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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
Similar to Cruel Beauty but just as enjoyable.
Dark fairy tales.
Armand was adorable.
Dark fairy tales.
Armand was adorable.
3.5⭐️
This one took a LONG time for me to get into which is why it's not a full 4 stars. It stuck the landing with the ending though, even if i wish she'd given us a little more.
This one took a LONG time for me to get into which is why it's not a full 4 stars. It stuck the landing with the ending though, even if i wish she'd given us a little more.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Rosamund Hodge, is that really you? Did you really stamp your name on this book?
It can't be the same person who Cruel Beauty...
After all, this one has no plot. The twists can all be seen coming from a couple of miles away.
And worst of all, the characters are all completely lifeless. Rachelle, Armand and Erec are all incredibly bland.
Rachelle is most unrelatable heroine I have had the misfortune to see recently. The book is one giant mope-fest courtesy of the heroine. Armand was right when he said that she just spends her time pitying herself and not taking responsibility for her actions.
But see, it gets worse, because even at the end of the book, she still hasn't come to terms with what she did.
That is a character development failure, people.
As for Armand and Erec, I had to write this review before I forgot their names. So that's that.
The writing attempts to use post-modern poetry type phrases to make it seem dark and lovely at the same time, but really just comes off dramatic:
How would you like it if I described doing the laundry like this?
In short phrases. Going nowhere.
It's really just clothes going round in a machine. But it must sound fancy.
So, it's the endless dance between the foam and the fabric, always going round, back to the beginning.
Clean, but never really clean.
The hypnotic spin of the drum beckons you, luring your hand in. And before you know it, you're calling the plumber because the pipes exploded from too much washing powder.
-_________-
Yeah, didn't think so.
I am very disappointed in this book. I can barely see the elements of the retelling, the mythology is not that great and the absolute biggest sin: I don't care what happens to the characters because they are flat. Adding insult to injury, the plot, if you can call it that, is boring.
Nopeity nope.
It can't be the same person who Cruel Beauty...
After all, this one has no plot. The twists can all be seen coming from a couple of miles away.
And worst of all, the characters are all completely lifeless. Rachelle, Armand and Erec are all incredibly bland.
Rachelle is most unrelatable heroine I have had the misfortune to see recently. The book is one giant mope-fest courtesy of the heroine. Armand was right when he said that she just spends her time pitying herself and not taking responsibility for her actions.
But see, it gets worse, because even at the end of the book, she still hasn't come to terms with what she did.
That is a character development failure, people.
As for Armand and Erec, I had to write this review before I forgot their names. So that's that.
The writing attempts to use post-modern poetry type phrases to make it seem dark and lovely at the same time, but really just comes off dramatic:
How would you like it if I described doing the laundry like this?
In short phrases. Going nowhere.
It's really just clothes going round in a machine. But it must sound fancy.
So, it's the endless dance between the foam and the fabric, always going round, back to the beginning.
Clean, but never really clean.
The hypnotic spin of the drum beckons you, luring your hand in. And before you know it, you're calling the plumber because the pipes exploded from too much washing powder.
-_________-
Yeah, didn't think so.
I am very disappointed in this book. I can barely see the elements of the retelling, the mythology is not that great and the absolute biggest sin: I don't care what happens to the characters because they are flat. Adding insult to injury, the plot, if you can call it that, is boring.
Nopeity nope.
I tried to enjoy it. I really did. I love the concept of the plot. However, I was just so confused for the 64% of the book I read. I couldn’t get invested because I was scratching my head the whole time with the random world-building information plopped onto me without much explanation. The characters annoyed me and nothing happened to further the plot. I tried to finish but I just couldn’t. 2.5/5 stars.
A second book by Rosamund Hodge...hmm. I was quite hesitant to begin the second retelling by this author since "Cruel Beauty" was published last year. I had liked the idea of the first book but I didn't, kind of enjoyed it.
Crimson Bound introduces us into a world similar to 17th-18th century Paris with an idea of Northern Europe. And don't forget the dark world of the forestborn, which are a darker version of the Fae we all know.
Rachelle becomes a guard for the King after a horrible accident in her past and soon she will have to deal with the rules of court and a boy with no hands who is considered a saint by the people.
Now this heroine is one I like. She has made horrible choices but she struggles to fix everything, even if that means she'll have to forfeit her own life.
Romance is still faint in this book and only during the ending is shown. There is action and struggle but the ending is worth it! Much better than the first book and I hope to see more of Rosamund's writing.
Crimson Bound introduces us into a world similar to 17th-18th century Paris with an idea of Northern Europe. And don't forget the dark world of the forestborn, which are a darker version of the Fae we all know.
Rachelle becomes a guard for the King after a horrible accident in her past and soon she will have to deal with the rules of court and a boy with no hands who is considered a saint by the people.
Now this heroine is one I like. She has made horrible choices but she struggles to fix everything, even if that means she'll have to forfeit her own life.
Romance is still faint in this book and only during the ending is shown. There is action and struggle but the ending is worth it! Much better than the first book and I hope to see more of Rosamund's writing.
I really enjoyed Hodge's first novel, Cruel Beauty, but parts of it just felt...rushed and not all that well thought out. It didn't help that I am not a huge Greco Roman fan, and the book drew from a lot of that mythology and history. Crimson Bound, however, reads like a sophomore novel from a writer who has learned from her mistakes. The execution is miles ahead of Cruel Beauty. Plus, I just generally liked the characters better. They had more depth beyond the fantasy tropes that plagued Cruel Beauty. If this is only her second, I am looking forward to the third.
ALL THE STARS! ALL THE STARS ALWAYS. OH MY GOD. ROSAMUND AND HER FUCKING HEROINES. JESUS H. CHRIST.