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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
is this one I would normally haved picked for myself? no.
did I get sucked in? yes.
do i want to read the sequel? also yes.
did I get sucked in? yes.
do i want to read the sequel? also yes.
Seriously where is a map and a step by step guide when you need one?! The just confused me! So many different countries that were half actual countries half made up. No bloody clue where in the world they were meant to be and I was all
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"This is killing me.“ – Selah
Oh, you have no idea of much this book was killing me.
I would have given this book four stars if two things wouldn't have happened:
a.) If the world building wasn't confusing
b.) If that whole suitor thing wasn't so predictable.
So here's my messy first impression review:
First of all:
The Beholder is set in a fictive world, yet it is a world very close to ours. New York and Germany exist, as well as Norway, even if it's called Norge there. Same with Finland and Sweden, Blackforest (Schwarzwald, here Shvartsval'd). The Waldleute are a resistance (because forest people sounds like a great group name) and else I'm very confused by the whole language that was used throughout the book because it seemed like such a mix of language, which gave me a feeling of inconsistency.
We never got an overview of what world The Beholder is situated in, so I felt like walking through a fog, without a guide. I need a feeling of where I'm at because this world seemed like a mix of old fantasy and urban fantasy. At some point, it started to frustrate me because I wanted to get an explanation. Explaining stuff at the very end or even, maybe, in book 2, is not enough! Set the world in book 1, that's the foundation of a story.
But hey, what about the plot?
Selah is seneschal-elect, next to be queen. Her mother died a few years back and her father married again, Alessandra, Selah's stepmother who sends her away because she's evil, selfish and wants the throne for her own. Mostly because Selah's planned to be fiancé denied her proposal and the girl needs to marry to be taken seriously as Queen. Selah gets send away by Alessandra from her home country Potomac to find a suitor to marry. And the evil stepmother has a row of suitors in line Selah has to visit, else the countries get pissed and fall out with Potomac. It's all very political.
At some point, I realized that this book possibly couldn't be a stand-alone, and it definitely isn't. The pace is far too slow for that, and somewhat repetitive when it comes to the visits. Selah herself is a mix of wannabe strong girl and a crybaby with a lot of feelings. All the other characters, except for the suitors, feel shallow and have only a purpose to fill the scene.
Still, I had a good time reading The Beholder, because these suitor visits were killing me. You fall for them so easily, it's mean. The writing was okay and easy to breeze through.
Also, I'm still eager to read the second book because I want to know about the other suitors and if the book will continue on the same path as the first one since at the end there were hints about a change. I wouldn't mind both.
Oh, you have no idea of much this book was killing me.
I would have given this book four stars if two things wouldn't have happened:
a.) If the world building wasn't confusing
b.) If that whole suitor thing wasn't so predictable.
So here's my messy first impression review:
First of all:
The Beholder is set in a fictive world, yet it is a world very close to ours. New York and Germany exist, as well as Norway, even if it's called Norge there. Same with Finland and Sweden, Blackforest (Schwarzwald, here Shvartsval'd). The Waldleute are a resistance (because forest people sounds like a great group name) and else I'm very confused by the whole language that was used throughout the book because it seemed like such a mix of language, which gave me a feeling of inconsistency.
We never got an overview of what world The Beholder is situated in, so I felt like walking through a fog, without a guide. I need a feeling of where I'm at because this world seemed like a mix of old fantasy and urban fantasy. At some point, it started to frustrate me because I wanted to get an explanation. Explaining stuff at the very end or even, maybe, in book 2, is not enough! Set the world in book 1, that's the foundation of a story.
But hey, what about the plot?
Selah is seneschal-elect, next to be queen. Her mother died a few years back and her father married again, Alessandra, Selah's stepmother who sends her away because she's evil, selfish and wants the throne for her own. Mostly because Selah's planned to be fiancé denied her proposal and the girl needs to marry to be taken seriously as Queen. Selah gets send away by Alessandra from her home country Potomac to find a suitor to marry. And the evil stepmother has a row of suitors in line Selah has to visit, else the countries get pissed and fall out with Potomac. It's all very political.
At some point, I realized that this book possibly couldn't be a stand-alone, and it definitely isn't. The pace is far too slow for that, and somewhat repetitive when it comes to the visits. Selah herself is a mix of wannabe strong girl and a crybaby with a lot of feelings. All the other characters, except for the suitors, feel shallow and have only a purpose to fill the scene.
Still, I had a good time reading The Beholder, because these suitor visits were killing me. You fall for them so easily, it's mean. The writing was okay and easy to breeze through.
Also, I'm still eager to read the second book because I want to know about the other suitors and if the book will continue on the same path as the first one since at the end there were hints about a change. I wouldn't mind both.
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.
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Mythology, fairy tales, alt history, and a girl sent away by her step mother to meet suitors. All the things.