Scan barcode
A review by noellerose
Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I have conflicting thoughts on this book.
Most of my negative feelings come from the main character. Unlike some people, I cannot fully enjoy a book with an unlikable main character. Meche is insufferable, obnoxious, unkind, and cruel. I hated how she treated her friends, as if they were northing more than dirt. Meche thought the world revolved around her and took no responsibility for her actions. I genuinely have never read an main character I disliked as much as I disliked Meche. I thought I liked the 2009 Meche, but the further along we got in the story, the less I liked that version as well. She spent the whole book hurting her friends and treating them like shit, and when they stood up to her, she couldn't take it. Twenty years later, she still holds a grudge, and acts as if she's the only one who was hurt. If Meche had been less cruel and insufferable, I think I would've enjoyed this story a lot more
The magic system wasn't really complex, but I thought it was okay enough. I didn't like how quickly Meche knew that what happended to her classmate (which could have just been a coincidence) was magic.
The other characters were pretty good for me. I really liked Daniela and felt bad for her, and Sebastian was a good egg. None of the other characters were well-developed but I feel like that's okay because the story wasn't about them. I don't completely understand why the father's story line was added as I don't think it was necessary for the story, however, I didn't mind it.
The premise of the story was interesting and entertaining, which was the only thing this books really had going for itself, to be honest.
Overall, this story was just okay for me. It being a debut novel, I didn't expect much, and my expectations were definitely exceeded. I will continue reading everything SMG publishes because I simply want to.
Most of my negative feelings come from the main character. Unlike some people, I cannot fully enjoy a book with an unlikable main character. Meche is insufferable, obnoxious, unkind, and cruel. I hated how she treated her friends, as if they were northing more than dirt. Meche thought the world revolved around her and took no responsibility for her actions. I genuinely have never read an main character I disliked as much as I disliked Meche. I thought I liked the 2009 Meche, but the further along we got in the story, the less I liked that version as well. She spent the whole book hurting her friends and treating them like shit, and when they stood up to her, she couldn't take it. Twenty years later, she still holds a grudge, and acts as if she's the only one who was hurt. If Meche had been less cruel and insufferable, I think I would've enjoyed this story a lot more
The magic system wasn't really complex, but I thought it was okay enough. I didn't like how quickly Meche knew that what happended to her classmate (which could have just been a coincidence) was magic.
The other characters were pretty good for me. I really liked Daniela and felt bad for her, and Sebastian was a good egg. None of the other characters were well-developed but I feel like that's okay because the story wasn't about them. I don't completely understand why the father's story line was added as I don't think it was necessary for the story, however, I didn't mind it.
The premise of the story was interesting and entertaining, which was the only thing this books really had going for itself, to be honest.
Overall, this story was just okay for me. It being a debut novel, I didn't expect much, and my expectations were definitely exceeded. I will continue reading everything SMG publishes because I simply want to.