A review by organchordsandlightning
The Vines by Shelley Nolden

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A really interesting premise bogged down by details.
I think there's really something to the concept of Cora, a woman inflicted with many diseases that cannot leave the island, and I was far more interested in her section of the book - at first, before it simply became chapter after chapter of the same kinds of medical torture. I also found the modern sections not particularly compelling at all - and a little troubling, in some aspects. For all the talk about what was done to Cora, the book really does seem to believe at points that the male bloodline of the Gettler family is 'cursed' into being evil scientists.