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ccarboni06's review against another edition
4.0
Finally a first book in a series that doesn't end in a ridiculous cliffhanger! It took a little while for me to get into this but once I did it was very enjoyable. The main character Elanna got on my nerves at first but the story begins to explain and then validate her seeming impetuous childishness. It actually wrapped up nicely and I look forward to reading the rest of the series
the1germ's review against another edition
4.0
A fast-paced fantasy with a refreshingly unique setting. Bates doesn't mess around with getting the ball rolling - stuff goes down immediately, and I never felt any slog here.
I absolutely loved the sort of French style of this world. Very elegant, and blended well with the earthy magic system Bates has developed. Muskets, madames, and mushrooms. It's lovely. Imagine sipping tea in a nice French garden with a stunning view of the mountains. Pastry in one hand, book in the other.
That's what reading this book is like.
It is a YA-crossover novel, so this isn't the sort of fantasy epic that needs to be pondered and digested. But I enjoyed the ride as it was, and I think Callie Bates is an author worth watching.
I absolutely loved the sort of French style of this world. Very elegant, and blended well with the earthy magic system Bates has developed. Muskets, madames, and mushrooms. It's lovely. Imagine sipping tea in a nice French garden with a stunning view of the mountains. Pastry in one hand, book in the other.
That's what reading this book is like.
It is a YA-crossover novel, so this isn't the sort of fantasy epic that needs to be pondered and digested. But I enjoyed the ride as it was, and I think Callie Bates is an author worth watching.
tildy_m's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I feel like I was only reading it for the banging romance and I understood pretty much none of the plot but… I mean it slayed and I’m on my way to get the second one right now :)
I feel like I was only reading it for the banging romance and I understood pretty much none of the plot but… I mean it slayed and I’m on my way to get the second one right now :)
bookish_redpanda15's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
booksandlemonsquash's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book from the publisher via Book Bridgr in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book going in, but I thought it sounded pretty good. And I was right - I found it really enjoyable! I really liked the way the magic worked, and the idea of the land coming alive. It’s really unusual and well described - I found it created a really good picture.
El is not always my favourite main character but we do at least get to know why she’s not always in the know! And it gives the author a great excuse to explain things to us. And I really liked the politics surrounded her - from her kidnap, to the way she was raised and how the Erenians treat her, to what is expected of he in Caeris. She has a lot to deal with! I feel the book did switch from her just wanting a quiet life to the romance more than I’d like, though I appreciate the switch to concentrating on the war as being necessary, I sort of mourned her not thinking about her dreams a bit more towards the end. She is also so uncertain so much, which can be a bit frustrating, but I found quite understandable. I also wanted a bit more resolution with her parents, especially her father.
My favourite characters were Victoire, Sophy and Rhia. I’d have like to have seen more Victoire, for sure, she’s not in it anywhere near enough! And more development for Sophy, she’s a little flat, even though I love her. Rhia is glorious and badass. 💙
I did find it a bit slow in places, but it was still drawing me in and I wanted to know what happened next. And I definitely enjoyed it and will be looking to get hold of the sequel when it comes out :)
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book going in, but I thought it sounded pretty good. And I was right - I found it really enjoyable! I really liked the way the magic worked, and the idea of the land coming alive. It’s really unusual and well described - I found it created a really good picture.
El is not always my favourite main character but we do at least get to know why she’s not always in the know! And it gives the author a great excuse to explain things to us. And I really liked the politics surrounded her - from her kidnap, to the way she was raised and how the Erenians treat her, to what is expected of he in Caeris. She has a lot to deal with! I feel the book did switch from her just wanting a quiet life to the romance more than I’d like, though I appreciate the switch to concentrating on the war as being necessary, I sort of mourned her not thinking about her dreams a bit more towards the end. She is also so uncertain so much, which can be a bit frustrating, but I found quite understandable. I also wanted a bit more resolution with her parents, especially her father.
My favourite characters were Victoire, Sophy and Rhia. I’d have like to have seen more Victoire, for sure, she’s not in it anywhere near enough! And more development for Sophy, she’s a little flat, even though I love her. Rhia is glorious and badass. 💙
I did find it a bit slow in places, but it was still drawing me in and I wanted to know what happened next. And I definitely enjoyed it and will be looking to get hold of the sequel when it comes out :)
chelseas_reads's review against another edition
4.0
i've heard a lot of conflicting things about the waking land, mostly negative. the summary sounded so good, i was really excited to give it a go. not to mention that cover??!?!?!?! so pretty! i loved the idea of the mc being raised by her enemy. i found it intriguing and different.
i didn't like elanna at first, but over the course of the book she really started to grow on me. i started to understand her a lot more. however, she still annoyed me to some degree. as mentioned before, i loved the fact that she was raised by her enemy. i like that over time she grew to see king antoine as a father figure and genuinely loved him. i mean, it'd been 14 or so years, i'd be amazed if she didn't grow to care for him during that time. she was such a young girl when he'd kidnapped her.
one of my biggest problems with the waking land was how boring it got part way through. the opening was very well written and interesting, but after that, it kinda becomes dull and hard to follow. i've seen many people dnf this book due to this, but the ending really made me glad i stuck with it. at the time, i didn't have anything else to read so i didn't really have any excuse to dnf it. however, i probably would've put it down and moved onto something a bit more interesting (if i had something worth reading).
the waking land is one of those books that if you finish it, you'll definitely love it, but if you don't push through that boring bit then it's an easy dnf. you either like it or you don't, there's really no inbetween.
i didn't like elanna at first, but over the course of the book she really started to grow on me. i started to understand her a lot more. however, she still annoyed me to some degree. as mentioned before, i loved the fact that she was raised by her enemy. i like that over time she grew to see king antoine as a father figure and genuinely loved him. i mean, it'd been 14 or so years, i'd be amazed if she didn't grow to care for him during that time. she was such a young girl when he'd kidnapped her.
one of my biggest problems with the waking land was how boring it got part way through. the opening was very well written and interesting, but after that, it kinda becomes dull and hard to follow. i've seen many people dnf this book due to this, but the ending really made me glad i stuck with it. at the time, i didn't have anything else to read so i didn't really have any excuse to dnf it. however, i probably would've put it down and moved onto something a bit more interesting (if i had something worth reading).
the waking land is one of those books that if you finish it, you'll definitely love it, but if you don't push through that boring bit then it's an easy dnf. you either like it or you don't, there's really no inbetween.
crasscasualty's review against another edition
3.0
Fantasy borrowing a lot from history. Enjoyable couch read. I'm completely baffled by people saying this book was too complicated. It's very simple and pretty traditional fantasy.
rebeccazh's review against another edition
3.0
A very fast read. I liked the heroine's arc - she was kidnapped when she was four and then brought up in an environment where her family/culture were constantly degraded, mocked and insulted. She internalised quite a bit of that and I really enjoyed reading her unlearning process - though I wished there was more of her reflective process. There is quite a light side romance which I as usual, feel skeptical about, because it seemed like instalove. The heroine's story as she learns to find herself and discover/own her roots/culture/history was the biggest draw for me.
picotly's review against another edition
DNF @~50% was hooked by the beginning and the world building is interesting, but I can't stand El's perspective. I don't mind that she's always conflucted but the way it's written, she just comes off as a selfish asshole and I can't stand her. Her people have been literally murdered and treated terribly and she's really like "....but do I really want to live among these uncivilized ppl forever????" "I miss high society :((("
cnoelle's review against another edition
2.0
This book was such a disappointment! It started off well, with an interesting plot and a pension for interesting vague hints as to the magic of the world and long buried secrets that were about to be revealed to us and the main character. But once the action starts going, the main character becomes pretty shallow and flighty. She spends the whole book raging back and forth between sides with every measly, weak argument every other character says. They can literally say one critical sentence about her current side and she'll change her entire world view in a split second. She has no backbone and I just couldn't empathize with her at all.
I gotta stop letting myself be drawn in by a fantastic cover and intriguing map!!
I gotta stop letting myself be drawn in by a fantastic cover and intriguing map!!