3 out of 5 stars
Experienced via Audible for the daily commute reprieve.
Goodreads synopsis:
In this gripping page-turner, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life.
She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn’t even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.
Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They’ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.
When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it’s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.
Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.
In this tautly plotted novel, Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she’s one of the world’s bestselling authors.
So I finished this one a little while ago, but then got super busy and unable to take the time to write my review. So without further ado…
Let me start by saying that I am fully aware of the less that reputable name that Stephenie Meyer is. Having said that, I will also say that I…didn’t…hate…Twilight. *flinches in anticipation of something being thrown in the direction of the head* Do I see the flaws of that series? Absolutely! But, I did find the books enjoyable and I wont apologize for that. *crosses arms over chest* I don’t think she’s the worst author I’ve ever read. In fact, I really loved The Host!
Despite how much I enjoyed The Host, I went into The Chemist apprehensive and I’m not going to lie to you; it was mostly because of the cover. The cover on this book just oozes lame-ocity. *nose pinches and upper lip curls in disgust* So, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my judgment of this cover was misplaced. *face relaxes*
I really liked the premise of the story, it was unique for me and I found myself enjoying it more for that reason. I felt like the main three characters, Alex, Danial, and Kevin, were great and all three added value to the story. I do, however, feel like they were predictable. Alex is lethal, calculating, and self-deprecating character we all want to root for despite her “faults” and “shortcomings”. Danial is sweet, naive, and the right character for the job of the unknown variable likely to cause a problem that will move the plot along. Kevin is the gruff, intelligent, and the perfect character to add friction and sometimes strife to the dynamic of this team.
The plot, which I didn’t hate, does not offer up anything more than you’d expect. (Stopping here to avoid spoiling any further.) But that’s sometimes okay; they can’t all be on George R. R. Martin or even Sarah Pinborough’s level of shock and awe, right? Having said that, this story wishes it was more bad@$$ than it is. Maybe my view of Meyer colored my opinion here, but it just missed the mark of thrilling thriller for me. *shrugs* Interesting, yes, but I didn’t find myself unable to hit the pause button and go on about my work day. (Audiobook, remember?)
For the most part, the story and events were believable. Meyer did enough research for this book that I didn’t feel the need to question every single thing that was introduced into the story. In particular, she did really well with the attention to detail and caution that she gave to Alex and Kevin’s characters. There were details to staying “off the grid” that I would have never even thought of, which was fabulous.
What wasn’t fabulous, was the romance. It was sappy, predictable, and a little too easy if you ask me. *eye roll* Alex’s character was all about caution and self-preservation at all costs, until Danial and she “fell in love”….barf. If she was truly trying to stay alive in this world, she’d actually listen to herself when she explains to Danial that “liabilities” are a bad thing. Alex had so much conviction about how her world works and just threw it all out the window when a gorgeous-eyed, defenseless man crossed her path. Oh, and that gorgeous-eyed, defenseless man….who the F*CK decides not only to forgive someone for kidnapping and torturing them, but then falls in love with the person who inflicted that torture?!? This just isn’t realistic, and frankly, that’s where it loses me. Slow and lack-luster plot aside, my main issue with this book was the romance…
The narrator of this book, Ellen Archer, did a reasonably good job. She didn’t wow me, but I was glad that she put forth the effort to throw her voice for various characters. I don’t think she’s got the ability to do more than about 5 distinct or different voices, though. Regardless, I always appreciate when there is some effort to distinguish characters in audiobooks.
-R(Also, I just wanna point out that the cover says “Bestselling Author of The Host” and not The Twilight Saga. One could argue that it’s because the publisher wanted the lesser known work listed so that maybe Meyer could build a following on something other than Twilight…or that they wanted the least critiqued work to discourage associating The Chemist with Twilight and it’s haters.)
Advertisements Share this:
