OnlineBookClub.org
1 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
On Days Like This by Mary Faderan is a fiction book that may be classified as a thriller.
Mary Scott has just graduated with a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Merton. She has secured a job working as a researcher at Yale’s School of Medicine and will be packing up and moving to her new home the following day. Mary is excited to put her degree to use and hopes to be successful in her career but instead finds herself in a precarious situation. Her fellow researchers seem welcoming at first, but in reality, they are not who they seem. In reality, she is surrounded by people who wish to see her dead. These nefarious individuals are determined to do anything they can to prevent Mary from reaching her full potential.
This author has a very creative writing style and takes the plot in this story down several pathways. The storyline involves rogue FBI agents, an undercover MI5 agent, a coven, espionage, the Yakuza, and other shocking plot twists. While I appreciated the author’s creativity, I struggled with how all of these twists were connected, and some seemed too far fetched for me.
What I liked most about this story was the determination that Mary had. It was clear she was not comfortable in her new position and was not thriving at Yale, yet she persevered. She had the opportunity to terminate her employment and move to another city but decided against doing so because she wanted her research to be successful. This is a character trait that I admired in Mary.
What I disliked most about this book was the complicated storyline. I lost interest once the plot strayed down multiple paths. I found the storyline confusing. Many of these paths were not resolved, which led to more confusion. I would have loved to see a streamlined plot that focused on one of these paths with a resolution in the end. I loved the premise that Mary could be in danger due to her relation to her father and his connection to the Yakuza. I bought into this storyline and found it enjoyable and would have liked to see this play out throughout the book.
Unfortunately, this book has not been professionally edited and has an overabundance of errors. Throughout the book, there are errors in sentence structure that made it difficult to follow the storyline. In addition, there are a number of grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors. Some of the characters' names are spelled differently in different areas of the book, sometimes on the same page. These errors were a distraction while reading and made it difficult for me to stay engaged while reading. This book could have potential if edited thoroughly.
It is important to note that this book contains profanity and adult content, therefore it should be reserved for mature or adult audiences. There are also graphic descriptions of death and dying that some may find disturbing. I would not recommend this book to individuals who are sensitive to homosexuality or bisexuality as there are references to these relationships in this book.
In my honest opinion, there are so many errors throughout this book that it was cumbersome to get through. I found the overall storyline difficult to follow given the numerous plot twists that take this story in so many different directions at once. I enjoyed the beginning of the book, and I wanted to love the book in its entirety, but it fell short for me. Considering all the critical aspects mentioned, including the need for editing, I rate this book 1 out of 4 stars.
******
On Days Like This
View: on Bookshelves
