I enjoyed this relatively fast paced reveal mystery. I decided to read it after watching a recent interview with the author on The Creative Penn, where they described it as their best work. I headed over to the Kobo store and read the preview. I was intrigued, so I bought it. I enjoyed the characterisation, although I did feel a couple of things were repetitive, they were minor and easily overlooked. The language was rich and emotive, building scenes well in the reader's mind. The plot took me on a journey, which plots are supposed to do, but I did wonder at some of the character reactions. It did seem a little too convenient to the plot for Clémence to be happy to read chapter by chapter slowly through the mysterious book. I've a sneaking suspicion that most curious young people when confronted with the supposed answers to a mystery would be less controlled. Although that is just my opinion. Aside from this, the pace was good. I liked the fact Clémence's name essentially means merciful, I am assuming it was chosen for this reason. I enjoy when authors put thought and meaning into character names.
Not sure whether it was just my copy, but my Kobo version had a page numbering issue, it jumped all over the place. One page I was on 137, the next was 101, then it jumped to 198, then 220. It was a little confusing, I never really knew exactly where I was in the book, but decided to make the most of it and believe it was a sneaky device to make the reader as confused as someone with amnesia. It wasn't that big of a deal though, as the text still flowed in the right order.
All in all, I would recommend this book and I would probably read more by the author. ( )