Book Review: Where Things Come Back

I received this book as an advance copy through the Firstreads program.

Where Things Come Back is an interesting little book. On one hand, the writing style seems to own a sense of whimsy curiosity in the “what if,” but those what ifs
are subsequently shadowed, or altogether shot down by a sheet of pure cynicism. While this negative outlook lent itself to a sense of unique charm, others factor played a part in it being emotionally stifling.

This is not a book for young and impressionable readers. The hopelessness breaks the line of tragic and goes straight through to a consistent line of apathetic acceptance of the dismal and despair-ridden. The inhabitants of Lily, Arkansas have no reason to try to make anything of themselves because they will just end up back in the hopeless little town they strived to leave. This is shown by example time and time again. One character leaves Lily in an attempt to make something of herself, and results in having had a miscarriage, been married and striving for a divorce by the time she is nineteen before returning back home.

Content-wise, the themes are quite mature. The language scope is pushing a hard PG-13. There are no morals, and the only thing close to a role-model to be found is Cullen’s father in his patience for his wife during a difficult time. Otherwise, people (in the 17-19 years old range) are sleeping with each other as if it is no big deal, ignoring the emotional and mental consequences that come with such flings. Some parents seem to find this cheerful. One has no issue with there being a naked boy (who’s a minor) in her daughter (who’s legally an adult)’s bed as she comes in the vacuum.

None of the characters grow, but instead just continue down their “why bother with anything” lifestyles and mindsets. Some characters struggle to be constantly cheerful. At first they may appear to be good and role models, but it is said later on that even they don’t know what their meaning in life is. They have no reason to be acting cheerful, really.

Where Things Come Back seems to try and ask deep, important questions it has no answers for. Instead, it lands on using such things as existentialism to explain the meaning of life, an extremely poor answer that will only lead to a mindset of hating life.

Whaley has a wonderful style in how he wrote Cullen’s thoughts, how he worded things and how he told the story overall. There were many lines that made me grin just by the sheer brilliance how they were executed. It is a shame such creativity and ingenuity was used on something touching on a topic important to all only to end it on a note of hopeless existence.

Book Review: Black Swan by Chris Knopf

First off, before I say anything else, I give the condition that this is the first Sam Acquillo (or Chris Knopf) book I have read. With that out of the way, I’ll continue on.


I found Black Swan hard to get into, to say the least. Characters were either flat or plain unlikable due to a largely absent moral compass. Few to no values were stood up for, although I will give Sam a little credit for trying to be honorable, though the venture felt half-hearted. There was such a selfishness prevalent in everyone—Sam and Amanda’s relationship is a good example.


As for the mystery, it took too long to initiate. After which, the majority of the story was asking people repeated questions, receiving repeated answers, and Sam’s inner dialogue that rehashed the same thing over and over. I found it difficult to care about what was going on even when the “mystery” was referenced. In the end, I skimmed almost anything not dialogue and still managed to follow the climax.


The weak attempt at wit—soon replaced with profanity—was another point subtracted from the overall quality of the story. Instead of there being swearing just because it was there, it seemed to be the crutch the author leaned on when unsure of what else to do. One or two characters having the personality to swear left and right, I can understand. Every character? Now, that’s just lazy.


Perhaps this was just not my type of mystery, or my type of characters. Each person likes something different, but this was definitely not my cup of tea, and I will be making an effort to avoid this author on future occasions.

Book Review: A Breach in the Watershed, by Douglas Niles

Adventure, magic and a dash of romance fill A Breach in the Watershed from start to finish. The Watershed divides the three regions of the world: Faerine - the region of magic and the water of Aura; Dalethica - the region of man and regular, non-magical water; and Duloth-Trol - the region of the evil Sleepstealer, his Lord Minions, and their life-force of Darkblood. If the Watershed were ever to be breached, disaster would ensue, a disaster that is the very plan of the Sleepstealer. Rudy Appenfell - an Iceman from Dalethica - is drawn into a whirlwind of destiny. A tragedy occurs, leading him on a journey of revenge that will blossom into a grander meaning than he could possibly imagine.

Niles paints a lovely picture of his three-realm world. Faerine, Duloth-Trol and Dalethica all contrast to such a degree that it brings out a unique quality to the Watershed world. While we do not get a very good look at Faerine, there are plenty of hints to make you want to learn more about it. Duloth-Trol is a place just waiting to strike, adding a level of urgency to everything the characters do. He nails a flat-out evil villain, and adds a level of terror in having the Sleepstealer be an actual figure instead of just some ominous foreboding presence often referred to. His world includes all the elements of true fantasy: dragons, faeries, humans, magic, adventure, loyalty and the courage to stand against an overwhelming evil. Lack of action and adventure is not a problem this book has in the slightest.

These elements come with a downside, however, as the sheer quantity of fantasy tropes leads to utter predictability and a lack of depth. While all the elements are there, it seems no revision was done to bring the characters from the page into the readers' heart. Not to say the characters are unlikable. Danri the digger, for example. He starts off with an endearing gruffness about him as he gripes about every little thing as the Madness overtakes him. That many pages of "and he continued his mindless digging" should not have been as interesting to read as they were. But near the end he becomes more positive. I saw no reason for this transition, so instead of growth it felt more like a lack of consistency.

Overall, the story is a fun one. It feels, however, that it was not given the attention such potential deserved, that it was written and turned in without any technical revision that could have led to a deeper story. But if you’re looking for just a fun, clean fantasy story with all the elements you, as a fantasy reader, have come to know and love, this book should be right up your alley. Although I doubt I would read it again, I definitely enjoyed reading it once.

(any feedback on review-writing is appreciated. :) )