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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
not my favorite of the Elfhame books and the twist at the end surprised me but it felt very out of character! The two main characters in this book constantly go back and forth with each other and the end is no exception. Overall, it was disappointing even though it had so much potential.
I liked the ideas in this book. I liked the characters, the court intrigue, and the trickery-it was all very similar to Cruel Prince-but it wasn’t executed as well as Cruel Prince. It’s like I could see what Holly Black was setting us up for, what she wanted us to feel, but it didn’t quite land. Even with Wren’s unpredicted decision at the end, a lot of the trickery and betrayal just didn’t quite land.
There was a surprising amount of show-don’t-tell and that really surprised me. Holly Black really took her time with Cruel Prince but the characters and descriptions here were told to us and it made the characters feel really flat. We were told over and over how deadly Oak could be but we rarely saw it (once).
Some situations could be fixed if characters would just… talk. When Bogdana tries to be the character that *talks*, Wren runs off multiple times. She never directly asks Oak why he let her be captured after she hid under his bed during the war. The only direct question she asks anyone is Lady Nore and the response isn’t even a surprise.
There’s also a lot of dumb stuff that Wren does…like kissing the prince and then feeling stupid (as she should). Like why? It was completely random.
She continues to do dumb things up until the end. I’m glad she figured out who she is, and she uses that to its full potential, but it wasn’t totally believable. Wren has proven she isn’t as horrific as everyone else then she suddenly behaves like she is, and she does that multiple times throughout the book except the way it’s written isn’t totally believable.
Bogdana ended up being my favorite character and I predicted a lot of who she was and what she was doing pretty early on. I usually don’t get my predictions right but Black kept giving us more and more hints.
I also really appreciate seeing returning characters from Cruel Prince. Really curious to see what Wren does in the next book.
I liked the ideas in this book. I liked the characters, the court intrigue, and the trickery-it was all very similar to Cruel Prince-but it wasn’t executed as well as Cruel Prince. It’s like I could see what Holly Black was setting us up for, what she wanted us to feel, but it didn’t quite land. Even with Wren’s unpredicted decision at the end, a lot of the trickery and betrayal just didn’t quite land.
There was a surprising amount of show-don’t-tell and that really surprised me. Holly Black really took her time with Cruel Prince but the characters and descriptions here were told to us and it made the characters feel really flat. We were told over and over how deadly Oak could be but we rarely saw it (once).
Some situations could be fixed if characters would just… talk. When Bogdana tries to be the character that *talks*, Wren runs off multiple times. She never directly asks Oak why he let her be captured after she hid under his bed during the war. The only direct question she asks anyone is Lady Nore and the response isn’t even a surprise.
There’s also a lot of dumb stuff that Wren does…like kissing the prince and then feeling stupid (as she should). Like why? It was completely random.
She continues to do dumb things up until the end. I’m glad she figured out who she is, and she uses that to its full potential, but it wasn’t totally believable. Wren has proven she isn’t as horrific as everyone else then she suddenly behaves like she is, and she does that multiple times throughout the book except the way it’s written isn’t totally believable.
Bogdana ended up being my favorite character and I predicted a lot of who she was and what she was doing pretty early on. I usually don’t get my predictions right but Black kept giving us more and more hints.
I also really appreciate seeing returning characters from Cruel Prince. Really curious to see what Wren does in the next book.
Oak was quite the surprise to me, seeing him go from a kid to the interesting guy was not at all what I had expected. Wren though is a sweetheart and my heart hurt for her. She deserves so much better than what everyone around her have been giving.
I would say that if you want characters with hidden depths then this is definitely for you, while the next book is written mainly from Oak’s perspective this one is written from Wren’s.
I do wish that we could understand better or have a retelling of Oak’s odyssey through childhood into teenagehood.
I would say that if you want characters with hidden depths then this is definitely for you, while the next book is written mainly from Oak’s perspective this one is written from Wren’s.
I do wish that we could understand better or have a retelling of Oak’s odyssey through childhood into teenagehood.
I love this world so much and I was so happy to dive back into it. I loved every second of it and im looking forward to the sequel!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
Hyvä jatko-osa sarjalla, jossa kuiteski ihan eri hahmot ja vieläpä silleen et alkuperäsessä sarjassa ne oli semmosia lapsisivuhahmoja ja tässä tarinassa ne oli aikuisia. Miten nää tän kirjailijan kaikki naispäähahmot on tämmösii traumojen musertamia, jotka käsittelee niitä väkivallalla ja vallanhimolla niinku itkekää välillä vaikka vaihteeks
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i wanted to give this book 3 stars but after i read the last two chapters, i am heartbroken and just decided to give it 4 stars. at first i didnt like how it was nothing like tfota then when i realised this wont be a romance book but a book about a guy with goat feet and poison obsession making all the wrong decisions, i cried lol, i cried mostly bc of the ending bc wtf and i also cried bc wren is so sweet
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes