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literarydelirium's review against another edition
2.0
Arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I'm always looking for new books to read. One with ideas and concepts no one has ever thought of before. As soon as I heard about the elven detail of this book I knew I definitely wanted to read it. However, as much as I wanted to like this book it just wasn't for me. I was extremely confused with where the story was going and the multiple PoVs made it difficult for me to grasp onto an idea of what the plot was. I have mixed feelings about the romance and the characters and I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked. 2.5/5⭐
I'm always looking for new books to read. One with ideas and concepts no one has ever thought of before. As soon as I heard about the elven detail of this book I knew I definitely wanted to read it. However, as much as I wanted to like this book it just wasn't for me. I was extremely confused with where the story was going and the multiple PoVs made it difficult for me to grasp onto an idea of what the plot was. I have mixed feelings about the romance and the characters and I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked. 2.5/5⭐
kylielovesbooks's review against another edition
2.0
So I didn’t really enjoy this one unfortunately. It took me forever to read because it just didn’t capture my attention at all. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters at any point in the story. I almost DNFed it but pushed through.
I felt like this book had a lot of promise, but just didn’t do much. I liked the take on the elves being the “evil” and keeping the humans prisoner in the castle. I didn’t like all of the POVs (I think there were at least 5). It would switch POVs in the same scene so I would forget who I was reading because several of them felt almost like the same person.
The thing that bothered me the most was the elf whose POV we get (Sapphire) has not decided whether to be a male or female, so is referred to as “they” or “them.” It was very confusing when, for example, it said “they jumped out the window” but it was only Sapphire. It made any scene with Sapphire in it so hard to read.
Several of the characters were very cruel to the point where I dreaded any scene they were in. Also, there are cousins who are in love which is weird.
I am assuming from the ending that this book is the first in a series, and unfortunately I don’t think I will be continuing on.
I felt like this book had a lot of promise, but just didn’t do much. I liked the take on the elves being the “evil” and keeping the humans prisoner in the castle. I didn’t like all of the POVs (I think there were at least 5). It would switch POVs in the same scene so I would forget who I was reading because several of them felt almost like the same person.
The thing that bothered me the most was the elf whose POV we get (Sapphire) has not decided whether to be a male or female, so is referred to as “they” or “them.” It was very confusing when, for example, it said “they jumped out the window” but it was only Sapphire. It made any scene with Sapphire in it so hard to read.
Several of the characters were very cruel to the point where I dreaded any scene they were in. Also, there are cousins who are in love which is weird.
I am assuming from the ending that this book is the first in a series, and unfortunately I don’t think I will be continuing on.
obsessedmuch's review against another edition
3.0
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
After months of putting it off, I finally sat down to write this review. First, let me say how excited I was about this one. I started reading it on the same day I was approved and at first I thought this will be my new favorite book. It had all the things I love: manipulative characters, complicated relationships, court intrigues... and then it became sappy love story? And not an interesting one. I cringed so hard while reading scenes that were supposed to be erotic and I found that I really didn't care about anyone except maybe Thelia and she just became more and more boring.
Now, this sounds like I hated the book but all in all I think it was solid read and I will definitely try something else by this author. I wouldn't recommend it to my friends but at the same time I'm not disappointed that I read it. I'm only disappointed that it seemed so promising and different and that it didn't work out for me
After months of putting it off, I finally sat down to write this review. First, let me say how excited I was about this one. I started reading it on the same day I was approved and at first I thought this will be my new favorite book. It had all the things I love: manipulative characters, complicated relationships, court intrigues... and then it became sappy love story? And not an interesting one. I cringed so hard while reading scenes that were supposed to be erotic and I found that I really didn't care about anyone except maybe Thelia and she just became more and more boring.
Now, this sounds like I hated the book but all in all I think it was solid read and I will definitely try something else by this author. I wouldn't recommend it to my friends but at the same time I'm not disappointed that I read it. I'm only disappointed that it seemed so promising and different and that it didn't work out for me
thewoollygeek's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to enjoy this based on the description it sounded so good, but for me it just didn’t do it. I couldn’t connect with the characters, found them unlikeable and didn’t really care what happened to them. It’s confusing at times and I think the characters were confused generally. Sadly not for me couldn’t hold my interest.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
esotericelixir's review against another edition
1.0
Oh man. This book me a long time to get through because I’d read a few pages and then just get tired of it and put it to the side, but I felt the call in me tonight to just power through it and see how much I could get done in one sitting. Turns out, it didn’t actually take too long to read and I’m not entirely certain that’s a good thing.
There are many TW’s in this book, which have been mentioned before in other reviews so instead of repeating them I implore you to check out this review which has everything I could think of saying: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2643400217
The premise of the book sounded super interesting. Who doesn’t want to read about ancient magic, elves, royal political schemes. Unfortunately it just wasn’t delivered and didn’t live up to the imaginary hype I had in my brain when I requested this book on netgalley.
The characters just seemed so one dimensional that I couldn’t connect with them and we kept switching between them in a manner that wasn’t conducive to having a strong narrative from any POV. The mannerisms of the characters also seemed off, there’s just something icky and off putting, to me, about a YA using the term “daddy” to refer to a father. There was also the fact of ... incest. Yeah. I understand this is a fantasy novel, but I truly can’t be on board with incest being a main LI. It’s not even like they had the characters not know they were related (which while still ew, is less ew than what happened), the two characters grew up together and still were happy to knock boots and ... yeah.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
There are many TW’s in this book, which have been mentioned before in other reviews so instead of repeating them I implore you to check out this review which has everything I could think of saying: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2643400217
The premise of the book sounded super interesting. Who doesn’t want to read about ancient magic, elves, royal political schemes. Unfortunately it just wasn’t delivered and didn’t live up to the imaginary hype I had in my brain when I requested this book on netgalley.
The characters just seemed so one dimensional that I couldn’t connect with them and we kept switching between them in a manner that wasn’t conducive to having a strong narrative from any POV. The mannerisms of the characters also seemed off, there’s just something icky and off putting, to me, about a YA using the term “daddy” to refer to a father. There was also the fact of ... incest. Yeah. I understand this is a fantasy novel, but I truly can’t be on board with incest being a main LI. It’s not even like they had the characters not know they were related (which while still ew, is less ew than what happened), the two characters grew up together and still were happy to knock boots and ... yeah.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
ishinnatelleth's review
adventurous
challenging
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
mckinney_shannon's review against another edition
1.0
I was given an advanced readers copy of "Castle of Lies" by NetGalley for an open an honest review of the book.
With that being said, I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis sounded fantastic, and right up my alley - unfortunately the book didn't deliver for me.
The book is being marketed as YA (Young Adult) Fiction, and I was honestly SHOCKED by topics brought up. From the beginning of the book there is an overtone of severe alcoholism, and it continues throughout. Other topics that I personally think were quite strong, and descriptive for YA fiction include: detailed sexual encounters, incest, inter-species love, violence, talk of rape, and the list goes on and on. Those are some very heavy themes in my opinion for YA Fiction.
On top of the heavy subject matter I found the characters highly impersonal, and unlikable. By the end of it I really couldn't care less about what happened to them. At times things happening in the book were confusing, and not clearly communicated.
The plot was slow, and it barely kept my attention. It took me quite some time to finish this book. To be honest I only finished the book, because I was given an ARC otherwise I probably wouldn't have finished it. It was also (besides the heavy themes) a very typical YA, Fantasy, Romance, and the ending was quite predictable.
The publish date is set for May 7, 2019 as of now if you're interested in the strong subject matter I spoke of. Or, if you just want to see if I am being harsh you could always check it out for yourself. I however wouldn't recommend it, and I definitely wouldn't recommend it for the targeted age group starting at 13 and going up.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC
With that being said, I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis sounded fantastic, and right up my alley - unfortunately the book didn't deliver for me.
The book is being marketed as YA (Young Adult) Fiction, and I was honestly SHOCKED by topics brought up. From the beginning of the book there is an overtone of severe alcoholism, and it continues throughout. Other topics that I personally think were quite strong, and descriptive for YA fiction include: detailed sexual encounters, incest, inter-species love, violence, talk of rape, and the list goes on and on. Those are some very heavy themes in my opinion for YA Fiction.
On top of the heavy subject matter I found the characters highly impersonal, and unlikable. By the end of it I really couldn't care less about what happened to them. At times things happening in the book were confusing, and not clearly communicated.
The plot was slow, and it barely kept my attention. It took me quite some time to finish this book. To be honest I only finished the book, because I was given an ARC otherwise I probably wouldn't have finished it. It was also (besides the heavy themes) a very typical YA, Fantasy, Romance, and the ending was quite predictable.
The publish date is set for May 7, 2019 as of now if you're interested in the strong subject matter I spoke of. Or, if you just want to see if I am being harsh you could always check it out for yourself. I however wouldn't recommend it, and I definitely wouldn't recommend it for the targeted age group starting at 13 and going up.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC
megsreads32's review against another edition
3.0
I have no idea how to feel about the relationships in this book but I enjoyed the overall book.
bi characters, poly relationship, poor portrayal of demisexual character, Stockholm syndrome, non-binary character. Trigger warnings: child abuse, talk of rape.
bi characters, poly relationship, poor portrayal of demisexual character, Stockholm syndrome, non-binary character. Trigger warnings: child abuse, talk of rape.
prophetofthepage's review against another edition
3.0
"eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
It's not great. Granted, it's not terrible. It's even somewhat amusing. But also it's not great.
The characters seem to change every chapter. One minute Thalia is a manipulative schemer and Percy is sneaky gossip monger, and the next they grow sentimental or helpful even though previous characterization would point otherwise. And with so many POVs, especially in first person, it is strange that it keeps shifting the motivations for each character. I wish the book would have just been told from Thalia's point of view.
It's not great. Granted, it's not terrible. It's even somewhat amusing. But also it's not great.
The characters seem to change every chapter. One minute Thalia is a manipulative schemer and Percy is sneaky gossip monger, and the next they grow sentimental or helpful even though previous characterization would point otherwise. And with so many POVs, especially in first person, it is strange that it keeps shifting the motivations for each character. I wish the book would have just been told from Thalia's point of view.