Book Review: Marrow Charm by Kristin Jacques

I was disappointed by this one – or at least, by my reaction to it. I was drawn to the incredible cover (seriously, how cool is that?!), the blurb, and the author’s previous work. Unfortunately, I don’t think that what was delivered met with those expectations. I also think this is one of those where the publisher did the book a disservice with the blurb choice. I LOVED Ragnarok Unwound, and when I saw that Jacques had a new title – one that promised to bring together the occult, Nazis, and a world-within-the-world, I was immediately intrigued. I started reading and felt like I’d maybe downloaded the wrong file – Azzy’s story didn’t feel AT ALL like what was described, and the letdown was hard.

This was dystopia, which was not at all what I was expecting – and which is a category I don’t often choose. Or at least, don’t choose lightly. I suspect that if I’d stumbled upon the story blind, I might have had better luck with it – Jacques tells a compelling story, no matter the topic, although I must confess I found this one less immediately engaging than RU even though it was just as original. I just never felt like I found my way into the experience I was expecting.

I understand this is the first in a series – that may explain some of the questions and confusion I’m left with, although it is not common for the first book, setting everything up, to be quite so oblique… It’s possible this just isn’t the series for me – or at least, not for me right now. I may need to let my original anticipation for what I thought I was getting fade away, then come back to this one as a blank slate. Once I have an expectation about a story it’s hard to let that slide, and if the book doesn’t deliver on that expectation, it’s tough to pull me in – even if the story is otherwise entertaining.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy.