Hey everyone! Here is my debut "Triage of a Novel"! For those who might have forgotten (or just don't know, yet) what my formula for each triage is, click the link at the bottom of the page. It will redirect you to the blog post where I go over—step-by-step—my triage assessment. Happy reading!
Across the Room: A little confusing at first. However, after about 45-50 pages, I got the hang of it.
Vitals:
Temperature: low-grade fever. While there was a bit of grit (it was a war, after all), it was very whimsical. It wasn't at all what I was expecting.
Heart Rate: mild tachycardia. The pacing was a little quick, for my taste. Especially after the first 40 pages, or so.
Blood Pressure: Normotensive. The plot, overall, was great. A very compelling story, bit by bit.
Respirations: regular rhythm. The characters were really well-fleshed out, especially in between the letters to each other. The letters were another fantastic way to get to know each character's sense of humor, as well.
Oxygenation: a bit hypoxic. Despite all the flowery and metaphorical prose, the majority of the actual descriptions were a bit bland. I had a touch of white-room syndrome with some props here and there. I would have liked to see more world-building (particularly surrounding the war, and how it started)
Work of Breathing: Distress, but resolved. At first, I had a really really hard time with the prose and the overall approach to this story. In fact, I DNF'd it for a couple of weeks. However, I'm glad I picked it back up to finish it. Once I got past 45ish pages, I was hooked.
Histories:
Family: Fantasy
Medical: Extremely flowery prose. Nearly poetic. While I wouldn't recommend most authors to go this extreme with the metaphors, it works for this book.
Psychiatric: I loved the romance. However, I do feel like it was a tad rushed. Maybe a couple of extra letters between the lovers?
Socio-economic: Targeted audience is adult. Definitely reads like an adult novel.
Head to Toe Assessment:
Head and face: The cover is very interesting. Diving into the blurb, it didn't really make a lot of sense for the cover, but it didn't turn me off. The blurb, however, is quite the hook.
Neck: Again, I had a really hard time getting into this book until about 25% through. So, in my subjective opinion, I didn't see much of a hook.
Chest: I don't know where the inciting incident was, so I can't really have an opinion on it. This is the point that I shelved it for a couple of weeks.
Abdomen and Flanks: Once I got past the first 45 pages, I was sunk. I just couldn't put it down.
Perineum: I had chills. I was scared. I had all the feelings for these characters. I was so afraid for their lives.
Extremities: Oh man. The climax. What a crazy ride! I cried, I screamed into a pillow. It was so well done!
Backside: It ended so suddenly! And I left just as confused as I was in the beginning. I guess that's how I lost the time war 😉
Prognosis: Good. Solid 4 stars on Goodreads. If I could have followed the first 45 pages better, I might have enjoyed it more. It may require a re-read in order for me to truly appreciate this piece of literature. If I know what I'm getting into, then the second time through will likely be much better than the first.
As always,
Stay safe. Stay sane. Keep healthy. Keep smiling. Much love!