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adeselnaferreira's review
4.0
**ARC provided by Netgalley
Third time is the charm.
I've started to read this book two times before, unable to finish it. But upon my trip to the US, I thought: hey why not give it a third chance? I'm older now maybe this book will be great! People, give books another chance because this... was great!
Death has come to a halt - nobody dies until Death has found his Cobweb bride. This is where we start this amazing journey following three POVs: Percy's plot, Princess Claere, and the Black Knight Beltain.
By far, my personal favorite has to be Princess Claere's plotline. I know, maybe controversial? First, the descriptions related to her are just *chef's kiss, you can visualize everything and feel her cold body. It has been a while since I could visualize everything in a book, but Vera Nazarian just picks the right words to convey what we need to see. Second, she is introduced as a sickly character without much strength, but from the beginning, we see that that treatment is unfair #JusticeForMyGirl. She is the embodiment of regal, smooth, and not as weak as people portray her.
Percy's storyline was good, especially towards the end. This is perhaps the only "critique" that I have is that maybe the beginning is a little slow, but then the end is just being devoured because we need to know who is the cobweb bride! And personally, now I don't mind slow beginnings. As long as soon as the plot hits, the pacing also increases and it becomes a steady speed, I'm fine with slow beginnings. Perhaps that was what caused me to give up almost a decade ago, but look at me now... much older!
This is one of those novels I could see being translated into Portuguese because it is very different from what we have now being published and it even has something similar to our Nobel prize - Death with Interruptions but in a fantasy setting with gorgeous descriptions and a solid plot.
Looking forward to read the second and third novel of this series.
Third time is the charm.
I've started to read this book two times before, unable to finish it. But upon my trip to the US, I thought: hey why not give it a third chance? I'm older now maybe this book will be great! People, give books another chance because this... was great!
Death has come to a halt - nobody dies until Death has found his Cobweb bride. This is where we start this amazing journey following three POVs: Percy's plot, Princess Claere, and the Black Knight Beltain.
By far, my personal favorite has to be Princess Claere's plotline. I know, maybe controversial? First, the descriptions related to her are just *chef's kiss, you can visualize everything and feel her cold body. It has been a while since I could visualize everything in a book, but Vera Nazarian just picks the right words to convey what we need to see. Second, she is introduced as a sickly character without much strength, but from the beginning, we see that that treatment is unfair #JusticeForMyGirl. She is the embodiment of regal, smooth, and not as weak as people portray her.
Percy's storyline was good, especially towards the end. This is perhaps the only "critique" that I have is that maybe the beginning is a little slow, but then the end is just being devoured because we need to know who is the cobweb bride! And personally, now I don't mind slow beginnings. As long as soon as the plot hits, the pacing also increases and it becomes a steady speed, I'm fine with slow beginnings. Perhaps that was what caused me to give up almost a decade ago, but look at me now... much older!
This is one of those novels I could see being translated into Portuguese because it is very different from what we have now being published and it even has something similar to our Nobel prize - Death with Interruptions but in a fantasy setting with gorgeous descriptions and a solid plot.
Looking forward to read the second and third novel of this series.
doritobabe's review
2.0
I think this book started off quite strongly but I became bored with it quite quickly. I eventually moved on to other books, and having the opportunity to revisit this tale, decided against it.
The Cobweb Bride is a retelling of the Myth of Persephone and her relationship with the lord of the underworld. This classic tale was re-imagined to fit a medieval European setting, with a chapter encompassing several perspectives and areas affected by the lack of death. Some of these story lines are infinitely more interesting than that of Persephone's, but the entire story wasn't enough to keep me wanting to read it.
Maybe I will try again in the future. However, knowing that this is a series, I probably will not pick it up again.
The Cobweb Bride is a retelling of the Myth of Persephone and her relationship with the lord of the underworld. This classic tale was re-imagined to fit a medieval European setting, with a chapter encompassing several perspectives and areas affected by the lack of death. Some of these story lines are infinitely more interesting than that of Persephone's, but the entire story wasn't enough to keep me wanting to read it.
Maybe I will try again in the future. However, knowing that this is a series, I probably will not pick it up again.
jesassa's review against another edition
1.0
Such an interesting premise and what beautiful writing but it moved so slowly!
odomaf's review against another edition
3.0
This is an enjoyable book - a slow paced and intriguing fiction built on creative yet disturbing ideas. It's a traditional fantasy (savior character, long journey), but Nazarian adds quite a few new twists to the well-known plot.
WHAT I LIKED
-------------
* The living dead. When death no longer takes souls, what happens? Nazarian put some thought into this, and the result is both brilliant and horrific. I found myself eagerly looking forward to how undeath manifested itself in each new victim. Which, admittedly, may say something creepy about me.
* I can't remember everyone's name, but I really liked the development of Persephone, Beltain, The Undead Princess, and The Princess's Unlikely Protector. I found them to be refreshingly unusual characters.
WHAT I NOTICED BUT CAN'T DECIDE IF LIKED OR DIDN'T LIKE
-----------------------------------------------------
* The story is told from a perspective beyond the characters - in this way it feels like it's being told out loud. I could imagine sitting in an audience in front of a storyteller listening to the descriptions and action. I actually think it would make an entrancing oral tale, but I'm not quite sure how I felt about reading it from that perspective.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
------------------
* There are a *lot* of minor characters, and a whole slew of them are introduced in one of the very early chapters. I struggled to keep up with who everyone was, and I couldn't tell at first which ones really mattered to the tale and which didn't. That eventually sorts itself out, so if you find yourself in the same situation, just plow through. :)
* The story moved a little slow for me, but I'm an "all action all the time" kind of reader. If you've read and enjoyed "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell" or any of the "No. 1 Lady Detective Agency" novels, this is similarly paced.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU READ
---------------------------------
* Because I'm an "all action all the time" kind of reader, I spent most of the book thinking the BIG CONFRONTATION was right around the corner. This is a "journey" book, so enjoy the journey rather than looking ahead.
* This is the first of a series of books, and it ends pretty cliff-hangery. If you read it and enjoy it, you'll want to make sure you have easy access to the next when you're done.
If you like traditional fantasy with unusual twists, if you like Death mythology, and if you like unusual storytelling, this is a story you may well enjoy.
WHAT I LIKED
-------------
* The living dead. When death no longer takes souls, what happens? Nazarian put some thought into this, and the result is both brilliant and horrific. I found myself eagerly looking forward to how undeath manifested itself in each new victim. Which, admittedly, may say something creepy about me.
* I can't remember everyone's name, but I really liked the development of Persephone, Beltain, The Undead Princess, and The Princess's Unlikely Protector. I found them to be refreshingly unusual characters.
WHAT I NOTICED BUT CAN'T DECIDE IF LIKED OR DIDN'T LIKE
-----------------------------------------------------
* The story is told from a perspective beyond the characters - in this way it feels like it's being told out loud. I could imagine sitting in an audience in front of a storyteller listening to the descriptions and action. I actually think it would make an entrancing oral tale, but I'm not quite sure how I felt about reading it from that perspective.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
------------------
* There are a *lot* of minor characters, and a whole slew of them are introduced in one of the very early chapters. I struggled to keep up with who everyone was, and I couldn't tell at first which ones really mattered to the tale and which didn't. That eventually sorts itself out, so if you find yourself in the same situation, just plow through. :)
* The story moved a little slow for me, but I'm an "all action all the time" kind of reader. If you've read and enjoyed "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell" or any of the "No. 1 Lady Detective Agency" novels, this is similarly paced.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU READ
---------------------------------
* Because I'm an "all action all the time" kind of reader, I spent most of the book thinking the BIG CONFRONTATION was right around the corner. This is a "journey" book, so enjoy the journey rather than looking ahead.
* This is the first of a series of books, and it ends pretty cliff-hangery. If you read it and enjoy it, you'll want to make sure you have easy access to the next when you're done.
If you like traditional fantasy with unusual twists, if you like Death mythology, and if you like unusual storytelling, this is a story you may well enjoy.
la5's review against another edition
4.0
The author created an interesting concept with world-rending stakes & a believable villain. I really enjoyed how she made me feel the cold -- the descriptions of the outdoors were fabulous & intricate throughout the book. I loved the ick factor with the animals that couldn't die & the prospect of starvation that the world was facing. The cobweb brides were the most interesting people in the story. That said, I didn't really find the characters as interesting as their journey/the plot. There were some good twists, though I actually enjoyed the middle of the book better than the beginning or the end.
The court intrigue at the beginning didn't really resonate for me. I felt like this was gratuitous to this storyline, though obviously is setting up something for future books. I couldn't get into it (and I LOVE political intrigue) because I didn't know which of the characters to root for & the author didn't let us into their heads enough.
I would have enjoyed some deeper characterization of the villain's son & his motivation. I also liked the complexity set up with the people who really thought they knew what was happening, but their reactions when they discovered how wrong they were didn't ring as true (e.g. son of villain, the princess, the princess' assassin).
But the plot was interesting/engaging, descriptions detailed/immersive & interesting quirks with the magick, so I'm glad I read it. All in, it's a different-enough story that's worth reading for that reason.
The court intrigue at the beginning didn't really resonate for me. I felt like this was gratuitous to this storyline, though obviously is setting up something for future books. I couldn't get into it (and I LOVE political intrigue) because I didn't know which of the characters to root for & the author didn't let us into their heads enough.
I would have enjoyed some deeper characterization of the villain's son & his motivation. I also liked the complexity set up with the people who really thought they knew what was happening, but their reactions when they discovered how wrong they were didn't ring as true (e.g. son of villain, the princess, the princess' assassin).
But the plot was interesting/engaging, descriptions detailed/immersive & interesting quirks with the magick, so I'm glad I read it. All in, it's a different-enough story that's worth reading for that reason.
stella_starstruck's review
5.0
I really enjoyed it. I wasn't sure what way the writer was going to take the story, but I liked it enough to buy and download the second book in the series...the first time I've ever done that.
No romance at this point, which I actually like. There are hints that it might happen, but I'm happy at the moment.
No romance at this point, which I actually like. There are hints that it might happen, but I'm happy at the moment.
mankan's review against another edition
4.0
Vera Nazarians ”The cobweb bride” är bra jäkla spännande.
aoifeleah's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
4.0
Cobweb Bride with theme about Death looking for a bride and the fact that main heroine is called Persephone fooled me into thinking it will be a retelling of a famous greek myth about Persephone and Hades. But Vera Nazarian didn't do this, instead she created a different and completely unique story.
Set in an imaginary European country, Cobweb Bride takes place during Renaissance, one of my favorite historical periods. There will be glittering courts and their intrigues, intricate wigs and fashion, but also we will get a glimpse of how the poor lived in this time, because the heroes of Cobweb Bride are from different social groups.
As I already said, Cobweb Bride is about a peculiar subject. Death appears and declares that there will be no more dying until his cobweb bride arrives to his home in Northern Forest. A lot of horrible things happen because nobody can't die: mutilated soldiers in battles never get relief, old sick people are endlessly tortured by disease, even animal can not be killed anymore... The plot of the book unravels slowly. Vera Nazarian does not want to miss anything and in great detail shows us how absence of death influences all spheres of life and of course different reactions of people.
This is one of those times when it's better if you skip reading the book summary, because they wrote all events from the first part of Cobweb Bride Trilogy. So if you have read the summary, you might feel that the book ended without much happening or that it was boring. Since I skip reading book summaries exactly for the reason of not spoiling something, I didn't have this problem.
I enjoyed reading Cobweb Bride, although it was slow at times. I liked that Persephone aka. Percy is ordinary girl and not some awesome beauty and I enjoyed reading about her adventures. I expected much more romance because Cobweb Bride is advertised as fantasy romance, but the love story is very subtle and starts developing only at the end of the book.
In The End...
If you like reading about realistic heroines, alternate history, noble knights and quests, then Vera Nazarian wrote a perfect book for you. If you are looking for a classic retelling of Hades and Persephone myth or a lot of romance, you might be disappointed.
My rating: 4 stars
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
Set in an imaginary European country, Cobweb Bride takes place during Renaissance, one of my favorite historical periods. There will be glittering courts and their intrigues, intricate wigs and fashion, but also we will get a glimpse of how the poor lived in this time, because the heroes of Cobweb Bride are from different social groups.
As I already said, Cobweb Bride is about a peculiar subject. Death appears and declares that there will be no more dying until his cobweb bride arrives to his home in Northern Forest. A lot of horrible things happen because nobody can't die: mutilated soldiers in battles never get relief, old sick people are endlessly tortured by disease, even animal can not be killed anymore... The plot of the book unravels slowly. Vera Nazarian does not want to miss anything and in great detail shows us how absence of death influences all spheres of life and of course different reactions of people.
This is one of those times when it's better if you skip reading the book summary, because they wrote all events from the first part of Cobweb Bride Trilogy. So if you have read the summary, you might feel that the book ended without much happening or that it was boring. Since I skip reading book summaries exactly for the reason of not spoiling something, I didn't have this problem.
I enjoyed reading Cobweb Bride, although it was slow at times. I liked that Persephone aka. Percy is ordinary girl and not some awesome beauty and I enjoyed reading about her adventures. I expected much more romance because Cobweb Bride is advertised as fantasy romance, but the love story is very subtle and starts developing only at the end of the book.
In The End...
If you like reading about realistic heroines, alternate history, noble knights and quests, then Vera Nazarian wrote a perfect book for you. If you are looking for a classic retelling of Hades and Persephone myth or a lot of romance, you might be disappointed.
My rating: 4 stars
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.