credence

After seeing so many mixed reviews about Credence, I still decided to give it a chance. I always find it interesting when a book seems to divide readers so much. It makes me want to find out for myself whether I'll love it, hate it, or end up somewhere in between.

The story follows Tiernan, a young woman who, after losing her parents, is sent to live with her father's stepbrother and his sons in a remote house in the mountains. Suddenly separated from the life she knew, Tiernan has to adjust to a completely different environment and figure out where she belongs.

The book focuses a lot on themes like grief, loneliness, belonging, growing up, family, desire, and finding yourself. A large part of the story is about Tiernan adjusting to her new surroundings and learning how to live with the people around her.

I actually enjoyed how easy the book was to read. It wasn't a story where I had to concentrate on every single detail to understand what was happening. I could pick it up, get lost in the story for a while, and simply read.

However, this book definitely wasn't an easy one for me emotionally.

The sexual aspects of the story made me particularly uncomfortable, especially because of the family connections between some of the characters. I understand that this is part of what makes Credence controversial and that readers will have very different reactions to it, but personally, it made it harder for me to fully enjoy the story.

I also found myself waiting for something to really shake up the plot.

There were moments when I kept thinking that a major turning point was coming, something that would completely change the direction of the story or make me look at everything differently. But for me, that moment never really came.

A lot of the story felt quite uneventful, and although I didn't dislike reading it, I sometimes felt like I was waiting for something more to happen.

That was probably my biggest issue with the book. I wanted a stronger sense of tension or a bigger turning point that would make everything come together. Instead, the story sometimes felt like it was moving forward without really building toward something that completely surprised me.

That being said, there were definitely moments and quotes that stayed with me.

Some of my favorite lines were:

“We all want to be special to someone.”

“We all acclimate. We learn, we resolve, we come around. It’s not that anything really gets easier or harder. We just get better at rolling with it.”

“Pain always reminds us that we’re alive.”

“Avoiding the bad means you risk avoiding the good too.”

I think that last quote actually captures one of the themes I found most interesting in the book. Sometimes protecting yourself from pain also means protecting yourself from experiences that could change you.

Overall, Credence was an interesting reading experience, but unfortunately, it didn't completely work for me. I enjoyed the easy writing style and some of the themes, but the slower plot and certain aspects of the story made it difficult for me to become fully invested.

I can definitely understand why this book has such mixed reviews.

Some readers will probably love the intensity and controversial nature of the story, while others might have the same problems I did.

For me, it was a book I don't regret reading, but I also don't think it will be one that stays with me for a long time.