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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really liked the book, I have been in a reading slump for a month now but this book saved me !! It was such a nice reading and it is perfect for the spooky season.
The story is really interesting and honestly I can't wait to discover what will happen in the second book (that I am going to buy as soon as I finish writing this review hahahah).
The main character, River, was really touching because for me she really is an adolescent looking for love and acceptance from others. She is just scared of her gift and thought the Graces could understand her, but I was really disapointed to see that they didn't even try to understand her... Especially Summer that claimed to like her.
Once again I am really excited to read the second book and I hope it'll answer all the questions that are spinning in my head and that it will be as good as the first one.
The story is really interesting and honestly I can't wait to discover what will happen in the second book (that I am going to buy as soon as I finish writing this review hahahah).
The main character, River, was really touching because for me she really is an adolescent looking for love and acceptance from others. She is just scared of her gift and thought the Graces could understand her, but I was really disapointed to see that they didn't even try to understand her... Especially Summer that claimed to like her.
Once again I am really excited to read the second book and I hope it'll answer all the questions that are spinning in my head and that it will be as good as the first one.
I hover between giving this a 3 or 4 rating. I truly enjoyed the book and the writing was well done. I liked River’s spunk and willingness to embrace her oddities. There are plot twists that keep you guessing so the excitement to keep reading is there. However, I just didn’t like the ending. It seemed out of character in places. I have to think about it more. It is definitely a recommendation for those interested in fantasy, witches, and magic although those cover the typical themes of cliques and bullying in schools that are a large part of the book.
The beginning seemed quite cliche, though the book was captivating. The ending had me in tears, though I also wish their was more character building for the main character. It was obvious throughout the text that she was hiding things, but the readers were only given 'the truth' at the end. All we knew was the plot line that everybody was obsessed with the Graces and that she and her mother did not understand one another.
Overall it was a good book, I wouldn't read it again.
I read the entire book in two days.
Overall it was a good book, I wouldn't read it again.
I read the entire book in two days.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For the majority of this book, I was planning to give it a 1-star review. My own fault really. It was painfully cliche and so very young adult which I hadn’t realised when buying.
However, in Part 2 of the book thing’s because decidedly darker and a little surprising. The ending was not expected and I almost find myself wanting to read the sequel.
But I probably won’t.
However, in Part 2 of the book thing’s because decidedly darker and a little surprising. The ending was not expected and I almost find myself wanting to read the sequel.
But I probably won’t.
CW: bullying, (mentioned) gambling addiction, parental neglect, weirdness about mental health and LGBT stuff.
This is the "Mirror, Mirror" universe taken on The Raven Cycle - weird and witchy teens, but instead of all struggling to be good, they're all competing to be terrible. And it's delicious.
This is the "Mirror, Mirror" universe taken on The Raven Cycle - weird and witchy teens, but instead of all struggling to be good, they're all competing to be terrible. And it's delicious.
This book was a WILD ride. I picked it up and didn't put it down until I had finished it. What originally drew me to this book was the gorgeous cover (which is even prettier in real life), and the lightning design paired with the description of the three seemingly mythic siblings made me think that this would be based on the Graces in Greek mythology--I was totally wrong. There is magic in the story, but you question whether it is real or not until the very end, going back and forth constantly as you read (no spoilers as to the final reveal). The main character hides things from the reader as well as from herself, making this one of those stories that unfurls slowly like a flower blooming until, at the end, you are left with something completely different than what you were given at the start in a startling but compelling adventure.
My only problem in this story is the author's oddly adamant reiteration of certain stereotypes that in this modern age are offensive and untrue. Especially in the beginning of the story, the narrator keeps insisting she's "not like other girls," marking every female in the school as the stereotypical lip-glossed, gossipy, boy-crazy high school girl. There is even one scene where all the boys are playing soccer while all the girls watch, giggling and checking their makeup. I mean, do adults think that this is actually what young people these days are like? This pattern of stereotypical characterization was very out of place and off-putting, but once you got past that, the actual substance of the book was wonderfully unique and enjoyable to read.
My only problem in this story is the author's oddly adamant reiteration of certain stereotypes that in this modern age are offensive and untrue. Especially in the beginning of the story, the narrator keeps insisting she's "not like other girls," marking every female in the school as the stereotypical lip-glossed, gossipy, boy-crazy high school girl. There is even one scene where all the boys are playing soccer while all the girls watch, giggling and checking their makeup. I mean, do adults think that this is actually what young people these days are like? This pattern of stereotypical characterization was very out of place and off-putting, but once you got past that, the actual substance of the book was wonderfully unique and enjoyable to read.
I must be honest I was a little skeptical about this book, let's be honest the reviews are not exactly glowing and I very nearly switched to reading Libba Bray's The Diviners instead but something made me persevere. I'm not now quite sure what that something was after I've completed the book, maybe it was a promise of a great ending I wouldn't see coming.
This book has some elements that I can see readers would find a little trashy and tropey. We have the rich and exclusive Grace siblings, they are wealthy and beautiful and the centre of the school's gossip mill especially since people think they are witches. Enter River, the new kid in town, who is trying to throw herself into the eye line of the three Grace siblings so she can get to know more about whether all the rumours of their witchcraft is true.
One of the things I struggled most with in this book is that I didn't particularly like the main character, River. She was quite whiney and just didn't have any particular characteristics to recommend her. She just kept kind of hanging around the Grace's, creeping in and out of their house and trying to play it cool. I found her difficult to read from the perspective of and the whole hint dropping about her huge 'secret' she was hiding just didn't add much to the story.
Taking this alongside the fact that the Grace siblings were not that likable either. As the book progressed they became less and less so and your sympathy for them wained a lot. Their blind dedication to each other regardless of the rights or wrongs of a situation made the narrative quite narrow and it meant I lacked emotional connection with many of their points of view.
I made it through this book and sometimes I'd find myself quite enjoying the characters and the journey I thought we might be going on but then the story almost began to shut itself down. I think there were storylines we didn't follow that could have been further explored and some characters were under utilised. It became a story too narrowly focused on the Grace siblings and River whereas some further context from other parties may have helped us engage more with the story on a different level.
I know The Curses is due for release at some point in the future and I may have a little bit of curiosity to see what happens next but I'm not sure I could read it unless there is some widening of the story arc to bring more depth to the story.
This book has some elements that I can see readers would find a little trashy and tropey. We have the rich and exclusive Grace siblings, they are wealthy and beautiful and the centre of the school's gossip mill especially since people think they are witches. Enter River, the new kid in town, who is trying to throw herself into the eye line of the three Grace siblings so she can get to know more about whether all the rumours of their witchcraft is true.
One of the things I struggled most with in this book is that I didn't particularly like the main character, River. She was quite whiney and just didn't have any particular characteristics to recommend her. She just kept kind of hanging around the Grace's, creeping in and out of their house and trying to play it cool. I found her difficult to read from the perspective of and the whole hint dropping about her huge 'secret' she was hiding just didn't add much to the story.
Taking this alongside the fact that the Grace siblings were not that likable either. As the book progressed they became less and less so and your sympathy for them wained a lot. Their blind dedication to each other regardless of the rights or wrongs of a situation made the narrative quite narrow and it meant I lacked emotional connection with many of their points of view.
I made it through this book and sometimes I'd find myself quite enjoying the characters and the journey I thought we might be going on but then the story almost began to shut itself down. I think there were storylines we didn't follow that could have been further explored and some characters were under utilised. It became a story too narrowly focused on the Grace siblings and River whereas some further context from other parties may have helped us engage more with the story on a different level.
I know The Curses is due for release at some point in the future and I may have a little bit of curiosity to see what happens next but I'm not sure I could read it unless there is some widening of the story arc to bring more depth to the story.