Wonderful atmosphere, mediocre otherwise
The atmosphere and the establishment of a unique and intriguing setting were quite well done. The bayou town of La Cachette felt vividly real and the air of mysticism and mystery around it was well-crafted. With the premise and the setting drawing me in, I was ready to thoroughly enjoy this story. However, it felt the author was more invested in showing off the backdrop and the dark atmospheric elements than in developing the main plot of the book.
The central storyline, the uncovering of the mystery of Elora's disappearance, was often meandering and a bit formulaic at times. The main character, Grey, was more pulled along through the story beats than an active participant in solving the mystery. I found the ending pretty unsatisfying, as well, feeling abrupt and somewhat emotionally hollow.
This may have been in part due to the lack of develop of the characters and their relationships. Despite being said to be close friends, for the most part the Summer Children feel very disconnected from each other. Other than Hart, none of them are very involved in the story, despite being the people closest to Elora and Grey. We're fed hints of interesting character traits and relationships that make their lack of development even more disappointing. The romance elements also ranged between awkward and uncomfortable. With Zane, it felt unneeded and rushed and with Hart, though it felt a little more fitting to their situation, it was uncompelling.
The central storyline, the uncovering of the mystery of Elora's disappearance, was often meandering and a bit formulaic at times. The main character, Grey, was more pulled along through the story beats than an active participant in solving the mystery. I found the ending pretty unsatisfying, as well, feeling abrupt and somewhat emotionally hollow.
This may have been in part due to the lack of develop of the characters and their relationships. Despite being said to be close friends, for the most part the Summer Children feel very disconnected from each other. Other than Hart, none of them are very involved in the story, despite being the people closest to Elora and Grey. We're fed hints of interesting character traits and relationships that make their lack of development even more disappointing. The romance elements also ranged between awkward and uncomfortable. With Zane, it felt unneeded and rushed and with Hart, though it felt a little more fitting to their situation, it was uncompelling.