According to the author Luisa Plaja, a good book review has to be made up of a series of steps so that it is evaluated and analyzed in the correct way. That is why I will give my opinion and analysis of the book “Damián” by the author Alex Mírez based on her five steps. Before that, it is important to know the true origin of this book.
Alex Mírez published this book in 2016 on her Wattpad account. It was so acclaimed by its readers that they even made a book trailer which the author herself would later make official. After several years and different processes on the part of the author, she managed to take her book from its virtual format to a physical book on May 19, 2022. A book that, in addition to foreshadowing the entire plot on its cover, has a detail that not everyone can boast, and that we readers love, and that is the illustrations. However, I will talk about that topic more in depth during step two, so it’s time to start with the first one.
Step One: What is the book about?
Explaining what this book is about without giving spoilers is a little complicated, but I will do my best without straying too far from the main idea.The story focuses on our protagonist, who is not Damian, despite what we might assume when reading the title, but Padme. She is a young woman in her last year of high school who strives to maintain as normal a life as possible, but is not even close to achieving it. Everyone in the small, quiet town of Asfil thinks nothing is happening that they should worry about. They don’t even notice the murders, kidnappings, or disappearances that have been happening for many years.
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All the people of Asfil seem to lead a life without any worries. Padme is impressed when, in the middle of her daily coffee outing with her best friends, Eris and Alicia, she sees her neighbor enter the coffee shop. The neighbor who hasn’t been seen for more than a year. Her neighbor, Damian, has returned and Padme needs to know why. Her curiosity to know what had been intriguing her for years caused her to make a decision that would completely change her entire life.
Step Two: What Did You Particularly Like About the Book?
The first aspect I liked the most, and what initially caught my attention, were the illustrations. As I mentioned before, this is a factor that makes me automatically want to read a book since I enjoy seeing those characters in the same way the author describes them. More than anything, it’s the fact that all the pages have layout and even illustrated in-world messages, letters, and newspaper articles. It has the number one spot among the things that I liked the most and I considered deserve to be highlighted.
The second aspect to highlight is without a doubt my favorite character. To decide this, I was guided by his personality, development, and impact in history. This is why, after thinking about it a lot, I decided on the character of Poe Verne. Although he is not one of the two protagonists, he is the secondary character that stands out the most and contributes to and impacts the entire plot throughout the story in many ways.
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Third, and last to highlight, was the way in which the tense scenes were written. The story is built on a blanket of mystery and perversity, which makes you perceive the darkness and gloom in which the events are occurring. These parts were what guided the story and made me want to keep reading one more chapter with each new intrigue and doubt, making this the factor that kept me hooked to the plot after many chapters.
Step Three: What Did You Dislike About the Book?
The first aspect that created conflict for me with the book is that it has a very slow start. I am a reader who does not like to leave a book unfinished, and this, combined with the constant intrigue, motivated me to not put it aside completely because I needed to know the ending without seeing any spoilers. It would take several days before I would pick the book up again to continue reading. It wasn’t until chapters 12-13 when I got completely hooked and couldn’t stop reading until a few more chapters later.
The second aspect is directed at the other characters. I feel like it became a little more difficult for me to connect with them since they didn’t feel realistic, or at least not most of the time. There are many characters whose personalities at the beginning of the story did not feel congruent with them at the end of the story. I consider that some final actions were not consistent to the way the characters are presented throughout the plot. Add this to the fact that the most anticipated moment of the story, which the author built up with curiosity, became insignificant and pointless. However, taking into account the fantasy aspect of the book without entering the Spoiler Zone, I can understand it.
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The third and final aspect is in relation to the outcome of the story. I haven’t read any other books by this author, so I don’t know if it’s a recurring pattern in her writing, but it wasn’t at all what I expected. The story has some incredible Plot Twists, which I mostly loved and was very surprised by. I suffered and enjoyed them in equal measure. There were several events that made me feel like I was completely disconnected from the story since I did not think that the characters were going to make such drastic, and at times meaningless, decisions which made me not enjoy the end of the book as much as I thought I would. Without mentioning the very end.
Step Four: My Honest Review
This has been a book that provoked many feelings in me, from anger and despair, to laughter and sadness; from the way the story develops, to the emotions that some characters manage to transmit. However, it has some parts that could be sensitive for some readers, so my recommendation is to be cautious since I consider it to be a book for people 16-years-old and up. It is a book that lovers of mysteries, fantasies, and great imaginations can easily enjoy. So, if you have read Five Survive by Holly Jackson, or Strange by the same author of this book, Alex Mírez, I’m sure that you would like Damián.
Step Five: Book Rating
Considering all the points mentioned above and, after having analyzed it and compared it to other books I have read, I give this book a 7/10 rating. Damian is a book that you will either hate or love, it will leave you satisfied or disgusted, but what will definitely remain with you after finishing it is confusion. If you’re looking for some interesting reading to do this spooky month, I encourage you to give it a chance.