This was a SLOOOG to get through. I think it’s time to declare that Lisa Taddeo is 200% not for me. There is some great cutting prose here - but it’s This was a SLOOOG to get through. I think it’s time to declare that Lisa Taddeo is 200% not for me. There is some great cutting prose here - but it’s buried within such casual fatphobia and a panache for writing women who inevitably loathe other women. It’s grating, and unpleasant to read and I will never understand the love for her books. In the boon of “female rage” hitting the market these days, there is just so much better out there! ...more
From the description, this book seemed like the kind of jam I'd hunker down and demolish in one YA-gobbling frenzy. Strong female heroine? Check. ParaFrom the description, this book seemed like the kind of jam I'd hunker down and demolish in one YA-gobbling frenzy. Strong female heroine? Check. Paranormal world/themes? Check. Action and political intrigue? Check. Romance? Check.
In reality... this book was one resounding "meh". At the outset, I was hooked. Our main character Naya "waking up" dead after spending her life being taught to despise and fear the resurrected was such a neat concept. But I found that things only went downhill after that. Naya proved to be a pretty frustrating and half-baked lead. I feel as though so much time was spent trying to set up the complicated politics and explain the magic behind the necromancy, that I found myself knowing very little (and thus caring very little) about the characters I was supposed to root for.
The same goes for the love interest in the book. Without giving too much away, there's a significant event involving Naya's beau that was surely intended to pack an emotional wallop, but left me feeling indifferent- because we knew so little about him, and his relationship with Naya was so underdeveloped.
Overall, despite my problems with the book, the story was inventive, and the details that were gleaned about the characters were well-written. Am I eager to read Book #2? Not really. Would I be willing to give the next chapter in the series a chance? Sure!
(Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.)...more
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