A review by skeptic_hecate
Dying Breath by Wendy Corsi Staub
2.0
This is the second book I read from the author and most likely my last. The good thing about this book is that it is decently written, and that's about it. The bad things are nearly everything else
1. The characters are annoying/unlikable and have little to no developement whatsoever. I do not mind an annoying character, as long as they are called out on their BS eventually, but this is not the case in the book. The worst offender is the protagonist who is dense as a brick, has the spine of a wet paper tissue and gives off major "pick me/not like other girls" vibes, so much indeed that I had to double check when was this published. Now, the "not like other girls" protag is also is problem in the second book, in a different way. All the characters, even the side characters with little to no personality are assholes, and instead of being called out on their behaviour, the author praises their actions and thoughts, as if she genuinely believes these are decent people. The only good one is Tess, she behaves as a normal teenager and is quite smart, except for the last two chapters where her mother's dumb genes decide to make her an idiot.
2. Too many characters! I couldn't care less about half the characters in this book, and I cared very little about the mains as well. However, I felt a new character was introduced every few chapters for no reason only to dissapear in the next chapter. It doesn't help at all that each new character is a carbon copy of the last one with a different background, and all of them have the whitest names in the history of white names.
3. It is so slow one can skip entire chapters and not even notice. Besides having to hear every bloody thought of the most annoying entitled people ever, you have to hear the same thoughts over and over again. Seriously, I feel like I was reading the same chapter again, people think the same things over and over again, does the author think the reader is dumb and needs constant repetition? This book could've been 1/3 the lenght. The pacing is so slow and the interesting parts are few and far in between.
4. Cellphones are used until it is inconvinient to the plot. Because if the issue is solved with a call/text, then the author will avoid remember the existance of cellphones until it is relevant to the plot again.
5. Consequences? What are those? Every asshole keeps assholing without facing consequences. Not even the killer faces consequences.
6. Ending was anticlimatic and mediocre. At the few chapters most of the characters have a sudden personality change, i.e. overprotective mother starts chatting to husband about stupid shite while daughter is missing. Self proclaimed loner has a friendship boner for the protag she knew for 2 seconds. Defensless skinny kid nearly escapes killer because reasons. Killer that is so "smart" as to have committed numerous murders without being caught or suspected, was so careful as to "take care of loose ends" and seldom revealing their motives throughout the book, becomes a Scooby-do level monologuing villain.
7. Mental health, cancer, alcoholism, neglect, lose, trauma and child abuse are treated as either plot devices or excuses for characters to be shitty and never address their issues. I.e.: protag can beat alcoholism in two seconds because: "my alcoholism has a 'motive', unlike those low-life disgusting addicts from AA I keep judging without knowing because I am sooooo special and different".
In short: don't recommend this book nor the author.
1. The characters are annoying/unlikable and have little to no developement whatsoever. I do not mind an annoying character, as long as they are called out on their BS eventually, but this is not the case in the book. The worst offender is the protagonist who is dense as a brick, has the spine of a wet paper tissue and gives off major "pick me/not like other girls" vibes, so much indeed that I had to double check when was this published. Now, the "not like other girls" protag is also is problem in the second book, in a different way. All the characters, even the side characters with little to no personality are assholes, and instead of being called out on their behaviour, the author praises their actions and thoughts, as if she genuinely believes these are decent people. The only good one is Tess, she behaves as a normal teenager and is quite smart, except for the last two chapters where her mother's dumb genes decide to make her an idiot.
2. Too many characters! I couldn't care less about half the characters in this book, and I cared very little about the mains as well. However, I felt a new character was introduced every few chapters for no reason only to dissapear in the next chapter. It doesn't help at all that each new character is a carbon copy of the last one with a different background, and all of them have the whitest names in the history of white names.
3. It is so slow one can skip entire chapters and not even notice. Besides having to hear every bloody thought of the most annoying entitled people ever, you have to hear the same thoughts over and over again. Seriously, I feel like I was reading the same chapter again, people think the same things over and over again, does the author think the reader is dumb and needs constant repetition? This book could've been 1/3 the lenght. The pacing is so slow and the interesting parts are few and far in between.
4. Cellphones are used until it is inconvinient to the plot. Because if the issue is solved with a call/text, then the author will avoid remember the existance of cellphones until it is relevant to the plot again.
5. Consequences? What are those? Every asshole keeps assholing without facing consequences. Not even the killer faces consequences.
6. Ending was anticlimatic and mediocre. At the few chapters most of the characters have a sudden personality change, i.e. overprotective mother starts chatting to husband about stupid shite while daughter is missing. Self proclaimed loner has a friendship boner for the protag she knew for 2 seconds. Defensless skinny kid nearly escapes killer because reasons. Killer that is so "smart" as to have committed numerous murders without being caught or suspected, was so careful as to "take care of loose ends" and seldom revealing their motives throughout the book, becomes a Scooby-do level monologuing villain.
7. Mental health, cancer, alcoholism, neglect, lose, trauma and child abuse are treated as either plot devices or excuses for characters to be shitty and never address their issues. I.e.: protag can beat alcoholism in two seconds because: "my alcoholism has a 'motive', unlike those low-life disgusting addicts from AA I keep judging without knowing because I am sooooo special and different".
In short: don't recommend this book nor the author.