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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Rating- Good but could’ve been better
Heat- 3 several scenes
Tropes- arrainged marriage, mistaken identity
When it comes to originality, this book is off the charts. The idea is that there is a parallel universe to ours in which everyone has a twin, but this other world is more medieval and includes magic and magical creatures. The only downside to this book...
The way Finnie talked!
Finnie talks like an illiterate teenager. Everything is “cool.” There was one page that had the word cool on it 5 different times. Every now and then she would mix it up with a “freaking cool.” To make it even worse, her internal vocabulary was the same, and we are constantly treated to her inner thoughts as one or two word phrases.
“Eek!”
“Holy Moly!”
“Hmmm”
Add to that those one word thoughts were frequently repeated out loud, so we had to be told that she thought it and then said it.
Elves!
Oh, my god! How cool!
This world had elves!
I looked back at Frey and whispered, “How cool!
IF you can get past this aspect, the story itself is wonderful. Frey is your typical Ashley hero. He is occasionally a overbearing jerk, but he also only knows a world where women don’t have the freedoms that we do now. For the most part, his care of Finnie is heartwarming. Finnie is basically TSTL since she can’t seem to realize that speaking like a valley girl is going to give away that she isn’t her twin, but she is upbeat and fun. The world building is very complete, and the entire plot is fresh and unique. A good editing would make this a 5 star read.
Heat- 3 several scenes
Tropes- arrainged marriage, mistaken identity
When it comes to originality, this book is off the charts. The idea is that there is a parallel universe to ours in which everyone has a twin, but this other world is more medieval and includes magic and magical creatures. The only downside to this book...
The way Finnie talked!
Finnie talks like an illiterate teenager. Everything is “cool.” There was one page that had the word cool on it 5 different times. Every now and then she would mix it up with a “freaking cool.” To make it even worse, her internal vocabulary was the same, and we are constantly treated to her inner thoughts as one or two word phrases.
“Eek!”
“Holy Moly!”
“Hmmm”
Add to that those one word thoughts were frequently repeated out loud, so we had to be told that she thought it and then said it.
Elves!
Oh, my god! How cool!
This world had elves!
I looked back at Frey and whispered, “How cool!
IF you can get past this aspect, the story itself is wonderful. Frey is your typical Ashley hero. He is occasionally a overbearing jerk, but he also only knows a world where women don’t have the freedoms that we do now. For the most part, his care of Finnie is heartwarming. Finnie is basically TSTL since she can’t seem to realize that speaking like a valley girl is going to give away that she isn’t her twin, but she is upbeat and fun. The world building is very complete, and the entire plot is fresh and unique. A good editing would make this a 5 star read.
This is the story of a very special snowflake named MarySu- I mean.. Finny. The special snowflake lands in the ice kingdom and takes the place of her evil twin with the same name. She’s incredibly beautiful, funny, kind. She’s become skilled at archery to relate to her twins father. She’s learned to dance well for the courts. She’s learned daggers for her husband. She’s even brought a small abused child completely out of his shell. Oh. And she’s able to do horse tricks. All of this within 5 months!
So yeah. She’s all around perfect.
There is a lot of over detailing and drawn-out descriptions that waste time; in the sense that they’re not pertinent to the progression of the story.
What really galls me is the SLANG. Complete overuse of “oh my god!” and “how cool!” and “wow, totally!” in the narration. And “freaking” I get that it’s supposed to be how the girl thinks and talks BUT as I’m trying to read the story and get into it, her valley girl rhetoric is extremely detracting. Used sparingly, it would still convey her personality and mindset without making the literature seem like an elongated twitter post.
Short and sweet: She’s annoying.
Whether the story being told is interesting enough to overshadow the prior or I’m so hard up for good books right now that I’m settling (everything I want is either on hold or too pricey to risk)
So yeah. She’s all around perfect.
There is a lot of over detailing and drawn-out descriptions that waste time; in the sense that they’re not pertinent to the progression of the story.
What really galls me is the SLANG. Complete overuse of “oh my god!” and “how cool!” and “wow, totally!” in the narration. And “freaking” I get that it’s supposed to be how the girl thinks and talks BUT as I’m trying to read the story and get into it, her valley girl rhetoric is extremely detracting. Used sparingly, it would still convey her personality and mindset without making the literature seem like an elongated twitter post.
Short and sweet: She’s annoying.
Whether the story being told is interesting enough to overshadow the prior or I’m so hard up for good books right now that I’m settling (everything I want is either on hold or too pricey to risk)
I dont usually enjoy these types of fantasy where someone gets sent to a new world, I tend to find them repetitive and boring at times.
HOWEVER, I am SOOOOO grateful I read this. The Fantasy land is everything our world is but so much more. Its harsh, men rule and woman are cherished but only to certain people. Men are warriors. The stronger, the faster, the better you are.
Finnie loves adventures and she goes on the biggest one yet. A trip to FantasyLand where she meets Frey Drakkar, a man who believes he knows the type of woman Finnie is and he doesn't like it. Yet life can surprise you as it does both Finnie and Frey as they learn to love each other for who they are and not the arrangement that hangs over their heads.
HOWEVER, I am SOOOOO grateful I read this. The Fantasy land is everything our world is but so much more. Its harsh, men rule and woman are cherished but only to certain people. Men are warriors. The stronger, the faster, the better you are.
Finnie loves adventures and she goes on the biggest one yet. A trip to FantasyLand where she meets Frey Drakkar, a man who believes he knows the type of woman Finnie is and he doesn't like it. Yet life can surprise you as it does both Finnie and Frey as they learn to love each other for who they are and not the arrangement that hangs over their heads.
DNF @ 13%
I truly find this concept interesting and had hoped that it would be executed well.
But it was not. I found the writing unwieldy and the characters unappealing. I gave up when "The Drakkar" and his buddies started talking - the dialogue and inner monologues were gross.
Also, full stops were infrequent. E.g.
I truly find this concept interesting and had hoped that it would be executed well.
But it was not. I found the writing unwieldy and the characters unappealing. I gave up when "The Drakkar" and his buddies started talking - the dialogue and inner monologues were gross.
Also, full stops were infrequent. E.g.
"So after we cleared town on a fast gallop and kept on going like the devil himself was at our heels and my sleigh kinda went awry a couple of times, necessitating my new husband on his mighty beast circling it closely to right its course, after which, each time, he aimed a ferocious scowl at me that made my heart skip and not in a good way, I learned quick.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mini-Review:
Low end of 3 Stars
Great narration by Tillie Harper
I would have enjoyed this story more if either of the main characters were developed better. The setup for Finnie was terrible. Poor little rich girl. Who just "goes" with a marriage? I can swallow a lot of weird stuff but this one asked for too many from the start. Every time I thought the story was going to progress the plot or characters to a believable place, it went sideways with another what the heck event. I'd cut out 1/3 of the story and fix up the rest to make the story whole. It could have been amazing but it came across as poorly cobbled together fantasy with a cheesy romance.
Low end of 3 Stars
Great narration by Tillie Harper
I would have enjoyed this story more if either of the main characters were developed better. The setup for Finnie was terrible. Poor little rich girl. Who just "goes" with a marriage? I can swallow a lot of weird stuff but this one asked for too many from the start. Every time I thought the story was going to progress the plot or characters to a believable place, it went sideways with another what the heck event. I'd cut out 1/3 of the story and fix up the rest to make the story whole. It could have been amazing but it came across as poorly cobbled together fantasy with a cheesy romance.
This is such a good story.
Finnie changes places with her 'twin' in a parallel universe. Only when she arrives she is escorted by her parents who don't seem to be very pleased with her to her wedding. The reason she went on this adventure is to spend time with her 'twin's parents as her own died and she desperately misses them.
Frey is the brooding groom who is not impressed with his upcoming wedding, he has good reason, which is revealed.
Frey is by no means the perfect Hero, he makes some really huge mistakes.
But the Hero's in this series, all have a position of authority and have an arrogance that means at times they make decisions for others based on the good of their country and legacy without thinking how it will affect that person, esp Finnie.
The ex drama situation in particular comes back to bite him in a huge way but his devotion to his 'wee Finnie'is absolute.
The story is funny and very heartfelt.
There is ex drama of sorts, a woman from his past causes problems.
No intimate scenes with anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
No cheating, though it's complicated to explain but there is an accusation of cheating, though technically the accusation doesn't hold weight, due to the parallel universe issues but it causes problems for the couple.
Also after a huge argument he threatens to go and spend time with another woman but it is later revealed he doesn't, though at the time Finnie thinks he has cheated.
Also the scene is set for the other books which will follow and we meet or hear about some of the people that will be in them.
New world, culture customs developed, it is a bit too detailed, curtains, furniture, etc at the start but once you move on from that point the story really picks up.
HFN.
Though the series has a couple per book, there is a main enemy storyline thread that runs through the series and updates of previous characters appear in each book.
It's not essential to read all the books but you may have spoilers as there are hints of events that affect other couples in each book.
Finnie changes places with her 'twin' in a parallel universe. Only when she arrives she is escorted by her parents who don't seem to be very pleased with her to her wedding. The reason she went on this adventure is to spend time with her 'twin's parents as her own died and she desperately misses them.
Frey is the brooding groom who is not impressed with his upcoming wedding, he has good reason, which is revealed.
Frey is by no means the perfect Hero, he makes some really huge mistakes.
But the Hero's in this series, all have a position of authority and have an arrogance that means at times they make decisions for others based on the good of their country and legacy without thinking how it will affect that person, esp Finnie.
The ex drama situation in particular comes back to bite him in a huge way but his devotion to his 'wee Finnie'is absolute.
The story is funny and very heartfelt.
There is ex drama of sorts, a woman from his past causes problems.
No intimate scenes with anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
No cheating, though it's complicated to explain but there is an accusation of cheating, though technically the accusation doesn't hold weight, due to the parallel universe issues but it causes problems for the couple.
Also after a huge argument he threatens to go and spend time with another woman but it is later revealed he doesn't, though at the time Finnie thinks he has cheated.
Also the scene is set for the other books which will follow and we meet or hear about some of the people that will be in them.
New world, culture customs developed, it is a bit too detailed, curtains, furniture, etc at the start but once you move on from that point the story really picks up.
HFN.
Though the series has a couple per book, there is a main enemy storyline thread that runs through the series and updates of previous characters appear in each book.
It's not essential to read all the books but you may have spoilers as there are hints of events that affect other couples in each book.
Jeez I made the mistake of reading this again, I really didn’t like how hero throws ow in heroines face then tells her that it’s none of her business who or what he does. After that I sort of skimmed hoping he would take that back but I didn’t see anywhere he did. The heroines mother told her it was just a woman’s burden and if she kept him satisfied maybe he wouldn’t need to cheat. Really, I wanted her to tell him that’s fine and let him know she would do the same. These heroines forgive way too easy.
As it took over a month to finish, I had plenty of time to wonder how this could be so boring. Possibilities listed below:
* Maybe because I read enough futuristic/medieval fantasy romances in the '90s that this seemed old hat?
* Maybe because the obvious influence of Game of Thrones made me expect to see references to a few epic fantasy tropes and I never did. There were scenes that seemed to call out for them so strongly, it felt like Charlie Brown and the football. I guess that was more me speculating that KA isn't familiar with the fantasy genre and being disappointed by the wasted potential, rather than boredom.
* Maybe because of all the "it looks like Disneyland, but really it's just like home!!1!" moments. It's like going to Spain and strictly eating at McDonald's; what's the point?
* Maybe it's because I never figured out whether Sjofn and Finnie made a physical switch or just a mental one -- signs pointed in both directions, and it's kind of important to the story and....
.... so many world building questions I could never settle in to the narrative. I think that's why it took so long to finish.
* Maybe because I read enough futuristic/medieval fantasy romances in the '90s that this seemed old hat?
* Maybe because the obvious influence of Game of Thrones made me expect to see references to a few epic fantasy tropes and I never did. There were scenes that seemed to call out for them so strongly, it felt like Charlie Brown and the football. I guess that was more me speculating that KA isn't familiar with the fantasy genre and being disappointed by the wasted potential, rather than boredom.
* Maybe because of all the "it looks like Disneyland, but really it's just like home!!1!" moments. It's like going to Spain and strictly eating at McDonald's; what's the point?
* Maybe it's because I never figured out whether Sjofn and Finnie made a physical switch or just a mental one -- signs pointed in both directions, and it's kind of important to the story and....
.... so many world building questions I could never settle in to the narrative. I think that's why it took so long to finish.