Book Reviews: 2 Books That Didn’t Work For Me

I have a hard time admitting to myself when I don’t like a book. I’ll make excuses like “I’m just not in the mood”, “It’ll get better”, “I just have to try harder to understand the ‘deeper meaning'”. While all of these statements might occasionally be true, I also have to get better at admitting when a book just doesn’t capture my attention. With that in mind, here are two books that didn’t work for me.

Blurb

Under the dirty streets of Ismae’s greatest port city, an old nightmare waits for Sylandair and Aliara, one that is stealing Dockhaven’s children, one that only they can end.

When the pair escaped their owner and abuser years ago, they left him behind in a ball of blue flame, but as more children disappear near the city’s desalinization plant, they believe he may not be dead.  When they embark on an underground search for him with their less-than-reliable puka scout Schmalch, what they find is beyond any expectation.  It will lead them into a twisting world of inheritances, experimentation and memories they never wanted to exhume.

“Things They Buried” is the first full length novel of Ismae, a planet where bodies can be re-crafted at the genetic level while photography remains a luxury available only to the rich.  It is a world where science sometimes appears as magic and history as myth, where monsters make themselves and heroes are wholly unintentional.

Review

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

• Medium paced
• Plot driven
• Multiple main characters and POVs
• Bi/pan main character (not specified)

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn’t work for me. The character development was often sidelined in order to keep the plot moving, which unfortunately made it hard for me to care what happened to those characters. There’s a lot of emphasis on a dark/creepy atmosphere throughout the novel, which was well written but didn’t make up for me not caring about what happened to the characters.

You might also like: The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids

Would I still recommend this book?

Maybe! I didn’t personally enjoy it, but I see no reason why someone else wouldn’t. If you like these things this might be the book for you:

• Elaborate wordbuilding
• Plot focused stories
• Morally gray characters
• Genre mixing
• Writing that arouses feelings of disgust/discomfort

Where to find Things They Buried by Amanda K. King and Michael R. Swanson

Blurb

This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.

One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial best-seller, Watchmen has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V for Vendetta, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and The Sandman series.

Review

• Slow paced
• Plot driven
• Multiple POVs/main characters

Watchmen was another story where I just felt indifferent to the characters. With such a large cast of characters you’d think I’d care what happened to at least some of them, but no. They were intentionally written to be unlikeable, but since there was also little to no development of their personalities beyond “pessimistic and corrupt heroes past their prime” I got bored. This graphic novel series focuses heavily on the setting and atmosphere, similar to Things They Buried.

Would I still recommend this book?

Also maybe. There’s a lot of seemingly good criticism of American corruption and the superhero genre, which mostly went over my head. If that’s something that interests you, you should give it a try!

You might like Watchmen if you like:

• Morally corrupt heroes
• Dark stories

Where to find The Watchmen by Alan Moore

Have you read Things They Buried or Watchmen? What did you think about them? Do you also struggle with writing negative reviews? Let’s chat in the comments!