#bookreview: Deepest Blue | Mindy Tarquini

This is a little late. It was supposed to be Wednesday's post, but I had a hard time finishing it.

Deepest Blue by Mindy Tarquini
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I struggled reading this. I read all the way to about 20% or so, had to stop to finish some class readings and then when I came back to it (only a day later) I was still so lost I decided to start from the beginning again. That didn't help any.

In concept, it's good. Reaching the end and piecing everything together, it's haunting and beautiful. There are layers and layers of secrets, hinted at and alluded to throughout the novel. There's always that something more you want to know, need to know, that's just a little out of reach. Mostly, it's fine--because Matteo doesn't know either, and it's his grief and his anguish and his grasping that you're living in, even when the POV flits over to Claudio and to Antonio and then back again.

But it's not enough. I spent most of the book confused, wondering when I'd know, when I'd find out what on earth was happening. There's no a-ha moment, no spark in the story that makes you want to devour it and move on and on... just a lingering sense of confusion and maybe if I read the next paragraph, turn the next page, I'll finally be less... lost. Then I reached the end (or the last chapter or so) and went Oh. Eh. Well.

Maybe part of this is the fault of the kindle ARC I was reading. Not all the formatting came through--sections/chapters started in the middle of nowhere, and I mainly knew that because there'd be a missing letter which I assume was supposed to be a drop cap. There were quote-like sentences between paragraphs I later suspected should have been chapter breaks, maybe?

I thought I'd like this one, and am a little sad that it didn't quite work for me after all.

Note: I received a digital copy of this book via Edelweiss. I was given the book with no expectation of a positive review and the review is my own.


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