Olivia McCloskey > Recent Status Updates

The Misery vibes are strong in this one…

Still waiting for a twist to make this feel worthwhile. I don’t think anything can be considered a twist if the protagonist is the only one that’s surprised by the blatantly obvious schemes that have unfolded immediately in front of her…

I’m struggling to see why this is so popular. The narration style alone leaves a lot to be desired…

The infatuation with using Lenora Dove’s full name every time that she’s mentioned is a choice (and a frustrating one at best). The plot has also started to drag with a seemingly excessive lead-up to the Games. I’m not really seeing the payoff for the prolonged introduction, but maybe there’s some foreshadowing that I’m missing?

The frustration is inevitable at this point, particularly when the high school-aged protagonist tries to tell police how to do their job after traipsing all around a crime scene. How have none of the adults put a stop to this "investigation?"

The high school-aged protagonist doesn’t understand how credit cards work yet is conducting a full-fledged missing person investigation. Even more bafflingly, all of the adults in the book are supportive of this and sitting down for recorded, police-level interrogations with the protagonist. Just when I thought this couldn’t get even more outrageous…

And the realism element of the series has taken a nosedive off a cliff. A family is trusting a *high school student* to conduct a missing person investigation, and my ability to suspend my disbelief has left the building. I’m not feeling optimistic about the rest of this one…

This is reinforcing that I love a mixed media book, especially when it comes to podcasts, interviews, audio recordings, etc. This one has a good balance between the mixed media components and a traditional narrative, and all of the mixed media makes sense given the investigative and journalistic nature of the plot. Excited to see where this one goes!

It’s incredible how a little interpersonal drama and antique forgery can liven up a plot! Still feeling like this is a little unnecessarily drawn out though…

It’s incredible how a little interpersonal drama and antique forgery can liven up a plot! Still feeling like this is a little unnecessarily drawn out though…

Very intrigued by the more in-depth insight we're getting into the inner workings and behind the scenes of the games. It's definitely helping to differentiate this from the first Hunger Games book, especially since the overarching plots are so similar thus far.

The writing seems to oscillate between a professional, highly sophisticated yet somewhat distanced/removed narrative and a much more casual, informal, almost colloquial recounting of events. The rapid switching between the two tones and sense of familiarity with the reader is giving a bit of whiplash and unintended disorientation. I wish only one of these tones was chosen and utilized throughout the book...

For the longest time, I thought a well-planned murder scheme could revive any plot… this book has proven otherwise. But, I’m too far in to feel like marking this as a DNF.

There's been a considerable lull in the plot for the past 20% of the book, and my attention is quickly dwindling...

The attempt at conveying a whimsical tale with very melancholy, lyrical writing seems harshly discordant and contradictory in this one. I can’t tell if it’s been over-edited to death, takes itself too seriously for the story it’s trying to tell, or some combination of the two.

This is EERY. All of my current predictions are very Westworld adjacent, but I can't make all of the puzzle pieces fit together nicely...

The villain immediately comes across like a cartoon caricature, and I can't take him seriously. Something tells me this isn't the intended interpretation...

As much as I hate to admit it, the payoff for the slow pacing seems to be the dedication to character development and growth. Something tells me we’re supposed to fall in love with these characters just in time to watch something horrible and gut-wrenching happen to them…

This feels a little formulaic and reminiscent of the Hunger Games, following a very similar plot structure but changing subtle details and swapping out characters. It’s nostalgic and familiar, but it’s interestingly not feeling tired and overdone at this point. I’m curious to see if this setup is going to continue for the rest of the book.

The pacing and passage of time is downright bizarre, but I can’t tell if it will be an asset or a detriment at this point. So far, there was an initial surprising reveal, followed by one major plot point. Not much else of substance has transpired, and the slow pace and relative inaction is a bit jarring for a fantasy. Perhaps there’s some foreshadowing that I’m missing somewhere along the way…

And we’re apparently launching into the heavy-handed, traumatic scenes quite early in this one. I guess you could say it’s as advertised?

This is one of the most erratically paced books I’ve ever read, and it feels like I have whiplash from all of the rapid accelerations followed by slamming on the brakes. But somehow, it works?!?

I'm shocked in all of the best ways about how quickly the found family theme has been established. Interestingly, it also feels a little reminiscent of the Twilight series, albeit better crafted and more whimsical.

The literary fiction slow-burn is already setting in, and this is definitely feeling outside of my comfort zone.

The school setting with students being divided into houses based on personal attributes and values is reminiscent of an odd amalgamation between Harry Potter and Divergent…

Loving Brandon Sanderson’s writing, per usual, but not sure that I love this attempt at YA. Some of the dialogue seems excessively and inappropriately juvenile - what group of 17-year-olds would walk around calling one of their peers “Jerkface?”

Loving how much more in-depth this is than the movie adaptation! It's starting to feel a little long-winded at times, but perhaps there's a payoff later in the book that will make the somewhat protracted plot worthwhile.

I feel like I should be taking copious notes, but I’m loving all of the clues and puzzles in the narrative!

Talk about fast-paced! The time crunch in the narrative has me frantically trying to finish the book, and I’m loving the action-driven plot!

Based on the first several chapters, it seems like Sanderson is one of the few authors that can write both adult and YA fantasy well. Given my distancing from YA books over the past 8 or 9 years, I’m surprised that I’m enjoying this so much!