COMPOSITE CREATURES - Caroline Hardaker


 As much as I wish I would like every book I read, and I'm sure every author wishes everyone would like their book, sometimes an author, at least a book, and a reader don't connect.  That would be the case for me and Composite Creatures by Caroline Hardaker.

The earth is toxic. Air, soil, water. The years of pumping pollution have taken their toll.  Humanity is still learning to deal with this new world. But traditional social behavior is even harder to shake. But the government can help with that.

Norah meets Aaron at a restaurant for a first date. We watch Norah go through her day and peek into her life and get a sense of what she's thinking along the way. Norah and Aaron get to know each other as they plan their lives together. Everything looks good until an unusual creature is delivered to them.

And I didn't care.

A sci-fi/fantasy novel with a strong emphasis on environmental conditions? Toss in some strange creatures? This should be right up my alley. And the first couple of chapters, establishing the world and the characters, were really wonderful. But as it went along I struggled to find a reason to keep going. I found it meandering and dull.

I don't mind heady, thought-provoking fiction.  I prefer it. But I need a reason to get into it.  Usually that's a character or characters that I can identify with or sympathize with.  I didn't get that here. We follow Norah and I don't care much , and while I might find Aaron really interesting, we don't get to know him very well despite his being a major character in the book.

This is just not for me.

Looking for a good book? Composite Creatures by Caroline Hardaker is a slow, thoughtful dystopian fantasy with some rather dull characters.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars

* * * * * *

Composite Creatures

author: Caroline Hardaker

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 0857669028

paperback, 400 pages

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