Kotik: a Russian Mafia Romance

#ARCReader

Kotik took me on a ride of the darker realities of 90's era Russia! Here we meet Katya, a young woman who works in government run business and Vitali, a man who works in the "import" business.

The book highlights the grit of the era like food and utility uncertainty, so that's a fun overview of the realities of the time. It also uses a lot of Russian slang.

But honestly? That's the good of it. The story is just so surface level. There is no development of the characters. None of Katya's decisions make sense because there is no background of why she would make these decisions. Likewise with Vitali, we dip our toes into the background and that is is.

It also has "explainers" at the end of chapters that explain the slang uses or realities of that time period, but it really just took me out of the story.

Toward the end there are some POV chapters of Vitali, but they are out of place and go backwards on the timeline without a need to go back. It could have been placed in a linear timeline.

There are also side characters, but they are so one dimensional that it isn't even worth mentioning beyond this paragraph.

Overall, its an interesting preview of that time, but that's all it is. A preview, a toe in the water and when I read, I want to be absorbed by the Book.