Rebel Town Reviews [OPEN]

Save Me (Chapter 6 - 10) - @riearissa

Save Me (Chapter 6 - 10) by riearissa 

Reviewed by ESHurricane 

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Overview

Continuing on with save me, Nabi returns after the abuse from her family and I continue the heartbreakingly raw story of her and Shui's interactions with one another.

Grammar/Structure

It's clear the author has definitely improved on some of the grammar issues that were prevalent on my first read through. Keep up the great work!

One of the only big things I noticed was the use of dialogue tags. Just remember, if a tag denotes speaking, then it should flow with a comma and lowercase, like this:

"We're humans too," he said.

And if the tag doesn't denote speaking, then it is actually an action beat and needs to be separate from the dialogue, like this:

"We're humans too." Shui also nodded in affirmation.

Or

"I didn't know." She paused to study his expression.

Characters

These characters continue to punch me right in the feels. One of the most prevalent examples of this is when he insinuates that he thinks she's beautiful, and when she asks him why, he says "Because you are strong." This is so powerful, and sets such a good message. Aside from all of these incredibly real issues these characters are dealing with, the relationship between these characters is amazing. I like that instead of Shui just waxing poetic about her physical traits or being shallow, he literally finds her beauty in her strength, and is man enough to tell her so.

And instead of arguing with him or immediately writing it off, she wonders if he's saying it just to placate her or if he means it, deciding that he does because she's good at reading people. This is so realistic and sets such a good example of a healthy interaction between, however unhealthy their lives are.

Too often in new adult romances do I see unhealthy relationships and low self esteem perceptions for simply no reason. Here, they're both dealing with life giving them a really shitty go of it, but they're self aware enough to treat each other with respect, and treat themselves with respect. I love this.

Narrative

The narrative voice is still special. I'm very happy that even with a beta behind her, the author's voice isn't snuffed out by editing. The underlying flow and cadence to the author's voice is something so dreamlike and ethereal and just lovely to read.

Plot/Pacing

The plot just continues to build the slow burn of their relationship. A lot of times in new adult novels I find that the interactions feel forced instead of serendipitous, but every time these two characters cross paths it feels like it has a purpose.

Each of these interactions builds both the characters and the story. The 'you are strong' conversation shows that Shui cares for her and gives her the strength to carry on for another day. When she sees him on the bus from the bridge and he runs all the way from the next stop because he was afraid she was going to jump, it shows his dedication to her well being. (I loved that part, by the way, gosh, this guy)

Later, in the print shop, he introduces her as his friend and it's not awkward, though I could almost hear his voice faltering as he said it. The character voices are so strong that I felt like there would be a tremble there, as if he wasn't sure what to say. Then later, Nabi takes him for food and he is weird because he doesn't want her to pay for him to eat and she's so blunt ("I can actually afford things.) which is hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. She's not afraid to speak her mind and it doesn't put him off, which shows strength and tolerance in both of them.

I also love her line "Time is weird. It can deepen or change someone's preferences." I'm not sure if this is foreshadowing or what, but it felt so relevant to me. That's another interesting thing about Nabi, is just how insightful she is, almost accidentally.

Then the interaction with Euntae just floored me. It showed insight into Nabi's relationship with her brother, and how he talks about her being his first love. When he asked if she wanted him to kill her brother my heart literally skipped a beat. And her dismissal of him is cold and heartless seeming but understandable. When she talks about how Euntae treats her like a flower but Shui thinks she's strong it's just another layer of her self-awareness kicking in, how even through all of this abuse and craziness in her life she can still see what a real friend looks like. Then, when she ruminates on why Shui sees her as so strong, it shows her selflessness that she's worried about why he feels so weak and powerless and looks up to her. It gives amazing depth to her personality.

In the last chapter when Shui is out with his heartbroken friend, he says "I hope I'll fall in love. Maybe it would make me feel like a normal person." and it's so raw and consistent with his character. Out of the two of them, I find Shui more mysterious because I see more glimpses into Nabi's past and home life. But he's just as broken as she is, and it's amazing that even through that he not only has the emotional capacity to care about her well being but also rushes off to help his other friend drink herself out of her own heartbreak.

These characters are so likable it's painful.

Closing Comments

I won't ever stop reading this story. <3 I'm dedicated to finding out what happens to these characters! I hope that the author never gets discouraged from finishing to tell their tale.