Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book from the author. This has in no way influenced my review.*
As much as I wanted to love this book because of that gorgeous cover and the intriguing blurb, it just didn’t work for me.
My biggest issue was the writing itself. All the similes and flashbacks didn’t flow well, and everything just felt kind of choppy.
There were also some inconsistencies and things that didn’t quite make sense about the Fray Theory, the actual theory in the book. For example, Neve and Galen kept talking about the dreams being in 3rd person, but every time the dreams were actually described or experienced, they were in 1st person.
I also felt confused in general by what was going on. I got answers about what was causing the supernatural powers, but Dylan and Romer were both hiding things for so much of the book, and there was all this other stuff involving the bad guys and the plot that weren’t given any explanation. It was a purposeful thing, meant to be part of the mystery as the characters themselves didn’t know yet, and I’m sure these things will be explained in later books, but I personally don’t like not knowing things like that. I like having answers.
Last but not least, I just wasn’t invested in the characters. I didn’t dislike them, I simply didn’t feel a connection to any of them. I also felt their POVs sounded a bit similar (yes, I do feel 3rd person can sound different for each character, not just 1st person).
All that being said, other people may love the characters and connect to them just fine since, as I said, they weren’t unlikeable. And there were some interesting relationship dynamics going on between the three of them. Romer and Dylan had one of those relationships in which they used to be best friends, but then something happened (you do get an answer about that, I’m just not explaining because spoilers), and now Romer is angry and hurt by Dylan but at the same time still cares, so it’s complicated. And there was a hint at a possible love triangle or at the very least a romance with an old flame. So there’s potential for some good stuff there.
The Fray Theory (again, the actual theory in the book) was also interesting and made me think, despite some of the things that didn’t quite make sense to me. And it was a different take on the paranormal than anything I’ve read in any other book.
The plot was also decent, but I think I’d have enjoyed that part more if I hadn’t felt so out of the loop wondering what exactly what going on, as I mentioned above. If you like mysteriousness in books, I think you’ll like the story more.
So overall the writing wasn’t for me and I didn’t feel invested in the characters, but the book definitely put an interesting spin on the typical supernatural/paranormal abilities and might be something other readers will enjoy more.
Recommended For:
New adult urban fantasy readers who want a unique, metaphysical twist on supernatural abilities.
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It does have a nice premise. Too bad the writing didn’t work for ya, it can be a fine line between just the right amount of mysteriousness and too much, but at the end of the day I want SOME answers to the big questions. It can be frustrating when you don’t get them. The hints about premonitions have me mildly curious. And I kinda wonder about the Fray theory, that’s different.
Yeah, there is a fine line when it comes to mysteriousness. And I get frustrated easily when it comes to that lol. But at least the theory was cool.
I love books with paranormal and am always looking for unique versions. Sorry, you didn’t like this one. Book 1 should never make a reader feel out of the loop on the plot. Oh well 🙂 ~Aleen
I like paranormal books too 🙂 But yeah, I don’t like feeling out of the loop :-/ Guess we can’t like them all!
That book a little bit sounds like The Mortal Doctrine by James Patterson. I love the series (I haven’t the third book yet). But the first book talked about the doctrine, but it wasn’t really revealed until the second book. I was confused about the doctrine until I read the second book.
I’ve never read that, but I have a feeling it might annoy me if I had to wait for Book 2 to learn about something was talked about in Book 1!
That blurb reminded me of the Matrix plot a bit, but then I kind of struggled to make sense of it? I have to admit, there are definitely some intriguing questions it brings up though! I can see why you picked it up!
I don’t know the plot of Matrix, so I can’t say whether it was similar. I just read the blurb again, and it’s really vague and kind of dramatic. But I was more interested in the character depth and dynamics it seemed to promise and the way other reviews made the book sound, but I apparently didn’t have the same experience as those other people :-/
The rating of a book starts at 3 /5 when i’m not invested in the characters. At times it’s not needed to connect with characters. The rating drops when the writing is choppy or to flowery. For example i adore tahreh mafi’s writing in the shatter me trilogy but I can’t stand Jay Kristoff solo series. I dnf his books at page 20 . A couple of people say both author have flowery writing. I’m giving this one a pass. It’s a bummer that your reading experience was lackluster
Yeah, it’s hard to enjoy a book when you don’t feel invested in the characters. I actually do like flowery writing though, but only when it’s done well and flows and feels natural. But you can tell when the writing is just trying too hard, you know? It just ends up feeling choppy and throws me out of the story when there’s a random simile in every other sentence. The main reason I want to try Shatter Me is because I’ve heard it has pretty writing. Your mention of it just reminded me and I went and put myself on the hold list for the ebook at my library lol. But yeah this was a bummer because from the cover and blurb and other reviews this seemed like I would love it.
Too bad this one didn’t work for you, it did look and sound promising, so I can see why it got your attention. When the writing doesn’t work for you it really can diminish my enjoyment of a book. And choppy writing with lots of flashbacks can disrupt the flow of a story.
That does sound weird they say the dreams are in third person and then it’s written in first person point of view. While I appreciate mystery in a book, the type of mystery where people keep secrets doesn’t always work as well. I am also quite impatient for answers for some topics, it does depends a bit on the book and what is unclear.
That’s a shame you didn’t connect with any of the characters and they sounded too similar. There does seem to be some interesting relationship dynamics being set-up, so at least it seems there were some good things about the book. Great review!
Yeah, it’s disappointing when something sounds really good but doesn’t work for you.
I really didn’t understand the 1st person 3 person thing? It definitely didn’t make sense, and I don’t understand how no one else noticed that. I’m just not good with that type of mystery in books though. I actually have a post written up about that exact topic lol, I just don’t know when it’ll go up on the blog.
The relationships do have potential, so maybe things would get better, but I’m not going to continue. Thanks!
I wish you had liked this one more. I have the audiobook on hold for myself so we’ll see what I end up thinking of it.
I mean, lots of other people enjoyed it, it seems, so you might still like it. I will be curious to see what you think though 🙂