Stars: 2 out of 5
This started so strongly, then puttered out somewhere around the midway point.
Mostly because the author didn’t quite know what story she wanted to tell. Was this a romance? A coming-of-age story? A story about grief and how different people deal with it? About the afterlife? Love and betrayal, and courage in the face of adversity?
I think the author wanted to include all of these themes, but didn’t manage to cover any of them in a meaningful manner in the end. It feels half-backed, with a meandering plot and underdeveloped characters.
I loved Nera, though. If this were her coming-of-age story, I would have been all for it. She is bright and alive, and I enjoyed discovering the world of the living with her, as well as getting to know the other souls at the station.
However, I couldn’t stand Charlie, so their romance was a lot harder to stomach. Yes, I know she is suffering, and has PTSD, and her family is all together shitty to her, but she still comes across as selfish and rather cruel.
And, I’m sorry, but her choice near the end of the book was so out of character even for her selfish self that it felt ridiculous. It happened only because the author needed to bring Harosen and his demon face-to-face again somehow. I would argue that there were better ways. He could have put Nera in danger while she was out in the city, and Harosen would have had to conquer his fear and step out into the world to save her. That would have been a great redemption arc for him, instead of whatever pathetic ending was written.
And while I love magical dogs and the idea of them being guides for the souls of the dead, the way they were written was… jarring, I guess? Their interactions with each other are surprisingly petty. I was more annoyed than endeared with them for most of the book.
And the ending was… underwhelming, to say the least. I also don’t particularly agree with the end of the Station. It served a purpose – it let some souls heal and rest before they were ready to cross over. Or to wait for their loved ones so that they didn’t cross alone. What happens to those souls now? Do they just get forcibly escorted to the veil, or are they stuck in a loop in Chicago until their time comes? Also, what about other cities? Do they have Veils like that as well?
There is a good story in there somewhere, but I think it would have benefited from a tighter plot and less purple prose. It’s also very heavy on feelings, often to the detriment of the story, especially when Charlie is concerned.
PS: My thanks to Netgalley for my review copy.
