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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What an incredible book. The plot for the first Half was a little iffy for me, but the extremely well developed characters more than made up for it.
I love that Thiede let the characters make innuendos. And I love how the characters took full advantage of it. The drinking chapters were by far the best of the book.
The heavy Italian/Sicilian influence was well done and it made me feel like it was in Italy.
The twist at the end with Dante has me needing the next book. But I think Dante’s whole two chapters in the book could’ve been told through Alessa’s eyes.
I love that Thiede let the characters make innuendos. And I love how the characters took full advantage of it. The drinking chapters were by far the best of the book.
The heavy Italian/Sicilian influence was well done and it made me feel like it was in Italy.
The twist at the end with Dante has me needing the next book. But I think Dante’s whole two chapters in the book could’ve been told through Alessa’s eyes.
There’s a Doomsday clock counting down to when the island of Saverio will be overrun by a horde of demons sent by the Gods of Chaos, and Alessa has been chosen by the divine Dea as the next savior, known as the Finestra. She’s supposed to pair up with a Fonte, a person bestowed power by gods, and magnify that power in her bid to stop the apocalypse. However, she’s inadvertently killed three Fontes so far and hasn’t found a way to control her life-sapping touch. A radical spiritual group led by a man named Ivini has lost confidence in her and makes attempts to kill her, so she hires a mysterious fighter and outcast named Dante as a bodyguard while she attempts to pick the next, and hopefully final, Fonte.
I was not exactly a fan of the Emo King/Tragic Hottie, aka Dante. (There’s nothing wrong with him, per se. I was just getting major Fang from “Maximum Ride” by James Patterson vibes, and I do not want to be reminded of that book.) There was one scene revolving around his dark secret that I thoroughly enjoyed. Essentially, his secret is revealed and the reaction of nearly all the Fontes is “Oh, well, yeah. We figured that out already. It’s cool.” It was great. Also, about halfway through the book, the Fontes actually become a pretty interesting and fun group. I loved fierce Kamaria and grumpy Kaleb. Actually, Kaleb was my favorite character.
Things that didn’t quite work:
- The sleep-groping scene. Some may find it sexy, but it’s unfortunately triggering for me.
- The very, very abrupt change in attitude regarding the Fontes for Alessa. It seemed random. I wasn’t sure why exactly they went from mistrusting Alessa and almost hating her to suddenly expressing undying loyalty.
- Some of the world-building and details regarding the lore was a bit too vague or confusing. One specific example is the secret regarding Dante. It took a while for the book to explain what was going on there after the initial reveal. That initial reveal has absolutely no impact or meaning for readers. It kind of like, “oh, so, that’s… bad, I’m guessing?” Based on how the book ended, it seems the world and lore exploration will take place more in the second book. This one really was just a romance with some doomsday threat in the background.
- The final battle. It was... easy? I was a bit underwhelmed.
Verdict
I wasn't interested for the first quarter of this book, but it got better further along. I'm more looking forward to the second book. And it better have Kaleb in it!
So, who would enjoy this book?
Do you love "X-Men" and sunny Mediterranean settings? Then this book if for you. Seriously, we've got Rogue from "X-Men" and Fang from "Maximum Ride" fighting off some demony locusts. It's a fun story that I think the target audience of those ages 13-18 will most enjoy.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, who listed this book for a giveaway in which I was a winner.
I was not exactly a fan of the Emo King/Tragic Hottie, aka Dante. (There’s nothing wrong with him, per se. I was just getting major Fang from “Maximum Ride” by James Patterson vibes, and I do not want to be reminded of that book.) There was one scene revolving around his dark secret that I thoroughly enjoyed. Essentially, his secret is revealed and the reaction of nearly all the Fontes is “Oh, well, yeah. We figured that out already. It’s cool.” It was great. Also, about halfway through the book, the Fontes actually become a pretty interesting and fun group. I loved fierce Kamaria and grumpy Kaleb. Actually, Kaleb was my favorite character.
Things that didn’t quite work:
- The sleep-groping scene. Some may find it sexy, but it’s unfortunately triggering for me.
- The very, very abrupt change in attitude regarding the Fontes for Alessa. It seemed random. I wasn’t sure why exactly they went from mistrusting Alessa and almost hating her to suddenly expressing undying loyalty.
- Some of the world-building and details regarding the lore was a bit too vague or confusing. One specific example is the secret regarding Dante. It took a while for the book to explain what was going on there after the initial reveal. That initial reveal has absolutely no impact or meaning for readers. It kind of like, “oh, so, that’s… bad, I’m guessing?” Based on how the book ended, it seems the world and lore exploration will take place more in the second book. This one really was just a romance with some doomsday threat in the background.
- The final battle. It was... easy? I was a bit underwhelmed.
Verdict
I wasn't interested for the first quarter of this book, but it got better further along. I'm more looking forward to the second book. And it better have Kaleb in it!
So, who would enjoy this book?
Do you love "X-Men" and sunny Mediterranean settings? Then this book if for you. Seriously, we've got Rogue from "X-Men" and Fang from "Maximum Ride" fighting off some demony locusts. It's a fun story that I think the target audience of those ages 13-18 will most enjoy.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, who listed this book for a giveaway in which I was a winner.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Boring. Info dumpy. The love plot didn’t really work. This would’ve been more interesting if the problem in the plot of the book was explored further. Doubtful that I’ll continue with the next book
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
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 might be one of my favourite reads EVER.
Alessa is an amazing character and I found her to endearing. I love how tenacious she is and just how fed up she is of the life she's living but determined to do it anyway.
Dante... well, I'm in love. His relationship with Alessa is incredible and I need this in real life... where do I find this!?
Absolutely incredible and I cannot wait for the next installment!!
Alessa is an amazing character and I found her to endearing. I love how tenacious she is and just how fed up she is of the life she's living but determined to do it anyway.
Dante... well, I'm in love. His relationship with Alessa is incredible and I need this in real life... where do I find this!?
Absolutely incredible and I cannot wait for the next installment!!
adventurous
mysterious
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
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-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:
Yes
I can see fans of royalty/fantasy/magic loving this book. Typically, this genre isn’t my vibe. The romance aspects intrigued me the most. I’d be interested to read more from this series and author.
The worldbuilding and concept were at times interesting, however the characters felt a bit flat.
This was fun.
I liked the characters. Alessa has a bit of a rough life since she's been chosen to protect humanity from evil, which she has to do by bonding with a partner, and she keeps accidentally killing her partners. Oops.
She ends up recruiting her broody love-interest Dante as a bodyguard.
Alessa and Dante had good chemistry and I enjoyed their slow-burn romance.
The plot was entertaining too, but the romance was the part I was mainly invested in.
Overall a good book and I really want to read the sequel.
[I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]
I liked the characters. Alessa has a bit of a rough life since she's been chosen to protect humanity from evil, which she has to do by bonding with a partner, and she keeps accidentally killing her partners. Oops.
She ends up recruiting her broody love-interest Dante as a bodyguard.
Alessa and Dante had good chemistry and I enjoyed their slow-burn romance.
The plot was entertaining too, but the romance was the part I was mainly invested in.
Overall a good book and I really want to read the sequel.
[I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]