There’s a great deal of narrative simmering, but the story never really comes to a boil ... Krilanovich certainly has her fans ... But my readings have left me more puzzled than impressed ... It does improve on the author’s debut effort: there’s an actual plot this time, even if a wandering one, and sharper characterization. And the conclusion is both emotionally moving and stylistically impressive. I’m curious to see what Krilanovich achieves in her next book, but this novel doesn’t fully compel.
Krilanovich’s writing is gorgeous and gritty by turns; her characters have substance, and the plot is beyond twisty ... But this is not an immediately immersive read ... Acid Green Velvet sinks in where it touches. It’s a sweaty fever dream rolled into a nauseous acid trip riding roughshod over its tropes—a prickly, perverse, and often brilliant book.
A mesmerizing story of class war and youthful rebellion in Gilded Age California ... Krilanovich’s tall tale takes on immense proportions, but the main event is the arresting prose. It’s dynamite.
There are long stretches of inaction as well as some unnecessarily coy dialogue, but the novel’s originality makes up for this slack by inspiring the reader’s continued curiosity ... One strange simmering spectacle.
