Book review time is here again. I was lucky enough to have this little gem on my TBR which coincides with a theme from the Popsugar Reading 2019 Challenge. As I've said on my social media, I do have a list up that I carefully researched in case anyone needs a recommendation. You can find it here.
My Review:Overall: 3.5 out of 5 Stars Cover: 2 out of 5 Stars Disclaimer: My reviews are based on my own opinions. By no means will I ever discourage a reader to form their own opinions by reading the author's book. Do NOT contact me and complain about your review. I am and always will be brutally honest and expect my reviewers to be the same. I didn't really know what to expect with this book when I began reading it. From the author's description, I expected a viral outbreak to hit on page one to really pull me in. Unfortunately, that's not what happened and I actually found the beginning to be quite slow. It took me a great deal to keep enough interest to continue reading but my love for the French Quarter and all things bayou kept me going.
I won't say I'm glad it did but what I will say is I was pleasantly impressed and found myself enjoying the book more. There were so many plot twists and turns, I couldn't get off the ride until it came to the ending. Which, might I say is very typical of a viral outbreak novel. The way the author wrote the book showed a great deal of care I don't see in many titles nowadays, which was indeed a breath of fresh air. The way the book was worded was very elegant and well done. This all being said, had I not received this book for a free review, I wouldn't have bought it. There just wasn't enough focus on the viral part of things and more on the human condition when faced with such an occasion. While I do enjoy the building of character arcs and the human condition, these seemed cookie cutter and a bit on the dull side. I wanted so badly to connect to a character but couldn't. The plot, though woven with beautiful twists, is something I've seen repeatedly in viral outbreak novels and movies. Adding a subtle twist could've broken the monotony. I honestly felt like I was reading a mix of Del Toro and Hogan's The Strain and World War Z (minus the zombies). Again, while the character development was more impressive than many books I've read, the world-building suffered a great deal. I would've liked to feel more immersed in the story and not like an onlooker experiencing astral projection. Overall, I did enjoy this book. I could tell the author did her research and took great care to make sure the story flowed well and the readers were kept guessing. I loved how it was set in New Orleans and how the character Queenie brought in some of the bayou/cajun culture.
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AuthorMy name is Iona Caldwell. I'm the author of the British Occult Fiction, Beneath London's Fog set to be published by FyreSyde Publishing October 2019. When I'm not busy weaving worlds of the arcane and dark, I'm spending time out in nature. I love books. My biggest inspirations are H.P Lovecraft, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and Edgar Allen Poe. I blog about many things but mostly everything bookish. Archives
August 2019
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