It's OK

Struggled with this due to the repetitive nature. 'our eyes melted...' 'his eyes burned... ' 'his melted honey eyes...' It took too long to get going, the reference to 'cutting' felt too voyeuristic and bordered inappropriate for me. The constant use of 'mother' was annoying and felt inauthentic. Shame as it could have been a good story.

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Suprisingly good.

After reading recent reviews, I had expexted to be dissappointed. The story held me throughout x

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Gripping

Definitely a keeper. I loved this book, I liked the combination of characters especially Sebastian, although he’s the one you’ll love to hate. So well written and well chosen narrators. 5 stars

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162 choppy chapters and half-baked characters

Nothing about this book was enjoyable. While it is well-reviewed on line I just do not accept any of he praise this novel has received. The concept seemed interesting enough, but the build up was so drawn out that you found yourself wanting to skip entire chapters in search of plot/character development.

The biggest issue was the characters. For the plot to work on any level it was essential you felt some connection to the characters, but they were ultimately empty voices. Something about them was too formal, referring to their mum as ‘mother’ constantly, etc etc. It just did not feel real. The sisters supposedly love each other endlessly and yet there is no explanation as to why, other than it appears to be horribly sycophantic and unhealthy. Zara comes off as such a pathetically empty woman who’s life revolves around one man in an instant, while Miranda has no discernible character traits beyond the fact she is educated and an accountant. Sebastian on the other hand is a ridiculous caricature bad-guy who’s motives are so vague that even the nice tidy explanation you’re given at the end leaves you rolling your eyes. His chapters are written so short, in an attempt to keep him as mysterious as possible, and this only emphasises just how bland he is. I’ve read children’s books with more believable antagonists.

In general the book reads like bad young adult fiction, along the lines of Twilight (though I’d argue even Stephanie Meyer was less repetitive.) Within a few chapters I was so tired of reading about characters shared looks I was rolling my eyes every time said descriptions came up - I’m sure I almost gave myself eye strain.

Not only this, but the book deals with some incredibly dark themes and appears to just gloss over them. Rape and self harm dealt with in such an empty way they appeared to be injected purely for the novel to seem ‘gritty’ or ‘real.’ This supposed realness does not come across in the book at all. I mean if Amanda Robson expects me to believe a middle-class accountant based in southern England would listen to Kid Rock let alone own enough Kid Rock merch to select a favourite t-shirt then she is out of her mind.

Honestly, I consider the fact I finished the book to be a personal failure. Avoid at all costs.

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3 people found this helpful