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katykelly's review
5.0
I started this thinking I knew where it was heading. Girl with past meets a 'bad boy', smouldering, has the hots for her, for some reason his family forbid a relationship - very Edward Cullen and Bella.
Then it morphed into Shakespeare with fights, warring families and drama.
And then the final element kicked in. I've read the Mario Puzo classic, but the Mafia isn't a genre that you see much of for young adults. And I loved this!
Sophie Gracewell has issues of her own, a father in jail and an uncle who isn't around to help run the family diner as much as she'd like. A family of five sons one day moves into a notorious old house in the neighbourhood, and almost immediately she finds herself running into them at every turn. Instantly smitten with Nic, who seems to feel something for her too, she is also wary of some very dangerous attitudes in his family, and somehow she is involved.
Sophie could have been a helpless Bella, but actually, is a fantastic heroine and comes into her own over the whole course of the story. Nic runs a little deeper than the usual love interest and I love the direction Doyle takes his family, a great approach to the genre and to YA characters.
This is exciting, a fast read, very visual and I hope, one day soon a cinema release - it would work brilliantly on the screen.
Very good debut. Something a little different from fantasy and teenage angst for the target market.
Then it morphed into Shakespeare with fights, warring families and drama.
And then the final element kicked in. I've read the Mario Puzo classic, but the Mafia isn't a genre that you see much of for young adults. And I loved this!
Sophie Gracewell has issues of her own, a father in jail and an uncle who isn't around to help run the family diner as much as she'd like. A family of five sons one day moves into a notorious old house in the neighbourhood, and almost immediately she finds herself running into them at every turn. Instantly smitten with Nic, who seems to feel something for her too, she is also wary of some very dangerous attitudes in his family, and somehow she is involved.
Sophie could have been a helpless Bella, but actually, is a fantastic heroine and comes into her own over the whole course of the story. Nic runs a little deeper than the usual love interest and I love the direction Doyle takes his family, a great approach to the genre and to YA characters.
This is exciting, a fast read, very visual and I hope, one day soon a cinema release - it would work brilliantly on the screen.
Very good debut. Something a little different from fantasy and teenage angst for the target market.
bri0_0's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
jnllyreads's review
4.0
At first, I kind of hated it because it will suck you into typical teenaged drama (you know, an ordinary girl gets involve with a very out-of-reach-guy), it was really slow paced at first but then it gets more & more intense as you unveil the mystery of the Falcones & the next thing you know is you are actually hooked & found yourself typing this using your phone at 4:15 in the morning, full of adrenaline.
indigoivee's review
3.0
To be honest this isn’t the type of book I’d typically pick up. From the cover to the synopsis, it gave me Wattpad vibes, which I learnt I was not completely wrong about. It was by chance that I had found this book and I began to read it to see if it was something I was into…
When I tell you I read this book in one sitting, I mean it. I was shocked by how quickly I paged through it. The choppy chapters, and fastburn plot really made this book an easy read. Though, I didn’t quite like how two dimensional the characters were, nor the story line as much - everyone’s background and just the general vibe - I will admit the plot was intriguing, not so much the execution of it.
Also, I got a bit of a Romeo and Juliet vibe, and the author made a few references to it which I appreciated. The whole story of a girl who’s father had been incarcerated because of a freak accident, then falling for the new guy in town, only to find there is an underground magic war happening and to then learn that her new boyfriend and father are involved in said war, it was quite the intriguing story.
Not a must read, or immediate shelf-er, but it surely got me out of my slump!
Favourite quote: “We have always tried to protect those who can’t protect themselves, to stay on the right side of right and wrong. And sometimes, the right thing is to kill the wrong kind of man.”
When I tell you I read this book in one sitting, I mean it. I was shocked by how quickly I paged through it. The choppy chapters, and fastburn plot really made this book an easy read. Though, I didn’t quite like how two dimensional the characters were, nor the story line as much - everyone’s background and just the general vibe - I will admit the plot was intriguing, not so much the execution of it.
Also, I got a bit of a Romeo and Juliet vibe, and the author made a few references to it which I appreciated. The whole story of a girl who’s father had been incarcerated because of a freak accident, then falling for the new guy in town, only to find there is an underground magic war happening and to then learn that her new boyfriend and father are involved in said war, it was quite the intriguing story.
Not a must read, or immediate shelf-er, but it surely got me out of my slump!
Favourite quote: “We have always tried to protect those who can’t protect themselves, to stay on the right side of right and wrong. And sometimes, the right thing is to kill the wrong kind of man.”
kimi191's review against another edition
4.0
I finished this captivating and addictive story mostly in one single day and adored the love story as well as the storyline concerning the family feud. The personalities of the five brothers were well chosen and I felt all kind of things during reading this.
However, I am still not giving 5 stars because of the cliché and very cheesy writing style during the romance scenes (and basically the whole book). At moments I felt as if I would be reading a fan fiction - not in a bad way though, I kinda liked the dialogues and characters' flirting even if the conversations have been in other kinds of books a hundred times before and are nothing innovative.
In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and would recommend it to everyone who loves the trope of romance combined with mystery and Romeo and Juliet vibes. I am definitely now intrigued in the storyline and will be picking up the next book of this series eventually!
However, I am still not giving 5 stars because of the cliché and very cheesy writing style during the romance scenes (and basically the whole book). At moments I felt as if I would be reading a fan fiction - not in a bad way though, I kinda liked the dialogues and characters' flirting even if the conversations have been in other kinds of books a hundred times before and are nothing innovative.
In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and would recommend it to everyone who loves the trope of romance combined with mystery and Romeo and Juliet vibes. I am definitely now intrigued in the storyline and will be picking up the next book of this series eventually!
_nikita's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
imys's review
3.0
i cannot say just how much Sophie annoyed me in this book but somehow i liked it?? it was just what i needed to get out of my slump and i NEED the next book asap.