I liked The Rib King when I read the First Look, and even though it wasn't my normal genre (I'm more of a horror/thriller reader) I was interested in reading more. Unfortunately once I started reading the book I found I just couldn't get through it. I really wanted to like this because the writing is very good and it is obvious that Hubbard is a talented writer. Despite that, I had too issues with the pacing and also with connecting with the characters in general. The novel was so dense and it just felt like the plot wasn't progressing. The character of Jennie was especially troublesome to me. I had a hard time following her thought process and felt like she did little to actually move the story forward. Her character was overly verbose and I very much struggled with her narrative. In the end, I just stopped caring. Without a fast-paced plot or strong characters to cheer for, the book felt more like a chore than a book I wanted to finish.