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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
I really liked this book! It pulled me in from the start with Selah being sent to sea on The Beholder, after she proposes to a boy who rejects her and must now go find a suitable match, and not return until she is engaged. Being charged with the responsibility of leading her land one day, at times it reads like The Selection, but only in that there are a series of suitors she must chose from. The story focuses on the first two stops and Selah’s wish to gain a fiancé from one in order to come back quickly to her ailing father. I was surprised to fall for both; they were very different, endearing, and full of their own plot twists – well done! The book ends placing the story in an entirely different direction. Bring on book 2!
I lost IQ points reading this one and I need some help - DNF @ p. 245.
I've never read a more passive, stupid 'heroine' in my life. All she does is cry, oh, and fall in love with every boy who so much as waves at her. Where the hell did this electric chemistry with Bear come from?
My real issue is that the world building is a mess though. It's so annoying, trying to work out the place names in the author's ham-fisted translations. We're being told that this is Earth, but in what time period are we supposed to be in in which jousting, Oxford tying of neck ties and RADIO TRANSMISSIONS are contemporary practice? Fantasy books can play fast and loose with typical literature rules, but there's absolutely no logic underpinning this bizarre reality.
Not for me, sorry.
I've never read a more passive, stupid 'heroine' in my life. All she does is cry, oh, and fall in love with every boy who so much as waves at her. Where the hell did this electric chemistry with Bear come from?
My real issue is that the world building is a mess though. It's so annoying, trying to work out the place names in the author's ham-fisted translations. We're being told that this is Earth, but in what time period are we supposed to be in in which jousting, Oxford tying of neck ties and
Not for me, sorry.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
3.5* I enjoyed this, it did remind me of The Selection, with a quest/adventure element.
I did find the world-building a bit confusing, I read it as a YA fantasy setup, but then there were some obvious recognised names like England, some vaguely disguised like Fynlandya and some entirely made up fantasy locations. It was a bit all over the place.
The romance also bothered me. I felt like she jumped straight from one attraction to another and called it love EVERY TIME. I was also pretty sure it's being set up for her to actually get with Lang at the end, but Torden was a sweetie so now I'm confused about who to ship. I low-key thought Torden would turn out gay, or already in love, or they'd just be cute platonic friends willing to marry out of duty and because they respected and liked each other, like Andrew in the Princess Diaries 2. Tbh that might have been better.
She also only had 2 weeks with each suitor, so it annoyed me a lot that she even liked the first guy enough to be heartbroken, and even more that she overcame said heartbreak, learned to trust again, fell in 'true love' and found her fiance in that space of time. And now she's leaving anyway to save a continent from what's basically described as Nazi Germany from a woman who is basically Hitler, but thinly veiled in fantasy.
I liked the early scenes with her crew onboard the ship, I liked the banter and the whole group of them and their relationships, I felt like that just went away when they reached England, and by Norske (Something like that anyway) they had all but disappeared, to the point that I stopped caring about whatever they were mysteriously up to, because it was barely mentioned for a lot of the book. For this reason all the 'twists' at the end and the sudden shift towards political interests seemed a bit abrupt, because nothing was really tracked properly throughout the plot.
Overall though this was a good, easy read and I will read the second one.
I did find the world-building a bit confusing, I read it as a YA fantasy setup, but then there were some obvious recognised names like England, some vaguely disguised like Fynlandya and some entirely made up fantasy locations. It was a bit all over the place.
The romance also bothered me. I felt like she jumped straight from one attraction to another and called it love EVERY TIME. I was also pretty sure it's being set up for her to actually get with Lang at the end, but Torden was a sweetie so now I'm confused about who to ship. I low-key thought Torden would turn out gay, or already in love, or they'd just be cute platonic friends willing to marry out of duty and because they respected and liked each other, like Andrew in the Princess Diaries 2. Tbh that might have been better.
She also only had 2 weeks with each suitor, so it annoyed me a lot that she even liked the first guy enough to be heartbroken, and even more that she overcame said heartbreak, learned to trust again, fell in 'true love' and found her fiance in that space of time. And now she's leaving anyway to save a continent from what's basically described as Nazi Germany from a woman who is basically Hitler, but thinly veiled in fantasy.
I liked the early scenes with her crew onboard the ship, I liked the banter and the whole group of them and their relationships, I felt like that just went away when they reached England, and by Norske (Something like that anyway) they had all but disappeared, to the point that I stopped caring about whatever they were mysteriously up to, because it was barely mentioned for a lot of the book. For this reason all the 'twists' at the end and the sudden shift towards political interests seemed a bit abrupt, because nothing was really tracked properly throughout the plot.
Overall though this was a good, easy read and I will read the second one.
I loved the romance and intrigue of the book! Fast sweet read and that twist at the end I am excited to see what happens next :)
I absolutely loved this book. It was one of my favorite books last year and I read it twice! The chemistry between all the characters is fabulous!
Well, I wanted to like this more than I did. I think there were way too many references to myths/fairy tales combined with an alternate world history that was not quite creative or established enough to carry itself. And I LOVE re-tellings and mythic inspirations for novels. This book took a little piece of everything, so it could never really be its own story. Also, this is definitely not a re-telling of the Odyssey. There is a character named Homer, a journey, a literal reference to the story of the Odyssey, and that's the extent of it. While there were definitely times I admired the MC, Selah, she annoyed me just as frequently. I appreciate a flawed character as much as the next person, but the repetition of her conflict (I have to get home to Papa/can't go to Russia or I'll die/my stepmother hates me/but am I in love??) became pretty grating. I think Bright was at her best when she was writing the romantic parts as opposed to the political intrigue. There were some seriously swoony moments that I really enjoyed! I also appreciated the diverse cast of secondary characters, who are well described and I believe will develop in complexity in the next installment. While this book didn't blow me away, I'll probably be tempted to pick up the second anyway (especially if the cover is as gorgeous as this one!!)
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had a hard time deciding how to rate this book and settled on 3.5 stars, mostly because I’m not interested in reading the sequel. That said, I did enjoy the book. Idk there’s just something about it I can’t quite put my finger on.