Ever read a synopsis and think it sounds dumb, but then you read the book years later and it's actually amazing? Ever read a synopsis and think it sounds amazing, but it actually turns out to be nothing like the synopsis? Ever have a synopsis spoil something that happens 75% of the way into the book so you just spend most of your time waiting for that one element you already know? This is the topic for you.
1. The Undesirables by Chad Thumann
I did write a Fangirl Friday post about this, but it is the first that came to mind. The synopsis describes it as a very romantic story, but really... I found it more about the battles and the war than the romance. The choice Karen has to make is in the very last chapter, and it felt like it came out of the blue.
2. Domina by Paul Doherty
Don't get me wrong, I love this book. The synopsis makes it seem like you will be following Agrippina, a powerful woman in Imperial Rome... but you don't. You follow her (male) servant. It is so disappointing that instead of seeing the world through the eyes of one of the most powerful women of that age, wife and mother of emperors, instead you follow yet another man. I loved the book, but it was misleading.
3. The Space Between by Kristie Cook
The synopsis makes this sound cliche and cheesy. I went into it thinking it would be cliche and cheesy, just because that is what I wanted to read at that moment. Instead, it was a wonderful and charming novel, and the trilogy as a whole had me hooked. I really enjoyed it, despite the lack of cheese.
4. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
I did quite a long Goodreads review of this, which is a rarity for me. Without a doubt, the synopsis does create a sense of the world, the wonder, and the beauty. I was not expecting it to be so depressing, to have so many scenes that would require trigger warnings. I do think books, like TV and movies, should have trigger warnings so that the reader is more informed going in that there are moments that may cause emotional distress. I was not aware of it going in, and I wish I had been.
5. The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Z Danielewski
Going into this, having read House of Leaves by the same author, I knew I would be in for a treat. The synopsis is simple and short, but the novel itself pours beauty and horror from every word. I wasn't expecting that, and I was delighted when I was reading it, knowing it was of the same sort of lines as House of Leaves. I thoroughly recommend getting a printed version of his books, because the reading experience is half the fun.
Let me know what synopses have misled you!
Check out my other #T5W posts!
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