I am giving this book a 4.5-star review.
This book was wonderful! The only reason why I rated it lower was due to the ending. With all that build-up, I was expecting the ending to be a lot longer or fantastic like Violet’s life. I was going to give this book a 5-star review until the ending. I just was hoping for more. It felt rushed and did not provide me with closure. I thought the ending was going to be big like Violet’s personality and show. But I was left with a rushed scene and not a lot of loose ends tied up.
The characters in the novel were complex and likable. I really enjoyed reading about them all. There were a lot of characters, but they were introduced in non-conventional ways. They were also easy to distinguish between each other.
The story really focused on the two sister’s relationship. They were rivals in every sense of the word. Some of Violet’s behaviors were very narcissistic. I felt terrible for Sasha. It also had elements where Sasha may also have magical talents but was overshadowed by her sister. Violet had everything but was always jealous of Sasha.
The plot is interesting. It explores the mystery of what happened to Violet. It also explores relationships (mother/daughter, sister/sister, fans/celebrity), fame, public personas, etc. It has some magical elements in the novel as well. Does Violet and her sister have magical abilities or are they just illusions?
I really loved how the author used a non-traditional writing style: podcast, 1st person narratives, interviews, articles, emails, etc. They do flashbacks throughout each to describe Violet’s childhood, career, disappearance, etc. It was unique. I think if it was a traditional book, I would have been bored due to the pacing. But the way it was written, it was engaging and remained interesting throughout.
I loved Oona Out of Order. I could not wait to read this one. After reading this book, she has become a must-read author for me!
I did read the book. I hear the audiobook is great though. I wish I would have gone back and forth. It sounds as though the audiobook had a wide range of narrators for each character. I love it when they do that!