book discussion #1

The God of Endings

what is it about? Colette LeSange has been hiding a dark secret: She is immortal. In 1834, Collette’s grandfather granted her the gift of eternal life and since then, she has endured centuries of turmoil and heartache. Now, almost 150 years later, Collette is a lonely artist running an elite fine art school for children in upstate New York. But her life is suddenly upended by the arrival of a gifted child from a troubled home, the return of a stalking presence from her past, and her own mysteriously growing hunger for blood

*if you read it lmk your thoughts PLSSSS

also what do we think about this format?!? i’m new to this so im all ears :)*

non-spoiler section:

i just finished the god of endings!

i give it …. a 3.7 i think

this book in particular just didn’t stick with me because of the recurring themes

things i liked:

- the chapters would alternate between the past and present, which was very fun as reader to learn about some history as the centuries passed

- when beautiful moments happened, the feeling was palpable and i felt strongly and would catch a smile growing on my face

- following that, the sad moments were full of despair and such anguish that they were also palpable. you deeply feel what the main character is going through

things i didn’t like:

- a recurring theme that you as a reader are constantly experiencing is caring for and loving children. i think this book would resonate with others who have experience with children or just a deeper personal feeling towards children because there are MANY CHILDREN IN THIS BOOK LOL

- the story draws you in very well but it gets a little dry. i was enticed by the idea of immortality; the loneliness that may bring and the unique but mundane experience of each passing day! but halfway through i felt like i was just reading a contemporary mystery book 😅 which i do not think was the intention but i feel like there were some “thriller” aspects of the story that i don’t think added too much to the overall

- ^ some parts felt overly wordy to be honest, very descriptive for things that felt like they did not matter so i found myself skimming at the end

**HALT! 🛑 SPOILERS AHEAD! PROCEED WITH CAUTION ⚠️!**

okay the first 40% of the book had me pretty engaged. i really liked the idea of following an individual who was so comfortable with the thought of death but was forced to become immortal and just how that perspective would shape this story.

the absolute despair i felt when Anna, our main character, woke up covered in scratches and blood just to stumble into the attic and find her beloved cats drained of blood :(( as a reader i felt such sorrow for her and how hard it must be to try so hard to create a life where you hurt no one but this craving inside of you is uncontrollable

i think the story overall just felt like it repeated itself a little too much for me. we go from her experiencing her first love to the agony one feels at that loss, followed by pushing away all love that comes after that. except there’s many people that come into her life after that and there’s just soooo much misfortune ALLLLL the time. it felt as though Anna never learned even though she’s been alive for decades which was a little frustrating. like i wish she was a little smarter, more powerful, more confident as she wanders through life but she is defeated time and time again…. only to prevail (kinda?) at the very end. even then im worried about how she ISNT outsmarting people LOL im like girl you have too much experience!! but also hey maybe that’s the point and her humanity is continuously coming out through these constant tripping.

i think the ending was a nice little bow on top to show she has changed and has accepted this immortality but i think it just didn’t hit my expectations OOP LOL

i think i would’ve liked the story to focus less on this broken family that Leo has to be honest. as we got closer and closer with Katherine, his mom, the book lost me a little because the direction felt inevitable and i was just waiting for the book to reach its climax.

i was way more interested in all the characters from the first half of the book because they felt like they had more weight and wisdom.

overall IDKKK MAN it started strong and lost me but i do think this book is probably loved my many, especially if you have children. it was a good and dandy book but wasn’t my cup of tea

3.7/5 🙂‍↕️