What do readers think of Creatures by Crissy Van Meter? Write your own review.

Creatures, though not a lengthy novel, was a difficult read for me. While the final few chapters manage to raise the overall tone and mood somewhat, there is not much happiness to be found here. Early on we learn that Evie is to be married, but even that bit of joy is dampened by the fact that her intended is possibly lost at sea. Set on an island and against the vastness of an entire ocean, action here focuses on the details of Evie's turbulent youth. It is her account of lost or lack of family and love that drives the narrative. Like the ocean itself, her story ebbs and flows - at times incoherently - and for sure with too much focus on drugs, alcohol, and free sex. The result was, for me, a plodding, dismal narrative that I was happy to see come to an end.

Creatures is a well-meaning but unfocused novel of yet another dysfunctional family - daughter raised by alcoholic, druggie father with some help from her mostly absent mother - all taking place on an island off the coast of California. At times the writing shows flashes of beauty, especially when the author describes the main character's island home, her affinity for the sea, and all its creatures. Mostly, though, the story meanders confusingly through timelines and sparsely developed characters. I think the author was trying for poetic, dark, and beautiful but misses the mark on all three. Sorry to say, but I won't be recommending it.

I was completely disappointed by this book. The synopsis seemed intriguing; however, this book needed some editing. The timeline was not linear and it was confusing to keep up with the constant changing time periods. Some of the writing was beautiful, but quickly changed to curt dialog. I think this book didn't have a clear focus or direction, leaving me to question its' purpose.

I'm sorry, but nothing about this book worked for me. I was not able to attach to any of the main characters and in fact disliked them. I felt some empathy for Evie given the parents she had - crazy, mostly absent mother and charismatic but drug addicted, drunk for a father but the empathy didn't make me feel anything positive about her. And why did we have descriptions of different kinds of whales? I don't need books to be happy and light but I need characters with some qualities I can appreciate even if I don't like them. I may have missed the deeper meaning in this book and look forward to what others have to say.

So many whales! The sea fauna references came so fast and furious I lost the point of the book. And yet the human characters were less interesting than the shadowy ocean creatures: the absent mother, the well-meaning but addled dad, the confused scientist-daughter—haven't we met these folks many times before? The difficulties of life on a fishing island… pretty sure I've read enough books along that line for a while. Then there's the random and annoying change of tense throughout the novel, with emphasis on the present tense to describe events of the past. And just way too many whales.

I just wanted this book to end. This story is all over the place. Past, present and future with no direction. I couldn't get past the first line about a dead whale in the harbor. Then the missing mother, alcoholic father and missing fiancé'. Scanned the last pages just to say I finished it.

When I read about this book on First Impressions, I requested it because it sounded good. Reading the book made me sorry I had requested it. The "f" word is practically every other word. To me, that shows a lack of imagination of the author. The plot is very disconnected and hard to follow. I almost didn't finish it. I will not be recommending it to anyone and will not be loaning it to anyone.