Solipsum by Daniel Couto
It’s ten years just past now and Charlie, a beautiful young woman in New York City lands the job of a lifetime—working as a photo assistant on a highly experimental advertising campaign that features two of the world’s hottest models.
Then she discovers that one of them is really a demon from Hell with a plan to take over the entire world.
Solipsum is a world of stunning models and shark-like super agents, big-money fashion advertising and cutting-edge photography, where beauty and power meet martial arts and the supernatural. It is a place where love can blossom in the most unexpected places and a picture can spring to life – literally.
Solipsum Review
I was compensated with a small amount for my time and effort in reading the book and writing this review. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and are based on my honest personal experience reading the book. Nor did the publisher in any way shape or form ever pressure me to give a positive review.
Solipsum by Daniel Couto delves into the captivating journey of Charlie, a young photo assistant thrust into the glamorous yet perilous world of high-fashion photography. Assigned to a novel print campaign that spans thirty locations globally, Charlie becomes enmeshed in an unforeseen romantic web and is mesmerized by the industry’s attraction. As the campaign’s popularity increases, dark secrets surface that expose a secret scheme carried out by Solipsum, a demon posing as the campaign’s male supermodel. Amidst the dazzling veneer of beauty and power, Charlie navigates a realm where love blossoms in unforeseen corners and images transcend into eerie reality.
I am a huge fan of stories in which the protagonist is thrown into something unknown, leading to a form of adventure (i.e. exploration of something new), and travelling with them as they explore new things and reveal aspects of a world that are often concealed. I became enthralled with this novel right away because of this and had a lot of anticipation before reading. To my surprise, it was better than I had anticipated. Excitation, adrenaline, careful world-building, and other aspects were all executed by the author.
I had a feeling this book would succeed right away immediately upon reading, and oh my did it do so magnificently. The fascinating adventure it provided made me feel like a regular person setting off on an exciting discovery of a fresh and vivid world, meeting people and experiencing things that were far different from what I was used to. I genuinely love it because it can take me to amazing and imaginative places like that.
As a lover of darker stories and someone who has read plentiful darker books with more mature content, the depths of the more mature themes and material were all something I was especially happy to see. And seeing how many more exciting aspects of the story come to light as the story progresses, it all gave me great satisfaction and motivation to finish the story until the very end.
The story’s inclusion of subtle themes and occasionally mature content also made the story feel more real for me because those topics are all very relevant and plausible in the context. To put it simply, these darker undertones enhanced the story and added to its overall appeal by drawing me into a world full of passion and mystery.
One thing that really drew me in was how the story blended supernatural aspects like demons and hell with real-life high society references. It adds levels of complexity and mystery to the plot, enhancing both character development and the overall lore. For my part, I’ve always been drawn to books with magical and mystical themes because I want to explore worlds that are well beyond the confines of modern reality. So it was a nice treat for me to find these aspects integrated smoothly into the plot. The reading experience was made even more captivating and unforgettable by this mix, which not only increased the sense of wonder and adventure but also offered a distinctive viewpoint on the interaction between the every day and the fantasy.
Although I had no prior experience with photography or computer graphics, I was pleasantly pleased by how much information I learned on those topics from reading this book. It was unexpected but then expected after I remembered how the author’s background is a professional photographer and computer-generated artist. That really added validity to the things I came across in the book and made me look at the information used to build the world and setting in a new light. This first-hand knowledge enhanced the reading experience in ways I hadn’t expected, giving the portrayal of pertinent subjects in the book an unmatched authenticity.
Seeing how easily the author’s knowledge was transferred into the book’s pages and providing readers like myself with an uncommon window into the artistic and technical facets of photography and computer-generated imagery was nothing short of remarkable. Not only did this extra layer of authenticity make the story more engaging for me, but it also made a lasting impression, demonstrating the value of knowledge in enhancing the reading experience.
I had a great time reading this book overall. I was interested in the notion at first, and I’m happy to report that it didn’t let me down. It surpassed my anticipations and fulfilled my aspirations and suggestions. It is an excellent read, and I wholeheartedly suggest it!
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