The Girl With The Green Eyes - J.M. Briscoe - ★★★

AUTHOR: J.M. Briscoe

GENRE: Sci-fi Thriller.

SERIES: Take Her Back, #1

PUBLICATION DATE: November 5, 2021

RATING: 3 stars.

In a Nutshell: A contemporary sci-fi mystery that’s the first of a planned series. The blurb reveals almost half of the suspense. The other half stays hidden, and will probably be revealed (at least to some extent) in the next book of this intended trilogy. Slow pacing, not so likeable characters, cliffhanger ending. So I didn’t have as much fun with this read as I had hoped, though I did like it.

Plot Preview:

In 1995, nine-year-old Bella D’accourt is stunned when her mom takes her to a stranger and declares, “Bella is defective. You need to take her back.” This is when Bella learns that she was the result of a controversial “designer baby” eugenic program.

In 2018, Bella realises that someone from her past has discovered her identity and she is on the run. However, it is not easy to escape when you have a twelve-year-old daughter. Ariana has never been happy at her mom’s insistence on keeping away from social media, and with this latest demand of leaving everything behind to flee, Ariana is not sure if she wants to trust her mother anymore. Now Bella has to convince her daughter of her intentions as well as outrun a powerful enemy.

The story comes to us in Bella’s first person perspective for the present (2018) timeline and for the past (2005 timeline), AND in third person perspective for Ariana and some other characters (2018 timeline.)

I can’t discuss this story without spoiling it. So much of it is left unsaid that any inadvertent revelation would sully your fun. So here’s a somewhat vague review that will still hopefully help you take a call on this novel.

👉 The blurb reveals the reason Bella is escaping and also gives a glimpse of her past life, both of which don’t come up in the story until much later. This means that a major chunk of the suspense, except for the identity of the characters and the specific details of the eugenics project are already known to you.

👉 I enjoyed the initial 35-40% of the book but after that mark, the storyline seemed to stagnate into much talk and not enough action. To add to the trouble, the “talk” is repetitive, going round and round the same topics. The slow pacing and the low quantum of thrills doesn’t turn around until the final few chapters. For an escape thriller, this is disappointing.

👉 Somehow, the characters don’t feel fleshed out, even if there is enough detailing and they aren’t typical. Some of their actions seem ad hoc. Moreover, after a few chapters, it is very clear who the antagonist is. So there is no suspense about the identity, just a wait for the clash.

👉 The eugenics project is extremely interesting, and should be the main reason to opt for this book. It’s a scary revelation of what can happen when scientists try to play God while ignoring ethics.

👉 Usually, I don't even notice the length of chapters and am equally comfortable whether they are short or lengthy. In this case though, the chapters result in a jumpy feeling especially from the middle onwards. This is mainly because every chapter moves about in timeline and perspective across Ariana (present), Bella (present) and Bella (past), with the changes happening in between chapters also for the present timeline. I barely settled in one scene when there was a jump to the next. As the past sequences are slow-paced while the present has more thrills thanks to the villain, this creates an uneven experience. The jumps get even more annoying at the climax when the adrenalin rush of the confrontation is constantly interrupted by flashbacks.

👉 As this is an intended trilogy, I knew that some plot points would stay unanswered at the end. What I didn’t expect was almost all key issues to stay unresolved. There is simply no closure in this book. I don’t enjoy books where nothing is settled at the end of the first part. This might be different for you.

👉 I am not usually fond of cliffhanger endings, but the cliffhanger in the epilogue of this story is a stunner.

All in all, the premise of this book is outstanding. The focus on genetic modification and scientific ethics kept me going even though the slow pacing and the repetition bogged me down. As of now, I doubt I will read the rest of the series. But if the urge to seek answers overpowers me, who knows? I might succumb to the lure of finding what’s next for Bella and the rest.

Recommended to those who like speculative sci-fi thrillers and have much more patience with slow pace and a lack of answers.

I read a complimentary copy of this book from the author through The Pigeonhole. This review is voluntary and contains an honest opinion about my reading experience.

The digital version of this book is currently available free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.