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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
Summary
This a standalone YA paranormal fantasy set in Romania in 1800s. This story is told from 2 POVs and is also told in letters. We follow Dacia a confident and rebellious teen and Lou her shy/wallflower cousin. both girls were raised in New York. On their 17th birthday the girls are required to go to Romania and reunite with their family. However their family is holding a secret close to their chest. When the secrets are finally revealed their lives change forever.
Thoughts
This was okay. It was nothing super special. I think I feel meh about it because there was nothing unique about this story. I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction the only time I don't mind historical fiction is when thoughts of the time are challenged. For example there was a scene where Dacia was covered in blood and Lou couldn't even look at her cousin. It was like she was ashamed of what her cousin did rather than be proud of her. When they weren't properly covered there would be comments about it. And I just didn't care! I understand that this was the time period but I have no interest in listening to old-fashioned thoughts especially in my fantasy.
I loved Lou at the start but she and Dacia had a complete 180 personality change and while I understand what triggered it I thought it was a little unrealistic that both cousins changed so drastically. It was almost like they switched personalities. Dacia slowly gets back to herself by the end but the journey to get there was tedious. I did enjoy that these 2 characters were pretty much complete opposites but like is said it was like they swapped personalities with Dacia slowly getting back to her roots.
I think if you like characters and charters and character development you might enjoy this but I like when there is an interest plot as well as character development. This needed a lot of work in the plot department. And little tweaks to the character development. So unfortunately, this just wasn't for me.
Trigger Warning
Threat of rape, Absent Parents
This a standalone YA paranormal fantasy set in Romania in 1800s. This story is told from 2 POVs and is also told in letters. We follow Dacia a confident and rebellious teen and Lou her shy/wallflower cousin. both girls were raised in New York. On their 17th birthday the girls are required to go to Romania and reunite with their family. However their family is holding a secret close to their chest. When the secrets are finally revealed their lives change forever.
Thoughts
This was okay. It was nothing super special. I think I feel meh about it because there was nothing unique about this story. I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction the only time I don't mind historical fiction is when thoughts of the time are challenged. For example there was a scene where Dacia was covered in blood and Lou couldn't even look at her cousin. It was like she was ashamed of what her cousin did rather than be proud of her. When they weren't properly covered there would be comments about it. And I just didn't care! I understand that this was the time period but I have no interest in listening to old-fashioned thoughts especially in my fantasy.
I loved Lou at the start but she and Dacia had a complete 180 personality change and while I understand what triggered it I thought it was a little unrealistic that both cousins changed so drastically. It was almost like they switched personalities. Dacia slowly gets back to herself by the end but the journey to get there was tedious. I did enjoy that these 2 characters were pretty much complete opposites but like is said it was like they swapped personalities with Dacia slowly getting back to her roots.
I think if you like characters and charters and character development you might enjoy this but I like when there is an interest plot as well as character development. This needed a lot of work in the plot department. And little tweaks to the character development. So unfortunately, this just wasn't for me.
Trigger Warning
Threat of rape, Absent Parents
Now I really want to go to Romania.
Lovely writing, fun characters - Dacia and Lou writing each other remind me of "Sorcery and Cecilia." I only wishthat Dacia's character arc had been as nicely done as Lou's. I had some hope when she had her nervous breakdown thing but then she kind of -snapped!- out of it with no clear reason. And I was glad she was able to accept her whole self but, again, it was a little rushed.
On the flip side, Lou's romantic arc sucked, so I suppose that balanced things.
Lovely writing, fun characters - Dacia and Lou writing each other remind me of "Sorcery and Cecilia." I only wish
On the flip side, Lou's romantic arc sucked, so I suppose that balanced things.
I made it to 100 pages and had to quit because of the cliched characters, inane dialogue, and ridiculousness of plot. I didn't pay attention to the author when I bought the book (thankfully at a discount store) otherwise I would've left this one to rot.
Dacia and Lou are cousins who have grown up together in New York. They’ve always been close so it’s only natural that they would go together to meet their mothers’ family for the first time in Romania. Dacia is fiery and flirtatious and is used to getting her way while Lou is quiet and a little self-conscious. While in Romania, the girls are introduced to an ancient family secret and have to decide between their family and doing what’s right.
This is not the retelling that I expected…I kind of expected a Red Riding Hood retelling (I guess from the wolf on the cover) but let me tell you…it’s not that. If anything it’s kind of a Dracula retelling–so be warned. Okay, first off, Jessica Day George is a graduate of BYU so holla at my alumni buddy! Secondly, I’ve really liked some of her other books. Namely Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow and The Princesses of Westfalin series. They’re kind of no-brainer books, but I’ve liked them all the same so I was really excited when I was approved for this book on NetGalley. The beginning was really confusing for me. I didn’t really know what was going on and, like I said earlier, I thought this was a Red Riding Hood story. I think even if you go into the book knowing what kind of retelling it is, you’ll probably still be confused at first. But that’s okay, because our main characters are also confused, so we’re just all confused together.
I liked the contrast between Dacia and Lou. I felt that they were both strong leads, but in different ways. I especially enjoyed watching Lou’s growth throughout the book. She starts out fairly timid but as the book progresses, she gains a lot of confidence and begins to see some of her good qualities instead of just focusing on the negative. Dacia’s growth was a little more interesting…I had a hard time reconciling her mood swings. First she’s super confident, then she learns the family secret and descends into a funk. I understand that, but then I felt like she bounced back really fast–a little too fast maybe. Her ability to regain her confidence would have made more sense if she and Lou had been able to have a really good conversation about what was going on, but that never happened. Dacia’s mood change appeared to come about by watching Lou talk to other people and wearing a Parisian dress…yeah, I don’t get it.
The other characters in this book were fine. I was glad that the romance wasn’t really at the forefront of the story. The bad characters were appropriately hate-able, but I actually wish there was something a little more redeemable about them. Just like we want our heroes to have some flaws, I think villains need to have some good in them. They can’t just be 100% evil or else there isn’t as much conflict for our heroes.
The last thing that I was confused about is the mention of Dacia and Lou having silver in their blood. It’s mentioned but then never talked about again. Is the silver significant? If so, why is it never explained? Why was it brought up in the first place? It just felt like that detail was thrown in there, but then nothing happened with it. Overall, I liked the book okay–not as much as some of her other stories. If it happens to turn into a series, I don’t know that I’d read any more.
Overall Rating: 3
Language: None
Violence: Heavy
Sexual Content: Mild. A lot of nudity from the shapeshifting (they can’t keep their clothes on in their alternate forms), but nothing explicitly described. Some rape threats.
Smoking/Drinking: Mild
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is not the retelling that I expected…I kind of expected a Red Riding Hood retelling (I guess from the wolf on the cover) but let me tell you…it’s not that. If anything it’s kind of a Dracula retelling–so be warned. Okay, first off, Jessica Day George is a graduate of BYU so holla at my alumni buddy! Secondly, I’ve really liked some of her other books. Namely Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow and The Princesses of Westfalin series. They’re kind of no-brainer books, but I’ve liked them all the same so I was really excited when I was approved for this book on NetGalley. The beginning was really confusing for me. I didn’t really know what was going on and, like I said earlier, I thought this was a Red Riding Hood story. I think even if you go into the book knowing what kind of retelling it is, you’ll probably still be confused at first. But that’s okay, because our main characters are also confused, so we’re just all confused together.
I liked the contrast between Dacia and Lou. I felt that they were both strong leads, but in different ways. I especially enjoyed watching Lou’s growth throughout the book. She starts out fairly timid but as the book progresses, she gains a lot of confidence and begins to see some of her good qualities instead of just focusing on the negative. Dacia’s growth was a little more interesting…I had a hard time reconciling her mood swings. First she’s super confident, then she learns the family secret and descends into a funk. I understand that, but then I felt like she bounced back really fast–a little too fast maybe. Her ability to regain her confidence would have made more sense if she and Lou had been able to have a really good conversation about what was going on, but that never happened. Dacia’s mood change appeared to come about by watching Lou talk to other people and wearing a Parisian dress…yeah, I don’t get it.
The other characters in this book were fine. I was glad that the romance wasn’t really at the forefront of the story. The bad characters were appropriately hate-able, but I actually wish there was something a little more redeemable about them. Just like we want our heroes to have some flaws, I think villains need to have some good in them. They can’t just be 100% evil or else there isn’t as much conflict for our heroes.
The last thing that I was confused about is the mention of Dacia and Lou having silver in their blood. It’s mentioned but then never talked about again. Is the silver significant? If so, why is it never explained? Why was it brought up in the first place? It just felt like that detail was thrown in there, but then nothing happened with it. Overall, I liked the book okay–not as much as some of her other stories. If it happens to turn into a series, I don’t know that I’d read any more.
Overall Rating: 3
Language: None
Violence: Heavy
Sexual Content: Mild. A lot of nudity from the shapeshifting (they can’t keep their clothes on in their alternate forms), but nothing explicitly described. Some rape threats.
Smoking/Drinking: Mild
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5/5
If this is actually a stand-alone then I really commend the author! This was a pretty decent fantasy story and I feel like the ending was wrapped up enough for it to stay a stand alone or to be expanded. I would not mind if it was expanded.
I had a little trouble with the beginning, it took such a long time to find out what secrets the family was hiding, but after that things started happening super quickly. So overall, the pacing was scrambled. I would've preferred the action to be a little more spread out.
However, the characters were so well developed! I really loved Dacia in the beginning, had some issues with her in the middle, but loved her again by the end. I was honestly so shocked by her reaction to being a shapeshifting wolf. I thought she would relish being able to defend herself and lash out at enemies etc. Lou was much more quiet compared to Dacia, but omg I loved how she changed after finding out the family secrets. She was so cool and intelligent. I just really loved Lou so much by the end of this book. There was also some cute romance so that added to this :D
If this is actually a stand-alone then I really commend the author! This was a pretty decent fantasy story and I feel like the ending was wrapped up enough for it to stay a stand alone or to be expanded. I would not mind if it was expanded.
I had a little trouble with the beginning, it took such a long time to find out what secrets the family was hiding, but after that things started happening super quickly. So overall, the pacing was scrambled. I would've preferred the action to be a little more spread out.
However, the characters were so well developed! I really loved Dacia in the beginning, had some issues with her in the middle, but loved her again by the end.
I requested the book because i) It's in Romania, ii) in the 1890s, iii) "shape-shifters" in the synopsis and iv) gorgeous cover! Does it not sound intriguing to you??
There seems to be a letter or article or journal entry before each actual chapter and I really liked that.
The book is told in two third-person POVs. Dacia and Lou have been "bosom companions since infancy". The two characters are quite different and the distinction between the two voices is great! I'm glad even with their different personalities, I can still relate to them both. Lou's shyness and insecurity are relatable to the best of us but Dacia's wild heart makes me want to dance away the night with her!
There's this thing where if a character is arrogant or powerful or whatever, they must prove themselves to me to be worthy of their over-confidence and their power. I feel like while both Lou and Dacia have proven to me for certain things, I still believe they haven't earned their power. Dacia is quite arrogant (though no where near Celaena) because of her beauty and her linage, neither of which I think should be the reason you're proud of yourself for because you haven't done anything to earn either. She also revels in attention, which is great, but she wants power, to be Queen or Princess or whatever and pretends that she is but with that also comes great responsibility and while she does take up responsibility toward the end, the fact is still that she's risen to power too fast that she's neither ready for nor proven herself for, to me at least. Perhaps some people will be satisfied with what she did toward the end and say that she deserves the power given to her but to me, that isn't enough, not for the heights of power and control that she has.
Same goes to Lou. She's actually done quite a few things to help and rescue using her power but I don't think she's ready for nor deserves the responsibility and the title that the power gives her. Perhaps they'll develop more in the future.
I liked the writing, it was lyrical and great but the thing is, I couldn't always imagine what it was describing. It's not just the writing but some scenes are just to bizarre to imagine, such as a large pack of wolves in the middle of a castle's corridor. I tried hard to imagine that with what was said in the book but I had a really hard time.
I feel like my heart isn't really all that into the review but neither was my mind in the book. Perhaps it's because of the fact that I am just getting out of a reading slump but while it was enjoyable enough while reading, it's not a memorable read. I doubt I'll be continuing the series since it ending quite nicely.
This review was posted on July 8, 2015 on a blog that is now private. I thought I would now have them here as well!
There seems to be a letter or article or journal entry before each actual chapter and I really liked that.
The book is told in two third-person POVs. Dacia and Lou have been "bosom companions since infancy". The two characters are quite different and the distinction between the two voices is great! I'm glad even with their different personalities, I can still relate to them both. Lou's shyness and insecurity are relatable to the best of us but Dacia's wild heart makes me want to dance away the night with her!
There's this thing where if a character is arrogant or powerful or whatever, they must prove themselves to me to be worthy of their over-confidence and their power. I feel like while both Lou and Dacia have proven to me for certain things, I still believe they haven't earned their power. Dacia is quite arrogant (though no where near Celaena) because of her beauty and her linage, neither of which I think should be the reason you're proud of yourself for because you haven't done anything to earn either. She also revels in attention, which is great, but she wants power, to be Queen or Princess or whatever and pretends that she is but with that also comes great responsibility and while she does take up responsibility toward the end, the fact is still that she's risen to power too fast that she's neither ready for nor proven herself for, to me at least. Perhaps some people will be satisfied with what she did toward the end and say that she deserves the power given to her but to me, that isn't enough, not for the heights of power and control that she has.
Same goes to Lou. She's actually done quite a few things to help and rescue using her power but I don't think she's ready for nor deserves the responsibility and the title that the power gives her. Perhaps they'll develop more in the future.
I liked the writing, it was lyrical and great but the thing is, I couldn't always imagine what it was describing. It's not just the writing but some scenes are just to bizarre to imagine, such as a large pack of wolves in the middle of a castle's corridor. I tried hard to imagine that with what was said in the book but I had a really hard time.
I feel like my heart isn't really all that into the review but neither was my mind in the book. Perhaps it's because of the fact that I am just getting out of a reading slump but while it was enjoyable enough while reading, it's not a memorable read. I doubt I'll be continuing the series since it ending quite nicely.
This review was posted on July 8, 2015 on a blog that is now private. I thought I would now have them here as well!
I really liked this book. I didn't exactly like the style of writing but it fit the story pretty well. I read this as an ARC so sometimes the sentences would just cut of, And I wouldn't known what was being said. I was also on vacation while I was reading it so I didn't have a whole lot of time to read It but I did make time to read, seeing at it is finished.
I loved how it was set in a different country, as well as time period. It was set in Romania in 1897. The way that the characters talked and dressed you could tell that it was set in a different time period. The two main characters, Dacia and Lousia-know as Lou- were pretty developed in the beginning, and experienced A LOT of change during the course of the book. Lou was shy and very self-conscious and Dacia was self-confident and had not an ounce of shyness in her. Closer to the end of the middle/end Dacia's and Lou's rolls switched. After the two girls found out that they were only in Romania to find out the family power and kill King Carol so that Prince Mihai could take the throne like he was supposed to, the girls rolls switched. Lou became really self-confident and was not shy anymore while Dacia became really self-conscious. Lou because The Smoke being the reason why she didn't care about her weight and curves and Dacia became the Claw being the reason she started becoming self-conscious because she turned into a wolf.
I absolutely loved the book and enjoyed reading it. I'm pretty sure that this is going to be a new series and can't wait to read the second book if it is.
I loved how it was set in a different country, as well as time period. It was set in Romania in 1897. The way that the characters talked and dressed you could tell that it was set in a different time period. The two main characters, Dacia and Lousia-know as Lou- were pretty developed in the beginning, and experienced A LOT of change during the course of the book. Lou was shy and very self-conscious and Dacia was self-confident and had not an ounce of shyness in her. Closer to the end of the middle/end Dacia's and Lou's rolls switched. After the two girls found out that they were only in Romania to find out the family power and kill King Carol so that Prince Mihai could take the throne like he was supposed to, the girls rolls switched. Lou became really self-confident and was not shy anymore while Dacia became really self-conscious. Lou because The Smoke being the reason why she didn't care about her weight and curves and Dacia became the Claw being the reason she started becoming self-conscious because she turned into a wolf.
I absolutely loved the book and enjoyed reading it. I'm pretty sure that this is going to be a new series and can't wait to read the second book if it is.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief
Moderate: Rape, Violence
I absolutely loved this book! I was so engrossed in this book. It basically consumed every spare minute I've had for the past four days.
I absolutely can't wait to jump into more Jessica Day George. I will be buying the rest of her novels very soon indeed!
I need a sequel.... Like right now!
I absolutely can't wait to jump into more Jessica Day George. I will be buying the rest of her novels very soon indeed!
I need a sequel.... Like right now!