I don’t know what I expected from this book. As popular as it was, as many rave reviews as I saw and the blurb that I read, it still doesn’t quite match-up. The blurb hinted at a traditional murder-mystery type of situation and the incredible reviews didn’t add up to anything specific. So as much as I knew, I was still entirely blind or blindsided while reading this.
To straighten out a couple of things, first off, this book has a fantastical plot line to it. Something that none of the reviews seem to mention, so if you’re not very fond of fantasy, don’t pick-up this book. Secondly, the fantasy is pretty graphic and horrific. The last 100 pages are not for the faint of heart or stomach. And finally, the romance in this book is pretty tame and shallow. If you’re a reader looking to satiate your lustful hunger, this is once again, not the book for you.
At this point, I will say that I did enjoy reading this book. But I do have some issues with it. Such as the aforementioned blurb, which I believe gives readers the wrong impression of this story.
However, ignoring that concern, what really irritated me was the level of foreshadowing in this book. There are so many hints to this mystery. Yes, the fantastical element means you won’t get it exactly right, but it’s impossible to get it completely wrong. Actually impossible, every 20 pages there’s a hint to one of the three key components. The clues are so heavily thrown into this book it made me feel as though the author doesn’t trust their reader or the author doesn’t think much of their readers. To put it another way, you’re a grown adult watching Dora The Explorer.
If you’ve read this book, I think you know what I mean when I say, pretty overhyped but not regrettable.
Art in Your World 