I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I usually don’t read novels like this one. I don’t like sad novels or ones that have graphic depictions, especially if it’s regarding constant physical or sexual abuse. But I was given this novel to read and I felt like I needed to do my best to give it a fair shot. So here is my review:
Tony Bruno is 7 years old but he has already endured a great deal of suffering. Bullied by his peers and physically and emotionally abused by his father, Tony doesn’t know how much longer he can live like this. When he strikes back at his tormentors one day, it changes something – it shifts the balance of power and gives Tony a future to look forward to. Eventually, Tony befriends the new kid in town, a boy named Salvatore Morano. But what he doesn’t know is that Salvatore’s father, Johnny Morano, is the godfather of the Philadelphia Mafia. And he now has his eyes on Tony. Where Tony’s life will go from here will all be based on his pursuit for happiness and power.
I really did not enjoy this novel. For some reason, the prose and overall setup of the novel just did not work for me. I don’t like it when the author ends chapters with things like “He had no idea how much worse it would get” and the like. It seems unnecessary as it makes it seem as if the reader won’t be able to figure that out on their own. It also felt as if the author was just trying to put as much negative events into the life of the main character as she possibly could, making it seem extremely unbelievable. The way the characters talked and acted seemed very exaggerated and fake, and I really could not find myself connecting with any of the characters or even liking them. At the end of the book, I really couldn’t see the point of it all. Overall, this was an okay novel with nothing special to make it stand out and nothing terrible to make me absolutely hate it. This would probably get a 2/5 from me.
Happy reading ~