Scan barcode
A review by justinkhchen
Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward
4.0
3.75 stars
A runaway train of a narrative that is both mesmerizing and frustrating, unlike most of the currently publishing genre authors specialize in thriller/mystery, Catriona Ward's output is consistently far from the norm, and Looking Glass Sound is no exception—starting out as a coming-of-age story with a side serving of serial killer on the loose, it gradually morphs into a meta-fiction about authorship and the (literal) power of storytelling. As much as I marvel at where the evolution, the transition from one subject matter to the other is admittedly patchy in this one, and not as seamless as her breakout hit The Last House on Needless Street.
It's unfortunately Looking Glass Sound starts out at its worst, with a bloated first act the feels unnecessarily long and meandering. By the time the pivotal 'gimmick' reveals itself around the 40% mark, the book might have already lost a good portion of its audience. The 'gimmick' utilizes here is something I love seeing authors explore (I can think of a few other titles, but referencing them here might be spoilery), yet the execution might has gone one layer too far—not only does it muddle the book's internal logic, it also takes readers' mind away from its central thesis (my brain hurts just from trying to sort out the eventual character map).
Catriona Ward's strength as a storyteller remains present throughout: the prose is soaked in atmosphere, scenes of horror are deeply harrowing, and there's even a surprisingly turbulent, yet tender MM romance subplot I did not see coming. But as a whole Looking Glass Sound comes a across a little try-hard and under-edited, too many interesting elements that don't quite gel together, and a lopsided pacing testing people's patience. It's definitely a diamond in the rough—if you're already a fan of Catriona Ward (like myself), I would still recommend picking it up.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
A runaway train of a narrative that is both mesmerizing and frustrating, unlike most of the currently publishing genre authors specialize in thriller/mystery, Catriona Ward's output is consistently far from the norm, and Looking Glass Sound is no exception—starting out as a coming-of-age story with a side serving of serial killer on the loose, it gradually morphs into a meta-fiction about authorship and the (literal) power of storytelling. As much as I marvel at where the evolution, the transition from one subject matter to the other is admittedly patchy in this one, and not as seamless as her breakout hit The Last House on Needless Street.
It's unfortunately Looking Glass Sound starts out at its worst, with a bloated first act the feels unnecessarily long and meandering. By the time the pivotal 'gimmick' reveals itself around the 40% mark, the book might have already lost a good portion of its audience. The 'gimmick' utilizes here is something I love seeing authors explore (I can think of a few other titles, but referencing them here might be spoilery), yet the execution might has gone one layer too far—not only does it muddle the book's internal logic, it also takes readers' mind away from its central thesis (my brain hurts just from trying to sort out the eventual character map).
Catriona Ward's strength as a storyteller remains present throughout: the prose is soaked in atmosphere, scenes of horror are deeply harrowing, and there's even a surprisingly turbulent, yet tender MM romance subplot I did not see coming. But as a whole Looking Glass Sound comes a across a little try-hard and under-edited, too many interesting elements that don't quite gel together, and a lopsided pacing testing people's patience. It's definitely a diamond in the rough—if you're already a fan of Catriona Ward (like myself), I would still recommend picking it up.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**