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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
The slow and a bit boring world building of the first half had the whirlwind of the ending give me whiplash. I almost dnf-ed, but I'm glad I finished it.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
initially, i DNF'd this book about 25% of the way through it. but then my completionist brain, that thinks not finishing something i started is unacceptable, screamed at me long enough to pick it back up again. my feelings toward the story and the characters didn't change much during the remaining 75%.
this is gonna be hard to "review", because i'll admit i had a fair share of moments where i zoned out or wasn't entirely paying attention to the audio-read. my copy also had a few repeated lines and unusually long pauses between paragraphs where it didn't feel like a pause was warranted, and i eventually found myself listening at 1.5 speed. here's a bullet point summary of my thoughts:
this is gonna be hard to "review", because i'll admit i had a fair share of moments where i zoned out or wasn't entirely paying attention to the audio-read. my copy also had a few repeated lines and unusually long pauses between paragraphs where it didn't feel like a pause was warranted, and i eventually found myself listening at 1.5 speed. here's a bullet point summary of my thoughts:
- none of the characters left positive impressions on me, i found ophelia to be incredibly dull, irritating, and passive as a lead. other characters were either outright awful and annoying or uninteresting. thorn is tall and grumpy. you will be reminded of this in all his scenes.
- i genuinely don't really know what the plot is/was beyond the arranged marriage and other social/political mini-dramas (again, i'll admit this could be because i zoned out and missed things). these things CAN be interesting as plots and external conflicts, but you need characters capable of carrying your reader through them and making your reader care about them, too. don't think that was accomplished here.
- characters sneeze. a lot. i kept noticing this because it's such... an odd and specific thing to keep coming back to? i even tried going to the book's wiki to see if there was an explanation for this (like the magic system or environment) that i might have missed, but i couldn't find anything. it's just such a weird action to keep drawing attention to--it became distracting?
- the way women are portrayed and treated and spoken to and overall viewed--main character's thoughts included in this--iiiiiiiiis not something i'm fond of; didn't like that much. nope. there's also a scene where one character is all "hurr hurr, if you were the fiance i would have loved to deflower you before your betrothed" and that scene (as well as many surrounding this character) are uncomfortable and squicky.
- the various powers in the book--mirror-walking, 'reading', phantom claws, etc--are all interesting concepts and i love the idea of them. sad to say that the execution didn't land for me.
- this could very much be because i struggled to maintain focus/give the book my full attention, but i had an INCREDIBLY hard time keeping up with all the names, characters, and just... the overall "worldbuilding" attached to them. i promise that i did TRY. but, gosh, this whole thing just feels like mud. and i just don't care.
this has been in my "to read" pile for at least a year, and i finally read it. very disappointed to have found it so lackluster and dull. won't be reaching for the sequels.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, Alcohol
Really unpredictable and twisty was the plot. Every single character had a likeable side but not a single one of them was trustworthy. Tense. The protagonist was very very very relatable, it was just super easy to step into her shoes. It was so easy to imagine myself as her, so many things in common.
Right now, having a second-hand heartbreak, can't wait to read the next book.
Perfect book for the winters.
Right now, having a second-hand heartbreak, can't wait to read the next book.
Perfect book for the winters.
The story of this book is interesting but it doesn't stand well on its own. The story doesn't really build and the characters are one dimensional. It felt like it was building up the setting for the following books rather than having its own rise and fall. The conflict consisted entirely of characters abusing each other and then there was a small resolution before leading into the next book. I will say, however, that I read the next book in the series and felt like it was much better.
4 stars for the unique setting.
Audio: 5/5
Plot: 4/5 (slow beginning)
Characters: 3/5 (I need more Ophelia / Thorn interactions)
This was really, really good! I loved how the fantasy was so different from stuff I've read till now. The setting and the powers were all new and unique.
I liked the characters (weird as the majority were). Ophelia was nice and not very talkative initially to the point that she didn't even voice her dislikes. But then changed when she got so fed up with everyone that decided to give an earful to Thorn and his aunt near the end was very well written.
Her interactions with Thorn in the latter half were also good. I like how she noticed all the small details.
Her powers were so unique. I liked both of them. The mirror visiting/walking part was my favourite. The dragon clans powers were more violent and the reveals were mind blowing.
I still don't understand how the family spirit part works. But enjoyed this book a lot. It was damn slow in the beginning but gets really interesting when they arrive on Claire de Lune.
Audio: 5/5
Plot: 4/5 (slow beginning)
Characters: 3/5 (I need more Ophelia / Thorn interactions)
This was really, really good! I loved how the fantasy was so different from stuff I've read till now. The setting and the powers were all new and unique.
I liked the characters (weird as the majority were). Ophelia was nice and not very talkative initially to the point that she didn't even voice her dislikes. But then changed when she got so fed up with everyone that decided to give an earful to Thorn and his aunt near the end was very well written.
Her interactions with Thorn in the latter half were also good. I like how she noticed all the small details.
Her powers were so unique. I liked both of them. The mirror visiting/walking part was my favourite. The dragon clans powers were more violent and the reveals were mind blowing.
I still don't understand how the family spirit part works. But enjoyed this book a lot. It was damn slow in the beginning but gets really interesting when they arrive on Claire de Lune.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Felice di aver letto qualcosa di nuovo e originale appartenente a questo genere; c’è sempre il rischio di essere ripetitivi e di raccontare di cose già viste in altre saghe ma devo dire che l’autrice è stata molto capace di introdurre un mondo con atmosfere cupe che a tratti mi ricordava il film Alice in Wonderland.
È sicuramente un libro molto introduttivo verso i seguenti libri della saga e infatti a livello di trama devo dire che mi è mancata l’azione e qualche cosa che mi tenesse effettivamente incollata alle pagine.
Detto ciò, ottimo libro e non vedo l’ora di leggere i seguenti della saga!
È sicuramente un libro molto introduttivo verso i seguenti libri della saga e infatti a livello di trama devo dire che mi è mancata l’azione e qualche cosa che mi tenesse effettivamente incollata alle pagine.
Detto ciò, ottimo libro e non vedo l’ora di leggere i seguenti della saga!
this is one of those books that i simultaneously have many thoughts about and none at all. i am definitely unsure what i feel about it. i think i was j bored even though there was SO MUCH PROMISE. unforch really. no character development of any sort with anybody. flat! i wanted so much more from the world. the cool powers get lost in the Political Posturing why do authors do that so much. wanted to care ab Thorn & others did Not at All
//
started the tuesday i was alone in manhattan in the nypl's children section, finished a month later at college when i remembered i was reading this.
//
started the tuesday i was alone in manhattan in the nypl's children section, finished a month later at college when i remembered i was reading this.
This is a really odd book. Fantasy is not a genre I naturally gravitate towards, and the world building at the beginning of this book nearly made me stop before the story got started.
I'm glad I stuck with it though, because it ended up being an intriguing tale of a young woman and young man who are forced to marry. I look forward to seeing how the cliffhanger of this book is resolved in the next.
I'm glad I stuck with it though, because it ended up being an intriguing tale of a young woman and young man who are forced to marry. I look forward to seeing how the cliffhanger of this book is resolved in the next.