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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
I'm a little unsure how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I was really enjoying it for the most part, even if it took me a long time to get through it. On the other, by the time we got to the ending, there was so much happening in so little time and in such a confusing way that I finished the book completely dumbfounded.
So, here's a little breakdown of my thoughts:
I enjoyed the main characters and their friends to enemies to lovers slow-burn romance. Even though we still didn't get much on the romance front (points for the slow-burn, because we're all tired of "enemies" that stop the hate part at the 25% mark of a book), I enjoyed what we got. There was real hurt and yearning and complicated feelings between Layla and Elise, and it was the high point of the book for me. The pain of a broken friendship, the tension from being on opposite sides of the reaper-hunter war, the years of suppressed feelings coming to play... It was good. We love some sapphic yearning mixed with Jazz Age Harlem vampires, we need more of that.
The other characters... Well. So, everyone apart from our main characters sucks. That's fine. It's not usually a problem for me, I get that we're looking at a world where everything and everyone is corrupted and twisted in some way. Except for the fact that all these other horrible characters weren't that complex or well-developed, they just sucked. Besides, the other people that don't completely suck also so there was no escape. In some ways, it was interesting, because Layla and Elise are also not exactly good people, right? But by the time I didn't get it. Which leads me to:
The plot was slightly convoluted to the point where the ending was just plain confusing. I'm telling you, I was okay with everything that was happening, with the many players on the board, with the shifting alliances, with the characters constantly being offed when I started getting attached. It was fine for most of it. Until we got to the last 20% stretch where everything started happening at the same time. I stopped following, I'm so sorry. It was so mind-boggling, I read those last chapters with my brain only being able to produce question marks. There were so many confrontations that didn't seem to lead anywhere, I'm curious if I'm the only one that felt this way (please let me know if you also couldn't keep up), but this is what brought the rating down for me. I won't give spoilers, obviously, but like... What?
So, here's a little breakdown of my thoughts:
I enjoyed the main characters and their friends to enemies to lovers slow-burn romance. Even though we still didn't get much on the romance front (points for the slow-burn, because we're all tired of "enemies" that stop the hate part at the 25% mark of a book), I enjoyed what we got. There was real hurt and yearning and complicated feelings between Layla and Elise, and it was the high point of the book for me. The pain of a broken friendship, the tension from being on opposite sides of the reaper-hunter war, the years of suppressed feelings coming to play... It was good. We love some sapphic yearning mixed with Jazz Age Harlem vampires, we need more of that.
The other characters... Well. So, everyone apart from our main characters sucks. That's fine. It's not usually a problem for me, I get that we're looking at a world where everything and everyone is corrupted and twisted in some way. Except for the fact that all these other horrible characters weren't that complex or well-developed, they just sucked. Besides, the other people that don't completely suck also
Spoiler
died horrible deathsSpoiler
Elise injected Sterling (aka her former best friend) with a venom that I'm pretty sure she didn't know exactly how it worked, only that it KILLED people, and led him on a murderous spree of all the other reapers (who I'm guessing you wouldn't call innocent but who are also not guilty of anything), I was just asking myself if not being exactly good people meant being downright evil. Except, this is never quite questioned by anyone as a bad choice, or an evil one, even thought for me it was the worst thing she did in the entire book. It was horrible andThe plot was slightly convoluted to the point where the ending was just plain confusing. I'm telling you, I was okay with everything that was happening, with the many players on the board, with the shifting alliances, with the characters constantly being offed when I started getting attached. It was fine for most of it. Until we got to the last 20% stretch where everything started happening at the same time. I stopped following, I'm so sorry. It was so mind-boggling, I read those last chapters with my brain only being able to produce question marks. There were so many confrontations that didn't seem to lead anywhere,
Spoiler
people shifting alliances and then on the next chapter trying to blame it on someone else (Valeriya saying she wanted the reapers gone and later saying Layla is the one who betrayed them? What? Did I miss something?), Elise constantly aligning with Layla and then GOING BACK HOME as if nothing happened, stupid decision-making and killing people left and right without going after the ACTUAL guilty (why are we killing the doctor and not the white man?) and honestly just the fact that suddenly Sterling is evil and unable to see what Tobias Saint was doing as wrong. I truly didn't understand that.
The story had potential and I liked the sapphic love story but found this to be such a slog. The story spun its wheels for about 75% of the book with the investigation going nowhere (ie no clues being discovered by characters or shared with the audience) fast until the last 50-ish pages. The characters were a little stiff and one note for my taste with little to no nuance.
I am horribly bored. I was hoping for a Vampire: The Masquerade but during prohibition type of vibe, and instead I got this weird buddy cop thing that is just sorta meh.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was kind of confusing to me? Whenever we'd go into a flashback sequence, instead of being written in past tense, the sequence would be written in present tense?? So I'd think that the past events were happening in the main timeline of events in the book.
Also, I hated how Valerie and Josi's emotional value and core beliefs (Valerie) were thrown away as plot devices in the last one hundred pages. I was honestly kind of attached to both of the characters, and to see them have no value in the end really bummed me out.
I will say that Layla and Elise's interactions were very well written. Not to mention, their backstory and how it constantly affected them as people? Chef's kiss.
Overall? A confusing but okay book that I enjoyed sometimes. (It also put me into a reading slump, but that's not that relevant.)
Also, I hated how Valerie and Josi's emotional value and core beliefs (Valerie) were thrown away as plot devices in the last one hundred pages. I was honestly kind of attached to both of the characters, and to see them have no value in the end really bummed me out.
I will say that Layla and Elise's interactions were very well written. Not to mention, their backstory and how it constantly affected them as people? Chef's kiss.
Overall? A confusing but okay book that I enjoyed sometimes. (It also put me into a reading slump, but that's not that relevant.)
slow-paced
I really wanted to be so into this book. But idk why im not connecting with the story as well as i thought i would. I'll probably pick this up later when im in a different headspace.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the sapphic mc's and lovely descriptions of their love for each other, but the plot felt drawn out. I paused reading multiple times and did something else to see if my interest would return, but it was difficult to finish the book. However, the author does a good job capturing teen angst!
~~Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC!~~
3.5/5 stars rounded up.
I was sucked into this book. I spent most of today reading it because I couldn't put it down for too long before going back to it. But when I did finish, I had to sit and reflect for a bit because I felt mixed about some things.
Firstly, the positive: Elise and Layla are both intriguing protagonists with distinct voices/POVs. Dennings did a wonderful job portraying both girls' strengths and flaws. I kept floundering between which of the girls' hatred was more justified against the other, because both of their POVs garnered a lot of emotional weight and made me feel for both of them. Plus, the building of their romance was nearly perfect - and this is coming from someone who typically can't stand an enemies-to-lovers romance.
The writing is also really great. Lots of vivid scenery description and dialogue exchanges between characters, but I think my favorite aspects were whenever music was involved. Elise plays the piano, and she uses music as an outlet of whatever emotion she needs to let out. I absolutely adore musical metaphors when they're done right like this.
There are a couple things that hold me back from loving this, such as the rushed ending. I don't wanna get into it too deeply here, but the romantic tension is rushed through at the end and left me in a confused state on where Elise and Layla's relationship stands. The worldbuilding also felt incomplete at some parts, with Dennings focus being on Elise or Layla's emotional turmoil repeatedly rather than painting a clearer picture of the world they inhabited. There was also a twist with Elise's sister and Layla's mom-figure that came out of nowhere at the last minute? I kinda figured there was something weird going on there, but that reveal still was weird for me.
Overall, this is a good book, and I very much hope any issue I have here will be expanded upon and/or resolved in the next book.
3.5/5 stars rounded up.
I was sucked into this book. I spent most of today reading it because I couldn't put it down for too long before going back to it. But when I did finish, I had to sit and reflect for a bit because I felt mixed about some things.
Firstly, the positive: Elise and Layla are both intriguing protagonists with distinct voices/POVs. Dennings did a wonderful job portraying both girls' strengths and flaws. I kept floundering between which of the girls' hatred was more justified against the other, because both of their POVs garnered a lot of emotional weight and made me feel for both of them. Plus, the building of their romance was nearly perfect - and this is coming from someone who typically can't stand an enemies-to-lovers romance.
The writing is also really great. Lots of vivid scenery description and dialogue exchanges between characters, but I think my favorite aspects were whenever music was involved. Elise plays the piano, and she uses music as an outlet of whatever emotion she needs to let out. I absolutely adore musical metaphors when they're done right like this.
There are a couple things that hold me back from loving this, such as the rushed ending. I don't wanna get into it too deeply here, but the romantic tension is rushed through at the end and left me in a confused state on where Elise and Layla's relationship stands. The worldbuilding also felt incomplete at some parts, with Dennings focus being on Elise or Layla's emotional turmoil repeatedly rather than painting a clearer picture of the world they inhabited. There was also a twist with Elise's sister and Layla's mom-figure that came out of nowhere at the last minute? I kinda figured there was something weird going on there, but that reveal still was weird for me.
Overall, this is a good book, and I very much hope any issue I have here will be expanded upon and/or resolved in the next book.