- Title: The Encanto
- Author: Arthur Swan
- Genre: Adult Sci-fi
- Pages: 280 pages
- Publication date: October 14, 2021
In The Encanto, Wayob wants to break free from a Mayan artifact but causes death instead. The story follows three groups—Gray and Claire, Detectives Parker and Hernandez, and Ashley York—as they interact with the artifact and Wayob. Their stories never fully mingle, but they do affect each other.
The plot itself is captivating. I liked the first chapter a lot. Learning more about Wayob and his past in bits and pieces was also intriguing. The main cast of characters are also different and stand out from each other. I never had any trouble distinguishing who was who.
What stuck out to me the most though was how I couldn’t connect with the characters much. I never could get into Gray’s story. It reminded me of old family movie plots. Ashley York is a more noteworthy character, but I still couldn’t connect with her.
Parker and Hernandez have the most interesting yet frustrating part. Now, this could just be me because I’m not a fan of knowing both sides of an investigation. (It reminded me of In Cold Blood.) Parker and Hernandez’ characters and dynamics are great, but knowing they were making wrong choices made me cringe. Their story might shine more if the readers did not go into Wayob’s POV. Or at least if Wayob told his side of the story later on.
The most confusing part was that an important character from chapter one never showed up again. What happened to him? Why did he disappear? I thought he was dead at one point, but no one seems to care too much.
Overall, the plot is intriguing, but I’m not sure I’d pick up the second book. I’m only interested in Parker’s and Hernandez’s storyline.
Score: 6.3/10
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.83/5
Robin LeeAnn 