Wednesday 9 July 2014

Review: Inland by Kat Rosenfield.


Book: Inland

Author: Kat Rosenfield

Pages: 388

How Long I Took To Read: 2 days

Read On: My iPad.

Plot Summary: Callie Morgan has long lived choked by the failure of her own lungs, the result of an elusive pulmonary illness that has plagued her since childhood. A childhood marked early by the drowning death of her mother—a death to which Callie was the sole witness. Her father has moved them inland, away from the memories of the California coast her mother loved so much and toward promises of recovery—and the escape of denial—in arid, landlocked air.

But after years of running away, the promise of a life-changing job for her father brings Callie and him back to the coast, to Florida, where Callie’s symptoms miraculously disappear. For once, life seems delightfully normal. But the ocean’s edge offers more than healing air … it holds a magnetic pull, drawing Callie closer and closer to the chilly, watery embrace that claimed her mother. Returned to the ocean, Callie comes of age and comes into a family destiny that holds generations of secrets and very few happy endings.

Things I Liked: 

1. The writing was lovely. It was beautiful, simple but lyrical. I kept turning pages to just read how this author wrote. 

2. There was a subtle mystery and intrigue weaved very naturally through this book. Thought this isn't a hardcore thriller by any means, the lingering intrigue was a nice touch. 

3. The descriptions of the sea, the sound and the feel of the ocean was done brilliantly. 

4. I really liked the premise of this book...the general idea behind this book. 

Things I Didn't Like: 

Oh Boy!!! 

1. The pace of this book was just slower than slow. By the time I was half-way through, I was bored out of my mind. The writing was the only reason I continued on. I was very close to not finishing it. 

2. No character really won me over. There was no one I was particularly cheering for or had warmed up to. Callie especially was nothing special. 

3. This was book was a little too long...personally I think this could have been at least 60-100 pages shorter. 

4. I know this isn't by any means a straight up thriller/mystery/whodunnit novel but there was a mystery in it and nothing was disclosed this the very end. Even tiny crumbs weren't handed out. This made reading this an even bigger challenge. Nothing much happened for very long. 

5. The first third of this book is about Callie's life as a sick person. This portion could surely have been shorter. 

6. *SLIGHTLY SPOILER-Y* I had guessed the mermaid angel when I first read the premise. The sea calling out to you can only mean one thing. Right? Also, I hate that this book/author made it seem like this could either be a book about mermaids and their related myths or it could be a book about mental illness. Just take a stand. Open-ended endings just aren't my favourite! (I think this was clearly mermaid thing...the epilogue made it seem that way. Tell me what you think. If you've read this book.) 

General Thoughts: I have heard things about the author's debut novel 'Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone' and wanted to read it for ages. I liked this book...well...sorta liked it..the writing was nice but the rest of it was disappointing. But I still want to read Amelia Anne. 

Rating: 2/5. 

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