I have to laugh a little. Out of all the book reviews I have done, this one is really tough. Not because of the material or anything. Well, in a way it’s because of the material. But really I just can’t figure out what I even want to say.
Let me just break it down between the positives and negatives:
Positives:
- The author used amazingly descriptive imagery
- It was easy to read
- The struggle between the main character and her mind was interesting
Negatives:
- The ending was just ‘eh’
- Some scenes were difficult to follow
- There wasn’t any real depth
- Personally, I didn’t think there was much to the story, period
Now, having said this, maybe you can see my point. When there isn’t much to a story, there isn’t much to say. Yes, it flowed nice. It’s not like it was boring or difficult to understand. The problem is there was really no story! The main character dares to enter a tower that everyone says to stay away from. She meets the man that lives there. Has a couple of mental issues. Decides it’s best to let it all go and leaves. That is really the basis of the whole book! That’s it! No climax…no huge struggle (just one with self)…no nothing. Because of this I rated it 3 stars.
The Orchid is a clean book for the most part. There are a few questionable words, and one steamy part (but no graphic details). And it is beautifully written. So the author has real talent, no denying that. Let me give you a pic of the cover and the blurb in case you’d like to check it out. Perhaps you’ll get more out of it than I did!
The Orchid
Sahar Ayachi
“You will bring light to my darkness, you will bring hope to my despair. You will be my knight though you will first be a slave, but I know which spots to hit to make you brave.”
Dreamy, impulsive, but mostly confused—this is Lola.
On a journey where she just tries to live, love, and be loved, Lola is being followed by the one thing she thought she escaped from—a presence that will find her wherever she goes . . . a presence that isn’t happy with her decisions—not happy at all.
Follow Lola through a story where the lines between dreams and reality are blurred, where she will be faced with struggle—emotionally and physically—and where she is trying her best to make sense of the confusing situation she got herself into.
What is this scary unknown that Lola is running away from, and will she eventually be able to face it?
See? It did sound good on paper! The innards just weren’t quite living up to the premise.
As a side note, I think this book is only available in paperback at the moment. But here is the link in case you would like to view more:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1482899884