Link to book – The Castaways by Lucy Clarke.
Rating – 4 out of 5 stars
It’s a real mixed review with The Castaways, because some parts of it I absolutely loved yet others left things to be desired…
Starting with the characters, it wasn’t that I disliked Lori and Erin, they were well written characters, there was just something off about them and I found them a little bit irritating, they were okay, not terrible, but not brilliant. That being said, the idea of having the two characters and the split POV was excellent and very well done.
However, that split POV did ruin the atmosphere somewhat. Every time we got the point where something was happening or the tension was built the POV changed and it just really disappointed me.
But back to the things that I super enjoyed!
The writing! It was so well done and despite my misgivings about the characters and the atmosphere the writing absolutely carried this book. The author crafted this incredible story that you couldn’t help but get wrapped up in.
The same for the plot, it was different and refreshing. And I absolutely did NOT see the ending coming at all! I loved the way that the author could have gone down a more traditional route with some aspects but they just managed to surprise us at every turn of the page.
Plus, plane crashes are something I’m a bit nerdy for so to read a book literally based on one was just brilliant.
And the entire thing was just incredibly intriguing. Which is definitely where the split POV came into it’s own. Usually I get annoyed with constant switching (unless it’s a romance book ovbs) so for me to enjoy the split POV was a big thing for me, I felt it really helped us to build the story for Lori and Erin and how they both were experiencing the event.
I’m not sure if entertaining is also the right word to use for this book, but it definitely did entertain me! Perhaps not something that I would read again, but one I’m glad I read.
Until next time, Em xxx
What Em's Reading 