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A review by chronicallybookish
Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
3.5ish stars—maybe 3.75?
The premise and plot of this book are so fun and so strong. The pacing was fast and engaging. However, I wanted more from the writing and characters.
There were several points at which I almost DNFed this book in the first 30%—and I probably would have if not for the fact that it was an ARC and I’ve met the author and she was so nice that I desperately wanted to like this book. Ultimately, I’m glad I didn’t DNF. I had a good time with the latter half of that book, but man was that first 30% rough. The writing was not up to par. It was shallow, and the diologue was especially rough, very unnatural. My main issue, however, was how much I could not stand to be in Ford’s mind. I liked Corrie, but Ford was annoying as hell to read about. He was so whiny and melodramatic, I genuinely could not stand it. He did mellow out as the book went on—or maybe I just got used to him-but I still never really got to the point of actually enjoying his POV.
The book was also extremely instalove-y. Technically, it was more insta-lust, but that’s not a trope that works for me either, especially when there wasn’t much chemistry between the characters early on. They did have a spark later in the book, but that first 1/4 of the book was unconvincing and just cringey.
That said, it was a genuinely fun book. The setting was beautiful and well described, the plot was, as I said, so fun and very unique. The premise and plot really are the main selling points of this book, and they were both well executed. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the archaelogical dig and reading about Corrie and Ford’s explorations.
As the story wears on, we also get more character depth and development, and by the 50-60% mark, my original complaints had faded. The writing still wasn’t to the level I personally wanted it to be, but I was enjoying myself, and I no longer wanted to throw the book against a wall every time the chapters switched to Ford’s POV. The plot twists were predictable, but they were still engaging to read, and I think that’s the most important part.
While this wasn’t my favorite, I did overall enjoy it more than not. I think Jo Segura has a lot of potential, and I’m excited to see what she will do next.
The premise and plot of this book are so fun and so strong. The pacing was fast and engaging. However, I wanted more from the writing and characters.
There were several points at which I almost DNFed this book in the first 30%—and I probably would have if not for the fact that it was an ARC and I’ve met the author and she was so nice that I desperately wanted to like this book. Ultimately, I’m glad I didn’t DNF. I had a good time with the latter half of that book, but man was that first 30% rough. The writing was not up to par. It was shallow, and the diologue was especially rough, very unnatural. My main issue, however, was how much I could not stand to be in Ford’s mind. I liked Corrie, but Ford was annoying as hell to read about. He was so whiny and melodramatic, I genuinely could not stand it. He did mellow out as the book went on—or maybe I just got used to him-but I still never really got to the point of actually enjoying his POV.
The book was also extremely instalove-y. Technically, it was more insta-lust, but that’s not a trope that works for me either, especially when there wasn’t much chemistry between the characters early on. They did have a spark later in the book, but that first 1/4 of the book was unconvincing and just cringey.
That said, it was a genuinely fun book. The setting was beautiful and well described, the plot was, as I said, so fun and very unique. The premise and plot really are the main selling points of this book, and they were both well executed. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the archaelogical dig and reading about Corrie and Ford’s explorations.
As the story wears on, we also get more character depth and development, and by the 50-60% mark, my original complaints had faded. The writing still wasn’t to the level I personally wanted it to be, but I was enjoying myself, and I no longer wanted to throw the book against a wall every time the chapters switched to Ford’s POV. The plot twists were predictable, but they were still engaging to read, and I think that’s the most important part.
While this wasn’t my favorite, I did overall enjoy it more than not. I think Jo Segura has a lot of potential, and I’m excited to see what she will do next.