This was a book that kind of quietly crept up on me without me exactly realizing it. I found it initially quite slow-paced, and there's a certain tedium to the constrained nature of the characters' situation -- stuck in a lifeboat, day in and day out, with only each other and the occasional fish for company. There are a lot of characters, and I confess I had a hard time keeping track of who was who; a "cast of characters" list at the beginning would have been helpful. Certain characters come to the forefront as the story goes on, though, the most ambiguous (and yet most interesting) being the narrator herself, Grace. As a reader, I felt distant to Grace, never quite feeling like I understood her entirely. I believe this was a conscious choice on the author's part, to keep the reader guessing about Grace's motivations and character. It felt, even to the last page, as though there were secrets Grace wasn't telling anyone, even the reader. She's a character who you are not entirely sure you want to root for, and yet somehow, she wins you over anyway. Her matter-of-fact nature, her apparent honesty and at times bluntness -- juxtaposed with the sneaking suspicion that actually, she may not be all that honest -- makes for a narrator who entices the reader to dig deeper to try to figure her out.
This is certainly more of a character study than an action-filled story, although there are moments of tension, particularly in the latter half of the book. I did find the climax scene somewhat unrealistic, and had to suspend some disbelief there (spoilers in white, highlight to read: I have a hard time believing that none of the men, who were all on Hardie's side, even tried to stand up for him against Hannah, Grace, and Mrs. Grant. Hardie's being overpowered and thrown overboard and no one doing anything to try to stop it seemed unlikely).
This is not a flashy story; those looking for a fast-paced thriller will be disappointed. Those who don't mind enigmatic characters, an uneasy atmosphere, and being left with more questions than answers might find a real hidden gem here.
4 shooting stars.
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
I found most of this first book in the series to be quite slow-moving, except right towards the end where it feels like everything is happening at breakneck pace. It reads more like a set-up for the rest of the series than a story in its own right. But I very much enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing their friendships form and strengthen. Nona is a gutsy protagonist, although by the end of the book I found her to be somewhat "overpowered" -- she is portrayed as almost indestructible, and I feel like her personality shifted rather suddenly towards the end. She "comes into" her powers and skills so rapidly as to be somewhat unrealistic (granted, she has had training throughout the rest of the book). I also enjoyed getting to know the world, although bits and pieces of information were sprinkled here and there in such a way as to leave me feeling confused as I read (I still don't entirely understand the origin story of the Ark, or how the "focus" works, or any number of other world-building snippets). I really wish a map had been included to help me better visualize the world and the layout of the convent!
3.5 shooting stars.
