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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
2.5 stars. Interesting concepts, but the pacing of the book is pretty off, especially in the last quarter or so. May or may not pick up the second book.
Amazing start to another great series from Cole. She laid the groundwork and created this rich world with characters that I can't wait to find out more about.
Since I'd just finished the Immortals After Dark series, this new series was recommended with perfect timing to help with my Kresley Cole withdrawals! It was a really good 1st book in series and I'm very interested to see where things go in book 2 ~ which I've already downloaded. :)
It was so good. You are pushed slowely in the world after. The book is a masterpiece. I will read it again
Because I usually don't like teen romance or post-apocalyptic novels, my initial judgment of the cover image, title, and genre placement told me to stay away from this book. However, I read the summary and decided to give it a chance. It did sound rather interesting, and since I had the opportunity to read it online for free, I figured I could “just stop when it gets annoying.”
But it didn’t get annoying; I read to the end.
The main plot was intriguing, and I did like the characters. (I didn't love any of them, but they were all right.) The premise was fascinating—I loved the way Tarot cards were used and the main character had strange powers that she couldn't figure out until after the apocalypse (The Flash, as it's called). It didn't annoy me one bit, and I actually can't wait to read the next one. I want to know what happens!
But it didn’t get annoying; I read to the end.
The main plot was intriguing, and I did like the characters. (I didn't love any of them, but they were all right.) The premise was fascinating—I loved the way Tarot cards were used and the main character had strange powers that she couldn't figure out until after the apocalypse (The Flash, as it's called). It didn't annoy me one bit, and I actually can't wait to read the next one. I want to know what happens!
Because Kresley Cole is one of my favorite authors, I really wanted to like this book. Heck, I continued reading even when I normally would have given up. On first glance this novel has everything I've loved about Cole's Immortals After Dark series: a dark and twisty setting, references and homages to mythology/cultural lore, a badass hero, and a flawed heroin just coming into her own strength.
Appearance can be deceiving though, and this book is no exception. The "dark and twisty setting"--a post-apocalytic world gone to pot--is intriguing, but it lacks the realism that made other books--Susan Beth Pfeffer's Last Survivors series in particular--so haunting. Because most of the story occurs in the seclusion of a truck, van, or a hidden "McMansion", I also feel like we don't get to experience the dangers of this new world as much. The Tarot card lore is also a unique feature, but for someone who knows little to nothing about Tarot, I had a hard time understanding what was the importance of each "tableau" we met and why they were important in the "Arcana". This lack of clarification is especially disappointing because in IAD Cole has always done an exceptional job of providing concise yet informative descriptions of the world and its beings. Hopefully, she'll do like she has in IAD and include brief descriptors at the beginning of the next Arcana book.
This brings me to our two lead characters. As a whiskey-drinking, smoldering, possibly Hulk-esque,Cajun bad boy, Jack takes a little while to get used to. I get a sense that there's more to his story than he's letting on and, as with almost all of the other characters, wish that we could have gotten more answers on his MO. Indeed, the major problem with this novel is that, aside from a few chapters devoted to the sadistic Arthur (great villain, by the way), 95% of the story is told from Evie's point-of-view, and she is perhaps the most annoying character of all. As Jack observes numerous times, she can't hunt, use weapons, or be of any use. In fact, her uselessness often reminded me of Twilight's Bella Swan (not a compliment). There's no reason for her to be so desirable to anyone, yet she has quite a few potential love interests throughout the course of the story. I understand that she's just coming into her powers at this point in the story, but that doesn't mean she has to be a blobby damsel-in-distress either (and if you think about it, Kresley Cole dealt with a character much like this in Dark Desires After Dusk, only she allowed her heroine to kick ass in the meantime).
Overall, I felt like the problems with this novel aren't so much a lack of writing ability on Cole's part, but more of the constraints of the young adult genre. There are glimpses now and then that she wants to delve into darker subject matter (i.e., any of Arthur's chapters) and include some steamy smut (i.e, that pool scene between Jack and Evie), but is being held back somehow. Young adult writing certainly isn't for everyone, and I can't help but wish that Cole didn't have to publish at least two more works in this genre before she can get back to what she's always excelled at.
Appearance can be deceiving though, and this book is no exception. The "dark and twisty setting"--a post-apocalytic world gone to pot--is intriguing, but it lacks the realism that made other books--Susan Beth Pfeffer's Last Survivors series in particular--so haunting. Because most of the story occurs in the seclusion of a truck, van, or a hidden "McMansion", I also feel like we don't get to experience the dangers of this new world as much. The Tarot card lore is also a unique feature, but for someone who knows little to nothing about Tarot, I had a hard time understanding what was the importance of each "tableau" we met and why they were important in the "Arcana". This lack of clarification is especially disappointing because in IAD Cole has always done an exceptional job of providing concise yet informative descriptions of the world and its beings. Hopefully, she'll do like she has in IAD and include brief descriptors at the beginning of the next Arcana book.
This brings me to our two lead characters. As a whiskey-drinking, smoldering, possibly Hulk-esque,Cajun bad boy, Jack takes a little while to get used to. I get a sense that there's more to his story than he's letting on and, as with almost all of the other characters, wish that we could have gotten more answers on his MO. Indeed, the major problem with this novel is that, aside from a few chapters devoted to the sadistic Arthur (great villain, by the way), 95% of the story is told from Evie's point-of-view, and she is perhaps the most annoying character of all. As Jack observes numerous times, she can't hunt, use weapons, or be of any use. In fact, her uselessness often reminded me of Twilight's Bella Swan (not a compliment). There's no reason for her to be so desirable to anyone, yet she has quite a few potential love interests throughout the course of the story. I understand that she's just coming into her powers at this point in the story, but that doesn't mean she has to be a blobby damsel-in-distress either (and if you think about it, Kresley Cole dealt with a character much like this in Dark Desires After Dusk, only she allowed her heroine to kick ass in the meantime).
Overall, I felt like the problems with this novel aren't so much a lack of writing ability on Cole's part, but more of the constraints of the young adult genre. There are glimpses now and then that she wants to delve into darker subject matter (i.e., any of Arthur's chapters) and include some steamy smut (i.e, that pool scene between Jack and Evie), but is being held back somehow. Young adult writing certainly isn't for everyone, and I can't help but wish that Cole didn't have to publish at least two more works in this genre before she can get back to what she's always excelled at.
I really enjoyed this book as I read it back in high school, and re-read it. I forgot about the sequels so I'm most definitely going to buy the rest of them.
Just okay. Won't be continuing with this series