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runeizzat's review against another edition
Interesting concept, but it just got boring at some point
rocketdea's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
avery_havilliard's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
courtney_saba's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh I'M SO HAPPY TO BE DONE. Overall: 2.5 stars, but I'm being extremely generous here.
I can't tell you how much I WISHED I loved this book. But that is very far from the truth. The disappointment is crushing.
Rielle and Eliana. Separated by a thousand years. Still both pretty similar, but distinctive enough that I can 100% say that I do not like Rielle in any shape or form, and I tolerate Eliana. The back and forth between their chapters was exhausting and irritating. It was two books in one. Rielle's story should've been a novella. Eliana's is in the present: the one that we don't know about since the author told us exactly what would happen to Rielle in the first chapter. It takes away all the tension and suspense from her side of the story. Maybe it would've been different if the author wrote her better and executed the themes of "chosen one" and "slow fall from grace" better. The downfall of Rielle could have been beautifully dark and intense, but it was filled with useless trials that had no tension since we all knew this particular Mary Sue would live. Obviously. And because it was just all so immature. We're supposed to believe that Rielle is slowly inching toward the dark side , and I don't believe it because the author didn't convince me. The story kept oscillating between YA and New Adult, too. It honestly reminded me of Sarah J Maas, which a lot of other reviewers have mentioned. Not as melodramatic, but still. The similarity is definitely a weak point, imo.
Eliana. Liked her and her storyline so much better than Rielle's. But she got really fucking annoying when everyone was telling her who she actually is and she kept denying it. And in general, she denies everything. Which was also really freaking annoying. If you rule out every possible reason for something, then the impossible has to be true. But I guess she never learned that. The author is slowly turning her into Rielle, and I'm not happy about that. She needs to stay her own person and not follow the footsteps of the blood Queen and grow up. She is not an immature little girl. I was annoyed by her cowardice, which followed her all the way to the end of the book, which was just a shame because after 500 pages, Eliana is still in denial and controlled by her naivety. She needs to take the stick out of her ass and the cotton out of her ears and the stupidity out of her brain and take control and grow the fuck up since she's the best everyone's got (Jesus help them). I expect a lot from this girl, and I hope she follows through in book 2 and 3.
I can't tell you how much I hate miscommunication. Especially when something happens that could've been prevented if everyone COMMUNICATED WITH EACH OTHER. Also, FUCK THE STUPID SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE AND CHOSEN ONE THEMES AND "NO, I'LL DIE FOR YOU AND YOU'RE THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS AND I'M GOING TO MARTYR MYSELF." FUCK ALL THESE SJDNGOEOWIXJENGNEJDJCJX.
Also, "no, I'll hurt you. Stay away. *2 seconds later* actually come closer, I don't care anymore." Jesus on a pogo stick H Christ. I'm done. I thought these themes were old school and eradicated from literature? I guess not since this book was RIDDLED with fucking stupidity and immaturity. It made the world, the plot, the characters, and everything else boring, frustrating, and unbelievable. I didn't care about the stakes or the characters. Except Simon.
In addition to my rant, instalust and sudden declarations of love that I didn't believe were prevalent. I didn't AT ALL believe in Audric and Rielle. God, Audric is bland, dull, and boring. Sorry for his fans out there, but he put to me to sleep. He had no dimension or personality.
Now, sweet precious Simon. And Corien, if I'm being honest. The only characters I liked. But they were definitely flawed too. There were other decent characters, but none that stood out to me as amazing or 3-dimensional. Simon was my favorite, though. I just thought he fell into lust for Eliana too quickly. At first, I thought he was just flirting and being a sexy fucking assassin rebel, and I am all for it. Slow burn romance with the knowledge of Eliana being kept close to his heart, but he's slowly falling for her. I get it. I'm in. And ultimately I'm happy with their relationship progression. But then, the author turned him into a cult follower. He had dimension, character, flaws in the beginning. Still does. I just didn't believe in his devotion tho. Maybe he changed after all those years of torture and following whoever this Prophet guy is and looking for Eliana, but didn't he hate Rielle? I understand him saving a baby, but then devoting his life to Eliana? Whatever. Legrand is trying to turn Simon into Mr. Bland and Dull Audric and I'M NOT HAPPY. THAT IS NOT SOMETHING TO ASPIRE TO. You don't have to be a martyr and be on your knees for the person you love in order to prove your love! You don't have to prove your love, period! I hate this about YA romance, too.
And Corien. So much potential. Overall, I'm all for a dark villain with lustful feelings toward our hero/heroine. However, there was just something...off about his characterization. He wasn't executed well. He felt sort of contrived? Like your typical villain in an early 2000s YA series. (Not a good place to look for inspiration for the most part). I wanted Leigh Bardugo's Darkling, but Corien favoredYA over New Adult, which was disappointing. Still, he's more interesting than Audric. But he's definitely bad. Really bad. DON'T MIND TALK TO A FUCKING EVIL ANGEL RIELLE, YOU STUPID SHIT. I wanted to believe in her growing feelings for Corien; however, the potential was there, but the execution was weak.
This book was also really slow. The pacing wasn't well done either. The plot wasn't very fleshed out. Worldbuilding could have been better. The world didn't seem much different 1000 years later, and that's ludricous. More has happened in the real world in terms of technology and science and other fields in the past 200 years, so thinking about 1000? With countries and cities and borders still there? And no progress? Yeah...no. This book had so much potential, but the execution was extremely weak. This was written like a first draft, and it needed to be seriously edited.
Would I reread this book? No.
Would I recommend this book? No. Which is a crying shame to be honest.
Was I entertained? Enough to finish this book in one day and to like Eliana's storyline the most, which is where the 2.5 stars come from, not to mention the dark elements involved. I honestly skimmed everything except Eliana's chapters. But it's a book that I'll probably forget about eventually.
Happy reading, Goodreads fiends.
I can't tell you how much I WISHED I loved this book. But that is very far from the truth. The disappointment is crushing.
Rielle and Eliana. Separated by a thousand years. Still both pretty similar, but distinctive enough that I can 100% say that I do not like Rielle in any shape or form, and I tolerate Eliana. The back and forth between their chapters was exhausting and irritating. It was two books in one. Rielle's story should've been a novella. Eliana's is in the present: the one that we don't know about since the author told us exactly what would happen to Rielle in the first chapter. It takes away all the tension and suspense from her side of the story. Maybe it would've been different if the author wrote her better and executed the themes of "chosen one" and "slow fall from grace" better. The downfall of Rielle could have been beautifully dark and intense, but it was filled with useless trials that had no tension since we all knew this particular Mary Sue would live. Obviously. And because it was just all so immature. We're supposed to believe that Rielle is slowly inching toward the dark side , and I don't believe it because the author didn't convince me. The story kept oscillating between YA and New Adult, too. It honestly reminded me of Sarah J Maas, which a lot of other reviewers have mentioned. Not as melodramatic, but still. The similarity is definitely a weak point, imo.
Eliana. Liked her and her storyline so much better than Rielle's. But she got really fucking annoying when everyone was telling her who she actually is and she kept denying it. And in general, she denies everything. Which was also really freaking annoying. If you rule out every possible reason for something, then the impossible has to be true. But I guess she never learned that. The author is slowly turning her into Rielle, and I'm not happy about that. She needs to stay her own person and not follow the footsteps of the blood Queen and grow up. She is not an immature little girl. I was annoyed by her cowardice, which followed her all the way to the end of the book, which was just a shame because after 500 pages, Eliana is still in denial and controlled by her naivety. She needs to take the stick out of her ass and the cotton out of her ears and the stupidity out of her brain and take control and grow the fuck up since she's the best everyone's got (Jesus help them). I expect a lot from this girl, and I hope she follows through in book 2 and 3.
I can't tell you how much I hate miscommunication. Especially when something happens that could've been prevented if everyone COMMUNICATED WITH EACH OTHER. Also, FUCK THE STUPID SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE AND CHOSEN ONE THEMES AND "NO, I'LL DIE FOR YOU AND YOU'RE THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS AND I'M GOING TO MARTYR MYSELF." FUCK ALL THESE SJDNGOEOWIXJENGNEJDJCJX.
Also, "no, I'll hurt you. Stay away. *2 seconds later* actually come closer, I don't care anymore." Jesus on a pogo stick H Christ. I'm done. I thought these themes were old school and eradicated from literature? I guess not since this book was RIDDLED with fucking stupidity and immaturity. It made the world, the plot, the characters, and everything else boring, frustrating, and unbelievable. I didn't care about the stakes or the characters. Except Simon.
In addition to my rant, instalust and sudden declarations of love that I didn't believe were prevalent. I didn't AT ALL believe in Audric and Rielle. God, Audric is bland, dull, and boring. Sorry for his fans out there, but he put to me to sleep. He had no dimension or personality.
Now, sweet precious Simon. And Corien, if I'm being honest. The only characters I liked. But they were definitely flawed too. There were other decent characters, but none that stood out to me as amazing or 3-dimensional. Simon was my favorite, though. I just thought he fell into lust for Eliana too quickly. At first, I thought he was just flirting and being a sexy fucking assassin rebel, and I am all for it. Slow burn romance with the knowledge of Eliana being kept close to his heart, but he's slowly falling for her. I get it. I'm in. And ultimately I'm happy with their relationship progression. But then, the author turned him into a cult follower. He had dimension, character, flaws in the beginning. Still does. I just didn't believe in his devotion tho. Maybe he changed after all those years of torture and following whoever this Prophet guy is and looking for Eliana, but didn't he hate Rielle? I understand him saving a baby, but then devoting his life to Eliana? Whatever. Legrand is trying to turn Simon into Mr. Bland and Dull Audric and I'M NOT HAPPY. THAT IS NOT SOMETHING TO ASPIRE TO. You don't have to be a martyr and be on your knees for the person you love in order to prove your love! You don't have to prove your love, period! I hate this about YA romance, too.
And Corien. So much potential. Overall, I'm all for a dark villain with lustful feelings toward our hero/heroine. However, there was just something...off about his characterization. He wasn't executed well. He felt sort of contrived? Like your typical villain in an early 2000s YA series. (Not a good place to look for inspiration for the most part). I wanted Leigh Bardugo's Darkling, but Corien favoredYA over New Adult, which was disappointing. Still, he's more interesting than Audric. But he's definitely bad. Really bad. DON'T MIND TALK TO A FUCKING EVIL ANGEL RIELLE, YOU STUPID SHIT. I wanted to believe in her growing feelings for Corien; however, the potential was there, but the execution was weak.
This book was also really slow. The pacing wasn't well done either. The plot wasn't very fleshed out. Worldbuilding could have been better. The world didn't seem much different 1000 years later, and that's ludricous. More has happened in the real world in terms of technology and science and other fields in the past 200 years, so thinking about 1000? With countries and cities and borders still there? And no progress? Yeah...no. This book had so much potential, but the execution was extremely weak. This was written like a first draft, and it needed to be seriously edited.
Would I reread this book? No.
Would I recommend this book? No. Which is a crying shame to be honest.
Was I entertained? Enough to finish this book in one day and to like Eliana's storyline the most, which is where the 2.5 stars come from, not to mention the dark elements involved. I honestly skimmed everything except Eliana's chapters. But it's a book that I'll probably forget about eventually.
Happy reading, Goodreads fiends.
mspeedy22's review against another edition
It was hard to follow. Incomplete sentences/thoughts. I didn't like how it would jump a 1,000 years but the scene would remain the same
erinjuliaadams's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
miiira33's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
katiereads__alot's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I finished this at like 11:58 pm so I’m coming back the next day for my final thoughts 😂
Long story short I’m obsessed with this. As a true Cassie Clare fanatic I have a deep love for lore and plots revolving around angels and wars with the heavens. Like literally if your fantasy book has those two things sign me up no questions asked.
I loved the dual timeline/pov style of this book, it really allowed for some jaw dropping reveals that I loved.
I’m an Eliana fan for sure, but my heart holds a place for Rielle as well and I truly want to know more about how her end comes to be. As of now, I don’t blame her for what happens.
But anyways, I would highly recommend this for the fantasy lovers and the angel lovers. It was well written, captivating, and all around a good time. Can’t wait to pick up the next one.
Long story short I’m obsessed with this. As a true Cassie Clare fanatic I have a deep love for lore and plots revolving around angels and wars with the heavens. Like literally if your fantasy book has those two things sign me up no questions asked.
I loved the dual timeline/pov style of this book, it really allowed for some jaw dropping reveals that I loved.
I’m an Eliana fan for sure, but my heart holds a place for Rielle as well and I truly want to know more about how her end comes to be. As of now, I don’t blame her for what happens.
But anyways, I would highly recommend this for the fantasy lovers and the angel lovers. It was well written, captivating, and all around a good time. Can’t wait to pick up the next one.
sanne6je's review against another edition
4.0
I kept on saying I was going to read it but the 1000 years apart thing seemed weird to me and like it meant I would need to remember so many names. However... I enjoyed it a lot. At first it was a bit off putting and I couldn’t understand why it was done like this but eventually it made perfect sense and then I couldn’t stop reading.
booker_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Totally preferred Rielle’s story to Eliana’s, I started off using an audio book to get through the first 100-150 pages which are usually a struggle for me for any new fantasy book I pick up.
I found Eliana’s character to be a bit flippant and inconsistent sometimes, she’d do something one minute with no regret and then immediately feel terrible that she did it, only to do it once again a couple chapters later. I hope that in book 2 I’ll come to like her more. As well as who I’m sure will be her love interest, Simon. I was much more invested in Rielle and Audric’s relationship and wanted more of that, I NEED to know how we end up where the prologue started! Especially with the mystery that is Corien, I don’t know if I like him or not.
I found Eliana’s character to be a bit flippant and inconsistent sometimes, she’d do something one minute with no regret and then immediately feel terrible that she did it, only to do it once again a couple chapters later. I hope that in book 2 I’ll come to like her more. As well as who I’m sure will be her love interest, Simon. I was much more invested in Rielle and Audric’s relationship and wanted more of that, I NEED to know how we end up where the prologue started! Especially with the mystery that is Corien, I don’t know if I like him or not.