We are not that far into 2024 and I have the unfortunate task of sharing some disappointing books that I have already read in 2024. The common theme amongst these books is that their concepts were too weird and abstract.
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1.A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvia Cathrall
My Starry Rating: 2/5 Stars
Publication Date: April 23, 2024 by Orbit Books
Synopsis:
A charming fantasy set in an underwater world with magical academia and a heartwarming penpal romance, perfect for fans of A Marvellous Light, Emily Wilde’s Encylopaedia of Faeries and The House in the Cerulean Sea.
“An underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore: nosy and loving families, epistolary romance, gorgeous worldbuilding, and anxious scholars doing their best to meet the world with kindness and curiosity.” —Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light
A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.
Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.’s home, and she and Henerey vanish.
A year later, E.’s sister Sophy, and Henerey’s brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery, piecing together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind—and learn what their siblings’ disappearance might mean for life as they know it.
Inspired, immersive, and full of heart, this charming epistolary tale is an adventure into the depths of a magical sea and the limits of the imagination from a marvelous debut voice.
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Review:
An under the sea fantasy sounded unique, but it was a little too weird for my liking.
A Letter to the Luminous Deep is a fantasy story that like the ocean, was mysterious, difficult to grasp, and imaginatively deep. I didn’t quite understand what was happening as there wasn’t any context or world building at the beginning of the story. I was plunged right into the depths of a story that I didn’t understand with very little background information. The concept was very unique as were the fantastical elements, so there wasn’t anything to balance this within the story.
I didn’t enjoy reading this because it was weird and not magical like I was thinking it was going to be.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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2.The Caravaggio Syndrome by Alessandro Giardino
My Starry Rating: 2/5 Stars
Publication Date: April 12, 2024 by Rutgers University Press
Synopsis:
A headstrong art historian, her duplicitous student, and 17th-century utopian philosopher Campanella come together in this fusion of historical, queer, and speculative fiction.
Leyla is a headstrong Brooklyn-born art historian at a prestigious upstate New York college. When she meets feckless young computer technician Pablo at a party, she quickly becomes pregnant with his child. There’s only one problem: she can’t stand him. And one more problem: her student Michael wants Pablo for himself.
Amid this love triangle, the objects of Leyla and Michael’s study take on a life of their own. Trying to learn more about Caravaggio’s masterpiece The Seven Works of Mercy, they pore over the journal and prison writings of maverick 17th-century utopian philosopher Tommaso Campanella, which, as if by enchantment, transport them back four centuries to Naples. And while the past and present miraculously converge, Leyla, Michael, and Tommaso embark on a voyage of self-discovery in search of a new life.
In this fusion of historical, queer, and speculative fiction, Alessandro Giardino combines the intellectual playfulness of Umberto Eco with the psychological finesse of Michael Cunningham.
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Review:
I was expecting a dark academia time travel type story based on the description, however, the book was too abstract with far too many raunchy scenes. There were several small chapters at the beginning of the book that were written by the author and others to explain the plot and the inspiration behind the book. To me this is always a red flag because it shows that the author’s story and ideas are not coherent.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free arc via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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3.The Age of Magic by Ben Okri
My Starry Rating: 2/5 Stars
Publication Date: February 13, 2024 by Other Press
Synopsis:
In this enchanting novel from the Booker Prize–winning author, a group of world-weary travelers discover the meaning of life in a mysterious Swiss mountain village.
The Age of Magic has begun. Unveil your eyes.
Eight weary filmmakers, traveling from Paris to Basel, arrive at a small Swiss hotel on the shores of a luminous lake. Above them, strewn with lights that twinkle in the darkness, looms the towering Rigi mountain. Over the course of three days and two nights, the travelers will find themselves drawn into the mystery of the mountain reflected in the lake. One by one, they will be disturbed, enlightened, and transformed, each in a different way. An intoxicating and dreamlike tale unfolds. Allow yourself to be transformed. Having shown a different way of seeing the world, Ben Okri now offers a different way of reading.
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Review:
This book is a metaphysical story that was far too abstract and boring. Its incoherent storyline took away from the message of the story. Similar to The Caravaggio Syndrome in that the author had to write a forward explaining what the story was about. Writing about spiritual topics without being able to properly translate them, is pointless and one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to visionary fiction.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free arc via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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That’s it for now, and hopefully the rest of the year will be free of disappointing books…
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