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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Just watch The Village instead. It's more intense than this book and makes way more sense.
This book was very well-written. It was bordering on a thriller. The similarities to Stephen King’s The Outsider is what kept it a 4 star instead of a 5 star. I really like Ellerie and while the ending was bittersweet, I’m glad she ended up with her man.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved that her relationship with her brother wasn’t reconciled. It reminded me a lot of personal dynamics in my own family and I love that this story did the different thing and let them be their own true selves- to whatever extent they wanted.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was good, but not what I was expecting. It felt a lot more like a crucible retelling, or strong crucible vibes, rather than a Rumpelstiltskin retelling. It felt like it took way too long to actually Rumpelstiltskin - over half way through. It was an interesting narrative, and I did like the idea that the darkness was always there in everyone in this perfect society, but I would have said it was inspired by Rumpelstiltkin - all magic comes at a price, guessing the name - rather than a retelling. Sam was worthless from the get-go, and Ellerie was a bit too naive through the beginning for my liking. I liked Whitaker's development, and Merry and Sadie felt like fleshed out siblings rather than filler.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’m so waffly on this, torn between three and four stars. I did enjoy most of the moments in this book. However, I felt that the pacing was a little weird and that different sections of the book felt very different. I would recommend the first half or so of the book to fans of, say, The Grace Year, but the last 20 percent or so felt much more like this author’s first book, House of Salt and Sorrows (except the last scene, which is back to the old-timey fantasy-dystopia thing.) All in all, I liked it, but it didn’t feel cohesive.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated