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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
I wanted to love this. The premise was excellent, but the execution just didn't hit right for me.
adventurous
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
I read this because I had loved [b:Tess of the Road|35046472|Tess of the Road (Tess of the Road, #1)|Rachel Hartman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1503599285l/35046472._SY75_.jpg|53793345] so very, very much.
This was nowhere near as engaging.
Seraphina is a bit too precious for my liking and the romantic love triangle that builds throughout this made me want to heave my lunch onto the book, which wouldn't have worked because I listened to the audio version.
The writing is, by far, the most enjoyable aspect in this tale; I love the way Hartman weaves words together to form her tapestries.
I'm thankful I read Tess first because I think had I started at the beginning, here, I wouldn't have continued.
This was nowhere near as engaging.
Seraphina is a bit too precious for my liking and the romantic love triangle that builds throughout this made me want to heave my lunch onto the book, which wouldn't have worked because I listened to the audio version.
The writing is, by far, the most enjoyable aspect in this tale; I love the way Hartman weaves words together to form her tapestries.
I'm thankful I read Tess first because I think had I started at the beginning, here, I wouldn't have continued.
This book was really great! I really like Seraphina's character, I can empathize with her plight but I didn't feel like she was whiny at all. She's funny, independent, and clever. I love how talented she is and I enjoyed the love story. It was enjoyable and HEALTHY in a way that's often hard to find in YA novels these days! I am compelled to continue with this series!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
Why not 5 stars? Actually I was thinking 3.4 because I really dislike books where everything is so different you end up spend half the time trying to keep up with what amounts almost to a new language. That is my huge bug-bear for this book. Everything has weird names, from the characters to the lands to the species (yes, plural), the forms of government, titles, even body parts. It dissolved a lot of the pleasure for me. The romance in this book is very much like skimming cream-off-the-top-of-milk, barely there and lacking in everything - intensity, passion, obsession, focus, desire...need I go on? The story: Dragons and humans have lived peacefully for nearly half a century. Seraphina was brought up by her Uncle (her father remarried and has a new family). She has imaginary friends - well, an imaginary garden populated by people she has to keep in line - who give her debilitating headaches. She has just secured a position as assistant to the royal musician. The princess, one of her pupils, quickly becomes a friend as does the bastard prince (who also heads the Queen's guards) when there is an assassination that could threaten the peace treaty. But there is more to Seraphina than meets the eye and while she and her friends try to unravel the mystery behind the murder she does everything in her power to keep her secret intact. If you're a fan of fantasy worlds (like Terry Pratchett's Discworld) then this might appeal to you. For myself I am wondering why I didn't give up halfway through - and that is why I gave it so many stars because it did manage to keep my attention.
Addendum: I am now looking for other novels featuring dragons so this book has met a critical directive: create enthusiasm. Move over angels, dragons have flown in!
Addendum: I am now looking for other novels featuring dragons so this book has met a critical directive: create enthusiasm. Move over angels, dragons have flown in!
The beginning was really weird and it took me a while to get into it but once I did I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the characters and although the plot was somewhat predictable it was still engaging. towards the end I could not put it down and I stayed up late to finish it.
This was an unexpectedly fun read. I don't usually gravitate toward fantasy but this one intrigued me from the start. A touch of drama, mystery, and romance...what more can you ask for?
I really loved the idea for this book, and it was very artfully executed. My only complaints would be the typical lead-girl self-debasement, and the somewhat overdone love story. This is just a pet peeve of mine, and I really do recommend this book to any fan of YA and fantasy, especially if you can enjoy the world enough to suspend your eye-rolling at certain points, as I was able to. I will definitely be reading the next one, and hope Ms. Seraphina thinks a little more of herself in the future.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced