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annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
I know that the books by Melissa de la Cruz are not the most brilliant books in the world. I consider them nice palate cleansers. Books you read in between the more serious and heavy stuff to give yourself a little bit of breathing room. And I need those. So, when I saw this book on Amazon I made sure to pre-order right away. Also because the book has an insanely beautiful cover and because the title sounded really intriguing.
Last week my copy of the book arrived and I started reading right away. In a way this is exactly what you're expecting a novel by this author to be. The plot seems to be a little all over the place, the world building is not too complicated or deep and the characters read quite young. And yet, I did notice while reading this book that it was special. You could feel the nostalgia behind the words. You could feel that this story was more than just a story.
What I absolutely loved about this book is that the heroine really doesn't know much about the world she's destined to rule. Although her father was its king, she has never spent much time in the world herself and it shows. She's asking questions others consider stupid. She's saying the wrong things to the wrong people. She's messing up customs and rituals. And, she's bringing a new perspective to a world that has been the same for who knows how long.
I also love the connection between this world and ours. Although most of the book takes place in a fantasy world, with a mythology that makes me curious about its origins, there is a connection with our world. And the author makes sure to remind us of that connection with small little remarks. She explains, for example, why so many ships an people go missing in the Bermuda triangle and we learn why this world is hidden from us to begin with.
I'm kinda curious about what comes next. So I will certainly order my copy of the sequel as soon as I can!
Last week my copy of the book arrived and I started reading right away. In a way this is exactly what you're expecting a novel by this author to be. The plot seems to be a little all over the place, the world building is not too complicated or deep and the characters read quite young. And yet, I did notice while reading this book that it was special. You could feel the nostalgia behind the words. You could feel that this story was more than just a story.
What I absolutely loved about this book is that the heroine really doesn't know much about the world she's destined to rule. Although her father was its king, she has never spent much time in the world herself and it shows. She's asking questions others consider stupid. She's saying the wrong things to the wrong people. She's messing up customs and rituals. And, she's bringing a new perspective to a world that has been the same for who knows how long.
I also love the connection between this world and ours. Although most of the book takes place in a fantasy world, with a mythology that makes me curious about its origins, there is a connection with our world. And the author makes sure to remind us of that connection with small little remarks. She explains, for example, why so many ships an people go missing in the Bermuda triangle and we learn why this world is hidden from us to begin with.
I'm kinda curious about what comes next. So I will certainly order my copy of the sequel as soon as I can!
book_lizard42's review against another edition
I was not the intended audience. It was definitely written for teens who aren't quite as picky about plot, dialogue, etc.
madsisreading's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
adalton's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5
I'm going to star this review by saying the story was great. I feel like my dislikes took over my likes for this book though. I loved how much de la Cruz used Pilipino mythology, but I really disliked the 'school' setting and not being able to really dig into the politics in another way. I also felt like the book didn't read like a YA book, if it does, it would be more lower grade. I was just left wanting more of the characters because I felt like there is a lot of things the reader doesn't know.
I'm going to star this review by saying the story was great. I feel like my dislikes took over my likes for this book though. I loved how much de la Cruz used Pilipino mythology, but I really disliked the 'school' setting and not being able to really dig into the politics in another way. I also felt like the book didn't read like a YA book, if it does, it would be more lower grade. I was just left wanting more of the characters because I felt like there is a lot of things the reader doesn't know.
jennfs10's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
evillien's review against another edition
3.0
Niemand in dit boek is sympathiek, de fmc is egoïstisch, eigenwijs, doet en zegt alleen aardige dingen als het haar iets oplevert.
De romantiek komt uit het niets, het ene moment is de mmc nog een absolute eikel tegen haar en 5 minuten later is het "aan". En is alles vergeten en wordt er niets meer besproken.
Belangrijke mensen in het leven van de fmc zijn net overleden of in het ziekenhuis, maar er is geen enkel moment in het boek dat ze hier een emotie over laat zien. Letterlijk niets.
Ze gebruikt haar vrienden en weet niets van ze
Waarom toch 3 sterrren:
Ik heb het boek uitgelezen
De verwijzingen naar de Zuid-Amerikaanse cultuur was interessant en goed gedaan.
De schrijfstijl was prima en het idee voor het verhaal was prima (had alleen veel beter uitgewerkt kunnen worden)
De romantiek komt uit het niets, het ene moment is de mmc nog een absolute eikel tegen haar en 5 minuten later is het "aan". En is alles vergeten en wordt er niets meer besproken.
Belangrijke mensen in het leven van de fmc zijn net overleden of in het ziekenhuis, maar er is geen enkel moment in het boek dat ze hier een emotie over laat zien. Letterlijk niets.
Ze gebruikt haar vrienden en weet niets van ze
Waarom toch 3 sterrren:
Ik heb het boek uitgelezen
De verwijzingen naar de Zuid-Amerikaanse cultuur was interessant en goed gedaan.
De schrijfstijl was prima en het idee voor het verhaal was prima (had alleen veel beter uitgewerkt kunnen worden)
novelreen's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
bookchik15's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Not bad. It just felt very childish for a YA Book, to the point where I thought it was middle school book. The main character was very young which made it hard to agree with her thought process. I wish that I had liked it more.