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A review by ellemnope
The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars...very nearly 5 stars.
Okay...I will admit that is just perfectly niche for me. Somehow, despite the fact that I have little interest in celebrity lives in real life, I am absolutely obsessed with books focusing on the lives of musicians. I don't know what it is, but they suck me right in.
This book totally hit the spot for me. I love the heartache and the turmoil. The 90s as the backdrop was also perfection. Little references here and there that clearly pointed to bands or famous figures in real life were like fun little Easter eggs that just made me happy. (Also...weirdly, I pictured Elijah's parents as the Cullens from Twilight. Don't ask me why...my brain works in mysterious ways.)
Stapley's writing was fun and balanced, staying full of tension without being overwhelming. There is plenty of angst in her characters and the music scene comes off appropriately gritty. I loved the imperfect character of Jane and how she handled being pushed to the backseat of her own fame. There was a lot of raw material in this book that resulted in a character who didn't come out perfect in the end. She was consistently flawed, she had hard lessons to learn, and her pathway was quite messy.
There were 2 things that kept this from being a solid 5-star. First...pacing. There was some slow movement in the beginning and a few scenes that could have benefited from some additional exploration; a few areas where transitions between the timelines could have been a little more clear and less bumpy.
Second, the ending. For me, the ending can make or break the entire book. And I was a bit disappointed with this one. It felt a little too easy and not as complex and I think it needed to be after all the setup. Things wrapped up pretty quickly and I just didn't get the emotional punch that I wanted from the narrative.
Despite its flaws, I really, really enjoyed this book. It was one that I didn't want to put down. I ran through a gamut of emotions and I really felt like I could understand Jane's character. It's a book that I will be putting in my permanent collection.
Okay...I will admit that is just perfectly niche for me. Somehow, despite the fact that I have little interest in celebrity lives in real life, I am absolutely obsessed with books focusing on the lives of musicians. I don't know what it is, but they suck me right in.
This book totally hit the spot for me. I love the heartache and the turmoil. The 90s as the backdrop was also perfection. Little references here and there that clearly pointed to bands or famous figures in real life were like fun little Easter eggs that just made me happy. (Also...weirdly, I pictured Elijah's parents as the Cullens from Twilight. Don't ask me why...my brain works in mysterious ways.)
Stapley's writing was fun and balanced, staying full of tension without being overwhelming. There is plenty of angst in her characters and the music scene comes off appropriately gritty. I loved the imperfect character of Jane and how she handled being pushed to the backseat of her own fame. There was a lot of raw material in this book that resulted in a character who didn't come out perfect in the end. She was consistently flawed, she had hard lessons to learn, and her pathway was quite messy.
There were 2 things that kept this from being a solid 5-star. First...pacing. There was some slow movement in the beginning and a few scenes that could have benefited from some additional exploration; a few areas where transitions between the timelines could have been a little more clear and less bumpy.
Second, the ending. For me, the ending can make or break the entire book. And I was a bit disappointed with this one. It felt a little too easy and not as complex and I think it needed to be after all the setup. Things wrapped up pretty quickly and I just didn't get the emotional punch that I wanted from the narrative.
Despite its flaws, I really, really enjoyed this book. It was one that I didn't want to put down. I ran through a gamut of emotions and I really felt like I could understand Jane's character. It's a book that I will be putting in my permanent collection.