King Sorrow

DNF

This is my second DNF in a matter of weeks, which has never happened in the two decades since I've been reviewing novels on the Hotlist. I was really intrigued by the Faustian premise of Joe Hill's King Sorrow, so this is a major disppointment.

The execution leaves a lot to be desired. The book is bloated in Sandersonesque fashion. Indeed, the plot is filled with superfluous scenes that bring little or nothing to the story. Unlike his father who has a knack for writing genuine kids/teenagers/young adults, Hill's cast never quite feel real and their banter sounds off and forced. I simply couldn't root for any of the characters. There are also a few anachronisms that just added to my annoyance.

I slogged through for 250 pages and elected to quit. There was no way I was going to persevere through 800 pages of this. I kind of want to discover how they'll ultimately outwit the dragon, but there's no way I could endure such a grind any longer. I had no choice but to put the book down.

Here's the blurb:

Arthur Oakes is a reader, a dreamer, and a student at Rackham College, Maine, renowned for its frosty winters, exceptional library, and beautiful buildings. But his idyll—and burgeoning romance with Gwen Underfoot—is shattered when a local drug dealer and her partner corner him into one of the worst crimes he can imagine: stealing rare books from the college library.

Trapped and desperate, Arthur turns to his closest friends for comfort and help. Together they dream up a wild, fantastical scheme to free Arthur from the cruel trap in which he finds himself. Wealthy, irrepressible Colin Wren suggests using the unnerving Crane journal (bound in the skin of its author) to summon a dragon to do their bidding. The others—brave, beautiful Alison Shiner; the battling twins Donna and Donovan McBride; and brainy, bold Gwen—don’t hesitate to join Colin in an effort to smash reality and bring a creature of the impossible into our world.

But there’s nothing simple about dealing with dragons, and their pact to save Arthur becomes a terrifying bargain in which the six must choose a new sacrifice for King Sorrow every year—or become his next meal.

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.