the delicate beast

Review: The Delicate Beast by Roger Celestin

by Stefani

The Delicate Beast by Roger Celestin

Expected publication: February 4, 2025 by Bellevue Literary Press

Pre-order this book at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

A novel of a life built on the ashes of childhood

In the 1950s Tropical Republic, a boy lives amid opulence and privilege, spending days at the beach or in the cool hills above the sweltering capital, enjoying leisurely Sunday lunches around the family compound’s swimming pool. That is, until the reign of The Mortician begins, unleashing unimaginable horrors that bring his childhood idyll to an end. Narrowly escaping the violent fate visited on so many of his fellow citizens, he and his brother follow their parents into exile in the United States where they must start a new life. But as he grows, he never feels at home, and leaves his family to travel across Europe and outrun the ghosts of the past.

A searing novel of a life lived in the shadow of history, The Delicate Beast portrays the persistent, pernicious legacy of political violence.

Rating:

Review:

***Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Bellevue Literary Press and Edelweiss!***

I began reading this book 64 days ago. I tried to like it. I really really tried to like it. But I just don’t. After reaching the halfway point I decided that I just couldn’t go any further, the writing style was giving me a migraine. In the end this is yet another case of the synopsis selling me a completely different book than the one I read.

The synopsis told me that I would be reading a rich story, set in a lush tropical environment and watching a boy’s life crumble around him in the anarchy of political violence. And then I would be watching as his family picked up the pieces and started a new life. That could very well be what the last 214 pages are about, but the first 200 pages definitely were not. The entire first half is filled with vague stories about the history of this boy, his family, the Tropical Republic, and the townspeople. At first it was interesting and it felt like good worldbuilding. But after awhile I wondered when we were going to get to the point. Ultimately, we never did. When I left off we were just barely seeing the beginning of The Mortician’s reign. I think. Because of the writing style I’m not entirely sure that’s what was happened, but more on that in a minute. All we had read was some vague paragraphs about militias and people being beaten or arrested. I have no idea what happened apart from that. Was this a coup of some sort? A military takeover? An election gone wrong? I have no idea because the author was too busy telling me, yet another, story about the boy going to confession to confess about watching the maids bathing naked.

This was a wordy book. At 414 pages I knew it would be a long book, but it is WORDY. There’s so many words. Superfluous words. Unnecessary words. Words that were so vaguely conveyed that they no longer had meaning, Words that were used in such odd ways that I wasn’t sure that they were being used correctly. This author lives in purple prose. I am not sure he wrote anything but purple prose in the entire 200 pages that I read. Except that typically purple prose displays excessive emotion and is often melodramatic. This book was neither of those things. Just incredibly, pedantically wordy. The emotion and explanation displayed was more in line with beige prose, except for the excessive wordiness that is typically absent in examples of beige prose. It was quite strange, I find that I can’t quite describe it accurately.

Now, imagine the excessive and emotionless wordiness of the book. And then imagine that the topic changes every 3-4 sentences. Different characters, different timelines, different situations, different stories. Rarely was a single topic followed for more than a paragraph or two. The writing was already difficult to decipher, but then I couldn’t figure out who, what, where, or when we were talking about either. I didn’t even realize that The Mortician had arrived for about 10 pages, because we just changed the topic so frequently.

The writing style also didn’t help this book. It was written from an omniscient point of view. We do not venture into the heads or emotions of any of the characters, we remain zoomed out and watching the scene like a movie. The problem with this is that it made it difficult to connect with any of the characters. Because they were explored with such little depth I didn’t care about any of them. They also don’t have names. The Mortician is the closest thing we got to a name in the whole book. All of the characters are “the boy”, “the grandfather”, “the fortunate son”, “the eldest daughter”, “the young aunt”, etc. It was emotionless. These were not real people that I was reading about. They were cardboard cutouts of characters. They had no emotion, no depth, no story, and were completely irrelevant.

I end this review disappointed. Based on the synopsis there was so much promise in this story. I just couldn’t wait to find any longer.

Progress Update Fridays – July 26, 2024

by Stefani

Our Vengeful Souls by Kristi McManus

Progress: Page 92 of 290

Check this book out at: Goodreads

How it’s going:

This book is really cooking now! Sereia was cursed by her brother in epic fashion and left to drown in the ocean with human legs. She struggles to the surface and finds some floating debris and eventually arrives on land. The writing is beautiful, the world McManus is creating is rich, and the characters are wonderful. I am savoring every word of this so far.

The Delicate Beast by Roger Celestin

Progress: Page 185 of 414

Check this book out at: Goodreads

How it’s going:

I’m so bored!!! This book has nothing going on. Literally nothing. If I have to hear one more story about “the boy” doing something naughty like looking at a naked maid and getting scolded for it, I might actually scream. If something hasn’t actually happened by the time I hit 250 pages then I am giving up.

Progress Updates – July 19, 2024

by Stefani

The Delicate Beast by Roger Celestin

Progress: Page 149 of 414

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

In the 1950s Tropical Republic, a boy lives amid opulence and privilege, spending days at the beach or in the cool hills above the sweltering capital, enjoying leisurely Sunday lunches around the family compound’s swimming pool. That is, until the reign of The Mortician begins, unleashing unimaginable horrors that bring his childhood idyll to an end. Narrowly escaping the violent fate visited on so many of his fellow citizens, he and his brother follow their parents into exile in the United States where they must start a new life. But as he grows, he never feels at home, and leaves his family to travel across Europe and outrun the ghosts of the past.

A searing novel of a life lived in the shadow of history, The Delicate Beast portrays the persistent, pernicious legacy of political violence.

How it’s going:

So far this book has been 149 pages of….absolutely nothing. I put it down for a few weeks and hoped that would help spark my interest in it. But it hasn’t. All we’ve talked about so far is memories of the main character’s childhood. A few family history stories about how they came to be on the island. And the writing is difficult to read. The author meanders so much that I often forget what I’m reading. I’m not sure how much longer I will continue reading but something needs to happen soon. The synopsis says it’s about political violence, it is reminiscent of politics in one way so far. Tedium.

Our Vengeful Souls by Kristi McManus

Progress: Page 42 of 290

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

When magical mermaid Sereia saves her little sister and overshadows brother and rightful heir, Triton, the position of next ruler of the sea is in question. Determined to keep his throne, Triton curses Sereia, transforming her into a human and stripping her of magic. Banishing her from their underwater kingdom, he gives her a final warning: if you should ever return, you will become a monster.

Left for dead, Sereia washes up on the shores of Atlantis, discovered by a kind merchant with a tragic past. Patient and charming, he helps her build a life on land, leaving her realizing that everything she was taught about humans may have been wrong. But legends are powerful forces, and mermaids are burned for their magic by humans who fear their power. Sereia is forced to keep her true identity a secret, even as her feelings for her savior deepen.

Channeling her skill with a blade, she finds a place within the ranks of the Atlantean army, finally giving her the chance to become the respected warrior she always desired. During her training, however, she discovers the legend of a trident of equal power to her father’s exists, and is within her grasp in Atlantis. With a way back to the sea in her grasp, she wavers between the pull of revenge and the possibility of love on land, all under the hateful eye of a vengeful enemy within her ranks. But when the fate of a friend is in the balance, she must make the hardest decision of all: be burned at the stake as a witch, or turn into a monster should she return to the sea.

In line with the classic fairy tale The Little Mermaid (Hans Christian Anderson) and the mythological adventure Lore (Alexandra Bracken), Our Vengeful Souls takes you on a journey of loss, love and vengeance, into the life of one of fairy tales most famous villains.

How it’s going:

I am LOVING this one so far. Sereia is a formiddable character. And I love the idea of this book too, an origin story for Ursula. I can’t wait to see how it goes.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Progress: 40%

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That’s because he’s being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he’s really a wizard, just as his parents were. But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend an infamous school for wizards, and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright. From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.

How it’s going:

It’s been a long time since I read these books. And I realized that I’ve never actually done a formal review of the books. So I decided to listen to my favorite audiobook versions of Harry Potter, the one and only Jim Dale. Harry is much more whiny than I remember. Hermoine is about the same as I remember. Ron is much funnier than I remember. And so far, I’m having a blast.

Progress Update Fridays – June 7, 2024

by Stefani

Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen

Progress: 102 of 540 pages

Check this book out at: Goodreads

How it’s going:

Just finished some very interesting history bits. They talk about a tragic airplane crash that occurred while carrying U-2 test pilots back to California from Area 51. Because the project was top secret, the military couldn’t acknowledge the crash or it’s connection to the base. So the families of the ones who died didn’t learn what happened to their loved ones. They were just given a generic story that they died in an accident, and fed the media a story about a routine supply flight that crashed. Sad, but these are the kinds of things that happen when you’re dealing with top secret projects.

The Delicate Beast by Roger Celestin

Progress: 45 of 424 pages

Check this book out at: Goodreads

How it’s going:

So far, I am not quite sure what to make of this book. The author has a very interesting writing style. It’s compelling on one hand but quite confusing on the other hand. I find myself having to go back and reread things more than once because I got lost somewhere and don’t know what’s happening. I also am not sure what the first chapter has to do with….well anything. I am hoping we tie up that thread at some point, because it seemed totally irrelevant.

Advanced Reader Copies Received – May 2024

by Stefani

This will be a somewhat recurrent post, detailing some of the Advanced Reader’s Copies of books I’ve received recently. The frequency of this post will depend on what ARCs I get sent or approved for. Sometimes it might be often, sometimes not as often. Enjoy! I am looking forward to read these books, let me know if any of them have caught your eye too.

The Delicate Beast by Roger Celestin

Expected publication: February 4, 2025 by Bellevue Literary Press

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

A novel of a life built on the ashes of childhood

In the 1950s Tropical Republic, a boy lives amid opulence and privilege, spending days at the beach or in the cool hills above the sweltering capital, enjoying leisurely Sunday lunches around the family compound’s swimming pool. That is, until the reign of The Mortician begins, unleashing unimaginable horrors that bring his childhood idyll to an end. Narrowly escaping the violent fate visited on so many of his fellow citizens, he and his brother follow their parents into exile in the United States where they must start a new life. But as he grows, he never feels at home, and leaves his family to travel across Europe and outrun the ghosts of the past.

A searing novel of a life lived in the shadow of history, The Delicate Beast portrays the persistent, pernicious legacy of political violence.

Anticipation by Neil Taylor

Expected Publication: February 4, 2025 by Neem Tree Press

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

You are being played.

Your every move is being watched by businesses hoping to manipulate your behaviour. Every picture, every post, every like, every follow, every purchase, every search.

When 17-year-old Riya Sudame inherits her father’s secret AI algorithm, she and a handful of carefully selected Keyholders hold the power to predict people’s future using their online data. But with great power comes great responsibility, and they must safeguard it from falling into the wrong hands.

Enter Jim Booker, a powerful social media tycoon, who will stop at nothing to steal the technology for himself. Soon Riya faces a critical choice. Fighting ruthless tech giants seems like an impossible task—wouldn’t it be easier to relinquish her father’s creation in exchange for a normal teenage life?

But if she does, she will have to live with the knowledge that she is the reason that, like everyone, you are being played.

Neil Taylor marks his debut in this dark, twisty AI YA thriller.

Kree by Manuela Draeger

Expected Publication: October 22, 2024 by University of Minnesota Press

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

A warrior struggles through an apocalyptic landscape and the world after death

Kree Toronto has been raised as a warrior in a ravaged postapocalyptic, posthuman, the population decimated by wars and civilization long since collapsed. After her attempt to avenge the death of her dog, Loka, goes horribly wrong, Kree finds herself lost in a world after death and wanders into the city of the terrible mendicants.

Under the Brothers’ totalitarian rule, Kree can lead a quiet life and forget her violent past, even if needles grow in her skull and hallucinatory blood rains pour down now and then to remind her. She can make a shamanic healer with a shaking tent, a mysterious stranger hatched from an egg, and a gruff Tibetan electrician in a world without electricity. And she can have her Loka as long as she toes the Party line and does as she’s told. When she can’t—when her friends start to disappear and the Brothers turn against her—Kree sets out on a quest, searching for a new way forward.

Multiply reincarnated and unstuck in time, Kree is the characteristically marvelous creation of Manuela Draeger, whose extraordinary stories, in the words of author China Miéville, “are as close to dreams as fiction can be.”