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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is probably one of the darkest YA I have ever read. Not in terms of how dystopian the world is, but regarding the main character and how she perceived the world. I really have a lot of empathy for her. She grew up being abused and belittled by her father, and then when she finally found out she was not nothing, and she found her people, her people were not someone she could rely on, and she had to treat everyone with guard and suspicion.
And so even though objectively I know the other characters were also well-written and multidimensional, I just couldn’t help but hate them (not sorry). I don’t know if I think their motives for treating the main character like shit makes sense or not. And for the romance that is happening in this book, I really did not feel for it as I am not a fan of a ‘substitute lover’
At the beginning I didn’t pay much attention to the main character’s sister, but in the later parts of the book she turned out to have a very interesting twist, and she became the only person that the main character could truly trust, which I loved for the main character.
However, I am very looking forward to seeing how the tension and relationship between the main character and the villain would development. To me they really has a lot of chemistry, two sides of the same coin. They could have a lot of enemies to lovers potential.
The writing is very easy to read, I could finish the book within 2 days. The book has involved a fair amount of politics, not to an extremely complex extent, but it’s good enough for the plot and intrigue. Very suitable for the age demographic and I am also entertained even as an adult.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence
I should not have read this one right after "Clariel". I thought it was a sci fi for some reason--I guess I didn't look at that dagger on the cover and equate it to fantasy (duh). I couldn't help but see the similarities--a young girl, abused by her parents, with a massive magical ability that can only be accessed when she is super angry...it eerily similar in that respect. On the other hand, it was quite different in the level of sensuality (with was absent in Clariel) as well as the fact that Adelina wanted friends and family who loved her, she yearned for that whereas Clariel just wants to be left alone. Overall, this one was a much faster read, but also quite good.
4.5
Bloody fantastic. I finished this in one go, I couldn't stop reading and now it is 4am...totally worth it though.
Bloody fantastic. I finished this in one go, I couldn't stop reading and now it is 4am...totally worth it though.
Reading this was almost painful. The universe is compelling, but the story was predictable and the writing is bland/boring. For most of the book, Adelina is two-dimensional and borderline Mary Sue material, Enzo never becomes fully developed (ie "why do I care about this bozo?"), and Teren just seems like Silas from the Da Vinci Code (is anyone actually like this???). All that being said, the epilogue was VERY intriguing and this new character is already more interesting and human than any character in the rest of the book.
currently rereading some of the old books I put into my favorites shelf to see if I should take them off and :((( I just have to say this is one of the top tier YA series if not THE top. I am now remembering why this was on my favorites shelf and why teenage me went into one of her angsty phases for weeks after reading this. I would literally die for female antiheroes and Adelina is just so great. Also I know we're not supposed to like them but Adelina and Enzo were just unmatched and I will never get over the ending.
This book was nothing liker Marie Lu's Legend Series. This book's setting is based in a time period where a plague has wiped out a great number of people. Those who were affected by the illness have been left scarred and some have been left with magical powers. These people are shun from society. A young girl who has been left with magical powers does not know how to control them, kills her father and runs away. She meets with a group of similar kids who set out on a mission to steal back the girl's sister from the king. Although it has an interesting plot line, most of the story takes place in a brothel. One of the main characters is a male escort. Based on this, I would suggest this book for kids older than 13.
Adelina deserves nothing
Violetta is such a flat character. She offered nothing.
Other elites were kinda cute
Violetta is such a flat character. She offered nothing.
Other elites were kinda cute
I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and I enjoyed the characters a lot. I highly recommend it for young adults (girls especially) who want a book that isn't all teen romance.