Review Detail

The first thought that comes to my mind after reading The Almost Girl is that it had really good story-building. Alternate universes, with one technologically far ahead of ours, from where a duty-bound soldier girl comes into ours. Also, in that world, children are brought up differently, and basically are trained from birth. Riven is one such kid – strong, warrior type – and taught that love is weakness. So, she basically stifles all emotion inside and is constantly at war with herself. She comes off as cold most of the times and while that was frustrating, it was also heart-breaking.

The plot-line was intricate, with a few surprises but also some expected tropes. Also, the name pretty much gives away Riven’s secret and Caden’s role is one I suspected from the start, considering the other unethical (for our universe) developments in Neospes. Character development was excellent and the flow of the story was fast-paced but smooth. The story was riveting, and I stayed up until 4am to complete it because, damn, I wanted to confirm my suspicions. *wink* The canon was genius, with the Guardians, Eversion and Vectors. Is it just me or Riven’s dad seems like Dr. Frankenstein? Ending was good, quite unexpected and I loved the twist at the end.

Emotionally, I would say I wasn’t much invested in the book – there was still a bit of disconnect with the protagonists and the characters. Even though it was well-written, it did not feel so real. Also, I felt a bit of discrepancies with respect to the timeline, especially when her sister ran away. For a fast-paced read, it is quite good and the ending leaves you wanting for the next one.

Received a review copy from Strange Chemistry via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review