[AD // NETGALLEY ARC]

I was given the e-book The Book of Autumn, written by Molly O’Sullivan as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. I requested this book because I was drawn in my the gorgeous cover (it’s even prettier in colour), and was promised…

a spellbinding debut about ambition, privilege, second chance romance, and ancient magic set at an enchanted school tucked among the red mesas of rural New Mexico, where a formidable pair of magicians are summoned to pursue an alleged killer.

As you can see from the title of this entry, I ended up DNF-ing this book. (To DNF a book means that you «Did Not Finish» it). Going into the book I had no idea it would be steeped in Christian mythology. As much as I normally (at least if we’ll done) enjoy fantasy books, Christian mythology tend not to be my jam. I think it’s because it’s already used so much, maybe even overused. The times I seem to be okay with it, is in horror, but even then it takes a bit for me to actually think it’s good. I struggled with this one even early on, and wanted to DNF it at 5%. After further consideration, and some communication elsewhere about DNF-ing, I decided to give it at least 10%. In the end I read the first four chapters, and at 11% I decided enough was enough, and that I would not finish it.

I honestly feel like I gave this book a chance, and I really wanted to love it. I don’t like talking badly about debut authors, they’ve put a love and heart into their work. That being said, a book will never be for everyone, and I really wish we had been told Christian mythology would be so in the forefront of this book. Had I known, I would probably not have picked up this book at all.

I can absolutely see that this book might be something others enjoy, and if you like this sort of thing, by all means, grab a copy. It’s just not for me…