Alison Palmer

I’m desperately trying to finish because I’m hoping the narrative payoff will be worth the slog that is the first 70% of the book. but every time I open this book I’m made furious by these annoying characters making foolish, self-sabotaging decisions. The dramatic irony that drives the whole plot is so obvious and ham-handed that you find yourself gnashing your teeth wondering why the flip they don’t get to the point already. Neve’s whole storyline is the worst part - the “twist” is telegraphed from the first chapter, so all the Valleydan interludes feel like filler just for the sake of matching up the timelines with Red. TLDR: don’t read this if you can’t stomach the “me against the world” and missing information tropes. That’s the whole book.