Strange Gods by Alison Kimble: A Book Review
Genre: Fantasy
Overall, Alison Kimble writes an interesting story in her first novel, Strange Gods. While a little slow in the beginning, the story does start to get more intriguing when the characters of Elliot and Bree are introduced – mainly, I think, due to how more personable those characters were. Personally, I was no a fan of Spooky, the MC. I found her to be very whiny and immature. I also found her description of Dodgeson to be lacking – however I did enjoy Elliot’s take on it. Unfortunately, I could also see the reasons the parents had to send their children off – as in I could see actually parents sending their kids to a place like Dodgeson, as if something were actually wrong with the child. Honestly, I’m surprised Kimble didn’t introduce a character from the LGBTQ+ community and feel that she missed not only the perfect placement, but also the perfect political statement (along with Bree).
There were certain points in the story that I felt had potential that didn’t really meet expectations. For one, while the whole idea of a god just wanting a human for stories is interesting – I think that it was not only unrealistic, but also mentioned too much in the story. If this aspect was downplayed even a little and the other gods mentioned more in depth I think the whole story would have benefited. While how it is now is okay, it could have been better.
Who would most enjoy the work and who should stay clear (if necessary):
Those who like the mystery of stories
If you like troubled teens and messed up reasons
Like hidden political messages
Are looking for a good book for your class to analyze
Other books like the one reviewed:
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
Entangled with Fae series by Tessonia Odette
| Plot: | 8 / 10 |
| Characters: | 7 / 10 |
| Writing: | 10 / 10 |
| Editor: | 9 / 10 |
| Total | 34 / 40 |
Title: Strange Gods
Author: Alison Kimble
Edition: ARC eBook
Published: July 20, 2021
Publisher: Immortal Works LLC
ISBN: 9781953491145
If you want to get it: Amazon; Barnes&Noble
Rosey Reviews 