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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
While Serpent & Dove was not my cup of tea, i was truly excited to read The Scarlet Veil by Mahurin.
Vampires, Werewolves and Dragons were my first love in fantasy, and the premise and some of the reviews really grabbed me. It seemed like we were finally stepping away from the garbage vampires from True Blood and Twilight (two books I read and hated). What the hell did they do to vampires I fell in love with like Vampire Diaries and Interview with a Vampire?
At any rate, there were a few things that really made me DNF this book, despite my excitement.
While I enjoyed every reading session I had attempted, really letting myself be immersed in the book, here are the things that kept pullinng me out of said immersion:
Extremely Slow Pacing
I can read a 600 page book, but not when it seems like the world building is the first 100 pages or more. No, I didn't get to 100 pages, but by the end of chapter 2, I feel like I had a good grasp of what the world was like, who the characters kind of were (with the exception of the friends, Coco, Lou, etc, which was kind of annoying. I thought you wouldn't have to have read Serpent & Dove to dive into this series, but my introduction to these characters was so brief that I feel like I learned nothing about them).
I feel like I understood where the author was going for the most part, with Célie, what her role would be... and the fact that I could truly tell that it didn't seem like Jean-Luc was a good fit for her right away? The secrecy from someone who is your supposed betrothed? The Knight in Shining Armor complex toward his beloved who clearly wants to stand on her own two feet and prove her worth? No, they're not a good match; I was excited to see where it would go with Célie's next love interest. Guess I'll never find out because the worldbuilding is going at a snail's pace and feels like an insult to the reader, who understands what's going on and would like to move on to the plot.
I don't like slice of life, or I would have picked up a book like that instead, and the worldbuilding the author attempted to do just felt very day to day slice of life, where is this going, kind of stuff.
The French Insertions & Setting
Props to the author for drawing us into this setting, one of propriety, courtship, and the like which I truly loved. This is what really drew me into the book each time I read it. Mahurin painted a vivid world, and I loved that she even added the fact that Jean-Luc and Célie could never truly be alone and needed a chaperone, because it was the appropriate thing to do in this era for a non-married couple to avoid scandal.
The French, however, took me out of the story several times. I actually speak French as a second language, and at first, I was excited to be able to see terms and concepts I understood without explanation.
I was also removed from immersio several times due to the fact that 50% of the time the terminology in French was not explained. I knew what was being said, but I couldn't help but think - what if I didn't speak French? Looking up some of these terms each time I'm trying to read the book would definitely spoil the flow for me and I'd probably hurl the book out the window after some time.
Mahurin also seems to be trying to use French as a flex, rather than a necessity to the plot, a way to push the plot forward. The amount of times she repeats the terms she does explain, just seemed more like a way to show off, rather than important plot points and terminology needed to move the story forward.
The Lack of Mobility for a supposed Huntress
We see our first fight within the first four chapters of the book, for our main character Célie.
I understand it is improper, in this time period, for a lady to wear breeches but WOW. I kept being hurled out of the story during her sparring session, each time she tripped over her long skirt, each time it got in the way, etc. My disbelief was truly suspended and I got extremely annoyed.
I recalled stories I read, like Dhampir by Barb Hendee - about a half-vampire, half-human huntress who hunted the undead - named Magiere. Magiere lived in a similar time perieod as Célie and NEVER wore skirts when training or hunting, propriety be damned. Magiere was a true badass.
I guess I expected too much from a character (Célie) who so desperately wanted to be taken seriously as a huntress... someone who was already defying the institution by being the first woman in the order. Would it have killed her to defy a little more and wear more practical clothes?
All in all, I cannot continue reading this book... they make Célie look like an idiot; like someone who maybe didn't know that she wanted to be the kickass first huntress that the summary proclaims her to be since she lets Jean-Luc shield her so much from actually improving, training, and being the badass I thought she'd be.
What a disappointment. Fool me once Serpent, shame on you. Fool me twice Scarlet, shame on me. Never picking up a Mahurin book again.
Vampires, Werewolves and Dragons were my first love in fantasy, and the premise and some of the reviews really grabbed me. It seemed like we were finally stepping away from the garbage vampires from True Blood and Twilight (two books I read and hated). What the hell did they do to vampires I fell in love with like Vampire Diaries and Interview with a Vampire?
At any rate, there were a few things that really made me DNF this book, despite my excitement.
While I enjoyed every reading session I had attempted, really letting myself be immersed in the book, here are the things that kept pullinng me out of said immersion:
Extremely Slow Pacing
I can read a 600 page book, but not when it seems like the world building is the first 100 pages or more. No, I didn't get to 100 pages, but by the end of chapter 2, I feel like I had a good grasp of what the world was like, who the characters kind of were (with the exception of the friends, Coco, Lou, etc, which was kind of annoying. I thought you wouldn't have to have read Serpent & Dove to dive into this series, but my introduction to these characters was so brief that I feel like I learned nothing about them).
I feel like I understood where the author was going for the most part, with Célie, what her role would be... and the fact that I could truly tell that it didn't seem like Jean-Luc was a good fit for her right away? The secrecy from someone who is your supposed betrothed? The Knight in Shining Armor complex toward his beloved who clearly wants to stand on her own two feet and prove her worth? No, they're not a good match; I was excited to see where it would go with Célie's next love interest. Guess I'll never find out because the worldbuilding is going at a snail's pace and feels like an insult to the reader, who understands what's going on and would like to move on to the plot.
I don't like slice of life, or I would have picked up a book like that instead, and the worldbuilding the author attempted to do just felt very day to day slice of life, where is this going, kind of stuff.
The French Insertions & Setting
Props to the author for drawing us into this setting, one of propriety, courtship, and the like which I truly loved. This is what really drew me into the book each time I read it. Mahurin painted a vivid world, and I loved that she even added the fact that Jean-Luc and Célie could never truly be alone and needed a chaperone, because it was the appropriate thing to do in this era for a non-married couple to avoid scandal.
The French, however, took me out of the story several times. I actually speak French as a second language, and at first, I was excited to be able to see terms and concepts I understood without explanation.
I was also removed from immersio several times due to the fact that 50% of the time the terminology in French was not explained. I knew what was being said, but I couldn't help but think - what if I didn't speak French? Looking up some of these terms each time I'm trying to read the book would definitely spoil the flow for me and I'd probably hurl the book out the window after some time.
Mahurin also seems to be trying to use French as a flex, rather than a necessity to the plot, a way to push the plot forward. The amount of times she repeats the terms she does explain, just seemed more like a way to show off, rather than important plot points and terminology needed to move the story forward.
The Lack of Mobility for a supposed Huntress
We see our first fight within the first four chapters of the book, for our main character Célie.
I understand it is improper, in this time period, for a lady to wear breeches but WOW. I kept being hurled out of the story during her sparring session, each time she tripped over her long skirt, each time it got in the way, etc. My disbelief was truly suspended and I got extremely annoyed.
I recalled stories I read, like Dhampir by Barb Hendee - about a half-vampire, half-human huntress who hunted the undead - named Magiere. Magiere lived in a similar time perieod as Célie and NEVER wore skirts when training or hunting, propriety be damned. Magiere was a true badass.
I guess I expected too much from a character (Célie) who so desperately wanted to be taken seriously as a huntress... someone who was already defying the institution by being the first woman in the order. Would it have killed her to defy a little more and wear more practical clothes?
All in all, I cannot continue reading this book... they make Célie look like an idiot; like someone who maybe didn't know that she wanted to be the kickass first huntress that the summary proclaims her to be since she lets Jean-Luc shield her so much from actually improving, training, and being the badass I thought she'd be.
What a disappointment. Fool me once Serpent, shame on you. Fool me twice Scarlet, shame on me. Never picking up a Mahurin book again.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes