Honestly, I did not read the blurb of this story before I signed up for an ARC. I am confident that this will be an interesting story because of the author. I have not read any of Martha Sweeney's work before but I have heard enough of her name through social media.
At first, I was not sure where the story was going, where it was taking me. I was not also sure what genre this book was under. It took place in a dystopian world. A world after a war. Resources are scarce, except people. The story used strong adult language though it was made out to be using its own distinct tongue but then, the meaning is still not lost. I guess, it being said in a different language made it a little less crass to hear but still, a curse is a curse. I was struggling through the first quarter of the book due to the fact that I took it blindly. The first few parts were also not so enlightening. It was about a girl who was kidnapped, trapped in a room and made to do things against her will. Then, the story made sense to me suddenly, like being woken up from my sleep. Slowly, the plot unfolded and it dawned on me what the whole thing was about. I started really getting invested in the whole thing in the last part. I started rooting for Red and Knight.
The whole unable-to-figure-out-the-story-at-first has something to do with the style of writing. It was not bad, I think it was not the usual start to any story. Unpredictability of a story is a good thing for me. I guess, like Red, how the story started felt like I was abducted too and did not know where I was. That was how this experience started with me. And then, with enough patience and perseverance, light was finally thrown to get a grasp of the whole affair. It was unnerving but I was glad that I was able to comprehend what the author was telling through this story. The style of writing was uncomfortable at first but it was a great relief to eventually figure it all out.
The story, all in all, was not a good experience. I don't mean that it was bad or the writing was terrible. It was a bit too dark for me and it felt confining. I felt like I had something held against my throat. It drew out dark and not-feel-good emotions out of me. After reading this, I felt like I need to decompress. De-stress. This was intense and once you are into the story, you can't help but feel the same intensity of the emotions. A deep breath did not take the story out of my system. I needed to drink water to calm myself down and think of good thoughts before I was able to fall asleep.
I give this book 3/5 Chess pieces. Clearly, the author is skilled. I guess, the story wasn't really for me. It was too intense and I did not like the darkness to it. I am unsure if I wanted to read the next story but in a way I root for Red and Knight to be able to escape their sad and hard predicament.
Thank you again, Martha Sweeney for the ARC.
There aren't many rich people, which makes me wonder why the poor never fought back. The only possible reasons why the poor don't fight back are they are too weak, mentally and physically, too stupid, or too lazy to do anything.
- Martha Sweeney, Knight Takes Pawn -
