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inthelunaseas's review against another edition
2.0
I feel kind of bad giving this book only 2/5 stars. It's not a bad book, or at least I didn't find it bad. It's somewhat engaging, and [a:Michelle Zink|2232265|Michelle Zink|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1233168598p2/2232265.jpg] does her best to weave a delicately balanced Victorian world where the main female characters are strangely empowered and knowledgeable. A part of me (the part without the history degree) can accept that. I know young adult authors want the girls reading their books to have feminist role models. But it didn't quite work when Lia, the main character, is rather drab and flops around in her role like Magikarp's main attack.
Someone on here said that this novel repeats itself. Story is told, characters talk about it, they find someone else to tell it to and repeat. Nothing really happened beyond that- the story didn't particularly move along. I wound up getting the impression that everything was just being rehashed and there was no real progression or climax. It was easy to figure out what (or who) they keys were. It's unlikely that real keys would need to be inserted into Lia, being the Gate and all. And in most stories such as this one, keys are people.
And what of Alice? If their mother and father knew that Alice was going to be the one to guard the gate, shouldn't they have shown her more affection, instead of allowing her to grow up to become a bitter, cruel woman? Even then, it's important to let your children know you love them, prophecy aside.
I'm nitpicking here, but I just kept thinking of these things as I read along. It's a fine story, but in my opinion it's only really okay.
Someone on here said that this novel repeats itself. Story is told, characters talk about it, they find someone else to tell it to and repeat. Nothing really happened beyond that- the story didn't particularly move along. I wound up getting the impression that everything was just being rehashed and there was no real progression or climax. It was easy to figure out what (or who) they keys were. It's unlikely that real keys would need to be inserted into Lia, being the Gate and all. And in most stories such as this one, keys are people.
And what of Alice? If their mother and father knew that Alice was going to be the one to guard the gate, shouldn't they have shown her more affection, instead of allowing her to grow up to become a bitter, cruel woman? Even then, it's important to let your children know you love them, prophecy aside.
I'm nitpicking here, but I just kept thinking of these things as I read along. It's a fine story, but in my opinion it's only really okay.
zombiemom54's review against another edition
3.0
a little slow and kind of frusterating... there is no resolution to the issue and the charcaters are very under developed but I like the storyline.Classic good verses evil but with a twist. only this book 1 of the 3 is out so i'll be waiting for the next one.
cassandrasharp314's review against another edition
1.0
Nothing ever happens! It's all lead up and then it ends without anything happening! I guess so she can write another book? I rarely feel a book is a waste of time, but this was. It had such potential....
puzumaki's review against another edition
4.0
Twins Lia and Alice of an apocalyptic role to fill, passed down by the generations. We follow Lia as she learns about her role and travel through the Otherworlds. I enjoyed the speed of the plot and how it is put together, and I'm curious to read the next book.
sinkitten's review against another edition
4.0
Surprisingly better than I suspected it might be, the only disappointment was that it definitely reads as an intro to the trilogy and less of it's own book. It is set in an earlier period than I thought it would be and I actually found it better for it. It is well written with few plot holes/obvious plot devices. I look forward to see what the next book brings.
winnerswayy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
blackcatxiii's review against another edition
3.0
The Prophecy of the Sisters was alright. It seemed like there was way more dialogue and repeats of information that we already knew than actual action and excitement that I crave in a book, although there was a bit of that mixed in although not as much as I would've liked.
One thing that bothered me in the book was the fact that Lia just labeled her sister as evil as soon as she thought that they were on opposite ends of the battlefield, disregarding all of the history and years of sisterhood behind her.
A thing that I did like about the book was the writing style and language that Zink used in her book. I thought that it reflected the time period rather well.
One thing that bothered me in the book was the fact that Lia just labeled her sister as evil as soon as she thought that they were on opposite ends of the battlefield, disregarding all of the history and years of sisterhood behind her.
A thing that I did like about the book was the writing style and language that Zink used in her book. I thought that it reflected the time period rather well.
bookbutterfly111's review against another edition
DNF, read up to around page 200 and then skimmed the rest
I just did not feel a connection to the characters or the writing style.
I just did not feel a connection to the characters or the writing style.
camillap's review against another edition
2.0
La trama di questo libro mi aveva entusiasmata – gemelle divise dal fato, destinate a compiti diametralmente opposti, che si affrontano in un’atmosfera gotica inedita (data anche dall’ambientazione americana, piuttosto che inglese, come ci si aspetterebbe), pronte a sfidarsi per il futuro degli uomini e del divino. C’erano tutti gli elementi necessari per far nascere una storia piena di terrore, attesa, mistero e scontri! Invece, l’autrice si è lasciata scappare l’occasione ed è riuscita, nonostante queste premesse, a scrivere un romanzo piatto. Le due protagoniste, che dovrebbero essere il fulcro del romanzo, una fonte di tensione e contrasti, sono poco più che abbozzate: Alice, la “cattiva”, non compie niente di veramente malvagio per gran parte del romanzo (a meno che non si voglia considerare “guardar male gli altri” come cattiveria degna di Satana) e poi, quando finalmente agisce come dovrebbe, noi non abbiamo sviluppato abbastanza empatia per soffrirne. Nemmeno i personaggi secondari, in questo caso, aiutano: sono piacevoli, sicuramente, ma non memorabili. Uno dei meglio tratteggiati è James, fidanzato di Lia: la loro relazione è stata una delle poche cose che ho apprezzato sinceramente in questo romanzo, perché piuttosto matura e senza eccessi di zucchero e melassa (che mi rendono indigesta qualunque lettura!).
Lo stile è fin troppo pacato, non dico noioso ma quasi: certe scene sono state affossate, nonostante il potenziale immaginifico, proprio da una scrittura non adatta a mostrarle.
Ciò che ha alzato un pochino la mia considerazione per questo libro è stata la rivelazione che la zia Virginia fa a Lia riguardo la vera natura delle sorelle – effettivamente inaspettata e sicuramente portatrice di conseguenze che, chissà, potrebbero dare vita a un buon seguito, soprattutto perché potrebbe portare a una tematica come la lotta contro la propria natura e la predestinazione. Per questo primo capitolo però, senza alcun dubbio, il mio voto è negativo.
Lo stile è fin troppo pacato, non dico noioso ma quasi: certe scene sono state affossate, nonostante il potenziale immaginifico, proprio da una scrittura non adatta a mostrarle.
Ciò che ha alzato un pochino la mia considerazione per questo libro è stata la rivelazione che la zia Virginia fa a Lia riguardo la vera natura delle sorelle – effettivamente inaspettata e sicuramente portatrice di conseguenze che, chissà, potrebbero dare vita a un buon seguito, soprattutto perché potrebbe portare a una tematica come la lotta contro la propria natura e la predestinazione. Per questo primo capitolo però, senza alcun dubbio, il mio voto è negativo.
ahoipanem's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5