A review by incrediblemelk
The Invasion by Peadar Ó Guilín
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I really adored The Call, but it felt like the author did not really want to write a sequel because this was full of flat spots, flat characterisation and some odd plotting decisions.
For instance,
The central romance between Nessa and Anto struggled because they were separated for most of the book. I found Anto quite hopeless and sappy, while Nessa was self-satisfied and never as smart and resourceful as she believed she was.
The epilogue was definitely of the ‘Harry Potter letdown’ variety. It was very depressing to learn that.
I would much rather end the story in the ‘present’ than read a lacklustre flashforward to the future. When an author does this I always see it as their way of seizing control of the story so that nobody else can write a sequel or other work in the same storyworld.
The fighting scenes and the body horror that made The Call so vivid were still here, though – and there were some grim scenes as characters we had got to know in the previous novel were ruthlessly killed off. That ruthlessness was one of the things I appreciated most about The Call.
For instance,
Spoiler
Nessa is given a bone dagger that we understand is going to be important, but she never actually uses it in her final duel.The central romance between Nessa and Anto struggled because they were separated for most of the book. I found Anto quite hopeless and sappy, while Nessa was self-satisfied and never as smart and resourceful as she believed she was.
The epilogue was definitely of the ‘Harry Potter letdown’ variety. It was very depressing to learn that
Spoiler
to the rest of the world, Ireland had not been isolated at all and the past 25 years with all their suffering had not registered on a global levelI would much rather end the story in the ‘present’ than read a lacklustre flashforward to the future. When an author does this I always see it as their way of seizing control of the story so that nobody else can write a sequel or other work in the same storyworld.
The fighting scenes and the body horror that made The Call so vivid were still here, though – and there were some grim scenes as characters we had got to know in the previous novel were ruthlessly killed off. That ruthlessness was one of the things I appreciated most about The Call.