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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Moved to fast with too little character development and not enough plot tension.
This is a 3.5 for me. I really loved Penelope!! I want that available to me in this life. I liked the story and the characters. I liked the humor as well as the mixing of the modern world with the parallel world. I wished for a different ending. I will move forward in the series and I would recommend this book for someone looking to escape reality.
I'm a big Kristen Ashley fan, but her fantasy novels don't hold me the way her romantic suspense books do. Ride Steady, The Gamble, and Lady Luck are my top three, but the first installment of her Fantasyland series definitely has its moments. I love a good marriage-of-convenience trope, and this one starts with a bang. The concept of a twin in an alternate universe also really intrigued me, but I, without revealing spoilers, felt like I had more questions than answers about that at the end. Still, Frey Drakkar makes it worth the ride.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"Life was meant to be lived, every breath was a gift, every risk was worth taking."
"I love you, Frey. I'm in love with you. So in love, I'll never stop loving you. Not ever. You, everything about you is beyond my wildest dreams."
Kristen Ashley knows how to make me cry
Frey Drakker is so goddamn hot. Seriously. That mouth on him? Deliciously filthy.
Finnie? I loved that she has a backbone and knows how to stand up for herself but at the same time, she's freaking sunshiny and sweet most of the time. She's stubborn yes, but that only makes her perfect for Frey because he needs someone who could deal with his grumpy ass.
But what I really love about Kristen Ashley books are those gut-punch moments. I get on moods sometimes where I want to read something that hurts and makes me cry. There were a couple of those moments in this book that made me cry like a bitch. Ugh
That huge argument they had when Finnie found out about what Frey had done? Which is to bind her to that world and change her contraceptive powders? That was bad, Frey. I was so mad. It's something that he really should have talked to her about. Then what happened next happened.
I hated that Frey got out of these situations without proper remorse and groveling.
PS Am I the only one who automatically sings the Taylor Swift song when I see this title?
Frey Drakker is so goddamn hot. Seriously. That mouth on him? Deliciously filthy.
Finnie? I loved that she has a backbone and knows how to stand up for herself but at the same time, she's freaking sunshiny and sweet most of the time. She's stubborn yes, but that only makes her perfect for Frey because he needs someone who could deal with his grumpy ass.
But what I really love about Kristen Ashley books are those gut-punch moments. I get on moods sometimes where I want to read something that hurts and makes me cry. There were a couple of those moments in this book that made me cry like a bitch. Ugh
Spoiler
When Finnie got jealous of Viola because she heard about the sexathon Frey had with that maid and he had Viola serve Finnie during a dinner? It hurt. I was right there with Finnie. His sexual past is understandable, especially because it's supposed to be what's normal in that culture, but I couldn't get over the fact that he did that to Finnie intentionally.That huge argument they had when Finnie found out about what Frey had done? Which is to bind her to that world and change her contraceptive powders? That was bad, Frey. I was so mad. It's something that he really should have talked to her about. Then what happened next happened.
I hated that Frey got out of these situations without proper remorse and groveling.
PS Am I the only one who automatically sings the Taylor Swift song when I see this title?
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An incredibly long book (767p.) that would have benefited from a bit of extra editing (there are soooo many descriptions), but nonetheless was a very enjoyable story.
This is a fantasy novel set in a parallel universe separate from our modern world. In each world exists the same people. They look and sound the same, even have the same or similar names, but they are all different people. The other world is a kind of "Frozen" landscape with beautiful castles, villages and cities. There are elves, dragons and magic. A link to cross between the two worlds can be created using powerful magic.
In our modern world, Seoafin "Finnie" Wilde is a thirty year old heiress. She was orphaned at age fifteen when her beloved parents died in a plane crash. Like her parents, Finnie has an adventurous spirit, and is a genuine friend with a caring and compassionate nature. She discovers the existence of the parallel universe and pays a fortune to a Creole witch to switch her for a year with her other self. She does this mostly to see the faces of her parents again, even though she knows they will not be her actual parents. Also, what a great adventure!
When the switch is made, Finnie finds that her other self is a Princess, and she's literally about to marry a man she's never met, in a politically-arranged marriage to help her parents secure the throne. Unfortunately, her husband-to-be Frey Drakkar is a huge, gruff man who acts like he absolutely loathes her. Unfortunately, he really does dislike her 'twin' Sjofn, which is who he thinks he's marrying.
Great set-up and even better sunshine/grumpy trope with Finnie being an eternal optimist and quickly winning over her new husband (and everyone she meets) with her sweet disposition.
There is political manoeuvring, relationship dramas, secret/hidden identity issues and more in this story, which kept up a reasonable pace throughout. I found it mildly irritating that the heroine didn't act like a thirty year old woman and certainly didn't speak like one. She must have said 'Ho boy' at least two dozen times, not to mention saying things were 'super cool' and 'ok' repeatedly.
All that aside, I really enjoyed reading this and will probably read more in the series because I like the premise, and the author seems to have a great imagination.
This book contains mildly descriptive love scenes.
This is a fantasy novel set in a parallel universe separate from our modern world. In each world exists the same people. They look and sound the same, even have the same or similar names, but they are all different people. The other world is a kind of "Frozen" landscape with beautiful castles, villages and cities. There are elves, dragons and magic. A link to cross between the two worlds can be created using powerful magic.
In our modern world, Seoafin "Finnie" Wilde is a thirty year old heiress. She was orphaned at age fifteen when her beloved parents died in a plane crash. Like her parents, Finnie has an adventurous spirit, and is a genuine friend with a caring and compassionate nature. She discovers the existence of the parallel universe and pays a fortune to a Creole witch to switch her for a year with her other self. She does this mostly to see the faces of her parents again, even though she knows they will not be her actual parents. Also, what a great adventure!
When the switch is made, Finnie finds that her other self is a Princess, and she's literally about to marry a man she's never met, in a politically-arranged marriage to help her parents secure the throne. Unfortunately, her husband-to-be Frey Drakkar is a huge, gruff man who acts like he absolutely loathes her. Unfortunately, he really does dislike her 'twin' Sjofn, which is who he thinks he's marrying.
Great set-up and even better sunshine/grumpy trope with Finnie being an eternal optimist and quickly winning over her new husband (and everyone she meets) with her sweet disposition.
There is political manoeuvring, relationship dramas, secret/hidden identity issues and more in this story, which kept up a reasonable pace throughout. I found it mildly irritating that the heroine didn't act like a thirty year old woman and certainly didn't speak like one. She must have said 'Ho boy' at least two dozen times, not to mention saying things were 'super cool' and 'ok' repeatedly.
All that aside, I really enjoyed reading this and will probably read more in the series because I like the premise, and the author seems to have a great imagination.
This book contains mildly descriptive love scenes.