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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
Still lots of typos and spelling errors. The second book flowed better than the first, but still not cohesive as it could be. It really does hold your interest, but still some parts were clumsy and hard to follow.
Could have done without Eki/Dasha and all that unnecessary drama.
Also not a huge fan of having to subscribe to newsletters to get the epilogue. The epilogue didn't even give you any closure. A lot of unanswered questions.
3.5 rounded up to 4.
Could have done without Eki/Dasha and all that unnecessary drama.
Also not a huge fan of having to subscribe to newsletters to get the epilogue. The epilogue didn't even give you any closure. A lot of unanswered questions.
3.5 rounded up to 4.
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to the author and BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own!
This was a solid enough conclusion to Vanya and Dimi's story: I like where the author took the plot, and the side characters continued to be stellar! The story itself is a lovely take on the Cinderella tale, and the epilogue sets us up for another retelling that I would be excited to read (Little Red Riding Hood?).
That said, for some reason this second book didn't thrill me as much as the first and took me a significantly longer time to get through. I enjoy internal monologue, but it felt as though there were multiple chapters where nothing actually happened, and I was impatient for the plot to advance. I also found myself much more frustrated with Dimi's back-and-forth in this book; it felt as though any progress he made was almost immediately negated, even to the very end.
In the end, I still enjoyed the first book and like the plot and the resolution to the story, but found this particular book a little too heavy on the introspection as opposed to action, and Dimi lost some appeal for me with his behavior. I'm still excited to read another book by this author, assuming this was more of a fluke.
This was a solid enough conclusion to Vanya and Dimi's story: I like where the author took the plot, and the side characters continued to be stellar! The story itself is a lovely take on the Cinderella tale, and the epilogue sets us up for another retelling that I would be excited to read (Little Red Riding Hood?).
That said, for some reason this second book didn't thrill me as much as the first and took me a significantly longer time to get through. I enjoy internal monologue, but it felt as though there were multiple chapters where nothing actually happened, and I was impatient for the plot to advance. I also found myself much more frustrated with Dimi's back-and-forth in this book; it felt as though any progress he made was almost immediately negated, even to the very end.
In the end, I still enjoyed the first book and like the plot and the resolution to the story, but found this particular book a little too heavy on the introspection as opposed to action, and Dimi lost some appeal for me with his behavior. I'm still excited to read another book by this author, assuming this was more of a fluke.
Per usual, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily, freely giving my opinions and insight.
Cinderella retellings, and fairy tale retellings in general can be hard to make original, but "Claiming Glass" has made a fantastic effort that kept me wondering where the story was going throughout. I love books that highlight feminine rage and the way women bind together under stress so the moments where that is the focus of the story were particular favorites of mine but the romance moments were also endearing and curious. I am excited to see if the epilogue leads us into a teasing for Mariska being the next installment of this worlds focus.
Cinderella retellings, and fairy tale retellings in general can be hard to make original, but "Claiming Glass" has made a fantastic effort that kept me wondering where the story was going throughout. I love books that highlight feminine rage and the way women bind together under stress so the moments where that is the focus of the story were particular favorites of mine but the romance moments were also endearing and curious. I am excited to see if the epilogue leads us into a teasing for Mariska being the next installment of this worlds focus.
What if Cinderalla was a thief - a commoner?
What if the fairy tale you've read were turned upside down on it's head?
What if the Prince is not marrying for love?
And this is one of those books that is a retelling upside down. Strom did a great job of bringing to life characters and creating a storyline that is both entertaining and exciting.
I just reviewed Stealing Glass by Liv Strom. #StealingGlassCinderella #NetGalley
What if the fairy tale you've read were turned upside down on it's head?
What if the Prince is not marrying for love?
And this is one of those books that is a retelling upside down. Strom did a great job of bringing to life characters and creating a storyline that is both entertaining and exciting.
I just reviewed Stealing Glass by Liv Strom. #StealingGlassCinderella #NetGalley
This was a great continuation from the 1st book Stealing Glass. Was very fast paced with a good mix of action and romance.
Felt like all the plot points from the first book were resolved, and I thought there was good character development. Vanya continued to be an extremely likeable character. The world building was further expanded and I really enjoyed getting further details on the magic system and variables about the Dead City.
My main issue was that it felt like there was some plot points that were brushed over, without being fully fleshed out. To avoid spoilers I will not go into detail. But this did not detract from my enjoyment of the book at all.
Overall this is such a fun duology with likeable characters, interesting world building and romance!
Felt like all the plot points from the first book were resolved, and I thought there was good character development. Vanya continued to be an extremely likeable character. The world building was further expanded and I really enjoyed getting further details on the magic system and variables about the Dead City.
My main issue was that it felt like there was some plot points that were brushed over, without being fully fleshed out. To avoid spoilers I will not go into detail. But this did not detract from my enjoyment of the book at all.
Overall this is such a fun duology with likeable characters, interesting world building and romance!
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book gets 4 out of 5 stars from me!
I was very excited to be able to be an advance reader for this story as I'm already completely hooked by this author and the world that she has created in this series!
This is the conclusion to the first book in The Tales of Bones and Roses series, Stealing Glass, which I recommend be read before you read this one!
I was excited to see what would happen next to Vanya and Dimitri, if they would finally get their happily ever after and what was behind all the strange things happening in their world.
I will admit that I got very frustrated very quickly about half way through the book with some of Dimitri's choices and his behavior to the point where I just wanted to read more of Vanya's point of view.
It was at around the 50-60% mark of the book where I was struggling to get through it, which frustrated me because I enjoy her style of writing and the world that Ms. Storm has created and I hate when I feel forced to continue a book. However, once I reached that one scene and got through it, I found myself enjoying the rest of it.
The last few chapters pulled me in even more and I found myself completely sucked in with all the action and drama that was going on, hoping that this version of Cinderella would still end with a happily ever after of some sort, if not for our two main characters.
I'm excited for the next book in the series to come out, I can't wait to read Mariska's story as she deserves all the happiness in the world.
This book gets 4 out of 5 stars from me!
I was very excited to be able to be an advance reader for this story as I'm already completely hooked by this author and the world that she has created in this series!
This is the conclusion to the first book in The Tales of Bones and Roses series, Stealing Glass, which I recommend be read before you read this one!
I was excited to see what would happen next to Vanya and Dimitri, if they would finally get their happily ever after and what was behind all the strange things happening in their world.
I will admit that I got very frustrated very quickly about half way through the book with some of Dimitri's choices and his behavior to the point where I just wanted to read more of Vanya's point of view.
It was at around the 50-60% mark of the book where I was struggling to get through it, which frustrated me because I enjoy her style of writing and the world that Ms. Storm has created and I hate when I feel forced to continue a book. However, once I reached that one scene and got through it, I found myself enjoying the rest of it.
The last few chapters pulled me in even more and I found myself completely sucked in with all the action and drama that was going on, hoping that this version of Cinderella would still end with a happily ever after of some sort, if not for our two main characters.
I'm excited for the next book in the series to come out, I can't wait to read Mariska's story as she deserves all the happiness in the world.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
After putting it down to deal with personal reasons I was glad to have gotten back into this series. This is Cinderella reimagined. She’s a thief with a twin who’s kept a lot from her. Is there a prince? But of course and he’s going to annoy you at times. All and all the characters are well developed as well as the world they live in. I do feel that you have to read Stealing Glass before reading this one.
I received this book as an ARC but my opinions are my own. As always I invite you to form your own opinion of it.
I received this book as an ARC but my opinions are my own. As always I invite you to form your own opinion of it.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Claiming Glass is the sequel to Stealing Glass and picks up immediately where the first book leaves off.
The first book was just a taste of the world and plot, but Claiming Glass takes everything and ramps it up. The world feels bigger and richer, the plot has some wild twists and turns, and the stakes are high. The romance is still a big part of the story, but the plot is really strong and it was very hard to put this book down.
Some of my favourite things from this book:
- Vanya and Lumi's relationship! I can't even begin to describe how great this was without going into spoilers.
- The ending and how Vanya and Dimitri's relationship played out.
- The climax. There were so many twists I could not have predicted and the payoff and the foreshadowing and- everything was just *chef's kiss*.
I'm still processing what I think of this book, and might add more of my thoughts later.
I highly recommend reading both books as close together as possible for the best reading experience.
Thank you to Liv Strom and BookSirens for making the DRC available to me. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Child death, Death of parent
Really enjoyed this one -- the pacing was almost flawless in this book. The characters are really well done too - Vanya is the best kind of FMC, strong not because she wields a sword or is bitchy but because she is smart and independent and true to herself. Always a big fan of fairytale retellings especially when they are dual POV and this one was great.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review. Opinions are my own.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review. Opinions are my own.