2 out of 4 stars
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Romance novels have generally been a guilty pleasure of the female reader – even more titillating if it comes with a generous helping of suspense, thrills, and sexy times. Therefore, when I came across Kaylin McFarren’s Twisted Threads, I could not help but select it for a review.
The novel is the fourth book in McFarren’s Threads series, and tells the story of Akira Hamada, a tired geisha-reluctantly-turned-assassin, who is given a rare chance to get out of the Yakuza to start over her life, after completing this last job. She is tasked with finding out and permanently taking down Keiko Mitsui’s murderer, the sister of the head of the Yakuza. She meets Devon Lyons, a rich dissolute with a cynical outlook on life on board the cruise the murderer is on, and intends to seduce him in an attempt to find the murderer. However, she falls in love with him, and has to deal with the fallout of her deception when Devon realises her true identity.
Twisted Threads has a very compelling murder mystery, and McFarren is able to describe her characters and settings in exquisite detail, allowing the reader to fully immerse himself/herself into the story. On the other hand, McFarren has a tendency to get carried away with superfluous details, which detracts from the main plotline. I would have liked to see a deeper exploration of the romance between Devon and Akira in lieu of the minor storylines she weaves into the novel; personally, this would have kept the plot moving to constantly engage the reader’s attention.
Also, for Twisted Threads to supposedly be marketed as Akira’s story, it has disappointingly few chapters in Akira’s perspective. The bulk of the chapters are written from Devon’s perspective and his thoughts on Akira; this was a pity, as I felt that equal, if not more attention ought to have been given to Akira for the reader to understand her thoughts and emotions whilst she is struggling to come to terms with the budding feelings of love she feels for Devon, the ultimate no-no in Assassination 101 (one does not develop feelings for one’s target). Due to this, the romance between Devon and Akira felt unnatural and one-sided. The romance would have been more effective if their perspectives were interwoven in each chapter of the novel – the reader would have been able to better empathise with the characters, making it a more meaningful and interesting read.
Regrettably, Devon’s character was not well thought out, as he is particularly prone to childish tantrum outbursts, coupled with a tendency to conflate lust with love. Devon’s declarations of love for Akira almost always have to do with her body, and the explicit scenes between them only affirms his sexual objectification of her. Also, whilst the idea of the stunning Japanese assassin who falls in love lends the romance an exotic and appealing twist, McFarren has fallen into the trap of Orientalising Akira, which is especially troubling in a story with a predominantly white setting – Devon is not in love with Akira as she is, but instead with his idea of Akira.
All in all, whilst Twisted Threads has some glaring faults, it still is a somewhat engaging read. I would, however, encourage interested readers to start from Book 1, as it does get confusing from time to time, since it references events prior to the start of the novel. I would rate this novel 2 out of 4, as McFarren’s portrayal of Japanese culture is exotic and glamourous at its best, grossly patronising at worst. A saving grace is that there were almost no flaws in formatting and grammar.
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Twisted Threads
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