You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.09 AVERAGE
3.09 AVERAGE
I just didn't like the world.
The writing is good and the characters are nicely explored (so far).
I'm sure it's a good book, the world just isn't my taste.
The writing is good and the characters are nicely explored (so far).
I'm sure it's a good book, the world just isn't my taste.
When one of your most anticipated books of the year was really disappointing...
This one was such a letdown. Such a good premise, such poor execution.
This one was such a letdown. Such a good premise, such poor execution.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I went into this book expecting nothing. I was tentatively interested but scared I would be disappointed because I saw so many low ratings lingering around Goodreads. But guys, this book is soooo entertaining. I had so much fun listening to the audiobook of this novel; I can't imagine giving it anything lower than 4 stars.
I understand why some people don't like this book. It's loaded with cliches, and at times the characters can be very "cookie cutter." They can be one-sided, fitting into their character archetypes so well it comes across one dimensional, but I'm pretty sure they were supposed to be that way? As in the author was parodying the cliches and character types of the genre? And if that's the case, how could I complain?
Something I will complain about is the ending. I think for all the build-up leading to the "final showdown" it was a little too perfect. One of the things I loved was how detailed and realized the corporation weaponizing these orphans was, but because of that, I wanted a more comprehensive explanation of how they could manage to take down such a big organization. It all happened so quickly, and it felt jarring. I seriously think this book could have benefited from 50ish more pages.
All in all, though, I think this book was so fun. I was enthralled in the politics and the drama, and it was just a blast. And the audiobook actor made the experience fell like a movie. So I highly recommend.
I understand why some people don't like this book. It's loaded with cliches, and at times the characters can be very "cookie cutter." They can be one-sided, fitting into their character archetypes so well it comes across one dimensional, but I'm pretty sure they were supposed to be that way? As in the author was parodying the cliches and character types of the genre? And if that's the case, how could I complain?
Something I will complain about is the ending. I think for all the build-up leading to the "final showdown" it was a little too perfect. One of the things I loved was how detailed and realized the corporation weaponizing these orphans was, but because of that, I wanted a more comprehensive explanation of how they could manage to take down such a big organization. It all happened so quickly, and it felt jarring. I seriously think this book could have benefited from 50ish more pages.
All in all, though, I think this book was so fun. I was enthralled in the politics and the drama, and it was just a blast. And the audiobook actor made the experience fell like a movie. So I highly recommend.
I was given an ARC copy for a blog tour I signed up for. I quickly had to drop from the tour though because I couldn't finish it.
3 Stars
Picked this up on a whim for my library lotto game unaware of the ratings or reviews.
I felt like this had really good messages and made me think about love triangles in a different way, but I can see the criticism as to why others didn't enjoy it.
It might not have made the most sense, but it was kind of cool, and I really enjoyed the scenes with pining and romance. It wasn't the strongest book but I still had fun with it and am happy I picked something up that I never would have before.
____
CW: Possible ED, possible body dysmorphia, calorie counting, contemplation of suicide
Picked this up on a whim for my library lotto game unaware of the ratings or reviews.
I felt like this had really good messages and made me think about love triangles in a different way, but I can see the criticism as to why others didn't enjoy it.
It might not have made the most sense, but it was kind of cool, and I really enjoyed the scenes with pining and romance. It wasn't the strongest book but I still had fun with it and am happy I picked something up that I never would have before.
____
CW: Possible ED, possible body dysmorphia, calorie counting, contemplation of suicide
Taken from my blog-
I am a Book of the Month affiliate. What that means is if you click my Book of the Month links, I get a small portion of the sale. As an affiliate, I also get, on occasion, the opportunity to pick one of the picks ahead of time to read it, so I can review it at the beginning of the month.
This month, after looking at the picks, I knew I wanted three of them and the new book Into the Water by Paula Hawkins, which can be free for you this month by clicking my link and using the code "Water" and purchasing a 3 month subscription. There's the shill :-)
Back to the story, I knew I wanted three of them, but The Love Interest didn't seem up my alley, so I requested that one. I knew it wasn't my type of book, but I wanted to challenge myself.
I am writing that up front because, it definitely wasn't my type of book. To me, it read like an anime, but in novel form. It did flip the script on the love triangle and had a good concept, but the writing style threw me off that I stopped enjoying the book.
The story is told from Caden's perspective, who is a 'Nice.' (Yes, really) He is a sculpted spy who is to have the role of the nice guy to seduce the woman they are spying on. He is up against Dylan, who is a 'Bad' (yes, really). He is also out to seduce the woman, but is playing the bad boy. He too is sculpted to be attractive to the woman.
The two are in competition with one another and whomever wins, the other is killed off. As the two set off, something starts happening to Caden. He starts thinking about Dylan more and more. As they are in competition with one another, they start realizing they are attracted to one another and the triangle flips. What will happen?
The great thing is this is truly a script flip in the sense that this begins as the typical teen romance, even going so far as calling one 'Nice' and one 'Bad.' It was a nice twist to have this also be a gay romance novel for teens. That was incredibly clever.
The challenges Caden has are also very good. He is conflicted not only with Dylan, but Dylan also feeds into Caden's 'bad' side. He convinces Caden to do things that nice guys wouldn't do. It was fun to be in Caden's head.
The bad part was that Caden speaks like a teenager most of the time. There were some sentences where I not only stated "no guy would say that," but also thought "this makes no sense." There were also some difficulties of how Caden could know so much about certain things, but not know what coffee is like. The writing just gave me a lot of trouble that I couldn't get past. It wasn't a book for me.
Sadly, I gave this one 2.5 stars for the script flip and focusing on a gay relationship, but the writing took me out of enjoying the book.
I am a Book of the Month affiliate. What that means is if you click my Book of the Month links, I get a small portion of the sale. As an affiliate, I also get, on occasion, the opportunity to pick one of the picks ahead of time to read it, so I can review it at the beginning of the month.
This month, after looking at the picks, I knew I wanted three of them and the new book Into the Water by Paula Hawkins, which can be free for you this month by clicking my link and using the code "Water" and purchasing a 3 month subscription. There's the shill :-)
Back to the story, I knew I wanted three of them, but The Love Interest didn't seem up my alley, so I requested that one. I knew it wasn't my type of book, but I wanted to challenge myself.
I am writing that up front because, it definitely wasn't my type of book. To me, it read like an anime, but in novel form. It did flip the script on the love triangle and had a good concept, but the writing style threw me off that I stopped enjoying the book.
The story is told from Caden's perspective, who is a 'Nice.' (Yes, really) He is a sculpted spy who is to have the role of the nice guy to seduce the woman they are spying on. He is up against Dylan, who is a 'Bad' (yes, really). He is also out to seduce the woman, but is playing the bad boy. He too is sculpted to be attractive to the woman.
The two are in competition with one another and whomever wins, the other is killed off. As the two set off, something starts happening to Caden. He starts thinking about Dylan more and more. As they are in competition with one another, they start realizing they are attracted to one another and the triangle flips. What will happen?
The great thing is this is truly a script flip in the sense that this begins as the typical teen romance, even going so far as calling one 'Nice' and one 'Bad.' It was a nice twist to have this also be a gay romance novel for teens. That was incredibly clever.
The challenges Caden has are also very good. He is conflicted not only with Dylan, but Dylan also feeds into Caden's 'bad' side. He convinces Caden to do things that nice guys wouldn't do. It was fun to be in Caden's head.
The bad part was that Caden speaks like a teenager most of the time. There were some sentences where I not only stated "no guy would say that," but also thought "this makes no sense." There were also some difficulties of how Caden could know so much about certain things, but not know what coffee is like. The writing just gave me a lot of trouble that I couldn't get past. It wasn't a book for me.
Sadly, I gave this one 2.5 stars for the script flip and focusing on a gay relationship, but the writing took me out of enjoying the book.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you are looking for a plot twisting, coming age, black-widow-red-room-y, gay romance, amazing book, then read this
Such an amazing idea and had some turns I didn't see coming. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The only thing I didn't like was how little we got to see into the mind of the main character Caden. Even though the novel is told from his POV the reasons for some of his actions are very unclear. I would have liked more in depth characterisation but overall a highly enjoyable read.
The only thing I didn't like was how little we got to see into the mind of the main character Caden. Even though the novel is told from his POV the reasons for some of his actions are very unclear. I would have liked more in depth characterisation but overall a highly enjoyable read.