Enigma Tales

Ever read a book and think “this is really dated?” This book is dated. It was published, mind you, in 2017, but in fifty years, people will read it and say “this was written 2010-2030”.

The plot is highly enjoyable, and engaging until it the end when it's entirely unsatisfying and bad. I enjoyed it a lot most of the way through, despite periodically cringing at the occasional “I'm an English major” writing and the “I'm a left-Liberal circa 2020” commentary. (I'm also a left-Liberal circa 2020, but that doesn't mean they don't make me cringe.)

Also, you know how some books you read and something in it (usually how it presents a woman) makes you think “this was written by a man”? There were a couple “this was written by a woman” scenes in here. Most books I read are written by women, but this may be the first time I've had this reaction to a scene. Plenty of “the narrator/character is a woman, and if the author is an man he really nailed it” books. This one did not nail it.

Anyway, this is a mostly-good, enjoyable book with a good plot with an unsatisfying ending and a few weirdly bad scenes, and an overly 2010s/early-2020s feel to the writing. It annoys me that it didn't live up to its potential.