I know fiction is called fiction for a reason. But this is so far from reality that it's almost bordering on science fiction.
Caz is on board the luxury cruise liner RMS Atlantica for a well-deserved vacation with her new boyfriend, Pete. When she wakes up after a night of fun and delicious food, Pete is not there. She steps out of her cabin to investigate and soon realizes that everyone is gone. There is not another soul on board, and that is only the start of her nightmare.
Dun, dun, dun!
Ah, that premise is so good. It makes it seem like this is a locked-room mystery/thriller, and I love those! So of course I dug in with gusto. And the initial 100 pages were exactly what I wanted. I was on the edge of my seat, turning the pages as fast as I could, trying to figure out what happened to Caz. Could it be aliens, or ghosts, or interdimensional visitors?! What could it possibly be?
But then we reach a turning point about a third of the way through, and it took all the wind out of my sails. (See what I did there? Sorry, couldn't resist.) I thought I was reading a thriller, but it turned into a survival/gory horror story, which I'm just not into.
And from then on, it became more and more bizarre, to the point where it wasn't believable anymore. The more I read, the more incredulous I became. Sure, I didn't see the developments coming, but that's because they don't really jive with reality. I had a hard time investing in the story because it felt like someone was pulling my leg the whole time.
Also for a thriller, this really dragged on. Every time there is an action scene, we take a detour inside Caz's mind as she ponders about her parents and sister, their problems, and how that follows her around everywhere. It feels like 100 pages could've easily been cut out and we would still have the same story.
Oh, and right when I thought it was over, we were smacked with one last parting shot at the very end. Talk about pulling someone's leg. Not only did it not make sense, but it felt like the biggest troll of all.
I'm so disappointed. The beginning of this book was amazing, and I thought I had a 5-star thriller on my hands. But as I read on, slowly but surely, I came to enjoy it less and less. It feels like I was deducting a star for every 100 pages, until I arrived at the ignominious 2 stars.
Still, I applaud the author for trying something different. Just because it didn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for you. In fact, this is one of those books that's so crazy, I hope everyone reads it just so we can all talk about it.
Readaroo Rating: 2 stars
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