Time for short reviews to let you know about some books I read and… didn’t have much to say about!
Title: Vox
Author: Christina Dalcher
Publisher: HQ
Date of publication: March 2019
Genre: dystopia
How I got it: present from a friend
Number of pages: 388
Jean McClellan spends her time in almost complete silence, limited to just one hundred words a day. Any more, and a thousand volts of electricity will course through her veins.
Now the new government is in power, everything has changed. But only if you’re a woman.
Almost overnight, bank accounts are frozen, passports are taken away and seventy million women lose their jobs. Even more terrifyingly, young girls are no longer taught to read or write.
For herself, her daughter, and for every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice. This is only the beginning…
Unpopular opinion incoming!
The hype surrounding Vox kept me at bay for a while. I played the hype game a lot when I was a baby blogger and learned my lesson. However, when my dear friend Inge gifted me a copy of Christina Dalcher’s novel, I felt a chill. I was ready to see what the talk was about.
The premise really has a lot of potential and the first half of the book, while quite slow, builds the picture of a scary world. Women unauthorized to voice more than a hundred words a day? What is wrong with people??? Was it a punch at all those nasty tongues saying women talk too much? This, and women’s conditions really ignited outrage in me. I was fascinated and repulsed! I had much hope Jean would not let her daughter grow up in such a terrible terrible country. There were enough details for me to get a sense of how the world had slipped down that path, so I didn’t feel I was missing much information but… But there a but. Or several ones.
Vox has been compared to The Handmaid’s Tale. I haven’t read the book but I am hooked on the TV show and no, I do not agree with this statement. Where other dystopian worlds see their main protagonist find a way and a motivation to rebel against a government, weapons, monsters, whatever, Vox failed when it comes to the battle. Jean became a mere bystander despite most of the book building its strength on her suffocating over her 100 words. When the time comes to act, she is relegated to a secondary character, used in a love triangle that doesn’t bring anything to the story, and ends up not being much in the resolve of the issues at hand.
What started as a promising and exciting read turned into a boring, by-the-rules science-fiction novel that didn’t shake my foundations. Vox didn’t leave me speechless.
Title: Dear Child
Author: Romy Hausmann
Publisher: Quercus
Date of publication: February 2020
Genre: Thriller
Number of pages: 343
How I got it: proof kindly sent by the publisher
A windowless shack in the woods. Lena’s life and that of her two children follows the rules set by their captor, the father: Meals, bathroom visits, study time are strictly scheduled and meticulously observed. He protects his family from the dangers lurking in the outside world and makes sure that his children will always have a mother to look after them.
One day Lena manages to flee – but the nightmare continues. It seems as if her tormentor wants to get back what belongs to him. And then there is the question whether she really is the woman called ‘Lena’, who disappeared without a trace 14 years ago. The police and Lena’s family are all desperately trying to piece together a puzzle which doesn’t quite seem to fit.
I first heard of Dear Child at Capital Crime last year when I teamed up with my partners in crime to release the teaser out of a cage!
I was intrigued by the little information I had. The teaser only managed to increase my curiosity.
“This thriller starts where others end”
Yes, there is tension. Yes, the different POVs all have secrets and it makes for a compelling read, although I did feel it dragged at times.
Once one of the big surprise is out, it’s about who is hiding what and where loyalty lies. If it makes for an okay beach read, I was not convinced, even by the ending twist. I didn’t connect with any of the characters, and struggled to keep going, hence my short review excluding almost any event of the book! I am aware many readers have loved the book, I stand on the unpopular side again!
Have you read those books? Did you enjoy them?
Meggy's Bookish Corner 
I find myself quite intrigued by Vox. Will look for the book within the week. Thank you for this. 🙏
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I hope you enjoy it! There’s so much potential in it!
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I’ve yet to read Vox but Dear Child I felt the same! I got half way through it and I couldn’t manage to finish it. Although some people may love it, unfortunately I’m with you and did not!
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That makes two of us in the bookish sea! 😃 I felt something was lacking x
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Fab reviews! Totally agree about VOX! It was a very well marketed book, but a disappointing read. Like you I enjoyed the first part, but then it completely changed and finished too quickly. I’m so glad I borrowed it from the library. 😀
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I’m glad I’m not alone, I thought I was becoming too picky, haha! It’s too bad, there was so much potential in Vox! xx
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You’re definitely not alone, in fact I think there are quite a few of us out there who feel the same way. 😀 xx
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I haven’t read any of those books. I don’t think I have those books. Your quickies are hot and fiery. Pun intended
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Ha, love the pun! 😀
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Ha, love the pun! 😀
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I absolutely loved VOX – but I did think the ending was a little lacklustre. It’s a book that has gathered quite a few mixed reviews.
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I had such high expectations for the second half of the book 😦 But I’m glad you loved it! xx
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I was disappointed by Vox too – it had so much promise but then it seemed like in the end the main character had to be helped and saved, which undid the whole point somewhat. Dear Child intrigues me but I haven’t felt a real push to buy it. I might try and get it on the library app instead. I hope your next reads are fabulous! 🙂 x
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I enjoyed this one. Just the end disappointed me. It was too rushed and lacked action I was expecting but definitely thought provoking. Great review!
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Yeah, it made me wonder about power and how scary such worlds are. Too bad the potential was wasted! xx
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Pity that jean just becomes a bystander and is used in a love triangle- it doesn’t really sound like that’d work for a dystopia
Not surprised the book was boring cos of that. And shame you didn’t connect with dear child either. Great reviews though!
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Thanks! 🙂 I had high hopes for both books, but nothing happened! Well, I did have to think hard about why people loved the stories and I didn’t! x
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Great quickies, Meggy! I’ve read and enjoyed both of these, but I love that blogging allows for different opinions to be shared x
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Me too 🙂 sometimes I give books a chance thanks to bloggers’ recs, and other times I reflect on my own experience with the stories x
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I’m so sorry I gave you such a bad book, I’ll make it up to you with another one soon!! I was looking for something like The Handmaid’s Tale, and the first part was satisfying enough for me at least, so let’s just not talk about the second half. As for Dear Child, well we’ll all agree it’s totally crazy you didn’t like it. Only joking lovely, you’re so entitled to feel this way! I really enjoyed it though and found the motivation and identity of the abductor a great twist.
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Haha, no love, you didn’t give me a bad book, you gave me a book that made me think! ❤ I really enjoyed the first part, I guess that's why the rest was so disappointing! I wanted so much more!!!
I know! I was sure I would love Dear Child! The reasons behind it was twisted!!! xx
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Thank you for your honest opinion on Vox! I had such high hopes for this book and the premise was just so interesting but in the end I was disappointed like you. A stronger main character and no love story would have made it so much better.
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Like you, I had high hopes for Vox, and I hadn’t read any review. The last part is disappointing, but the system is very interesting!
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A nice quicky post to keep up with all your reviews. I don’t much like the sound of Vox but I’m not a sci fi /fantasy lover at all. It’s good to try different books every now and then though, especially if they come recommended from a friend.
Amanda xx
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I enjoy a good dystopian once in a while, so I was excited about Vox but in the end, I didn’t have much to say about it. Dear Child was a shock. I really thought I would love it! xxx
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Wonderful reviews! We are definitely on the same page when it comes to VOX, and I’m really curious to see how I would react to Dear Child myself now! I’m definitely going to keep expections low just in case… 😉 xx
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We’re the disappointed children of Vox! I swear I thought Dear Child would blow my mind, but nothing happened!!! xxx
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I was not rendered speechless by Vox either 😆 Still looking forward to reading Q though. I did enjoy Dear Child very much, although it wasn’t quite as earth-shattering as the tagline tries to make out 🤷♀️
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Weirdly, I want to read Q too! Maybe I’m hoping this time, I’ll get more from the book!
Gosh it’s a relief to know I’m not the only one thinking Dear Child didn’t live up to the hype! xxx
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Yes, let’s hope Q treats us better!
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