Just a reminder, only 10 days left until my charity promotion ends. See details here. Now, on to the review!
4 out of 5 Stars
I liked this book. I must say, the beginning dragged for me a bit. It took me until about 60% in until I’d moved to the edge of my couch and shooed away anything/one who interrupted me. It was a short read but was crammed full of a lot of imagery and very poetic prose that had my heart aching. Towards the end, it even managed to form a lump in my throat. Let me give you two examples of some of Stewart’s beautiful thoughts, though there are so many I’d like to provide but I fear I’d give away the whole book:
Sarah grunted. “People don’t have fates.”
“No: fates have people,” Jet said, suddenly serious. “It’s quite, quite different.”
There is a class of walkers who share a certain camaraderie. We are not drunks, tramps, hookers, cops, priests, party-goers or night-shift workers: we are merely outsiders. On the rare occasions when we meet we acknowledge one another with a tiny tilt of the head, or a quick nod; but each of us carries his or her own solitude. We are invisible and we cannot be touched.
At some point, I’d like to reread this book now that I know a bit more and have a clearer picture of the world and angels. I think I missed a lot at the beginning that would be neat to uncover.
Overall, the story was very interesting, and though the world was earth, it was a very unique take. Meaning, it was more of the history that changed the present day and it did not use a futuristic spaceship setting. I’d have a hard time cramming it into the sci-fi category, but I’m not sure where else it would fit.
Anyways, the story had me wondering what in the hell was going to happen. I had so many questions, I didn’t even know where to start. It wasn’t a book that fed you what you needed to know in an orderly and concise manner. That said, I wouldn’t consider this a light read. My recommendation is to pick this up and spend some quality time with it. I think you’ll get more out of it. Admittedly, I don’t think I digested all I should have when I read this.
The characters were interesting, each living within their own haunted house of horrors. I found it fascinating to get to know them and what made them tick. Jet was my favorite, but Dante was right on his heels. This book had some great character development.
The only reason this got 4 instead of 5 stars is simply because it took me so long to get into it. So while the ending was satisfying, moving, and just damn beautiful, I wish I would have been more invested in the beginning. If I had been, I bet those welling tears would have spilt over.
In the end, I’d highly recommend this to anyone who wants a serious read with stunning prose and some damn intense emotions.
Where to find Sean Stewart:
Website
Amazon
Goodreads
