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laelyn's review against another edition
4.0
What a fun, exciting read this was!
I didn't know what to expect when I started this book, but it blew me away completely. The writing was sharp and easy to get into and I couldn't stop reading until I finished the the whole story. Not just because of the writing, but because of the fast-paced, exciting storytelling, the compelling characters and the intriguing world they live in.
From the very first page on I was enthralled by the creativity with which Maniscalco paints her picture. I loved the Italian setting, I loved the cultural details. I loved her world full of demons and witches and werewolves and vampires, of myths come to life. The protagonist Emilia is endearing, sympathetic and relatable, and most of all she's not perfect. She is brave, but also scared. She is full of love and also full of hate. She feels raw emotions that are not always of the good, soft kind - her anger can be felt by the reader, the vengeance in her heart spills over the pages of the book. And all these oh so ugly feelings make sense, make her an actual person. I adore her and cannot wait to see where her story takes her. Wrath is just as fascinating. In many ways he is exactly how one imagines a demonic prince that serves as a love interest too, but he still manages to surprise, to challenge, to make the reader wonder. I cannot say where his true loyalties lie and who he really is, and that makes me want to read on, find out more. The romance between them is subtle and deliciously slow burn. It could go either way at this point and the ambiguity is thrilling. The side characters are more or less interesting as well, with Nonna being a special mention that I hope gets fleshed out even more in the next book.
The twists of the story did not always surprise me, and I don't necessarily like when a book ends in a cliffhanger of such proportions. The forced lack of closure would, in my opinion, simply not be needed to convince the reader to pick up the next book because the world, the characters and the story are compelling enough.
I didn't know what to expect when I started this book, but it blew me away completely. The writing was sharp and easy to get into and I couldn't stop reading until I finished the the whole story. Not just because of the writing, but because of the fast-paced, exciting storytelling, the compelling characters and the intriguing world they live in.
From the very first page on I was enthralled by the creativity with which Maniscalco paints her picture. I loved the Italian setting, I loved the cultural details. I loved her world full of demons and witches and werewolves and vampires, of myths come to life. The protagonist Emilia is endearing, sympathetic and relatable, and most of all she's not perfect. She is brave, but also scared. She is full of love and also full of hate. She feels raw emotions that are not always of the good, soft kind - her anger can be felt by the reader, the vengeance in her heart spills over the pages of the book. And all these oh so ugly feelings make sense, make her an actual person. I adore her and cannot wait to see where her story takes her. Wrath is just as fascinating. In many ways he is exactly how one imagines a demonic prince that serves as a love interest too, but he still manages to surprise, to challenge, to make the reader wonder. I cannot say where his true loyalties lie and who he really is, and that makes me want to read on, find out more. The romance between them is subtle and deliciously slow burn. It could go either way at this point and the ambiguity is thrilling. The side characters are more or less interesting as well, with Nonna being a special mention that I hope gets fleshed out even more in the next book.
The twists of the story did not always surprise me, and I don't necessarily like when a book ends in a cliffhanger of such proportions. The forced lack of closure would, in my opinion, simply not be needed to convince the reader to pick up the next book because the world, the characters and the story are compelling enough.
deannasbookclub's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up
I found this book to be a fast paced, easy read but I did think there were issues which prevented me from rating any higher. For example, I thought that the world building was severely underdeveloped. Descriptions of the time period, setting and just other details that help to create a convincing world were completely missing. Instead there was a huge focus on irrelevant details such as cooking which had no impact on the actual story. I get it Emilia, you like to cook, so what??
On the other hand, I did find the story easy to read and the concept was interesting in my opinion. I don’t think I have read a book before which focuses on the deadly sins and so I thought that was an interesting concept.
Overall, I thought this was good for a YA book. I can imagine adult readers who are looking for an immersive fantasy will be disappointed in this book, but if you just want a quick simple read that doesn’t require much thinking then I think you might enjoy this.
I found this book to be a fast paced, easy read but I did think there were issues which prevented me from rating any higher. For example, I thought that the world building was severely underdeveloped. Descriptions of the time period, setting and just other details that help to create a convincing world were completely missing. Instead there was a huge focus on irrelevant details such as cooking which had no impact on the actual story. I get it Emilia, you like to cook, so what??
On the other hand, I did find the story easy to read and the concept was interesting in my opinion. I don’t think I have read a book before which focuses on the deadly sins and so I thought that was an interesting concept.
Overall, I thought this was good for a YA book. I can imagine adult readers who are looking for an immersive fantasy will be disappointed in this book, but if you just want a quick simple read that doesn’t require much thinking then I think you might enjoy this.
deannas_bookclub's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up
I found this book to be a fast paced, easy read but I did think there were issues which prevented me from rating any higher. For example, I thought that the world building was severely underdeveloped. Descriptions of the time period, setting and just other details that help to create a convincing world were completely missing. Instead there was a huge focus on irrelevant details such as cooking which had no impact on the actual story. I get it Emilia, you like to cook, so what??
On the other hand, I did find the story easy to read and the concept was interesting in my opinion. I don’t think I have read a book before which focuses on the deadly sins and so I thought that was an interesting concept.
Overall, I thought this was good for a YA book. I can imagine adult readers who are looking for an immersive fantasy will be disappointed in this book, but if you just want a quick simple read that doesn’t require much thinking then I think you might enjoy this.
I found this book to be a fast paced, easy read but I did think there were issues which prevented me from rating any higher. For example, I thought that the world building was severely underdeveloped. Descriptions of the time period, setting and just other details that help to create a convincing world were completely missing. Instead there was a huge focus on irrelevant details such as cooking which had no impact on the actual story. I get it Emilia, you like to cook, so what??
On the other hand, I did find the story easy to read and the concept was interesting in my opinion. I don’t think I have read a book before which focuses on the deadly sins and so I thought that was an interesting concept.
Overall, I thought this was good for a YA book. I can imagine adult readers who are looking for an immersive fantasy will be disappointed in this book, but if you just want a quick simple read that doesn’t require much thinking then I think you might enjoy this.
wildes_efeu's review against another edition
2.0
Anfangst bietet die Story eine gute Grundlage und die ersten 150 Seiten sind auch sehr vielversprechend, doch je länger man das Buch liest um so verwirrender wird es, einige Sachen kommen so aus dem nichts und der Charakter ändert sein Verhalten auf eine Art und Weise mehrmals, welche einfach keinen Sinn ergibt.
Leider wieder ein ya-book mit einem Hauptcharakter, welche unverständliche und leider auch oft dumme Entscheidungen trifft.
Leider wieder ein ya-book mit einem Hauptcharakter, welche unverständliche und leider auch oft dumme Entscheidungen trifft.
mssealey8's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
sagemage's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
liindsc's review against another edition
4.0
i’m so confused? the politics and like magic in this kind of lost me, although interesting.
tillieh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
curlyc90's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. So sad it took me so long to read it but I'm glad I was able to nonetheless. Such an imaginative story that involves the seven deadly sins but not as we know them to be. Emilia was driven by vengeance and I understood her motivations and why this allowed her to keep going as well as to ignore signs of warning. She would not stop until she succeeded. The loss of her sister was devastating. I cannot wait for Kingdom of the Cursed. Like the cliffhanger (which is why this book didn't get 5 stars) has left me hannnnnging. I need to know if Wrath and her will reconcile or what this last move leads too. I'm so excited to get to the next book. I truly say dive into this world of magic and mystery head first.
4.5/5
IG: @crystalsbooknook_
4.5/5
IG: @crystalsbooknook_