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ameliagm's review against another edition
4.0
Really an interesting read! A bit slow to begin but very interesting towards the end. The topics chosen in this book were so unique and obscure that it's a book unlike many other that I've read. Sylvie was a dynamic character with a lot to offer. She was strong and independent and in the end came to discover her true fate and personality. I did like that it wasn't all one thing. All historical or all paranormal or all romance. It was a nice diversity. My only complaints being that it didn't get really enthralling until the end of the book. But it was enjoyable nonetheless. I loved Rhys. He was so sweet and great. A very typical British, though. ;) all in all a good read!
taylorfennerwrites's review against another edition
5.0
The author is one of my favorites and this book definitely didn't disappoint. I loved it; although I think the Hannah part of the plot could have turned out differently. And I kept wondering if Rhys and Sylvie were reincarnated versions of Hannah and her sweetheart, but I guess not. I still liked ita lot though. I foresee myself rereading it many times in the future.
bethadele's review against another edition
3.0
This could have been an awesome YA novel instead it's a YA novel that had so much potential and just fell slightly short.
Thing is, I kind of get what Clement-Moore was going for...it just didn't quite work. Building the story slowly, then having everything climax and happen at once may sound good in theory, but really, the climax was a little more anti than climatic. The protagonist was just a little too clueless before all the secrets came pouring out at her. (Is the flood supposed to be symbolic of it all dawning on Sylvie in one fell swoop?)
Now aside from the way the story is structured, the most annoying thing for me was the bloody dog. Who really added nothing at all to the story, even the feeble attempt to make her relevant at the end failed dismally.
I really liked Sylvie. She had me from "I can only handle one bitch at a time."
But when it came to the romance???Um, WHAT BLOODY ROMANCE?
Tingles and angst ridden glances do not a romance story make. Even for the most timid of teens.
I would have really loved to have seen the family history take a little more precedence. The true love story was there.
Having said all that, there was much to like about The Splendour Falls.
Even if I was left a little underwhelmed.
Thing is, I kind of get what Clement-Moore was going for...it just didn't quite work. Building the story slowly, then having everything climax and happen at once may sound good in theory, but really, the climax was a little more anti than climatic. The protagonist was just a little too clueless before all the secrets came pouring out at her. (Is the flood supposed to be symbolic of it all dawning on Sylvie in one fell swoop?)
Now aside from the way the story is structured, the most annoying thing for me was the bloody dog. Who really added nothing at all to the story, even the feeble attempt to make her relevant at the end failed dismally.
I really liked Sylvie. She had me from "I can only handle one bitch at a time."
But when it came to the romance???Um, WHAT BLOODY ROMANCE?
Tingles and angst ridden glances do not a romance story make. Even for the most timid of teens.
I would have really loved to have seen the family history take a little more precedence. The true love story was there.
Having said all that, there was much to like about The Splendour Falls.
Even if I was left a little underwhelmed.
clarkco's review against another edition
4.0
Fun YA novel that's a combination of historical, paranormal and romance fiction.
tracythewriter's review against another edition
4.0
This review is taken from my blog: www.tracyebanghart.com
This book was exactly what I hoped it would be. Dark, creepy, and romantic, haunting and funny, with a great main character, whose voice is consistent and engaging throughout. Sylvie begins the story both mentally and physically "broken" - she's suffered a career-ending injury and her mother's convinced she's not handling it well. And, in many ways, she's not. Somehow Rosemary makes Sylvie's "woe is me" attitude at the beginning more compelling than grating, more engaging than off-putting. The best part of this is it sets up a lovely character arc for Sylvie - she actually gets to grow and change over the course of the book!
It's tough letting your characters be broken at the beginning of a story - it can be scary letting them show their bruises and aches and anger and pain, wondering if the reader will care enough to watch them recover, reclaim their power, grow, change....at least...it's hard for ME to do this. :-) From the beginning, I was with Sylvie for the long haul, and I loved watching her journey.
One of my favorite things about this book was the slow build. The slow build of tension, of romance, of mysteries...it took quite a while to get to the explanations and resolutions but I didn't mind, because I enjoyed the piling mysteries, the building sense of dread. The delayed pay-off was INTERESTING, not annoying. And, as I said, creepy! I actually had a hard time reading this book before bed because it was just spooky enough to make me start at strange noises and moving shadows in the night.
I also loved Rosemary's unique take on the love triangle. She didn't try to make the boys "equal" - the suspense is not in WHO DOES SYLVIE LIKE BEST, but in questioning each boy's motives. In the irony of knowing who Sylvie SHOULDN'T choose - but worrying she might choose him anyway.
And, finally, the sense of place, the lush setting served as a wonderful backdrop to the story. I love books where the setting feels as important as the characters, and this is definitely one of those books.
So, pick up a copy, relax in your favorite chair, and enjoy disappearing into Sylvie's world. Believe me, you'll want to linger there long after you finish reading. :-)
This book was exactly what I hoped it would be. Dark, creepy, and romantic, haunting and funny, with a great main character, whose voice is consistent and engaging throughout. Sylvie begins the story both mentally and physically "broken" - she's suffered a career-ending injury and her mother's convinced she's not handling it well. And, in many ways, she's not. Somehow Rosemary makes Sylvie's "woe is me" attitude at the beginning more compelling than grating, more engaging than off-putting. The best part of this is it sets up a lovely character arc for Sylvie - she actually gets to grow and change over the course of the book!
It's tough letting your characters be broken at the beginning of a story - it can be scary letting them show their bruises and aches and anger and pain, wondering if the reader will care enough to watch them recover, reclaim their power, grow, change....at least...it's hard for ME to do this. :-) From the beginning, I was with Sylvie for the long haul, and I loved watching her journey.
One of my favorite things about this book was the slow build. The slow build of tension, of romance, of mysteries...it took quite a while to get to the explanations and resolutions but I didn't mind, because I enjoyed the piling mysteries, the building sense of dread. The delayed pay-off was INTERESTING, not annoying. And, as I said, creepy! I actually had a hard time reading this book before bed because it was just spooky enough to make me start at strange noises and moving shadows in the night.
I also loved Rosemary's unique take on the love triangle. She didn't try to make the boys "equal" - the suspense is not in WHO DOES SYLVIE LIKE BEST, but in questioning each boy's motives. In the irony of knowing who Sylvie SHOULDN'T choose - but worrying she might choose him anyway.
And, finally, the sense of place, the lush setting served as a wonderful backdrop to the story. I love books where the setting feels as important as the characters, and this is definitely one of those books.
So, pick up a copy, relax in your favorite chair, and enjoy disappearing into Sylvie's world. Believe me, you'll want to linger there long after you finish reading. :-)
funsizelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the author's other titles. I agree with the posters who say the buildup was a bit too slow, but I did love the characters!
thatcorkygirl96's review against another edition
4.0
It was really good! The whole Shawn thing was quite surprising if I do say so myself. Although, I didn't really like a lot of the characters very much. Some of them either weirded me out or stuff. Like seriously, Sylvie and Rhys only knew each other for like... a week? Its kinda lame. But she did end up with who I wanted her to end up with : )
abbijade_'s review against another edition
3.0
Really did not like the female protagonist she irritated me. I enjoyed the plot and the other characters but this book wasn't for me.
chelsjulian's review against another edition
2.0
I'm so glad this wasn't the first book by Clement-Moore that I read, or it probably would have been the last. I've loved everything else by her, but this book was painful. It's about 200 pages longer than it should have been since nothing, I mean nothing happens until 1/2 way through the book, and even when it gets to the action (in the last 5 chapters), it was predictable and unsatisfactory.
I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1 only because I really do love this author. This book, however, was definitely a miss.
I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1 only because I really do love this author. This book, however, was definitely a miss.
hinkle's review against another edition
DNF. Got about a quarter of the way through and it hadn't grabbed me (mostly it had just irritated me, why is this book 500 pages long when almost nothing had happened a quarter of the way in??) so I gave myself permission to read something else, which I always feel weirdly bad about.