I was very interested in this based on a unique setting, an interesting premise, and a lot of early hype. I think what this book discusses is incredibly important and something a lot of people (including myself) need to know more about, ESPECIALLY after I read the author's note. However, my actual reading experience did not live up to the expectations I had in my head for this. I'm sad about it.
There's just something about this that prevented me from really getting into the narrative, caring about the characters, feeling suspense, etc. While I liked this book in some abstract way, I was nowhere near as invested as I thought/hoped I would be. Things that should have mattered deeply just... didn't. Things that should have upset me or made me anxious to find out what was going to happen next... didn't. It's a very weird feeling because the stakes were high in this book, the plot was intense, and the character interactions were emotionally charged. However, none of that grabbed me. Somehow I read this entire book with a sense of remoteness and detachment. I thought I would absolutely love this book, and I still do believe it has merit. It just didn't really get to me.
There's just something about this that prevented me from really getting into the narrative, caring about the characters, feeling suspense, etc. While I liked this book in some abstract way, I was nowhere near as invested as I thought/hoped I would be. Things that should have mattered deeply just... didn't. Things that should have upset me or made me anxious to find out what was going to happen next... didn't. It's a very weird feeling because the stakes were high in this book, the plot was intense, and the character interactions were emotionally charged. However, none of that grabbed me. Somehow I read this entire book with a sense of remoteness and detachment. I thought I would absolutely love this book, and I still do believe it has merit. It just didn't really get to me.