Review of Opaque
-
Alana Brown
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 22 Sep 2021, 09:14
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 5
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-alana-brown.html
- Latest Review: Opaque by Calix Leigh-Reign
Review of Opaque
[Following is a volunteer review of "Opaque" by Calix Leigh-Reign.]
Adam is a sixteen year old boy who has felt out of place for his whole life. He battles with inappropriate feelings towards others and conflicting inner thoughts which set him aside from his peers. At the beginning, he has no friends and struggles with masking his true self every day. He is convinced he is a sociopath, and he despises most of his school mates, thinking they are beneath him. Adam has felt like this his whole life, up until a new girl called Carly joins his class and he feels an indescribable pull towards her. These feelings are not one sided and we soon discover that Carly also is drawn to Adam in a way she has never felt before.
Carly is initially unsure about Adam, sensing his inner turmoil. However, the pair cannot escape the magnetism of each other, and as new truths are uncovered they must embark on an adventure together for the safety of those they love.
This book had many positive aspects. Firstly, I really enjoyed the Russian ancestry aspect. I have read books that most commonly include Greek and Roman ancestry, so reading about characters with Russian ancestry was refreshing. In addition, Adam’s character development was very enjoyable to follow. To begin with I was unsure about his character, finding him very dislikeable and difficult to relate to. However, throughout the book he becomes a much better character. While he still has some flaws, he begins to accept himself and blossoms into a powerful man who will go to any lengths to protect those he cares for. He discovers reasons explaining why he used to feel as he did and becomes much more understanding of himself and willing to move on from who he used to be. Furthermore I was impressed with the variety of the powers included in the book. The descriptions of each power were intriguing, giving diversity to the descendants with powers, and must have required lots of research.
While I enjoyed the book overall, the writing style was unusual and some adjectives used were ones I am unused to seeing so often. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though it makes the first few chapters a bit slower to read through. As the book continued I did get more familiar with the writing style so if you stick with the book it does get more comfortable to read. A new writing style and words may be a positive experience for some to broaden the reader’s vocabulary, but the negative side is the book being a tad more difficult to read through to begin with. In addition to this, the thoughts of characters were presented in the same way as the speech of characters was. This sometimes made it hard to distinguish between a thought and what someone was saying out loud.
This book progressively got more gripping and therefore I rate Opaque by Calix Leigh-Reign a 3 out of 4 stars . I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading sci-fi and fantasy books, especially those who love a dark troubled character. I would not recommend this book to a younger audience due to references of rape, violence, sex and incestuous relationships. In addition, anyone sensitive to any of these topics should also be aware of them before deciding whether to read this book or not.
******
Opaque
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Adam is a sixteen year old boy who has felt out of place for his whole life. He battles with inappropriate feelings towards others and conflicting inner thoughts which set him aside from his peers. At the beginning, he has no friends and struggles with masking his true self every day. He is convinced he is a sociopath, and he despises most of his school mates, thinking they are beneath him. Adam has felt like this his whole life, up until a new girl called Carly joins his class and he feels an indescribable pull towards her. These feelings are not one sided and we soon discover that Carly also is drawn to Adam in a way she has never felt before.
Carly is initially unsure about Adam, sensing his inner turmoil. However, the pair cannot escape the magnetism of each other, and as new truths are uncovered they must embark on an adventure together for the safety of those they love.
This book had many positive aspects. Firstly, I really enjoyed the Russian ancestry aspect. I have read books that most commonly include Greek and Roman ancestry, so reading about characters with Russian ancestry was refreshing. In addition, Adam’s character development was very enjoyable to follow. To begin with I was unsure about his character, finding him very dislikeable and difficult to relate to. However, throughout the book he becomes a much better character. While he still has some flaws, he begins to accept himself and blossoms into a powerful man who will go to any lengths to protect those he cares for. He discovers reasons explaining why he used to feel as he did and becomes much more understanding of himself and willing to move on from who he used to be. Furthermore I was impressed with the variety of the powers included in the book. The descriptions of each power were intriguing, giving diversity to the descendants with powers, and must have required lots of research.
While I enjoyed the book overall, the writing style was unusual and some adjectives used were ones I am unused to seeing so often. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though it makes the first few chapters a bit slower to read through. As the book continued I did get more familiar with the writing style so if you stick with the book it does get more comfortable to read. A new writing style and words may be a positive experience for some to broaden the reader’s vocabulary, but the negative side is the book being a tad more difficult to read through to begin with. In addition to this, the thoughts of characters were presented in the same way as the speech of characters was. This sometimes made it hard to distinguish between a thought and what someone was saying out loud.
This book progressively got more gripping and therefore I rate Opaque by Calix Leigh-Reign a 3 out of 4 stars . I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading sci-fi and fantasy books, especially those who love a dark troubled character. I would not recommend this book to a younger audience due to references of rape, violence, sex and incestuous relationships. In addition, anyone sensitive to any of these topics should also be aware of them before deciding whether to read this book or not.
******
Opaque
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Opaque by Calix Leigh-Reign
