Middletide is the debut novel by author Sarah Crouch described as an atmospheric mystery reminiscent of Where the Crawdads Sing.
When I read the synopsis for Middletide it sounded very interesting, so much so that I ordered a hard copy from the Book of the aMonth club even after receiving an ARC from NetGalley. Unfortunately I don’t think it’s the book for me, or maybe it just wasn’t the right time for me to read it.
I really struggled to get into the story for a few reasons. First the pace is slow, which I expected but at the same time I was not quite prepared for just how slow it would be, and how hard it would be to remain engaged.
Second, like others, I found it strange that the author made up a fictional indigenous people instead of researching the beliefs, and customs of a real people and including them. I felt that was an odd choice. I will admit that I was so bored that I skimmed a bit, so maybe I missed it, but it didn’t seem like these people were an important aspect of the story either.
Third, the main character, Elijah kind of irritated me for some reason. I’ve read lots of books where I didn’t like the main character, but for some reason his character grated on my nerves more than usual.
I could say more but I don’t want to be too negative. I truly don’t think it’s a bad book, I think I was just not in the proper frame of mind for it. I think lots of people will probably love it.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Life, Tea, and Everything 