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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"She had won them the sun and moon, but she had become a monster."
Rachelle made a choice years ago which has damned her soul for all eternity, and thus spends her life attempting to atone for it. Feeling that she has nothing to lose, she will risk everything to save her world from the ancient evil that threatens it.
This gruesome and imaginative combination of Red Riding Hood and the Girl with no Hands is pulled off exceptionally well. Crimson Bound was an epic tale of blurred lines between good and evil, love and hate, redemption and damnation.
Undoubtedly the best thing about this was the characters and how complex they were. Rachelle is one of my favourite heroines ever. She makes mistakes, and she owns up to them. At first, stupid enough to think she's invincible, she makes a mistake that will haunt her forever and then thinking she has no chance of redemption, she's just callous and bloodthirsty enough for her role as heroine to overshadowed by her actions. I loved it. I loved her violence and her rage because, coupled with her determination and selflessness, she becomes powerful and unbreakable.
Armand was such an appropriate hero. His calmness was the perfect balance to Rachelle's passion, and their chemistry was created very well. He was adorable, and I loved the little banter between him and Rachelle. I literally just wanted to wrap him in a blanket and feed him ice cream and keep his safe from everything that wanted to hurt him. His self-depreciating humour along with his cool, collected demeanor created a charming hero.
The twists in this book are paced evenly throughout the novel that you're always tensed for the next surprise, which makes it a thrilling read. Throughout almost the whole book, I was on the edge of my seat, because I was never sure how the book would end or who would be alive to see the end, or whether I could even actually trust any of the characters. The plot moves in directions you'd have never even guessed until it happens.
Although this didn't captivate me as her debut novel, Cruel Beauty, did (hence only the four star rating), I would absolutely recommend this book for everyone, and I am really excited to see what else Rosamund Hodge has in store for us next.
Rachelle made a choice years ago which has damned her soul for all eternity, and thus spends her life attempting to atone for it. Feeling that she has nothing to lose, she will risk everything to save her world from the ancient evil that threatens it.
This gruesome and imaginative combination of Red Riding Hood and the Girl with no Hands is pulled off exceptionally well. Crimson Bound was an epic tale of blurred lines between good and evil, love and hate, redemption and damnation.
Undoubtedly the best thing about this was the characters and how complex they were. Rachelle is one of my favourite heroines ever. She makes mistakes, and she owns up to them. At first, stupid enough to think she's invincible, she makes a mistake that will haunt her forever and then thinking she has no chance of redemption, she's just callous and bloodthirsty enough for her role as heroine to overshadowed by her actions. I loved it. I loved her violence and her rage because, coupled with her determination and selflessness, she becomes powerful and unbreakable.
Armand was such an appropriate hero. His calmness was the perfect balance to Rachelle's passion, and their chemistry was created very well. He was adorable, and I loved the little banter between him and Rachelle. I literally just wanted to wrap him in a blanket and feed him ice cream and keep his safe from everything that wanted to hurt him. His self-depreciating humour along with his cool, collected demeanor created a charming hero.
The twists in this book are paced evenly throughout the novel that you're always tensed for the next surprise, which makes it a thrilling read. Throughout almost the whole book, I was on the edge of my seat, because I was never sure how the book would end or who would be alive to see the end, or whether I could even actually trust any of the characters. The plot moves in directions you'd have never even guessed until it happens.
Although this didn't captivate me as her debut novel, Cruel Beauty, did (hence only the four star rating), I would absolutely recommend this book for everyone, and I am really excited to see what else Rosamund Hodge has in store for us next.
Good lord this book took forever to finish. I just finished it out of spite for having it for so long and not finishing it.
It started off decent. But frankly the 'love triangle' felt forced and just bland. this whole story was whatever. I didn't connect with a single character.
2 1/2 stars
It started off decent. But frankly the 'love triangle' felt forced and just bland. this whole story was whatever. I didn't connect with a single character.
2 1/2 stars
I love fairytales. I really enjoyed this story. I loved how well developed was the romance throughout the story. You love the characters since the beginning and even though the situations aren't good between them, you cannot stop loving them.
Another story with a strong, brave and independent woman. Rachelle was badass and she was always kicking some asses. She cared about everyone and helped those who needed her help no matter what had happened between them. She loved with her whole heart. "But everything I have," she said, "I want to give you. Because I love you. I think I'm falling in love with you."
Amélie was the bestest friend that anyone would want to have. She was cute, kind, sweet, lovely and any other good word you can think of.
Armandwas this guy who you would love since the beginning but you wouldn't know why. Some people (I'm not going to spoil) didn't treat him right and he suffered a lot. He loved Rachelle but he didn't know how to love and how to show love to her. "I think I love you too."
Now let's talk about the amazing Erec... man, I loved him and I'll miss him for the rest of my life. That guy was amazing, hilarious, lovely, cute, and it was impossible not to love him. He did really bad things but if you read this book you're going to love him and those bad things will NOT matter, believe me. If I'm sure about one thing is that he loved Rachelle with his entire life. I think this was the most amazing character in the whole story.
The world in this story is amazing and beautiful. It would be amazing to see the Great Forest and all the creatures in it. Also, I would want to see the Château de Lune. I really liked how Rosamund wrote the present story and also integrated the story about Zisa and Tyr. I loved it... hands down to Rosamund cuz she's BRILLIANT.
Cannot wait to read Cruel Beauty by this amazing author.
Another story with a strong, brave and independent woman. Rachelle was badass and she was always kicking some asses. She cared about everyone and helped those who needed her help no matter what had happened between them. She loved with her whole heart. "But everything I have," she said, "I want to give you. Because I love you. I think I'm falling in love with you."
Amélie was the bestest friend that anyone would want to have. She was cute, kind, sweet, lovely and any other good word you can think of.
Armandwas this guy who you would love since the beginning but you wouldn't know why. Some people (I'm not going to spoil) didn't treat him right and he suffered a lot. He loved Rachelle but he didn't know how to love and how to show love to her. "I think I love you too."
Now let's talk about the amazing Erec... man, I loved him and I'll miss him for the rest of my life. That guy was amazing, hilarious, lovely, cute, and it was impossible not to love him. He did really bad things but if you read this book you're going to love him and those bad things will NOT matter, believe me. If I'm sure about one thing is that he loved Rachelle with his entire life. I think this was the most amazing character in the whole story.
The world in this story is amazing and beautiful. It would be amazing to see the Great Forest and all the creatures in it. Also, I would want to see the Château de Lune. I really liked how Rosamund wrote the present story and also integrated the story about Zisa and Tyr. I loved it... hands down to Rosamund cuz she's BRILLIANT.
Cannot wait to read Cruel Beauty by this amazing author.
I loved loved loved Cruel Beauty. And this book is just as good. The characters are amazing. They're all well-written and 3-dimensional. The plot is exciting and fast paced. And the writing is beautiful. I would recommend this book to anyone.
Edited to add: 11/11 It's been months (wow) since I last read Crimson Bound but I've been thinking more and more about it recently and I have to say that my harsh feelings for it have wavered some and I'm a bit more positive now about it. I think a lot of the faults lay in the fact that I completely misinterpreted what the book was going to be (my fault for not reading the summary before I read it, instead of relying on my memories of the summary I read a while ago).
Anyways, I have to say, in terms of writing ability, Rosamund Hodge really, really did improve with Crimson Bound in comparison to Cruel Beauty. I don't know if she reads reviews, but you can tell that whatever people complained about with Cruel Beauty, she amended here and made her protagonist more proactive. So in terms of strength, Crimson Bound is a major improvement. But in terms of likability, I personally still have my heart bound (pun intended??) to Gilded Ashes.
Backstory:
At the time I first read Cruel Beauty, I hadn't read much YA in a long, long time (or read anything in general actually because I was in a reading slump). But I bought Cruel Beauty because it was on sale for kindle and I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff SO I bought it and although I had some complaints, overall I enjoyed it. So, I'd like to credit Rosamund Hodge for getting me back into reading. Kudos. (As a result of my reading Cruel Beauty, I ended up reading Gilded Ashes, the Cinderella retelling and liked that one a LOT.)
So when I saw that Crimson Bound was coming out next year, I was pretty excited!
And then I read it.
I decided to buy it at 3 AM and told myself to just read like a few chapters and then go to sleep, but I ended up reading it all the way to the end, when I saw the sun rise and morning come.
Anyways, there are many things to say about Crimson Bound. For starters, I should have read the summary before I read into the book cold turkey because I was honestly really confused and had a very incorrect idea about what the book was supposed to be about (for some reason I thought it was supposed to be set in the woods instead of a palace) so that affected my reading experience quite a bit. Kind of my fault though, so not the story.
Anyways I tried to highlight on my kindle, but it didn't seem to work because I ended up liking the quote. Basically, I'm pretty okay in first person perspectives where the main character has some self-loathing because of a certain event. I'm fine with that and I have a pretty high tolerance. But eventually Rachelle's self-loathing and her constant mentioning of defeating the Devourer got on my nerves because of how much she referenced to it. It's understandable why she constantly self-loathes, but the way it's put in the story is kinda grating. Like let's say if she's just talking to somebody, on the inside she'll be thinking "Little do they know that I must defeat the Devourer, so I can't indulge myself in these kind of things." Maybe I'm exaggerating. Who knows.
I don't really know how to conclude this review, so I'm just going to mention some more plot points.
Also, I've said many times before but I really should have read the summary. For some reason I thought it was connected to Cruel Beauty so I didn't mind the novel's worldbuilding lack of explanation. But it's not. So woops on my part. But it really is kinda similar to Cruel Beauty, in the love triangle and how the plot works (I feel like Rosamund Hodge addressed people's criticisms to Cruel Beauty and had Rachelle be more active in finding the sword), as well as the action really picking off in the last 150 pages or so. I enjoy how she makes the action pick up toward the end, so that's why I still enjoyed this.
Final nitpick, is it just me but since Rachelle is no longer bloodbound, doesn't that mean she can go back to her family? Not that I mind her staying with Armand, but seriously? Her only thoughts are that she has no where else to go is that she might as well stay with Armand? You can reunite with your family, you know! You don't have to stay with them, but you're not bloodbound! You kinda saved the world! And your aunt forgives you, so you can just explain to your family (and I'm sure if you ask Armand and his half-brother for help) so they won't roast you on the spot.)
But I digress. Overall, it was nice. The Cinderella retelling has to be my favorite, though. Even though I really like red riding hood a lot.
Anyways, I have to say, in terms of writing ability, Rosamund Hodge really, really did improve with Crimson Bound in comparison to Cruel Beauty. I don't know if she reads reviews, but you can tell that whatever people complained about with Cruel Beauty, she amended here and made her protagonist more proactive. So in terms of strength, Crimson Bound is a major improvement. But in terms of likability, I personally still have my heart bound (pun intended??) to Gilded Ashes.
Backstory:
At the time I first read Cruel Beauty, I hadn't read much YA in a long, long time (or read anything in general actually because I was in a reading slump). But I bought Cruel Beauty because it was on sale for kindle and I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff SO I bought it and although I had some complaints, overall I enjoyed it. So, I'd like to credit Rosamund Hodge for getting me back into reading. Kudos. (As a result of my reading Cruel Beauty, I ended up reading Gilded Ashes, the Cinderella retelling and liked that one a LOT.)
So when I saw that Crimson Bound was coming out next year, I was pretty excited!
And then I read it.
I decided to buy it at 3 AM and told myself to just read like a few chapters and then go to sleep, but I ended up reading it all the way to the end, when I saw the sun rise and morning come.
Anyways, there are many things to say about Crimson Bound. For starters, I should have read the summary before I read into the book cold turkey because I was honestly really confused and had a very incorrect idea about what the book was supposed to be about (for some reason I thought it was supposed to be set in the woods instead of a palace) so that affected my reading experience quite a bit. Kind of my fault though, so not the story.
Spoiler
I really should have read the summary though, because I didn't realize that Armand was the love interest, because Erec was so interesting even though he was a douche. Like I shouldn't be liking Erec a lot more, even if he was a douche! Armand wasn't that compelling to me, although I liked how his disability was treated in this book. Anyways, Erec ended up being pretty evil and terrible, so screw you Erec, even though your character was pretty interesting and I was kinda devastated when you ended up being evil.Anyways I tried to highlight on my kindle, but it didn't seem to work because I ended up liking the quote. Basically, I'm pretty okay in first person perspectives where the main character has some self-loathing because of a certain event. I'm fine with that and I have a pretty high tolerance. But eventually Rachelle's self-loathing and her constant mentioning of defeating the Devourer got on my nerves because of how much she referenced to it. It's understandable why she constantly self-loathes, but the way it's put in the story is kinda grating. Like let's say if she's just talking to somebody, on the inside she'll be thinking "Little do they know that I must defeat the Devourer, so I can't indulge myself in these kind of things." Maybe I'm exaggerating. Who knows.
I don't really know how to conclude this review, so I'm just going to mention some more plot points.
Spoiler
This is more me addressing the plot, but I feel like a lot of this book's problems would be resolved if people were just truthful and stated who they were. Like Armand really being a good guy, his cousin being a weaver (I think that's what it is? My memory's fuzzy), Amelie's allegiance to Rachelle, etc.Also, I've said many times before but I really should have read the summary. For some reason I thought it was connected to Cruel Beauty so I didn't mind the novel's worldbuilding lack of explanation. But it's not. So woops on my part. But it really is kinda similar to Cruel Beauty, in the love triangle and how the plot works (I feel like Rosamund Hodge addressed people's criticisms to Cruel Beauty and had Rachelle be more active in finding the sword), as well as the action really picking off in the last 150 pages or so. I enjoy how she makes the action pick up toward the end, so that's why I still enjoyed this.
Final nitpick, is it just me but since Rachelle is no longer bloodbound, doesn't that mean she can go back to her family? Not that I mind her staying with Armand, but seriously? Her only thoughts are that she has no where else to go is that she might as well stay with Armand? You can reunite with your family, you know! You don't have to stay with them, but you're not bloodbound! You kinda saved the world! And your aunt forgives you, so you can just explain to your family (and I'm sure if you ask Armand and his half-brother for help) so they won't roast you on the spot.)
But I digress. Overall, it was nice. The Cinderella retelling has to be my favorite, though. Even though I really like red riding hood a lot.
I loved this book it was so well written I loved every bit of it. I loved the characters especially Armand and Rachelle they were very well written and developed into such interesting characters. I loved the story it was paced so well and written so well it was a wonderful Fairy Tale retelling one of the best ones I have ever read. I liked the darkness of the story it made a dark fairy tale even darker and interesting I really enjoyed reading it. So overall I loved this book I will read more by this author sometime soon.
maybe closer to a 3.5
i have really mixed feelings about this book. i adore the strong, independent female characters this author creates. however, while creating those characters, there is also a lot of time and energy put into describing extravagant ball gowns and how exactly the men are handsome. this feels counter intuitive to me. not to say that strong, independent females can’t appreciate the beauty of clothing or men, but it does feel like far too many female character novels are written with excessive emphasis on clothing and men. if you’re trying to buck stereotypes by writing powerful, capable women, then it seems a shame to fall back on the same tired old men/clothing tropes. the world of the novel was fascinating, but it felt pretty undeveloped to me. it was as if the author had a clear idea of what the world was like, but had a hard time showing that idea to the readers. the characters were extremely nuanced, which i appreciate. no one was simple good or evil, which always makes the story more believable and relatable.
i have really mixed feelings about this book. i adore the strong, independent female characters this author creates. however, while creating those characters, there is also a lot of time and energy put into describing extravagant ball gowns and how exactly the men are handsome. this feels counter intuitive to me. not to say that strong, independent females can’t appreciate the beauty of clothing or men, but it does feel like far too many female character novels are written with excessive emphasis on clothing and men. if you’re trying to buck stereotypes by writing powerful, capable women, then it seems a shame to fall back on the same tired old men/clothing tropes. the world of the novel was fascinating, but it felt pretty undeveloped to me. it was as if the author had a clear idea of what the world was like, but had a hard time showing that idea to the readers. the characters were extremely nuanced, which i appreciate. no one was simple good or evil, which always makes the story more believable and relatable.