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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fascinating story. The magic is super interesting and drives the world in an different and interesting way. I enjoyed the flawed main character, who figures out through her failures that there are more important things than romance and power. A coming of age story that doesn't center around a girl finding romantic love: yes, I want more of those. Keep em coming.
EAT THE RICH or burn them to the ground, ya know.
EAT THE RICH or burn them to the ground, ya know.
It was okay
Got more exciting after reaching about the halfway mark and took time to get into it. I didn't care for the characters until Alex came into the picture. I liked Ingrid much more after she finally let go of her thoughts for the future and ambitions.
Got more exciting after reaching about the halfway mark and took time to get into it. I didn't care for the characters until Alex came into the picture. I liked Ingrid much more after she finally let go of her thoughts for the future and ambitions.
A Personal and political drama set in a world with a very soft magic system tells an interesting story of a want for power, but barely deserves the claim of belonging in the fantasy genre.
I bought this book without any early knowledge about the story based on the impressive cover. We all say we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover and yet most of us do.
The cover and the original description made me believe this was a 1920'ies historical fiction, which in theming it does aim to fit in with, but was surprised to find it taking place in a different world from our own as well as the story involving magic.
The book focuses mostly on the main character, Ingrid, and her never ending desire to rise to power, after a somewhat traumatizing youth in poverty. This on its own can be very interesting, but the character itself was pretty hard to like. Ingrid's decisions felt confusing and at times absolutely frustrating. And her interactions with other characters didn't paint her in a much more positive light either.
The setting of a different world with it's own magic system didn't feel very earned either. The magic in this world (Flare) almost seemed to have a "McGuffin" status in the story. Always being talked about and told to be important, even though it was almost nothing more than magical currency and could have been so much more. Maybe even should have been so much more to earn and warrant the entire creation of a new world where this substance exists.
The political intrigue of the story was however pretty well done, and despite the main character not being likable, the side characters were rather well written and enjoyable to read. The climax and ending to the story were overall also rather satisfying, saving the in my opinion mediocre book from a unsatisfactory after taste.
Still this book felt underwhelming. It had potential, but wasn't executed as well as it could have been. So I guess I must still learn that a pretty cover isn't always everything.
I bought this book without any early knowledge about the story based on the impressive cover. We all say we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover and yet most of us do.
The cover and the original description made me believe this was a 1920'ies historical fiction, which in theming it does aim to fit in with, but was surprised to find it taking place in a different world from our own as well as the story involving magic.
The book focuses mostly on the main character, Ingrid, and her never ending desire to rise to power, after a somewhat traumatizing youth in poverty. This on its own can be very interesting, but the character itself was pretty hard to like. Ingrid's decisions felt confusing and at times absolutely frustrating. And her interactions with other characters didn't paint her in a much more positive light either.
The setting of a different world with it's own magic system didn't feel very earned either. The magic in this world (Flare) almost seemed to have a "McGuffin" status in the story. Always being talked about and told to be important, even though it was almost nothing more than magical currency and could have been so much more. Maybe even should have been so much more to earn and warrant the entire creation of a new world where this substance exists.
The political intrigue of the story was however pretty well done, and despite the main character not being likable, the side characters were rather well written and enjoyable to read. The climax and ending to the story were overall also rather satisfying, saving the in my opinion mediocre book from a unsatisfactory after taste.
Still this book felt underwhelming. It had potential, but wasn't executed as well as it could have been. So I guess I must still learn that a pretty cover isn't always everything.
It started really slow and the characters were pretty boring. I also thought that the setting was lacking a lot of descriptions and details that could've added to the story. It was also a lot more political that I thought it would be. Overall, it wasn't terrible but not good either.
adventurous
fast-paced
I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. (I might come back later and write a thoughtful and coherent review but for now, 10/10 highly recommend)
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-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:
No
While the plot was a bit formulaic at times, it still deserves five stars in my book for the relatable and imperfect mc, the fierce feminism, the social commentary, and the aro/ace, trans, and lesbian rep.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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:
Yes