A review by halellery
The Binding by Bridget Collins

Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.

Intriguing premise, sloppy execution.

This seems to be my main trouble lately with the books I pick up. I'm developing a phobia of beginning new books, for having been so underwhelmed so often. And my 'dropped' list keeps growing. 

Like seriously, binding up your bad memories in books so that you don't have to remember, and the people who practice that craft. That could have gone places. I was sold two sentences into the book summary. 

And then, it flopped.

Flowery prose and a rambling, whiny narrator is a particularly unattractive combination for me, I'm finding. To top it off here it comes coupled with first person POV, which more often puts me off, rather than help toward further immersion. 

Not to mention that very alluring premise, which remains forevermore undeveloped. 

I'm told the book gets notably better in the second part. It might, at that. 

But I'm past the point in my life where I was generous enough to plough through watery mush to get to the supposed 'good parts'. 

Kudos to Carl Prekopp for lending his voice to the audiobook version. He's cool. He made the hours I wasted on this at least bearable. 

*

ALSO, I just discovered through a random review that there is a particularly brutal murder of a puppy in the second half of the book. 
That's a trigger for me, which I would have appreciated being warned about in some manner, thanks a lot, Collins.
You now go straight to my blacklist for that.* 
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Rape

Moderate: Vomit