Scan barcode
peterkeep's review
1.0
I got this book for free as a goodreads giveaway, so I kind of feel bad complaining about it, but here goes:
The characters are boring, the plot is full of done-to-death cliches, and the setting/world falls flat. I didn't like the inclusion of/allusion to fairy tales (Little Red Riding Hood as well as Jack and the Beanstalk) as they didn't add anything to the story or help frame the world at all. They seemed like little Easter eggs thrown in without any subtlety.
The thing that bothered me most of all, though, was how most of the magical artifact details were explained after everything finished. All of the questions were answered with what felt like a shrug and a hand wave.
There's more that I could complain about (cover, map, plot holes, etc.) but I feel like this is already too negative.
I just really didn't like it.
The characters are boring, the plot is full of done-to-death cliches, and the setting/world falls flat. I didn't like the inclusion of/allusion to fairy tales (Little Red Riding Hood as well as Jack and the Beanstalk) as they didn't add anything to the story or help frame the world at all. They seemed like little Easter eggs thrown in without any subtlety.
The thing that bothered me most of all, though, was how most of the magical artifact details were explained after everything finished. All of the questions were answered with what felt like a shrug and a hand wave.
There's more that I could complain about (cover, map, plot holes, etc.) but I feel like this is already too negative.
I just really didn't like it.
shmarr's review
1.0
This book suffers from "unnecessary prologue you forget about promptly," "whiny and unlikable MC" and "MC who is perfect an amazing at everything." At one point early on, Gabby herself claims that she's mastered skills her instructors said it should have taken her years longer to master...but "it's not a big deal, I just have a good memory, right?"
On Amazon, Ms. Cook has a note about how writing fantasy novels is "freeing" because she doesn't have to do any research. This is a ridiculous notion, and it shows. Nothing the main character, Gabby, does makes any kind of sense or follows a logic that is discernable.
Gah. I think this book was self-published for all the wrong reasons....as in, no one else wanted anything to do with this one.
On Amazon, Ms. Cook has a note about how writing fantasy novels is "freeing" because she doesn't have to do any research. This is a ridiculous notion, and it shows. Nothing the main character, Gabby, does makes any kind of sense or follows a logic that is discernable.
Gah. I think this book was self-published for all the wrong reasons....as in, no one else wanted anything to do with this one.
More...