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booksgamesvinyl's review
4.0
yeah i know vesper/sam is the main romance blah blah blah but vesper/sapphira is RIGHT there
gileslibrarian6's review
3.0
Vesper is an oddity who has been running from home ever since she accidentally burned her house down. She is running from her power- the ability to manifest fear in those around her. She finds herself in the Tournament of the Unraveling with a chance to rewrite the past. Her sponsor, Sam Hardy, is a former MMA fighter with his own past in need of rewriting. Can Vesper wield her powers enough to win or lose taking all of her and Sam’s hopes with her.
A friend likened this to Fight Club.
A friend likened this to Fight Club.
wondereads13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death
kisahofswords13's review against another edition
2.0
Actual rating 2.5
Here’s the thing.
The idea is interesting. I’m into it. But there’s a complete lack of diversity and I’m so over that.
Also I didn’t find any of the twists surprising or the writing super interesting. Soooo. Sorry
Here’s the thing.
The idea is interesting. I’m into it. But there’s a complete lack of diversity and I’m so over that.
Also I didn’t find any of the twists surprising or the writing super interesting. Soooo. Sorry
missusb21's review against another edition
4.0
Lots about identity and growth weaved around an exciting paranormal mystery. Plus swoony angtsy boy.
emsie's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kathardistywrites's review against another edition
5.0
This book FED MY SOUL. If you've ever fought for something you thought out of reach. If you've ever felt alone and at the very end of your rope, this book is for you.
The main character starts off as this sad, yet FEISTY AF girl in our modern world and she is on the run. Something happened two years ago, something she did to her family, though we don't know what (at first). We do know the how of it, though. She has the powers of a harbinger. Aka she can manifest people's worst fears. There are many with powers, called oddities, but they're feared by the rest of humanity. They're also being hunted.
A group of oddities come to her rescue when her powers accidentally manifest in a diner in the Bay Area. With them, she discovers an underground fighting ring of oddities that can not only fight, but CONTROL their powers. It's too enticing to turn down. When a very cute and tortured boy offers to help train her to win the grand prize, it's an offer she can't refuse. The winner will get an unraveling, one chance to reverse the past.
THIS BOOK IS SO INCREDIBLE AND UNIQUE I honestly DO NOT KNOW WHY more people haven't read it. It is SO undervalued. The emotional arcs through the book are strong as iron and the magic system is unique beyond compare. I HIGHLY recommend this book!!!!!
The main character starts off as this sad, yet FEISTY AF girl in our modern world and she is on the run. Something happened two years ago, something she did to her family, though we don't know what (at first). We do know the how of it, though. She has the powers of a harbinger. Aka she can manifest people's worst fears. There are many with powers, called oddities, but they're feared by the rest of humanity. They're also being hunted.
A group of oddities come to her rescue when her powers accidentally manifest in a diner in the Bay Area. With them, she discovers an underground fighting ring of oddities that can not only fight, but CONTROL their powers. It's too enticing to turn down. When a very cute and tortured boy offers to help train her to win the grand prize, it's an offer she can't refuse. The winner will get an unraveling, one chance to reverse the past.
THIS BOOK IS SO INCREDIBLE AND UNIQUE I honestly DO NOT KNOW WHY more people haven't read it. It is SO undervalued. The emotional arcs through the book are strong as iron and the magic system is unique beyond compare. I HIGHLY recommend this book!!!!!
deadgoodbookreviews's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted at Chain Interaction
One thing I think this book did well was the worldbuilding. In this case, it was just at that right point between giving too much information that then isn’t important to the book at all versus giving no reason for anything. When you’re dealing with any setting wherein some characters have powers and others don’t that’s kind of my ideal – unless you need a lot of information that is then going to have a big impact on the plot (to name one such example I am currently reading Jade City which requires that information to make sense of a plot point). So yes, while you could argue the worldbuilding is a little light, I actually thought that it fit in well with the world the characters were inhabiting.
Vesper was a character I wasn’t expecting to like, I thought I was going to get annoyed at the trope of ‘I have these powers but I don’t know how to use them’ and the somewhat dated idea of being taught that control by a handsome man – but actually it’s not so bad. Thinking about it now, it is still that trope-y, but it didn’t bother me when reading it. I think that’s in part because it’s made so clear why Vesper has a problem with her powers and what the history behind that is. In addition to that, it isn’t just the handsome boy who teaches her, it’s more of a team effort which feels more realistic and less bad romance-y. So yes, there is a strong sense that this is a narrative we’ve heard before, but it still manages to feel fresh and modern despite that.
I liked the powers, that’s one thing that I think I’ll always look for in books even when I’m old and grey. I’m still that girl who stares intently at the trees convinced that she is somehow controlling the wind. I liked the variety of powers this book had, and how they served the plot. It didn’t feel like they were just thrown in for variety, nor did it feel as though they were only there as a plot device. I loved the idea of scribes, who create binding deals between them and others, I also loved the idea of the unravelling, because who hasn’t wished at one time or another that they could change the past?
I will say, I know we’re not supposed to judge books by their covers, but I definitely feel like this one doesn’t do the story justice. I love the cover in itself but it calls to mind more of a contemporary feel rather than a sci-fi/fantasy story. Maybe that’s just me?
The writing is where I think this book just sings. The plot is good but not particularly unique, the characters likewise, but the dialogue is engaging, the prose is gorgeous, the pacing is good. I can see Katharyn Blair really flourishing as an author in the coming years.
My rating: 4/5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
One thing I think this book did well was the worldbuilding. In this case, it was just at that right point between giving too much information that then isn’t important to the book at all versus giving no reason for anything. When you’re dealing with any setting wherein some characters have powers and others don’t that’s kind of my ideal – unless you need a lot of information that is then going to have a big impact on the plot (to name one such example I am currently reading Jade City which requires that information to make sense of a plot point). So yes, while you could argue the worldbuilding is a little light, I actually thought that it fit in well with the world the characters were inhabiting.
Vesper was a character I wasn’t expecting to like, I thought I was going to get annoyed at the trope of ‘I have these powers but I don’t know how to use them’ and the somewhat dated idea of being taught that control by a handsome man – but actually it’s not so bad. Thinking about it now, it is still that trope-y, but it didn’t bother me when reading it. I think that’s in part because it’s made so clear why Vesper has a problem with her powers and what the history behind that is. In addition to that, it isn’t just the handsome boy who teaches her, it’s more of a team effort which feels more realistic and less bad romance-y. So yes, there is a strong sense that this is a narrative we’ve heard before, but it still manages to feel fresh and modern despite that.
I liked the powers, that’s one thing that I think I’ll always look for in books even when I’m old and grey. I’m still that girl who stares intently at the trees convinced that she is somehow controlling the wind. I liked the variety of powers this book had, and how they served the plot. It didn’t feel like they were just thrown in for variety, nor did it feel as though they were only there as a plot device. I loved the idea of scribes, who create binding deals between them and others, I also loved the idea of the unravelling, because who hasn’t wished at one time or another that they could change the past?
I will say, I know we’re not supposed to judge books by their covers, but I definitely feel like this one doesn’t do the story justice. I love the cover in itself but it calls to mind more of a contemporary feel rather than a sci-fi/fantasy story. Maybe that’s just me?
The writing is where I think this book just sings. The plot is good but not particularly unique, the characters likewise, but the dialogue is engaging, the prose is gorgeous, the pacing is good. I can see Katharyn Blair really flourishing as an author in the coming years.
My rating: 4/5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
carmensutra's review against another edition
1.0
I am 90% done and I JUST DON'T CARE.
I just want to be done, so I'm DNF-ing this puppy.
Sorry, life is just too short.
I just want to be done, so I'm DNF-ing this puppy.
Sorry, life is just too short.