A review by anthers
The Elementals by Francesca Lia Block
3.0
I was in two minds about The Elementals the whole way through. Taken on its own, the prose was lovely and vibrant and surreal. It is reminiscent of an old-style fairy tale, and this is reflected in the constant references to fairy tales and fae in the text.
On the other hand, the book is seriously limited by the tone and slipshod plot. This is a book marketed for adults that keeps slipping accidentally into reading like a YA book. Examples include the portrayal of college life at Berkley being full of high school style cliques and a roommate leaving a used sanitary item on the protagonist's bed, the descriptions of sex being something that would be unpleasant at best in actuality, and the implications that the ultimate villain of the story's behavior is due to her ~spooky~ mental illness. The big twist reveal also felt clumsy and unearned. It wanted to be a neat disposal of the main conflict to the protagonists new relationship and the resolution to the main conflict at the same time, but it managed to be neither.
I read it to the end but it didn't particularly grab me either. 2.5/5 stars rounded up.
On the other hand, the book is seriously limited by the tone and slipshod plot. This is a book marketed for adults that keeps slipping accidentally into reading like a YA book. Examples include the portrayal of college life at Berkley being full of high school style cliques and a roommate leaving a used sanitary item on the protagonist's bed, the descriptions of sex being something that would be unpleasant at best in actuality, and the implications that the ultimate villain of the story's behavior is due to her ~spooky~ mental illness. The big twist reveal also felt clumsy and unearned. It wanted to be a neat disposal of the main conflict to the protagonists new relationship and the resolution to the main conflict at the same time, but it managed to be neither.
I read it to the end but it didn't particularly grab me either. 2.5/5 stars rounded up.