"It was strange how your brain could know what your heart refused to accept."
Rating: Kendall Marshall
Let me start by saying that it absolutely pains me to write this review. I adore JK Rowling, I love the Harry Potter series, and I think she's an amazingly talented writer. But, this novel was godawful. It was one of the top five worst novels I've ever read. I'm not sure if it seemed so bad because the Harry Potter series is so unforgettable, and I was expecting a masterpiece novel, or if it was just a bad book. Either way, I would not recommend this book to anyone.
First of all, the book is LONG. And not long like, Harry and his friends are saving the day and I hope this never ends, long. It was 503 pages of slit your wrists depression, I'd rather watch the Weather Channel and have my fingernails forcibly removed from my body, long. I hated how long this book was, I hated slowly the plot moved, I hated myself for hating JK, it was not an enjoyable experience.
The books is made up of multiple story lines that follow different members of a small town after the death of one of the town councilmen, through the following days and weeks, and up to the election to fill his spot on the council. I thought every single one of the characters could have used an anti-depressant, and I find it hard to believe that this many people could be so fantastically unhappy with their lives in such a small town. They were all depressed to the max, which made reading it even harder.
There were many times that I wanted to quit reading this novel, but I refused to give up because it was so expensive, and also because I believed at some point that JK would remember who she was, rescue the plot, and deliver another modern classic. Sadly, none of those things happened. I walked away from this book feeling as though I had thrown my money out the window, and wishing I'd stopped 50 pages in like I originally wanted to do.
I think the most positive thing I can say about this book is that I only 90% hated it by the time I was done reading it. 10% of me felt like it was almost a worthwhile venture. I would recommend that you borrow this one from a friend who, like me, got pulled in by the author's name and bought the book before checking out the reviews, or either borrow it from your local library. Either way, don't buy it, because it's definitely not a book you'll ever want to read more than once.
So, JK, please don't release another book unless it features a boy wizard. I have some really great ideas about a prequel series about the Marauders if you need some inspiration, but don't try to fool us into thinking that you're going to be the next Ian McEwan. You write really awesome books about a fictional, magical universe, and that should be enough for you.
