Scan barcode
A review by imme_van_gorp
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Did not finish book.
DNF @26%
Well then, this was completely unnecessary and added absolutely nothing. It genuinely had no plot.
The first book stood perfectly on its own, and now this sequel basically drags the original story out with 500 repetitive and empty pages. Why? What’s the point? Is it just a money grab because of the success of the first book? Unfortunately, it looks like it.
Whereas I loved the writing in the first book, I found it very awkward and unpleasant here. The choppy structure, introspective narration, flowery writing and simple dialogue now felt forced and inauthentic: It lost its charm and its beauty.
I also didn’t like that the entire book seemed to be focused on how much it sucks to be gay. I mean, obviously it’s good (and important) when a book focuses on the hardships of being queer, but you don’t need to beat that fact into the reader with the subtlety of a bull in a china shop.
Oh, and ALSO, why was Aristotle so damn horny all the time? His inner monologue was so meaningful and emotional in the first book but now he was just thinking about being horny 24/7 or he was going on about something that was supposed to he insightful, but simply wasn’t.
This boy really had only two moods left: being horny or having an overly pretentious inner monologue.
Moreover, the romance between Dante and Aristotle was just plain bad at this point. I didn’t even care about them as a couple anymore! They felt so awkward and forced together. It was actually shocking to compare whatever this was to the stunningly beautiful and delicate romance we had in book one…
Last but not least, Aristotle and Dante didn’t feel like real people to me here. They felt fake. I didn’t recognize them as the same people from the first book at all.
I can’t explain why this was exactly, but I think it might be because of a combination of all the things I mentioned above.
All in all, I’m disappointed AS HELL.
'Aristotle and Dante' series:
1. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - 5.0 stars
2. Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World - dnf
Well then, this was completely unnecessary and added absolutely nothing. It genuinely had no plot.
The first book stood perfectly on its own, and now this sequel basically drags the original story out with 500 repetitive and empty pages. Why? What’s the point? Is it just a money grab because of the success of the first book? Unfortunately, it looks like it.
Whereas I loved the writing in the first book, I found it very awkward and unpleasant here. The choppy structure, introspective narration, flowery writing and simple dialogue now felt forced and inauthentic: It lost its charm and its beauty.
I also didn’t like that the entire book seemed to be focused on how much it sucks to be gay. I mean, obviously it’s good (and important) when a book focuses on the hardships of being queer, but you don’t need to beat that fact into the reader with the subtlety of a bull in a china shop.
Oh, and ALSO, why was Aristotle so damn horny all the time? His inner monologue was so meaningful and emotional in the first book but now he was just thinking about being horny 24/7 or he was going on about something that was supposed to he insightful, but simply wasn’t.
This boy really had only two moods left: being horny or having an overly pretentious inner monologue.
Moreover, the romance between Dante and Aristotle was just plain bad at this point. I didn’t even care about them as a couple anymore! They felt so awkward and forced together. It was actually shocking to compare whatever this was to the stunningly beautiful and delicate romance we had in book one…
Last but not least, Aristotle and Dante didn’t feel like real people to me here. They felt fake. I didn’t recognize them as the same people from the first book at all.
I can’t explain why this was exactly, but I think it might be because of a combination of all the things I mentioned above.
All in all, I’m disappointed AS HELL.
'Aristotle and Dante' series:
1. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - 5.0 stars
2. Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World - dnf