You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have two main issues with this book:
Issue #1 (the first issue):
So Rachelle is supposed to be this super tough, kick-ass chick and yet I couldn't grow to love her because she literally lets EVERYONE walk all over her. I swear if you take a shot for every time someone makes a move on her and she just sits there and lets them even when she's like "no, I don't like you," you'll be passed out on the floor within 100 pages.
You're supposed to be a badass, Rachelle! So kick them in the balls and tell them to keep their hands to themselves unless they want them chopped off (too soon, Armand?)
Issue #2:
Erec, or however that disgusting, slimy bastard spells his name.
Erec is a prick, plain and simple. And yet, Rachelle stupidly kept mentioning how he's basically her only friend, even though he's constantly embarrassing her and trying to get her to sleep with him.
The dude literally treated her like a bag of crap ALL THE FREAKING TIME and yet she's still unwilling to tell him not to kiss her because apparently, it'll ruin their 'friendship.'
Let's take a look at some of their delightful interactions, shall we?
• "Suddenly, Erec seized her hand and pulled. She stumbled forward a step, her body automatically moving to break the grip and take him down. But he spun her effortlessly in another direction and then another, and suddenly, they were moving in time to the music.
They were dancing."
• "She wanted to slap his face. She had told him never to kiss her again. She also wanted to forget what she'd said and pull him close for another kiss. But either reaction would amuse him. That was the problem with Erec; everything was always a game to him, and he always won."
• "Erec wouldn't hurt her, but he would cheerfully slice her dignity to pieces and make the court laugh at her. And she would have to pretend to laugh along with them, or only look more ridiculous."
• "Rachelle had always thought Erec understood her. No matter how she hated him, she had always loved him a little too... and yet now he really thought she was speechless with desire for him. He really thought that she did not regret what she had done."
And the list goes on and on...
There were a few good plot twists towards the end, but overall I prefer my main characters a whole lot smarter and a lot less wimpy.
3.5 stars
Issue #1 (the first issue):
So Rachelle is supposed to be this super tough, kick-ass chick and yet I couldn't grow to love her because she literally lets EVERYONE walk all over her. I swear if you take a shot for every time someone makes a move on her and she just sits there and lets them even when she's like "no, I don't like you," you'll be passed out on the floor within 100 pages.
You're supposed to be a badass, Rachelle! So kick them in the balls and tell them to keep their hands to themselves unless they want them chopped off (too soon, Armand?)
Issue #2:
Erec, or however that disgusting, slimy bastard spells his name.
Erec is a prick, plain and simple. And yet, Rachelle stupidly kept mentioning how he's basically her only friend, even though he's constantly embarrassing her and trying to get her to sleep with him.
The dude literally treated her like a bag of crap ALL THE FREAKING TIME and yet she's still unwilling to tell him not to kiss her because apparently, it'll ruin their 'friendship.'
Let's take a look at some of their delightful interactions, shall we?
• "Suddenly, Erec seized her hand and pulled. She stumbled forward a step, her body automatically moving to break the grip and take him down. But he spun her effortlessly in another direction and then another, and suddenly, they were moving in time to the music.
They were dancing."
• "She wanted to slap his face. She had told him never to kiss her again. She also wanted to forget what she'd said and pull him close for another kiss. But either reaction would amuse him. That was the problem with Erec; everything was always a game to him, and he always won."
• "Erec wouldn't hurt her, but he would cheerfully slice her dignity to pieces and make the court laugh at her. And she would have to pretend to laugh along with them, or only look more ridiculous."
• "Rachelle had always thought Erec understood her. No matter how she hated him, she had always loved him a little too... and yet now he really thought she was speechless with desire for him. He really thought that she did not regret what she had done."
And the list goes on and on...
There were a few good plot twists towards the end, but overall I prefer my main characters a whole lot smarter and a lot less wimpy.
3.5 stars
I remember reading something that Brandon Sanderson wrote on his website about creating magical worlds, how it's very important for the magic to have very define and set rules. How when the magic is just a tool for plot it becomes gimmicky. Well, this book is a great example of that point. It started great with great world building, a wonderful atmosphere and engaging characters. But where this book falls short is in the last 30%, when the magic just gets used as a way to progress plot and doesn't really have any rules. Things that were never mentioned (and easily could have been used by bad guys) suddenly are gifted to the protagonist when she becomes a "baddie". It's just hard to take a book seriously for a magic system when it has no boundaries. Not to mention it was just really all over the place at the end. I hoped this book would be different but sadly it was just another halfway attempted fantasy novel. This is why I stopped reading the genre as much as I used to.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
I’m not rating this because I only read the prologue - I was intrigued but found myself never wanting to go back to it to finish, and finding excuses to read something else. I got this one from the library, so maybe I’ll pick it up again later.
Unexpected and twisty, unique. Can you be forgiven for what you've done? Rachelle doesn't seem to think so, but she will spend the rest of her life trying to keep the evils from the myths from returning. Who can be trusted in a world where it seems everyone lies? The motives behind motives are amazingly well planned and really enjoyable (and sometimes leave one's head spinning a little). Nicely done! Now I want to read Cruel Beauty.
I wish I liked this one more, I really do.
The writing was beautiful but I just didn't feel attached to the characters or story at all.
The writing was beautiful but I just didn't feel attached to the characters or story at all.
This book was not my cup of tea. I could not get into the story and I didn't connect to any of the characters. I enjoyed Cruel Beauty and would read this author again.
On the edge of destruction, at the end of all things, we still dance. And hope.
Crimson Bound absolutely was one of the most epic, beautifully written and captivating fantasy books that I have read. It was one of those books that you just want to keep reading and never put down.
So Cruel Beauty was one of my favorite books that I read in 2013 but I am so pleased to say that I thought Crimson Bound was even better. But these two books can't really be compared, in my opinion, because they were very different. Crimson Bound definitely is more "fantasy" than Cruel Beauty. Though at first when I started the book it was a bit much and confusing I quickly came into the story more and just read it so freaking fast, devouring every page because it was such a great story. And yes, it has some elements from little red riding hood, which I enjoyed a lot but keep in mind it's only slightly based on it.
Crimson Bound is about Rachelle who got marked by a creature called a forestborn when she was fifteen. Which led to having to make the terrible decision of either dying in three days or killing someone and living on as a bloodbound. A horrible choice, but one she made nonetheless. Three years later she works for the king, serving the realm and fighting forestborns. It's then that she learns the Devourer will soon rise and that the endless night will come. Her only hope is to find Joyeuse, a sword of legend that is the only chance to stop it. When the king orders Rachelle to guard his son, Armand, who is called a saint, she is forced to make him help her. Romance, mystery, betrayal and darkness follow soon.
I absolutely liked Rachelle. She could kick ass, was willing to do anything to save the realm even if she had to die and even beneath all that she definitely had a heart. At first I wasn't so sure what to think about Armand but I ended up liking him a lot the more we got to know him. Then there's also Erec, captain of the king's bloodbound and Rachelle's friend. I liked him the most, to be honest. There is some romance in this book, though it's not the biggest element in the book. But I did enjoy the romance aspect, even though it was a bit of a love triangle, but it's not a huge one.
A lot happened in this book and there's a lot of action, which I loved. Also there are twists at every turn. People you think that are good guys end up being kind of bad so there's quite a lot of heartstopping betrayal. I hate it but I love it at the same time. At some point I even think it would have a slightly bad ending. It was that intense and nailbiting suspenseful!
And of course let's not forget the gorgeous way this author writes. It's my absolutely favorite thing from her books and it's even more noticable in Crimson Bound. Her writing is so beautifully descriptive and just took me away. I couldn't get enough of it and actually felt like I had crawled inside the book and not wanting to come out.
Gorgeous with vivid details and eloquent writing, Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge is one of the finest fantasy books I have ever read. Seriously, this is how you write a good fantasy book, people! Also the deceit, passion and all the fascinating characters made this book simply perfection. I loved reading every single page and I'm so very curious as to what this author will come up next!
Crimson Bound absolutely was one of the most epic, beautifully written and captivating fantasy books that I have read. It was one of those books that you just want to keep reading and never put down.
So Cruel Beauty was one of my favorite books that I read in 2013 but I am so pleased to say that I thought Crimson Bound was even better. But these two books can't really be compared, in my opinion, because they were very different. Crimson Bound definitely is more "fantasy" than Cruel Beauty. Though at first when I started the book it was a bit much and confusing I quickly came into the story more and just read it so freaking fast, devouring every page because it was such a great story. And yes, it has some elements from little red riding hood, which I enjoyed a lot but keep in mind it's only slightly based on it.
Crimson Bound is about Rachelle who got marked by a creature called a forestborn when she was fifteen. Which led to having to make the terrible decision of either dying in three days or killing someone and living on as a bloodbound. A horrible choice, but one she made nonetheless. Three years later she works for the king, serving the realm and fighting forestborns. It's then that she learns the Devourer will soon rise and that the endless night will come. Her only hope is to find Joyeuse, a sword of legend that is the only chance to stop it. When the king orders Rachelle to guard his son, Armand, who is called a saint, she is forced to make him help her. Romance, mystery, betrayal and darkness follow soon.
I absolutely liked Rachelle. She could kick ass, was willing to do anything to save the realm even if she had to die and even beneath all that she definitely had a heart. At first I wasn't so sure what to think about Armand but I ended up liking him a lot the more we got to know him. Then there's also Erec, captain of the king's bloodbound and Rachelle's friend. I liked him the most, to be honest. There is some romance in this book, though it's not the biggest element in the book. But I did enjoy the romance aspect, even though it was a bit of a love triangle, but it's not a huge one.
A lot happened in this book and there's a lot of action, which I loved. Also there are twists at every turn. People you think that are good guys end up being kind of bad so there's quite a lot of heartstopping betrayal. I hate it but I love it at the same time. At some point I even think it would have a slightly bad ending. It was that intense and nailbiting suspenseful!
And of course let's not forget the gorgeous way this author writes. It's my absolutely favorite thing from her books and it's even more noticable in Crimson Bound. Her writing is so beautifully descriptive and just took me away. I couldn't get enough of it and actually felt like I had crawled inside the book and not wanting to come out.
Gorgeous with vivid details and eloquent writing, Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge is one of the finest fantasy books I have ever read. Seriously, this is how you write a good fantasy book, people! Also the deceit, passion and all the fascinating characters made this book simply perfection. I loved reading every single page and I'm so very curious as to what this author will come up next!