Darkly Beating Heart takes on a plethora of heavy topics (abuse, self-harm, murder) and then manages to throw them by the wayside so that they seem merely placed in the narrative for shock value. The main character is unlikable, which would be fine if she were penned as a complex human being with more than one interest. However, this was not the case. The heroine came off as a villainous caricature with no redeeming qualities, and I am hard-pressed to believe that the quick resolution provided for this story was enough to restore Reiko from her frankly psychotic thoughts and actions. Pair that with the grueling repetitiveness and gratuitous foul language, and I’m afraid this book does not get my endorsement. I will say though, that the historical details were very well researched and seemed true to the time period.

MS, HS- OPTIONAL.

sc104906's review

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4.0

After a traumatic break up with her girlfriend and the subsequent mental breakdown she had afterwards, Reiko is sent to Japan to recover. Working as an intern for her uncle's graphic design firm, Reiko finds that she has been included in her cousin's plan to become a teen idol. Reiko doesn't speak the language, she is having a difficult time coming to terms with new her medications, and she doesn't want to make any friends. The only thing fueling her life is rage. She wants to exact revenge on everyone around her, from her girlfriend and abusive older brother. Nothing is more important than the world ending rage fueled revenge plans she is constantly cultivating. Reiko's cousin and her entourage (which includes Reiko) go for a weekend to a small historical/religious village, which is having a popular festival. As the crew is determining locations for a potential photo shoot, Reiko stumbles upon a way into the past. She becomes Miyu from the Edo period. Miyu is also driven by rage, for reasons Reiko attempts to learn. Soon Reiko finds solace in the past and another life, making her connection to the present tenuous at best. What are Miyu's true motivations and will Reiko be lost to the past?

This novel read like a novelized form of a manga. It is the first that I have come across. It weaves Japanese culture into the story, making it both informative and interesting. Reiko is a unique character, whose parents are Japanese immigrants and she deals with issues related to the world's acceptance of her bisexuality. This was a supernatural/time travel novel, which just so happened to include relevant social issues. I feel that the novel offers a diverse example of a supernatural/time travel thriller.

ginnikin's review

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Unfortunately, I didn't like this in the end. The story was fine, and I was interested to see how it would come out. I'm just really uncomfortable with Reiko's mental state being "healed" by repudiating Miyu. There's a lot more to mental health than that; it's little things day after day after day, not grand supernatural gestures.

Also, OMG, waaaaaaaaay to many Japanese words in italics. Either include fewer or stop it with the italics. Way to announce "authentic cultural bit coming up"! *eyeroll*

kblincoln's review

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3.0

3.5 stars, actually.

I really wanted to like this one. It features a Japanese-American girl in Japan (and more or less depicts some of the issues someone who *looks* Japanese but isn't culturally/linguistically Japanese might confront) named Reiko who time travels back to samurai days when she finds a hidden shrine.

Back in the samurai days (or the period right before the Meiji Restoration when the military bakufu was clashing with loyalists to the emperor) she is Miyu, the daughter of a local samurai who is revild by the village.

Reiko is running from some pretty heavy stuff, her brother tried to commit suicide, she's got a terrible break up, and also was kicked out of school for threatening behavior. And her attitude in Japan is not...great. She's prickly and angry.

And Miyu's life, while it seems to smooth out her rough edges a bit, ends up making things worse. For the last quarter of the book Reiko/Miyu almost entirely focus on revenge and how everyone deserves to die. Over and over. In both present times and past. And its...wearing. I lost interest in Reiko as a person because she crossed some fictional character line from messed up into stark raving revenge-monsterly and it wasn't fun to go along for the ride.

There's just a lot of ...hatefulness in this story. So, read at your own risk. In terms of its portrayal of samurai life...hmmm. Some things were good, some made me shake my head (what samurai would take basically a serving girl into a bathhouse in her own Inn and take care of her, saying things like "call me if you need anything"). Just wasn't to my taste.

jerseygrrrl's review

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2.0

Oh, disappointing! I like that the protagonist was angry. It's refreshing to find a female main character who's completely and utterly pissed off. However, her anger goes beyond admirable to completely fucked up, dangerous, and scary. Again, not a show stopper.

The main causes for the low rating are the muddy plot, the lack of character development, and the awkward resolution. The story just didn't make emotional sense and I steadily lost interest. Two stars.