I love novels that have really weird and interesting settings or timelines. When I read the premise for Smoke, this quality is what made me want to read it. I don’t want to give much more away so here is my review:
This story takes place in an alternate England a century ago, where people who show wickedness either in thought or in action are marked by Smoke that pours out of their body. Those who are aristocrats never smoke, for they are of a virtuous class, whereas those who are lower in status are covered in smoke and soot. At an elite boarding school, the sons of the wealthy are groomed to take the power that is their birthright by teachers who proclaim themselves to be quite virtuous and pure. But three people are soon going to find out that everything they knew was a lie. With teachers that have influential grasps leading to the highest level of government, and secret experimentations happening all around them, all of the rules will break down and utter chaos is about to reign.
This novel started off as interesting. The style of writing and the depictions as well as the initial scene in the boarding school were so intriguing that it pulled me in. However, as the story progressed, I began to lose interest. The plot moved on at a good pace but the way in which the story was told made it seem so …. uninteresting. It felt like someone was just droning on and on for hours and I simply could not focus on what was happening. I was so tempted to not complete the novel because I just couldn’t keep myself in the story. I was really hoping to give it a positive review but unfortunately, I can’t. If you’ve read this novel, let me know if you felt the same way or if you 100% wholeheartedly disagree. I would love to hear your opinion!
Happy reading ~