A review by picky_book_b1tch
Birds of Paradise by Anne Malcom
3.0
I'm going to be in the minority with this book. With all the rave reviews, I have to wonder if we all read the same book or if I'm just really abnormal in my tastes. Obviously, I missed something that the other readers got.
I was drawn in by the synopsis, the rave reviews and the gorgeous cover. So, by all accounts, I should have loved this book and I will give credit where credit is due. The writing--the way the words are put together, is gorgeous, thought provoking and at times, very compelling. I highlighted many passages. So I can fault the writing in that respect.
But......
The story it's self is lacking. The pace is painfully slow. The plot is unclear and the characters are flat. The male MC had the most potential but the air of mystery he was cloaked in, kept him out of reach and the female MC's internal monologue (which takes up most of the book) is meandering, repetitive and depressing. I'm normally a reader that finds my happy place inside a character's mind, so for me to hate being there, was very telling on how the book was going to go for me.
This story didn't live up to the beauty of the words.
I was drawn in by the synopsis, the rave reviews and the gorgeous cover. So, by all accounts, I should have loved this book and I will give credit where credit is due. The writing--the way the words are put together, is gorgeous, thought provoking and at times, very compelling. I highlighted many passages. So I can fault the writing in that respect.
But......
The story it's self is lacking. The pace is painfully slow. The plot is unclear and the characters are flat. The male MC had the most potential but the air of mystery he was cloaked in, kept him out of reach and the female MC's internal monologue (which takes up most of the book) is meandering, repetitive and depressing. I'm normally a reader that finds my happy place inside a character's mind, so for me to hate being there, was very telling on how the book was going to go for me.
This story didn't live up to the beauty of the words.