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tessachasereads's review against another edition
1.0
"She was just a deadbeat girl alone on the planet, not the battle-hungry, battle-scarred warrior she thought."
I considered DNFing this book multiple times, but worked my way through it. It was not my favourite story, by a long shot. The writing style and the way the characters spoke made it hard for me to enjoy the story, let alone become invested in the characters. There were a few lines that were beautiful and spoke to me, but they were few and far between.
I considered DNFing this book multiple times, but worked my way through it. It was not my favourite story, by a long shot. The writing style and the way the characters spoke made it hard for me to enjoy the story, let alone become invested in the characters. There were a few lines that were beautiful and spoke to me, but they were few and far between.
arlorees's review
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It's hard to tell if this book just wasn't my style of writing or if it was written badly. I didn't connect to either of the main characters at any point, the plot felt mainly pointless and at no point did I feel excited to read on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Self harm
themoonkestrel's review against another edition
2.0
This is a quick read (I read it in one sitting while I was organising my shelves) but that's one of it's best features. The story doesn't really stand out, it has a F/F romance but it isn't really a surprise and it just seems to be a collection of things happening to them until suddenly everything is fine and they realise they love each other and are now a family.
It does a good job at trying to convey the mind set of the characters and it shows in the difference of how they speak which I found okay and interesting but it gets old fast.
It does a good job at trying to convey the mind set of the characters and it shows in the difference of how they speak which I found okay and interesting but it gets old fast.
nushreadsbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Beautifully written but I just didn't care about the characters and their story.
hylian_narwhal's review against another edition
3.0
True rating; 3.25 stars
Although the story is interesting, I'm sure it would have been more evocative had I formed a connection to the characters.
However I found the grammatical choices to put across Kel being a guttersnipe escaping from the bloated swamp slums jarring, and I was often questioning if it was intentional to form Kel's character or an error not picked out at the proofreading stage.
Although the story is interesting, I'm sure it would have been more evocative had I formed a connection to the characters.
However I found the grammatical choices to put across Kel being a guttersnipe escaping from the bloated swamp slums jarring, and I was often questioning if it was intentional to form Kel's character or an error not picked out at the proofreading stage.
phoenixfaie's review against another edition
2.0
This had an interesting concept to it but I just could not get into it at all, I had to keep stopping to take a break.
Also to say that this book contains self harming and abuse why is there nothing at the end? Most novels with similar topics have a list of websites or numbers to call if you or someone you know has gone through similar situations.
Also to say that this book contains self harming and abuse why is there nothing at the end? Most novels with similar topics have a list of websites or numbers to call if you or someone you know has gone through similar situations.
salixa's review against another edition
2.0
Natasha Carthew uses an interesting prose for which she is often praised - according to the book's opening pages. And I sort of liked it. I certainly did at first, it's got a sort of charm to it. But then I found it tedious, as I found the whole book tedious. I couldn't be made to care enough about the characters, they weren't that interesting, or - they could have been, in another story, but not in this one. And their interactions were stilted which made sense for the story but made for unenjoyable reading. And their relationship progression just made no sense. I've heard of enemies-to-lovers romance but a-bit-feisty-but-mostly-apathetic-interactions-but-you've-only-seen-each-other-for-a-month-I-guess-you're-in-love-now romance - that's a new genre that should never be repeated.
ladytyke's review
4.0
The way this is written is amazingly unique. Despite the fact the story itself wasn't my cup of tea it was so well written, with such a musical type flow to it, that I couldn't put it down and read it in just over a day. There was something engaging and emotive throughout. I found myself being drawn in to the characters, who are ridiculously realistic, even though I thought the storyline itself felt basic.
It moves quickly, there is always something happening, even in the times where there is nothing happening.
I would definitely say it's worth a read though.
It moves quickly, there is always something happening, even in the times where there is nothing happening.
I would definitely say it's worth a read though.
sarabook's review
2.0
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I found this extremely difficult to read due to the writing style. I’m sure to some it will be wonderfully lyrical to some but unfortunately I just couldn’t gel with it. The prose are overly descriptive and because of this I found myself distancing myself from the characters. I had no emotional connections with anyone.
The plot itself, if you can wade through the writing, is pretty good. It’s quite a short book, so it needs to be succinct and fast paced, and the story is creative. I love dystopian novels, and even if they all tend to follow the same patterns, I usually find them entertaining. Kel also has the potential to be a powerful lead character, with some rather interesting qualities (such as a heart defect, which adds another dimension to the story) - but I just wasn’t taken there.
I just wish I could have got on with the writing, because this was a struggle.
I found this extremely difficult to read due to the writing style. I’m sure to some it will be wonderfully lyrical to some but unfortunately I just couldn’t gel with it. The prose are overly descriptive and because of this I found myself distancing myself from the characters. I had no emotional connections with anyone.
The plot itself, if you can wade through the writing, is pretty good. It’s quite a short book, so it needs to be succinct and fast paced, and the story is creative. I love dystopian novels, and even if they all tend to follow the same patterns, I usually find them entertaining. Kel also has the potential to be a powerful lead character, with some rather interesting qualities (such as a heart defect, which adds another dimension to the story) - but I just wasn’t taken there.
I just wish I could have got on with the writing, because this was a struggle.