Untold survives almost exclusively on its charm and its humor.
In theory, Untold is half gothic action-adventure-mystery, and half paranormal romance, but by this point (ie. the second book in the Lynburn Legacy series), it's shed most of its pretense of mystery or adventure. There's still action peppered in, and the gothic setting is still present, but much of the mystery has been relegated to "... and then Kami researched the thing; by the way did you know about cute boys?" Which is fine, that was certainly a big part of the first book, but it makes the second entry feel less complex - like it's missing something. In fact, it feels a lot like a romance anime: Any time it's possible for there to be a lovers' quarrel or a romantic misunderstanding, you can bet that quarrel/misunderstanding is going to take place.
Example: oh I just happened to walk in at the one time when you two look like you're kissing (even though you're not), I hope you two have fun *walk away and pout*
However! The single strongest point from the first book (Unspoken) - the thing that most notably set it apart from other books in the genre - is still present here: the humor. Despite their predilection for sulking and annoyingly fawning over each other, the characters here are exceptionally charming. The dialogue is practically guaranteed to make you smile. It keeps the story from feeling overly-dour, and it makes the main cast of characters stand out. Without its humor, this series would feel by-the-numbers and lifeless. With its humor, it's notable and endearing.
Also, it's refreshing to have a female character that cleanly falls on the spectrum between the emotionally-detached ass-kicker and the flip-switch emotional blubbering mess. Case in point:
"Here she was, lonely and miserable, and she was still going to go into the gym and do what needed to be done. She had wondered who she was ... stripped of all her supports and forced to stand on her own. She had worried that she would break if her heart broke, but she wasn't broken. She had lost everything, but she was not lost. It seemed a worthwhile thing to know."
-Untold, pg. 118
Yes, it's possible to have a strong female character that still cares about things. Yes, it's possible to have a character that is vulnerable enough to cry but is able to set that pain aside to get things done. Who knew?
No comments:
Post a Comment