Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘'s Reviews > The Graces

I can see how The Graces could be appealing for some readers (Kirkus, for one). The patient kind, who can get past a ridiculous, unbelievable plot and flat characters for the sake of a twist. I am not that reader. I believe that there's such a thing as too little, too late, too bad. Also, I totally saw it coming.

Honestly, I don't even have it in me to write an organized or ranty review, but I only want to forget the hours I spent reading it. Can I have my time back, please?

I just need a Forgetfulness Potion is all. What? Everyone can be a wiiiiitch, right?



Daaaaark. Oh, how The Graces tries to be dark.



Too bad The Graces lacks an atmosphere.

Therefore it isn't dark, but on the contrary the plot was ridiculous and made it hard to suspend my disbelief from the get-go. Not to mention the confusion - not the good kind of confusion, but the annoying, aggravating one, when I repeat endlessly little beauties like, "but what the HELL is going on?!". Oh, sure, the story became interesting started making sense. Sort of. At 75%.



I don't know about you, but it's waaay too late for me, especially because the twist was so obvious that the only reaction it created was making me roll my eyes. Because, you know, it couldn't have been ANYTHING ELSE.

Finally, I would usually complain about the random time jumps and the awkward way the scenes were cut off, but honestly, I cared so little that I was glad for the story to get somewhere (except, not really). This is not good.



Where do I even start? Oh, there :

☑ Nonsensical and cliché sentences : "He smelled like a thicker, manlier kind of vanilla."

☑ Boring and oh so deep conversations : "The thing is, " he said softly, "we're all going to die." "Yes." "But the first time you really realize it... how do you get over that?"

Oh, please protect me from teenager philosophy.

☑ CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER ← Why do I get the impression that these words are going to hunt me? Oh, yes. Because I read them way too many times - more than once was already too much.



I didn't care about any of them, whether they be main characters or merely useless puppets. I was so ready to be engrossed and fascinated by the Graces and their secrets that you can't imagine my disappointment when I realized how fake and unrealistic they sounded.

And god, how I'm tired of omniscient first POV. No, you cannot. Yes, you actually have to choose. Indeed River spends the whole book explaining to the reader what other people think, and I'm sorry, but is it supposed to make me think that she's so clever? Because it doesn't work. She appears delusional and instable (also hateful) (view spoiler)[and do not tell me that it was intentional, because then, we don't have any twist now tell me? (hide spoiler)].

Oh, and the mum. Oh please this is ridiculous. I've read my fair share of absent mothers in YA, but never before did I read such out of the world conversations :

"I just want to talk to him [her dad]. I just want to know he's still... he's still around."
She raised her arms and her voice. "Well, he's not! He's not hiding under the stairs, is he?! I just... look. If it's going to be like this again, maybe we need to have a talk about that medication you were on before we moved. Maybe it was too soon to stop taking it."

Of course. How dares she, missing her dad like this?! Of course she needs medication! ARGG I can't even.

"She shrugged. Her hair crinkled as it met her shoulders. "I thought you said you were at a friend's house. Why, are you going to tell me you were out all night clubbing?" Her grin was hopeful."

HOPEFUL. Right. I'm hopeful too. I hope I will never meet characters who are so judgmental, intolerant and frankly insufferable.



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