A Darkly Beating Heart
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15
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Average rating3
No one knows what to do with Reiko. She is full of hatred. All she can think about is how to best hurt herself and the people closest to her. After a failed suicide attempt, Reiko&#x;s parents send her from their Seattle home to spend the summer with family in Japan to learn to control her emotions. But while visiting Kuramagi, a historic village preserved to reflect the nineteenth-century Edo period, Reiko finds herself slipping back in time into the life of Miyu, a young woman even more bent on revenge than Reiko herself. Reiko loves being Miyu, until she discovers the secret of Kuramagi village, and must face down Miyu&#x;s demons as well as her own.
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This is a super hard book to review. On the one hand it has this amazing premise and idea behind it. It also is written by an author that I love reading from. Lindsay Smith always has these unique worlds and locations for her books. However, this book fell completely short of my expectations. I spent the first 40% or so the book completely annoyed with the protagonist and annoyed with the “fake” world I felt like Smith was sharing with us. I wanted to immerse myself in the culture and the places Reiko was visiting.
Once Reiko really began her story in Miyu's life I became much more invested in the story. But then in the last 20 pages of the book we went full speed to a conclusion that was rushed and left me unsatisfied at the end. I had such high expectations for this book that I think really dampened my enjoyment. While this book has it's flaws, the premise should be enough for you to at least enjoy the story. I just wish it had been longer and had a better immersion into the culture.
One other thing I will say, is Reiko is severely depressed throughout this story and some of her thoughts and words could could be triggering to some people.
