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Confession time: I broke my rule. I am reviewing a book even though I didn't finish it. But after getting more than halfway through, I have enough knowledge of the story to share my thoughts and my reasons for stopping at 53%.
A cameo, skeleton hands and Victorian garb caught my eye on the cover of "Projections" by S.E. Porter. The description mentioned magic, revenge, time travel and deemed it a "dark historical fantasy," all signs pointing to a good read for me.
Porter begins the story with the murder of Catherine who was killed by her childhood friend Gus. Because he was her murderer, Catherine is linked to Gus for all eternity and the two of them travel back and forth to the real world and Nautilus, a magical city with unique creatures.
The reader finds out early on that Gus killed her because he was frustrated that she didn't return his affections and Catherine's mission is to get her revenge on him.
When they're younger, Gus dabbles into magic and begins to visit Nautilus. Over time, he develops skills to create "projections" which are similar to Frankenstein's monster. He uses projections of himself in hopes of finding love and murders people to use their bodies in order to do so.
It's a complex plot that becomes even more complex when several timelines are introduced.
Jumping from timelines, Porter talks about their past and how they got to the point where he murdered her. She also jumps ahead (I think) and mentions events that happen later than what is believed to be the "present."
I don't have a problem with jumping timelines but the execution was messy and it took quite a while for me to understand the format. Porter doesn't include any transitions between timelines and it's easy to get lost.
The plot was indeed intriguing and the writing style was unique but the story structure was lacking. It reads like a classic novel, which is not a bad thing, but there's a reason I don't read classics very often. They can be hard to understand and keep up with.
One of the things I consider when I want to ditch a book is whether or not I feel drawn to the story enough to want to pick it back up. I know when I'm really hooked when I think about reading all day and can't wait to dive back in. This book felt like more of a chore.
I was interested in what was going on but not enough to continue. It was also taking me too long to get through which is another reason when I decide to ditch a book. Why suffer through something when I could read a good book or two in the same timeframe?
A fellow reviewer on Goodreads pointed out that "Projections" would be a great read for a literary fiction college class and I completely agree. Its complexity would be perfect to dive into and explore the different styles of writing and structure.
When it comes to leisure reading, this was a pass for me.