Disappointed in "The Dust of 100 Dogs"

“Dust of 100 Dogs”
A.S. King

3

After being murdered and cursed in a former life to live one hundred dog lives, Emer has finally made back into a human body. Emer was one of the most feared pirates in the Caribbean, now she is living an average teenage life as Saffron Adams. The only difference is that she still has the violent urges, obsession with treasure, and a vivid memory of a past life. Her only goal in life is to ditch her loving family and find the treasure she buried one hundred lifetimes ago. The story is told in three parts: Emer’s past story, Saffron’s story, and Emer’s brief insights into dogs. This book is about pirates, so there is violence, sex, and strong language in the book. None of this bothered me, but it is something that I feel people should be aware of when picking up this title.

Overall I thought the book was good. I really enjoyed Emer’s story and found it interesting to see how she was involved in Saffron’s life. I thought the parts where Emer described the lessons that can be learned from her experiences as a dog were a little tedious. I understand why they were in the book (she did live as a dog 100 times), but for me it really broke up the two other stories. I really found Emer’s character to be interesting, but Saffron didn’t seem to be flushed out until the end of the book. I loved how the book ended; I just wish I had been as satisfied with the rest of the book as I was with the end. I think this book is most suited for people who love both pirates and dogs. It was very unique and entertaining, but not a very satisfying read. This book could have been a little too hyped up for me. Pirates + stellar reviews= a let down.