That Could Be Enough

Grandfather always told me that it didn’t matter who a person loved, but how well they treated others and what they did to make this country and this world better.

I have this really odd relationship with Alyssa Cole’s books. On one hand, the plots, themes, and character dynamics she works with are right up my alley. And I can never find any real fault with how the stories are told: the prose flows well, the plots are well-constructed, the arcs make sense. But there’s some kind of spark missing, and I just can never figure out what it is or why.

Anyway, this book isn’t an exception. I did enjoy the dynamic between cautious, prickly Mercy and confident, generous Andromeda. I tend to like these storylines where one character gets hurt and swears off so many good things, and then the other character swoops in to show them those things still exist, and then they realize that it’s not even about the other character bringing beauty back in their life, it’s about life itself. This type of arc really is executed so well here. I also enjoyed the depiction of the Post Revolution America and the Black community. And I felt like the story really fit the novella format: it’s rather short, but it’s absolutely complete, with no part feeling rushed or skipped over.

But still. The spark. For some incomprehensible reason, it’s just not there.