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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Honestly I think this series as a whole is pretty flawed, but I still enjoyed reading it anyways. I guess I just really digged the dark, "quirky" vibes?
Some thoughts:
- The mystery was interesting, although it really dragged in the middle because of the alternating povs, misdirections, and slow reveals.
- Alice and Finch were barely even friends and yet I'm expected to buy them as a love that transcends world? ok
- I wish there was more elaboration on the Alice Three-times thing (we never got to learn the end of her story, did we?)
- The ending was nice
- It was good that the number of references was cut back
Some thoughts:
- The mystery was interesting, although it really dragged in the middle because of the alternating povs, misdirections, and slow reveals.
- Alice and Finch were barely even friends and yet I'm expected to buy them as a love that transcends world? ok
- I wish there was more elaboration on the Alice Three-times thing (we never got to learn the end of her story, did we?)
- The ending was nice
- It was good that the number of references was cut back
I should have trusted my gut and not read this book!
After a successful experience with [b:The Hazel Wood|34275232|The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood, #1)|Melissa Albert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500549460l/34275232._SY75_.jpg|53292100] (see: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2237071548?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1), I decided to give this book a try which was a mistake. The biggest issue I had with the Hazel Wood was that it wasn’t a standalone. It ended in a good place and didn’t need a continuation in my mind. As a result, this book felt like an extraneous add-on which kind of ruined my memory of book 1.
The plot ostensibly deals with a mystery about the killing of ex-Stories. I wasn’t particularly engaged in the mystery mostly because the deaths were of characters I didn’t have any emotional connection to and neither did Alice really. Given the desperation to leave her Story existence, her interest in the mystery seemed to come out of nowhere.
There is a wider connection in the plot about the Night Country but honestly it come up so late that I had checked out by then. That whole angle as well as the romance with Ellery was dull. As I was not emotionally engaged, the slow plot exacerbated the issues I had with the book. The plot only picked up 75% into the book by which time it was too late.
I didn’t like it in the end despite a few interesting flashes when the book directly told fairytales. I am actually looking forward to the Tales from the Hinterland which is expected next. I think that is probably the author’s strength. Fingers crossed.
After a successful experience with [b:The Hazel Wood|34275232|The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood, #1)|Melissa Albert|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500549460l/34275232._SY75_.jpg|53292100] (see: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2237071548?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1), I decided to give this book a try which was a mistake. The biggest issue I had with the Hazel Wood was that it wasn’t a standalone. It ended in a good place and didn’t need a continuation in my mind. As a result, this book felt like an extraneous add-on which kind of ruined my memory of book 1.
The plot ostensibly deals with a mystery about the killing of ex-Stories. I wasn’t particularly engaged in the mystery mostly because the deaths were of characters I didn’t have any emotional connection to and neither did Alice really. Given the desperation to leave her Story existence, her interest in the mystery seemed to come out of nowhere.
There is a wider connection in the plot about the Night Country but honestly it come up so late that I had checked out by then. That whole angle as well as the romance with Ellery was dull. As I was not emotionally engaged, the slow plot exacerbated the issues I had with the book. The plot only picked up 75% into the book by which time it was too late.
I didn’t like it in the end despite a few interesting flashes when the book directly told fairytales. I am actually looking forward to the Tales from the Hinterland which is expected next. I think that is probably the author’s strength. Fingers crossed.
Read this via audiobook - it really deserves 3.5 stars. I liked it well enough, but thought the development of worlds to be lacking in comparison to the first book. I think if I were to re-read this (physically, not audibly) my rating would go up. Interested to see if this becomes a trilogy, as the characters were left in a place similar to where they were at the end of the first book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed the first book and was excited when I discovered there was a sequel. This book follows Alice as she adjusts to life outside the Hinterland and how she interacts with the other Hinterlanders. I think I liked it better once we start to get Ellery's side of the story.
Content Warnings
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book sparks anger in me... Her writing is kind of annoying (the similes every other line made her sound pretentious, like she was trying to be more sophisticated than this genre really calls for), and the plot felt rushed and patchy. I liked the concept, but the execution just wasn't there.
Much better than the first book! If you didn’t really enjoy the first one much I would recommend giving this one a go anyway as the writing is stronger and the story makes more sense.