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phantomignis's review
4.0
Very fun world and premise, I loved the setting as a French historical/futuristic vibe.
freadomlibrary's review
3.0
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
I received an e-ARC of this book from Random House Books for Young Readers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Critically
Plot – 3 out of 5 stars
The premise and world of this book are really unique and interesting but also really confusing to read. The book is really drawn out and takes forever to reach the climax of the story. Honestly, sometimes I was really bored with it even though there’s a lot going on like drama, romance, betrayal, death and lies. There’s also mentions of drugs and slavery though one more than the other.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
I liked Pike’s writing style, it’s simple and easy to read. However, sometimes I felt like there was too much description about trivial things and it would make the narrative kind of boring. The worldbuilding was very detailed and though it took me awhile to grasp, it’s very imaginative. The prose is long and classic to go along with the 18th century vibe which was interesting.
Characters – 2 out of 5 stars
This is where things went wrong for me. I did not like the characters at all. They were all varying degrees of selfish, rude and self-centered. Danica is the worst by far. As the main character. we get her point of view throughout the entire story and even that didn’t make her likeable in my eyes. And sometimes that’s kind of the point but even morally gray characters have to manage to get the reader on their side and she fails at that spectacularly. She’s selfish and self-centered. She’s stupid and ignorant a lot of the times and manages to endanger the lives of the majority of the people in her country only because she doesn’t want to be there anymore. Her actions manage to cause death and addiction everywhere and not once did I believe she felt bad about what she was doing. It was despicable and really uncomfortable to read. There is also a love interest, which I felt was completely unnecessary to be honest, but who also has a disgustingly self-righteous attitude and angry disposition and they were not a nice combination. The rest of the side characters just felt like caricatures. They had over the top and obviously stereotypical personalities and there was honestly no one that I actually genuinely liked. I don’t need to like every character to enjoy a book but at least one for goodness’ sake.
Emotionally
The plot is drawn out. We follow Danica, a girl living in Sonoman-Versailles, a Baroque style society in futuristic France, who comes up with a plot to get out of her arranged and upcming marriage with the King. an unwanted engagement set up by her mother through blackmail. The reason I was interested in this book was because of the strange world. I love the French Revolution and that time in history and it was really interesting to see how the author mixed the futuristic world with the customs and culture of the Baroque period. This society resides in the city of Versailles with a kind of court living in the castle. They have a King and all the fashion and customs of that time in France but this society is owned by a corporation who bought it from France under pretense and turned it into a living breathing museum in a way. Every Wednesday the residents of the palace allow in tourists to see them living their lives in a kind of moving time capsule. But during the rest of the week, the use a huge computer as an intercom system, they have contacts that connect them to the web and small robots to help them get dressed and to do basic chores around the palace. It’s such a strange yet unique blend and it was really entertaining and interesting to see how it all managed to work in a perfect balance. However, that’s pretty much the only thing that I enjoyed and loved about this book. The plot took forever to develop and get off the ground. It was really slow to begin and to reach its climax, which didn’t happen until it was almost over in my opinion. It all just dragged and it didn’t help that there were too many descriptions of dresses and other court like activity instead of action moving the plot forward. The romance didn’t feel natural or interesting or even necessary in my opinion. I felt like it was there because the author felt the need to have it not because the characters actually wanted that connection. They were antagonizing each other most of the story, and not the cute enemies to lovers way and then the actual romance developed way too fast. Although I have to commend the author for making sure the main character didn’t suddenly become a different person or change her plans for the guy, but that didn’t help much. However, I have to say that the ending was surprising when I finished. Though as I thought about it more, it became totally obvious and I don’t know how the main character herself didn’t see it coming.
Danica is awful and I am not a fan. She’s selfish and self-centered. She has this single minded focus on her goal and doesn’t really care about who she hurts in the process. She tries to protect her friends from her schemes for like a hot second but doesn’t even trust them enough to tell them what’s going on and they get caught up anyway. She causes so much trouble and so many problems for so many people, most don’t even realize it yet, all for a plain that’s actually not the most well thought out. It was almost like she was unfeeling. She had a lot of negative things to say about her mother and the things she wanted for Danica, but she had the same drive and close focus and did a lot more damage than her mom ever did.
Saber comes in very early in the book and I liked him at first. He is pretty much the only person who treats Danica rudely, which isn’t nice, but is also good because he’s the only one to really knock her off her pedestal and to make her think beyond her own nose even if it doesn’t last long. I saw the romance coming and it bothered me a lot because I felt like it did a disservice to Saber’s character. He has so much passion and integrity that I didn’t find it believable for him to fall for someone like Danica. And the worst part is that he gets the worst end of the stick anyway! The rest of the side characters aren’t even worth mentioning by name because they felt like caricatures and not really there for much except to make Danica’s plan work. I was really upset about the fate of one particular character because it felt really unfair and something that was used to further the main character’s development but I don’t think it even worked.
Overall, I’m a bit disappointed by this book. I loved the world and how creative it is. The author did a great job with writing it since it’s such a complex and complicated concept which while it took me awhile to grasp, sucked me in once I understood it. However, the plot was boring and way too long, the characters were all unlikeable and I didn’t feel connected to or cared about the main character at all. This book is kind of meh and I’d suggest trying it at your own decision.
I received an e-ARC of this book from Random House Books for Young Readers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Critically
Plot – 3 out of 5 stars
The premise and world of this book are really unique and interesting but also really confusing to read. The book is really drawn out and takes forever to reach the climax of the story. Honestly, sometimes I was really bored with it even though there’s a lot going on like drama, romance, betrayal, death and lies. There’s also mentions of drugs and slavery though one more than the other.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
I liked Pike’s writing style, it’s simple and easy to read. However, sometimes I felt like there was too much description about trivial things and it would make the narrative kind of boring. The worldbuilding was very detailed and though it took me awhile to grasp, it’s very imaginative. The prose is long and classic to go along with the 18th century vibe which was interesting.
Characters – 2 out of 5 stars
This is where things went wrong for me. I did not like the characters at all. They were all varying degrees of selfish, rude and self-centered. Danica is the worst by far. As the main character. we get her point of view throughout the entire story and even that didn’t make her likeable in my eyes. And sometimes that’s kind of the point but even morally gray characters have to manage to get the reader on their side and she fails at that spectacularly. She’s selfish and self-centered. She’s stupid and ignorant a lot of the times and manages to endanger the lives of the majority of the people in her country only because she doesn’t want to be there anymore. Her actions manage to cause death and addiction everywhere and not once did I believe she felt bad about what she was doing. It was despicable and really uncomfortable to read. There is also a love interest, which I felt was completely unnecessary to be honest, but who also has a disgustingly self-righteous attitude and angry disposition and they were not a nice combination. The rest of the side characters just felt like caricatures. They had over the top and obviously stereotypical personalities and there was honestly no one that I actually genuinely liked. I don’t need to like every character to enjoy a book but at least one for goodness’ sake.
Emotionally
Spoiler
I was really excited to read this book because the premise sounded incredible but it was not what I expected at all.The plot is drawn out. We follow Danica, a girl living in Sonoman-Versailles, a Baroque style society in futuristic France, who comes up with a plot to get out of her arranged and upcming marriage with the King. an unwanted engagement set up by her mother through blackmail. The reason I was interested in this book was because of the strange world. I love the French Revolution and that time in history and it was really interesting to see how the author mixed the futuristic world with the customs and culture of the Baroque period. This society resides in the city of Versailles with a kind of court living in the castle. They have a King and all the fashion and customs of that time in France but this society is owned by a corporation who bought it from France under pretense and turned it into a living breathing museum in a way. Every Wednesday the residents of the palace allow in tourists to see them living their lives in a kind of moving time capsule. But during the rest of the week, the use a huge computer as an intercom system, they have contacts that connect them to the web and small robots to help them get dressed and to do basic chores around the palace. It’s such a strange yet unique blend and it was really entertaining and interesting to see how it all managed to work in a perfect balance. However, that’s pretty much the only thing that I enjoyed and loved about this book. The plot took forever to develop and get off the ground. It was really slow to begin and to reach its climax, which didn’t happen until it was almost over in my opinion. It all just dragged and it didn’t help that there were too many descriptions of dresses and other court like activity instead of action moving the plot forward. The romance didn’t feel natural or interesting or even necessary in my opinion. I felt like it was there because the author felt the need to have it not because the characters actually wanted that connection. They were antagonizing each other most of the story, and not the cute enemies to lovers way and then the actual romance developed way too fast. Although I have to commend the author for making sure the main character didn’t suddenly become a different person or change her plans for the guy, but that didn’t help much. However, I have to say that the ending was surprising when I finished. Though as I thought about it more, it became totally obvious and I don’t know how the main character herself didn’t see it coming.
Danica is awful and I am not a fan. She’s selfish and self-centered. She has this single minded focus on her goal and doesn’t really care about who she hurts in the process. She tries to protect her friends from her schemes for like a hot second but doesn’t even trust them enough to tell them what’s going on and they get caught up anyway. She causes so much trouble and so many problems for so many people, most don’t even realize it yet, all for a plain that’s actually not the most well thought out. It was almost like she was unfeeling. She had a lot of negative things to say about her mother and the things she wanted for Danica, but she had the same drive and close focus and did a lot more damage than her mom ever did.
Saber comes in very early in the book and I liked him at first. He is pretty much the only person who treats Danica rudely, which isn’t nice, but is also good because he’s the only one to really knock her off her pedestal and to make her think beyond her own nose even if it doesn’t last long. I saw the romance coming and it bothered me a lot because I felt like it did a disservice to Saber’s character. He has so much passion and integrity that I didn’t find it believable for him to fall for someone like Danica. And the worst part is that he gets the worst end of the stick anyway! The rest of the side characters aren’t even worth mentioning by name because they felt like caricatures and not really there for much except to make Danica’s plan work. I was really upset about the fate of one particular character because it felt really unfair and something that was used to further the main character’s development but I don’t think it even worked.
Overall, I’m a bit disappointed by this book. I loved the world and how creative it is. The author did a great job with writing it since it’s such a complex and complicated concept which while it took me awhile to grasp, sucked me in once I understood it. However, the plot was boring and way too long, the characters were all unlikeable and I didn’t feel connected to or cared about the main character at all. This book is kind of meh and I’d suggest trying it at your own decision.
em_herb's review against another edition
3.0
I love the idea of this book, really. It's just so absurd once you start reading it, it ceases to make sense after the second chapter. The fact that the "ending" (cliffhanger, I suppose, if you didn't figure it out already) is quite literally the last chapter and only a few pages long at that makes for a very rushed last couple of chapters trying to tie some things up. With all that being said, I will probably read the next one just to find out what happens.
karleighreads's review
5.0
This book was absolutely amazing. I love love dani and saber so much. I need the second one like yesterday!!!
animelanie's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyable genre bending books with so many twists
emmiweerose's review against another edition
3.0
Kinda slow in the beginning, but picks up and has a surprising ending.
brianals's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
tfw a book ends like a real-world situation actually would
tfw a book ends like a real-world situation actually would
rainbow_storm3200's review
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gem9589's review against another edition
5.0
Main review:
I read this book pretty fast, if you count five days to be pretty fast, which I do. In about five days, Pike transported me into an alternate reality where the extravagantly rich live in a twenty-second century pretend-world where everything is about baroque style architecture and 18th-century dresses. It read like a parody of the rich and powerful of this day and age, and it had all of my favorite elements whenever I take up a new YA novel; a strong main character with a mission I could believe in, a believable love interest, and a supportive set of secondary characters.
I loved this book.
I picked up this arc on a whim--I needed something to read, and the summary was plausible enough to reel me in. It sat in the back of my car for the longest time, a month, or maybe two, before I decided to pick it up and give it a try, standing under the hot sun of a nearby gas station, waiting annoyed for my insurance company to send a tow truck to come and give me a lift for my '95 Honda Accord. The prelude to the book was sudden and somewhat confusing, but then Pike settled into a nice, even pace, giving the reader detail on what kind of world the main character would be spending her day-to-day life in.
It is a bewildering world, one which Danica--or Dani, but only to her close friends-- navigates with a drive and a poise that is practically flawless. She has to, really-- in order to get out of the marriage that her demon of a mother has trapped her in, and to hide her true feelings towards the ass of a prince that she is betrothed to. Amidst court politics and horrible rumors, she discovers a way out, hiding narcotics in a cosmetics line dubbed "Glitter" which she sells in order to get out of the palace.
The romance didn't really come in until the second half of the book, but wow, I was not disappointed. Male love interests in your typical YA fantasy usually go over my head; mythical, untouchable, and distant. Saber when he is first introduced ends up being your typical, stoic, slightly scornful love interest at the beginning of the story, which Danica seems to find attractive and somewhat of a challenge to Danica almost instantly--but the reader is so distracted by her desperate need to get out of the palace that Saber soon leaves the page without so much of a second thought. After he becomes a constant presence in Danica's life, however, the reader can see why he was so hateful towards her at first, and why he must guard his emotions almost at all times; working with someone who comes from vastly different life style than you and drug dealing, not surprisingly, does that to you. To me, Saber was well-balanced with his emotions--showing more of a conscience, I think, that Danica sometimes-- and was altogether a more believable sympathetic love-interest than most angsty characters featured in YA novels today.
Danica and Saber also offered up a strong sort of companionship that I don't think I've ever read being done so well before. They give each other comfort when it is needed, support the other even in their maybe contrasting viewpoints, and give each other strength. If that isn't love, then I don't know what is.
It also helps that Saber is adorable in his awkwardness in his learning to navigate the Palace and also freaking drop-dead sexy.
More on Danica--I read early reviews for this book, with some people despising the main character and putting her down for the underhandedness of her actions. And it's true--Danica is selfish and callous and lies many, many times about her true intentions. But I don't understand why that's such a bad thing?--in a world with YA characters always needing to be perfect in all they do, why CAN'T there be one who's moral compass may be a little skewed? To me, Danica is cunning, stubborn individual who desires freedom from a life though her guilt weighs on her shoulders for tricking her friends and family. And I admire her as one strong enough to carry the things out that might lead her to escape her marriage with the king.
And man, isn't the king TERRIBLE? Justin Wyndham might hold the place for the most hateful villain I've ever read about. I'm serious. He's manipulative, sadistic and egotistical in every way, and what's worse is that he's able to match Danica's moves to get out of their engagement and out of his control almost move for move. He's brilliant--he's been the head of a business empire ever since his parents died when he was a child. And sure, he has some sympathetic moments--but in the end, I hate him and I love to hate him. Honestly? I think he's a perfect villainous match for Danica in the way that they positively loath each other and have vastly different objectives.
And the secondary characters. Lord Aaron's romance with Sir Spencer might be the cutest thing in the world. How fantastically in love Lord Aaron is with him as well as his remorse over seeing him be wed to a woman in order to secure a good future for his family's business is absolutely heart breaking. I love how Pike gave Danica a best friend, even BEFORE properly introducing Saber and the main bitches (Lady Cyn, Nuala and Giselle). Molli is a sweetheart; her character reminiscent to Helen's in Bronte's Jane Eyre; offering up a soft, innocent foil to Danica's character.
Last thing: I love how so many of the primary & secondary characters are obviously from vastly different cultures; Lord Aaron, with dark skin, with possible African or Arabic descent; Lady Mei, her family heralding from Asia; Giovanni, who is Italian; Saber, whose family came from East Asia. Even the main character, it's described, is half-Israeli! (At least, that's what I'm assuming; there was no description of her mother's background.) Because, well, you don't see that very often, do you? Characters as diverse as these.
Final thoughts:
I have not watched Breaking bad and I have not read any of Pike's other books. Honestly, I'm over and done with the fairy genre and I hope it blows away sometime soon. Though there were some things that sort of irked me--like the fact that the world was still being explained almost halfway through the book, or the fact that it's not quite made clear as to when the flashbacks were happening or not--I give this book five stars, and I recommend it to anyone who's looking for a book with some sci-fi/fantasy & romance, good writing and an incredible cast of characters.
I read this book pretty fast, if you count five days to be pretty fast, which I do. In about five days, Pike transported me into an alternate reality where the extravagantly rich live in a twenty-second century pretend-world where everything is about baroque style architecture and 18th-century dresses. It read like a parody of the rich and powerful of this day and age, and it had all of my favorite elements whenever I take up a new YA novel; a strong main character with a mission I could believe in, a believable love interest, and a supportive set of secondary characters.
I loved this book.
I picked up this arc on a whim--I needed something to read, and the summary was plausible enough to reel me in. It sat in the back of my car for the longest time, a month, or maybe two, before I decided to pick it up and give it a try, standing under the hot sun of a nearby gas station, waiting annoyed for my insurance company to send a tow truck to come and give me a lift for my '95 Honda Accord. The prelude to the book was sudden and somewhat confusing, but then Pike settled into a nice, even pace, giving the reader detail on what kind of world the main character would be spending her day-to-day life in.
It is a bewildering world, one which Danica--or Dani, but only to her close friends-- navigates with a drive and a poise that is practically flawless. She has to, really-- in order to get out of the marriage that her demon of a mother has trapped her in, and to hide her true feelings towards the ass of a prince that she is betrothed to. Amidst court politics and horrible rumors, she discovers a way out, hiding narcotics in a cosmetics line dubbed "Glitter" which she sells in order to get out of the palace.
The romance didn't really come in until the second half of the book, but wow, I was not disappointed. Male love interests in your typical YA fantasy usually go over my head; mythical, untouchable, and distant. Saber when he is first introduced ends up being your typical, stoic, slightly scornful love interest at the beginning of the story, which Danica seems to find attractive and somewhat of a challenge to Danica almost instantly--but the reader is so distracted by her desperate need to get out of the palace that Saber soon leaves the page without so much of a second thought. After he becomes a constant presence in Danica's life, however, the reader can see why he was so hateful towards her at first, and why he must guard his emotions almost at all times; working with someone who comes from vastly different life style than you and drug dealing, not surprisingly, does that to you. To me, Saber was well-balanced with his emotions--showing more of a conscience, I think, that Danica sometimes-- and was altogether a more believable sympathetic love-interest than most angsty characters featured in YA novels today.
Danica and Saber also offered up a strong sort of companionship that I don't think I've ever read being done so well before. They give each other comfort when it is needed, support the other even in their maybe contrasting viewpoints, and give each other strength. If that isn't love, then I don't know what is.
It also helps that Saber is adorable in his awkwardness in his learning to navigate the Palace and also freaking drop-dead sexy.
More on Danica--I read early reviews for this book, with some people despising the main character and putting her down for the underhandedness of her actions. And it's true--Danica is selfish and callous and lies many, many times about her true intentions. But I don't understand why that's such a bad thing?--in a world with YA characters always needing to be perfect in all they do, why CAN'T there be one who's moral compass may be a little skewed? To me, Danica is cunning, stubborn individual who desires freedom from a life though her guilt weighs on her shoulders for tricking her friends and family. And I admire her as one strong enough to carry the things out that might lead her to escape her marriage with the king.
And man, isn't the king TERRIBLE? Justin Wyndham might hold the place for the most hateful villain I've ever read about. I'm serious. He's manipulative, sadistic and egotistical in every way, and what's worse is that he's able to match Danica's moves to get out of their engagement and out of his control almost move for move. He's brilliant--he's been the head of a business empire ever since his parents died when he was a child. And sure, he has some sympathetic moments--but in the end, I hate him and I love to hate him. Honestly? I think he's a perfect villainous match for Danica in the way that they positively loath each other and have vastly different objectives.
And the secondary characters. Lord Aaron's romance with Sir Spencer might be the cutest thing in the world. How fantastically in love Lord Aaron is with him as well as his remorse over seeing him be wed to a woman in order to secure a good future for his family's business is absolutely heart breaking. I love how Pike gave Danica a best friend, even BEFORE properly introducing Saber and the main bitches (Lady Cyn, Nuala and Giselle). Molli is a sweetheart; her character reminiscent to Helen's in Bronte's Jane Eyre; offering up a soft, innocent foil to Danica's character.
Last thing: I love how so many of the primary & secondary characters are obviously from vastly different cultures; Lord Aaron, with dark skin, with possible African or Arabic descent; Lady Mei, her family heralding from Asia; Giovanni, who is Italian; Saber, whose family came from East Asia. Even the main character, it's described, is half-Israeli! (At least, that's what I'm assuming; there was no description of her mother's background.) Because, well, you don't see that very often, do you? Characters as diverse as these.
Final thoughts:
I have not watched Breaking bad and I have not read any of Pike's other books. Honestly, I'm over and done with the fairy genre and I hope it blows away sometime soon. Though there were some things that sort of irked me--like the fact that the world was still being explained almost halfway through the book, or the fact that it's not quite made clear as to when the flashbacks were happening or not--I give this book five stars, and I recommend it to anyone who's looking for a book with some sci-fi/fantasy & romance, good writing and an incredible cast of characters.
bluelilyleest's review against another edition
3.0
⭐⭐⭐✨ 3.5 stars
If I'd read this book at the age of its target audience, I would've rated it 5 stars. The plot has everything a teen could wish for: royals, deception, betrayal, murder and intrigue. Most of the time I wanted to keep reading chapter after chapter, and that's a mark of Good Plot. I really liked the world building and although I would've liked more of it, I understand the confines of the genre.
That being said, the romance was flat, the main character sometimes a bit annoying and I couldn't figure out if I was supposed to find anything attractive at all about the King? Let's hope not...
About halfway I decided that I liked the reading experience but wouldn't continue the series because there are so many other books out there that are just screaming to be read, but then ... the plot twisted in a way I'd never seen coming and now I'm... I'm just so curious!
TW: death, drugs, self-harm, sexual abuse and intimidation
If I'd read this book at the age of its target audience, I would've rated it 5 stars. The plot has everything a teen could wish for: royals, deception, betrayal, murder and intrigue. Most of the time I wanted to keep reading chapter after chapter, and that's a mark of Good Plot. I really liked the world building and although I would've liked more of it, I understand the confines of the genre.
That being said, the romance was flat, the main character sometimes a bit annoying and I couldn't figure out if I was supposed to find anything attractive at all about the King? Let's hope not...
About halfway I decided that I liked the reading experience but wouldn't continue the series because there are so many other books out there that are just screaming to be read, but then ... the plot twisted in a way I'd never seen coming and now I'm... I'm just so curious!
TW: death, drugs, self-harm, sexual abuse and intimidation