Pop goes the weasel

It really didn't improve. The characters were immensely one-dimensional, seemingly only having one trait per person. Or they simply had a situation at home to make it seem like they were well-written characters but really nothing about them was developed or made any sense. 

Our main character Helen Grace was also full of bullshit contradictions. Things that are suggested to be central to her character were totally contradicted by other things. Giving a person a backstory and an inner monologue doesn't make the character engaging. 

The story itself was also quite shit. About 200 pages of this book was them being on the wrong trail entirely by a lying person. Why in the hell would it ever be fun or enjoyable to read about. It was poorly written, not engaging and the character were all badly drawn cardboard cutouts.