Blurb
Welcome to the Zoo!
Inside, you won’t find tigers or lions but Anxieties galore.
You’ll crawl through the Depression Caves and gallivant through the Regret Gardens.
You’ll see wondrous creatures that will tug at the very heart of you.
And at the very end, amidst it all, we offer you one more surprise.
Join us for a tour today!
Cover Reveal!
Bask in the glory of this phenomenal cover! It fits the story so well!
Review
Note: I was able to read Zoo as a beta reader, so there may be some differences to the final copy (which I will also read!).
This review is not going to fit into my typical review structure because of its unique style. So I will rearrange the parts I usually talk about, and there may be some bending of what I consider fits where! But I’ll be sure to talk about all of the important bits! Like…
Writing: 5/5
I wanted to start with writing to explain the structure. It is second person, and written as if you are being led through a zoo by a tour guide. The style and voice were so incredible, they pulled me into the story and held me there throughout. The description were fantastic, the physical manifestations of the emotions and experiences were brilliant, and the strongest part was the emotional writing, which gave me all those, um, emotions.
Plot: 5/5
With the writing style discussed above, I can now dive into plot and characters, which is going to be smaller because this story doesn’t focus on those parts. The plot is closer to a meandering visit to a zoo, and works wonderfully what is wanted to be discussed. And for that, top scores, because it does what it’s meant to do, and it does it well!
Characters: 5/5
Characters might even be shorter! There was one, the narrator who leads you as a tour guide. And mentioned above, the voice and style of this narration was fantastic and served the story well. So the tour guide wins best character!
Worldbuilding: 5/5
The creatures within the zoo as manifestations are really interesting and unique ways to visualize emotions and experiences. I was always enthralled in their physical descriptions, and the tour guide’s explanations of their behaviors.
Enjoyability: 5/5
Overall, I loved this vulnerability exploration of emotions and feelings. The tour guide zoo visit side of things added an entire level to the story telling and it was masterfully done. And the emotional side was done so well! Fans of The Alchemy of Sorrow would be wise to add this to their reading list as well!
OVERALL: 5/5 Anxieties