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A review by libraryoflanelle
Passiontide by Monique Roffey
Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.
I just know that this book is going to be perfect for the right audience. If you are a fan of literary fiction that tackles important themes and the blurb of this book intrigues you, then I would highly recommend it. Sadly, I personally found myself having to DNF this one at around 40%. I found myself not wanting to pick it up to finish it, so I decided to call it and focus on some of my other e-ARCs instead. There is nothing inherently wrong with the book and I would still recommend those who are interested to give it a read. Monique's writing is absolutely stunning and incredibly immersive, which was the main reason I requested this ARC, having loved the use of language, dialect, and tone in her previous book. If you loved "The Mermaid of Black Conch," I am certain you will love this one too!
One reason I DNF'd was due to the fact that I found the build-up to the main plot a lot slower than I was expecting, based on my experience of Monique's previous book. Upon reflection, this does fit the tone of the book due to the importance of background being provided in depth in what is categorised as literary fiction, which is sadly a very hit-or-miss genre for me. My main gripe with this book was the amount of time we spent with the white doctor. Whilst I understand that this character was likely incorporated to draw stronger parallels between colonisation and white supremacy and the main themes of social justice and activism, I found myself becoming increasingly irritated by Forrester and craving to hear more from the other characters.
I strongly believe that this book will find its audience and will likely be in line for literary prizes, but sadly it was just not for me.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.
One reason I DNF'd was due to the fact that I found the build-up to the main plot a lot slower than I was expecting, based on my experience of Monique's previous book. Upon reflection, this does fit the tone of the book due to the importance of background being provided in depth in what is categorised as literary fiction, which is sadly a very hit-or-miss genre for me. My main gripe with this book was the amount of time we spent with the white doctor. Whilst I understand that this character was likely incorporated to draw stronger parallels between colonisation and white supremacy and the main themes of social justice and activism, I found myself becoming increasingly irritated by Forrester and craving to hear more from the other characters.
I strongly believe that this book will find its audience and will likely be in line for literary prizes, but sadly it was just not for me.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.