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marieintheraw's review against another edition
3.0
a bit confusing yet overall a standardly average dystopian. unfortunately, the story does not wrap up neatly enough for it to be a solid enough conclusion without the rest of the story that has yet to be written.
(this was released over three years ago)
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.
(this was released over three years ago)
I received an ecopy of this through netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.
jenacidebybibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Raven Press, via NetGalley for an honest review.
Opinion:
It’s official, I’ve begun my descent into madness and true unyielding despair.
Once again, I have made the mistake of requesting the first book in a series from Netgalley. I told myself I wouldn’t do it again, that I wouldn’t put myself through this immense torture. This bleak fantasy of happiness that only leaves me alone, irritable and sulky. But look at me now...Look at me! On the floor of all places, sobbing, flailing and screaming. Like a fish that was knocked out of its tiny fish bowl…or maybe it jumped out of sheer desperation to be away from those ridiculous plastic castles that have absolutely NO practical use.
Anyways, due to my idiocy in requesting to read this book, I am now left suffering in silence while I wait for book 2. Because holy s***, this series is going to be SO GREAT that it might kill me...with joy!
Set in a dystopian/Steampunk world, Tay and her family are at the bottom of the totem pole. She is forced to abide by the laws put forth by the noble families; which include strict limitations on food, education, and job placements. But as the rebels fight to make a change, her father ends up getting arrested and being sent to the mines. Knowing that death is just a matter of time in the mines, Tay finds a noble by the name of Darius and pleads for his help. Surprisingly, Darius agrees to help Tay in exchange for a favor…a favor he will not tell her. Hesitantly she agrees, and from that moment on, her life is forever changed. The following days bring her into the homes of Noble families and eventually into the Palace, where she is forced by Darius to pretend to be his sister. But among these Nobles, nobody is safe. If any talk of rebellion is whispered, someone who sat next to you at dinner might just disappear. Tay fights to hide her true identity in order to help her father, while also assisting the rebellion in any way that she can.
Claire Warner did an AMAZING job with this story, and I am bouncing my leg nervously waiting for the next installment. For some reason I am EXTRA excited to write this review, and I think you will see why. Firstly, the characters. They have the perfect amount of description surrounding them, and I felt an immediate connection to our main characters upon first “meeting” them. Tay is a strong-willed and brave female character. The reader can feel her fear as she is forced to do countless illegal things to protect her family, but she does it and does it well. I’m so fond of the way she took on the role of Darius’s sister, she was SUCH a bad***. Not only does she smooth talk the prince into letting her live, but she makes countless friends among the nobles that we can assume are really on the rebel side.
Darius is an interesting character, and I knew I was going to love him right away. It’s the sarcastic one’s guys…I can’t help myself! Upon our first meeting of him, he is pompous and arrogant. I was expecting him to deny Tay right on the spot, but he didn’t! He agrees to help her father be transferred, but requests a favor in return that is less than easy. I found the character of Darius to be an entertaining and caring person, he isn’t at all what the reader expects him to be. ALSO, I think we can all agree that we saw that romance coming. I mean…come on...*Ding Ding* wedding bells! Though I end up favoring his character, I can’t help but feel a bit of sorrow for Tay. She is used and made a pawn in countless games, and it all feels a bit ruthless.
Apart from the characters, this story is KILLER! It’s packed with princesses and royalty, wedding gowns and dances, and even a few explosions and attempted murders. What more could we ask for?! Tay is swept into a world that she had only heard rumors about, and I must say…the girl does a wonderful job of faking it. Though things seem fancy and copacetic between the nobles, underneath it all…they are all on guard. If anyone even mutters a word or rebellion or coils, they suddenly disappear or lose their rank. These people aren’t screwing around guys, it’s serious stuff! My ONLY complaint is that I had some trouble keeping up with this “C.O.I.L.S.” explanation. I think the author could have delved a bit deeper into this, but I’m wondering if that is being saved for book 2? Hopefully. We know that the coils will be the key to the rebels taking control, but WHAT do they do exactly? It’s all very hush hush, and I need more.
To conclude, guys…you need to read this! I LOVED it. I know it sucks having to wait for the next few books and you sometimes forget what happens, but that’s just more reason to read it over again. It’s THAT good. It will keep you hooked and entertained, and you will lose yourself in this fantasy/dystopian world. Trust me, have I ever let you down?
(Don’t answer that)
Opinion:
It’s official, I’ve begun my descent into madness and true unyielding despair.
Once again, I have made the mistake of requesting the first book in a series from Netgalley. I told myself I wouldn’t do it again, that I wouldn’t put myself through this immense torture. This bleak fantasy of happiness that only leaves me alone, irritable and sulky. But look at me now...Look at me! On the floor of all places, sobbing, flailing and screaming. Like a fish that was knocked out of its tiny fish bowl…or maybe it jumped out of sheer desperation to be away from those ridiculous plastic castles that have absolutely NO practical use.
Anyways, due to my idiocy in requesting to read this book, I am now left suffering in silence while I wait for book 2. Because holy s***, this series is going to be SO GREAT that it might kill me...with joy!
Set in a dystopian/Steampunk world, Tay and her family are at the bottom of the totem pole. She is forced to abide by the laws put forth by the noble families; which include strict limitations on food, education, and job placements. But as the rebels fight to make a change, her father ends up getting arrested and being sent to the mines. Knowing that death is just a matter of time in the mines, Tay finds a noble by the name of Darius and pleads for his help. Surprisingly, Darius agrees to help Tay in exchange for a favor…a favor he will not tell her. Hesitantly she agrees, and from that moment on, her life is forever changed. The following days bring her into the homes of Noble families and eventually into the Palace, where she is forced by Darius to pretend to be his sister. But among these Nobles, nobody is safe. If any talk of rebellion is whispered, someone who sat next to you at dinner might just disappear. Tay fights to hide her true identity in order to help her father, while also assisting the rebellion in any way that she can.
Claire Warner did an AMAZING job with this story, and I am bouncing my leg nervously waiting for the next installment. For some reason I am EXTRA excited to write this review, and I think you will see why. Firstly, the characters. They have the perfect amount of description surrounding them, and I felt an immediate connection to our main characters upon first “meeting” them. Tay is a strong-willed and brave female character. The reader can feel her fear as she is forced to do countless illegal things to protect her family, but she does it and does it well. I’m so fond of the way she took on the role of Darius’s sister, she was SUCH a bad***. Not only does she smooth talk the prince into letting her live, but she makes countless friends among the nobles that we can assume are really on the rebel side.
Darius is an interesting character, and I knew I was going to love him right away. It’s the sarcastic one’s guys…I can’t help myself! Upon our first meeting of him, he is pompous and arrogant. I was expecting him to deny Tay right on the spot, but he didn’t! He agrees to help her father be transferred, but requests a favor in return that is less than easy. I found the character of Darius to be an entertaining and caring person, he isn’t at all what the reader expects him to be. ALSO, I think we can all agree that we saw that romance coming. I mean…come on...*Ding Ding* wedding bells! Though I end up favoring his character, I can’t help but feel a bit of sorrow for Tay. She is used and made a pawn in countless games, and it all feels a bit ruthless.
Apart from the characters, this story is KILLER! It’s packed with princesses and royalty, wedding gowns and dances, and even a few explosions and attempted murders. What more could we ask for?! Tay is swept into a world that she had only heard rumors about, and I must say…the girl does a wonderful job of faking it. Though things seem fancy and copacetic between the nobles, underneath it all…they are all on guard. If anyone even mutters a word or rebellion or coils, they suddenly disappear or lose their rank. These people aren’t screwing around guys, it’s serious stuff! My ONLY complaint is that I had some trouble keeping up with this “C.O.I.L.S.” explanation. I think the author could have delved a bit deeper into this, but I’m wondering if that is being saved for book 2? Hopefully. We know that the coils will be the key to the rebels taking control, but WHAT do they do exactly? It’s all very hush hush, and I need more.
To conclude, guys…you need to read this! I LOVED it. I know it sucks having to wait for the next few books and you sometimes forget what happens, but that’s just more reason to read it over again. It’s THAT good. It will keep you hooked and entertained, and you will lose yourself in this fantasy/dystopian world. Trust me, have I ever let you down?
(Don’t answer that)
jesunflower's review against another edition
4.0
Reiview in Italian: coming soon!
I received an e-ARC from NetGalley!^^
This book was really good. The setting is distopic: I can not tell you if we are in a future where society has returned to the age of nobles and servants or if the reality of the book is a parallel timeline of the eighteenth century where something went wrong, but it is however, a setting with its charm (let me be clear, the fact that women are still seen as an object of exchange between families only suitable for weddings benefits irritates me a lot but the romantic setting always has her je ne sais quoi).
If you think about it the reality of the book recalls a lot of Hunger Games with the division into numbers even though there is no clear distinction between numbers and sectors, and The Jewel with the subdivision into castes: a mix that makes me shiver just thinking about it. Our protagonist Tay is obviously poor, in the last social step and with both parents who have given themeselves to the rebellion cause (The Selection vibes) and she is also forced by the events to join it. Well, I did not like this thing much: I'm not saying that the protagonist of a dystopian book should always be a hero of initiative, etc. but that at least she believes in the revolution and not simply being dragged in it would have been better.
Darius is the male protagonist and as far as I like the shiny shadowy mele prototype he does not make me crazy ... and for the first time in a long time I think the protagonist is better with the second lead aka the prince (eh, the poor girl not only makes a man of a higher rank fall for her, but also the prince of the reign!).
Possible ship apart, the plot becomes somewhat confused at the end of the book when our protagonists have to decide how to handle what they have learned and whether or not to play the game of the court. We'll see ... For the whole book there were so many ups and downs that I could not wait to finish it. The conspiracy games and the mysteries to discover are beautiful only when they end!
Recommended? It's definitely nothing new but the author's way to write is simple and easy to follow and I just want to know how the story is going to end so I guess it's worth reading it! ^^
I received an e-ARC from NetGalley!^^
This book was really good. The setting is distopic: I can not tell you if we are in a future where society has returned to the age of nobles and servants or if the reality of the book is a parallel timeline of the eighteenth century where something went wrong, but it is however, a setting with its charm (let me be clear, the fact that women are still seen as an object of exchange between families only suitable for weddings benefits irritates me a lot but the romantic setting always has her je ne sais quoi).
If you think about it the reality of the book recalls a lot of Hunger Games with the division into numbers even though there is no clear distinction between numbers and sectors, and The Jewel with the subdivision into castes: a mix that makes me shiver just thinking about it. Our protagonist Tay is obviously poor, in the last social step and with both parents who have given themeselves to the rebellion cause (The Selection vibes) and she is also forced by the events to join it. Well, I did not like this thing much: I'm not saying that the protagonist of a dystopian book should always be a hero of initiative, etc. but that at least she believes in the revolution and not simply being dragged in it would have been better.
Darius is the male protagonist and as far as I like the shiny shadowy mele prototype he does not make me crazy ... and for the first time in a long time I think the protagonist is better with the second lead aka the prince (eh, the poor girl not only makes a man of a higher rank fall for her, but also the prince of the reign!).
Possible ship apart, the plot becomes somewhat confused at the end of the book when our protagonists have to decide how to handle what they have learned and whether or not to play the game of the court. We'll see ... For the whole book there were so many ups and downs that I could not wait to finish it. The conspiracy games and the mysteries to discover are beautiful only when they end!
Recommended? It's definitely nothing new but the author's way to write is simple and easy to follow and I just want to know how the story is going to end so I guess it's worth reading it! ^^
fifi's review against another edition
2.0
The problem with this book is that I've already read it before in 50 different dystopian guises. It just nothing new.
leahtd's review against another edition
3.0
When Tay's father is arrested for being part of a rebellion against a ruling class Tay must now take care of her siblings. She begs Darius James who is son of the overseer to help her. He tells her that if he helps her father, then she will owe him a favor he can call in at any time. This book creates a unique distopian world with poverty, class struggle and rebellion.
While the premise was interesting. This book didn't full suck me in. I actually ended up putting it aside after reading a good portion of it. I did enjoy what I did read, but not enough to finish (I am trying to read so many things right now that this just doesn't get priority at the moment). I wanted to write a review before I was done because I did get this from NetGalley to review, and I am not totally sure if I will go back to it. I think if you like dystopian YA fiction with a strong female character you would enjoy this. However, nothing about it totally stood out to me (again I didn't finish it so take it with a grain of salt).
I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
While the premise was interesting. This book didn't full suck me in. I actually ended up putting it aside after reading a good portion of it. I did enjoy what I did read, but not enough to finish (I am trying to read so many things right now that this just doesn't get priority at the moment). I wanted to write a review before I was done because I did get this from NetGalley to review, and I am not totally sure if I will go back to it. I think if you like dystopian YA fiction with a strong female character you would enjoy this. However, nothing about it totally stood out to me (again I didn't finish it so take it with a grain of salt).
I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
marissa_writes's review
3.0
I am so torn about this book... the story has some great points and I actually really want to know what happens to Tay... but there are some serious issues with the writing and story structure that made the book hard to read...
Alright, I have decided part of why this book isn't getting a better review is because of the issues with congruency in the plot. While I couldn't pinpoint an exact plot hole, it always felt like I was going to stumble over one at any moment. Then suddenly there would be a short sentence, out of place almost for the actual story, that fulfilled the hole... it wasn't smooth.
While the imagery was wonderful for a steampunk, the dialogue didn't follow the setting, and that hurt the overall setting for me. Always pulling me back out of the book.
But I was a big fan of the focus on family and caring for your family. So needless to say, I'll probably pick up the next book... if it is published.
My full review will be up on my blog, Marissa Writes
Alright, I have decided part of why this book isn't getting a better review is because of the issues with congruency in the plot. While I couldn't pinpoint an exact plot hole, it always felt like I was going to stumble over one at any moment. Then suddenly there would be a short sentence, out of place almost for the actual story, that fulfilled the hole... it wasn't smooth.
While the imagery was wonderful for a steampunk, the dialogue didn't follow the setting, and that hurt the overall setting for me. Always pulling me back out of the book.
But I was a big fan of the focus on family and caring for your family. So needless to say, I'll probably pick up the next book... if it is published.
My full review will be up on my blog, Marissa Writes
fifi's review
2.0
The problem with this book is that I've already read it before in 50 different dystopian guises. It just nothing new.
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