I really wanted to like this book, but I just didn’t connect with it. First off, all the conspiracy talk reminded me too much of Trump supporters/anti-vaxxers. The formatting also threw me off, and I grew weary of the repetition. It just wasn’t for me.

I usually avoid horror books, but this one gripped me right with its premise. And yes, it was very haunting to read this digitally on a screen. But as well as I enjoyed the worldbuilding, some elements just threw me off--it was just too much in the mix, I guess. Apart from time-traveling, we got monsters, drug abuse with a big fat bundle of conspiration theories mixed in. But in the end, I could take away the unconscious message that I need time off the screen.

You know what? It was disturbing reading this on a screen.

The beginning of this book will get you hooked right away. What is the manuscript? Who are they? You will want to know more, and you'll wish you didn't. It will be exactly as the narrator warns you.

The social critique is intense and for me that was the best part. You will need to pause this reading from time to time just to be able to think about what you've just read. The premise presents us a topic we face nowadays, it highlights the reality and the problem of the addiction to the virtual life and how much the people dive into social media, forgetting the real world, getting completely addicted.

As I said, it is intense. Even though this is a work of fiction centred in this sci-fi horror idea, which its execution is fantastic, I think what can make an impact in the reader is indeed the ideas you get from it. You'll definitely start thinking about how much time you spend watching television, scrolling down on you smartphone, playing games, etc.

As for the plot itself, I think it was so well developed and in the end we have an intricate connection with everyone the protagonist crosses path with. In the end, it all makes sense, even what you believed at some point made none.

I really liked it, it was so well conceived and brings attention to what I believe might be a bigger problem in our society.

Reading just the summary of the book, I wasn’t prepared for what was about to unfold on my Kindle. Screens is so much more than just a story about a mysterious manuscript. In fact, Christopher Laine has built an entire world within 300+ pages, that not only includes our reality, but others as well.

Without giving away the plot, I will try to rehash some of the parts of this book. We got some time traveling, cosmic horror, the terrors of drug addiction, and conspiracy theories all in one. There certainly is a lot going on here. But it all works perfectly together, even if it did get a bit confusing at times. I did find the book to be hard to follow at times, but it all worked out in the end and I understood what was happening. Overall, a good novel that I would definitely recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Garden Path for the arc.

This is art. I love it. I want more. That's it, that's the review.



In all seriousness this is an incredible gift that Mr Laine has given to us. Also (this does not feel like a spoiler) HE GIVES YOU A READING SOUNDTRACK HOW INCREDIBLE IS THAT.

okay I'm done now, but seriously pick it up.