Doesn't Quite Hit All the Notes and Falls a Bit Flat at the End - A Review of At the Table of Wolves

At the Table of Wolves by Kay Kenyon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Lately I’ve noticed something in the book blurbs I come across on websites like Goodreads and Amazon: the “X Meets X” comparison, with “X” representing a popular book, TV show, movie, or video game. On one hand, I understand the prevalence; it is a very useful shorthand, after all, for describing the concept behind a particular book by using widely familiar media to give the reader some idea of what to expect. On the other hand, the comparisons can be (often are, rather) deceptive - I’ve seen these “X Meets X” comparisons, read the book in question, and wondered how in the world the blurb’ writer even thought the comparison was apt in any way except in the vaguest of terms.

Because of this, I’ve developed a rather healthy scepticism where it concerns such comparisons. I find it a lazy way of describing a book’s concept - useful when pitching a book for publication, perhaps, but far less useful once the book has already been published and is out in the wild. I have been burned far too many times by such comparisons to really want to believe them at face value.

( Read more... )