Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
I really wanted to read this following all of the hype that I had seen surrounding it, but I just couldn't get into it. It is a shame as I think there is a lot of potential and maybe if I approach it at another time I might be able to get into it, but I just couldn't push myself to be bothered about the characters which is a rare event for me.
This is not a terrible book. It’s just a boring book. There are three hundred and twenty-eight pages in this book, and within those pages there is very little plot. Are there things going on? Are our main characters struggling with issues? Well, yes. But, they aren’t very proactive about it.
There is a lot – a lot – of waiting in this novel. Waiting for Ash to make a decision. Waiting for a Donia to do something. Waiting for Keenan and Beria to finish their game. Just waiting.
Now the characters. There are a lot of characters in this novel, but most of them are flat. Honestly, I couldn’t tell Ash’s friends apart. Or Seth’s friends. Or most of the fairies.
As for the main characters: Ash was a boring female lead. She was just there, letting the other characters move her along. Seth was too perfect, which made him just as boring as Ash. Your characters need flaws and he had none. His life was Ash, and that just seemed depressing. Beria was more development in some ways, but in the end she felt more like a villain from a Disney film than a centuries old Queen. Keenan was a mixed bag: sometimes he felt like a jerk and other times he was creepy. But, sometimes I saw something interesting shine inside him. The anger and the frustration and the sadness that would have come with his job shined through when he was with Donia, and I wish there had been more of that side of him. Donia was the only character who seemed to have a real personality. Truth be told, she was the only character I looked forward to reading about. I wish it had been her story more than it was Ash’s.
I’m going to be kind and give this a 2.8. I bought it, but really wish I had gotten it from the library instead.
There is a lot – a lot – of waiting in this novel. Waiting for Ash to make a decision. Waiting for a Donia to do something. Waiting for Keenan and Beria to finish their game. Just waiting.
Now the characters. There are a lot of characters in this novel, but most of them are flat. Honestly, I couldn’t tell Ash’s friends apart. Or Seth’s friends. Or most of the fairies.
As for the main characters: Ash was a boring female lead. She was just there, letting the other characters move her along. Seth was too perfect, which made him just as boring as Ash. Your characters need flaws and he had none. His life was Ash, and that just seemed depressing. Beria was more development in some ways, but in the end she felt more like a villain from a Disney film than a centuries old Queen. Keenan was a mixed bag: sometimes he felt like a jerk and other times he was creepy. But, sometimes I saw something interesting shine inside him. The anger and the frustration and the sadness that would have come with his job shined through when he was with Donia, and I wish there had been more of that side of him. Donia was the only character who seemed to have a real personality. Truth be told, she was the only character I looked forward to reading about. I wish it had been her story more than it was Ash’s.
I’m going to be kind and give this a 2.8. I bought it, but really wish I had gotten it from the library instead.
I first read this when it came out so still have that younger me attachment to it. I still enjoy the story as i continue to be obsessed with faeries.
Another disappointment to add to my list. At first, I enjoyed the story and Seth sounded sexy. He still does sound sexy, but I lost interest in his relationship with Aislinn half-way through the book. Keenan sounded way too interested in his past lover {I forgot her name} and every girl who was a possible Summer Queen candidate got his attention or had his love. I dropped the book at around 3/4 of the book, maybe more because I think I had 100 or less pages left to read. Anyways, I spoiled the ending for myself and just went on Wikipedia to read the ending. I was tired to reading it and decided the book didn't have my interest anymore. The ending is different from usual faery books, but I didn't care for it.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked this one because people read it who had read Twilight. It is about a girl who can see fairies. They are human sized (more like kind of bad elves). I thought the story was pretty good. I am reading the sequel right now.
dark
medium-paced
Aislinn has seen faeries all her life. She hides this secret as she knows what will happen to her if the fae discover this truth. So, she lives by three simple rules: don’t stare at the invisible faeries, don’t speak to an invisible fae and don’t attract their attention.
She thought these rules would keep her safe. But now powerful and dangerous faerie are stalking her, including Keenan, who is positive she is important to his and the Summer Court’s survival. But Aislinn isn’t going to give her humanity so easily… but it might already be too late.
I remember this series from the mid-2000s. It seem to explode on the scene around the same time as the Twilight Saga hype train while every publisher was trying to find the next big thing to ride on Stephenie Meyer’s success. But I didn’t know much about this, expect that the original cover was very weird (I will see if I can find it and put in the post somewhere so you can see).
And you can tell that it was written in the 2000 YA. It hits all the YA supernatural romance troupe. It reminds me of an Instagram video of someone gently-poking fun at YA heroines (search for “Lavender Arsenic Avocado Basket” and you’ll see what I mean). There was something nice and easy about reading this and I am tempted to read the sequel, Ink Exchange, if it is ever really cheap on my kindle or if I see it in my local library randomly.
However, it wasn’t the most filling read. Does that sense? It feels like a sunny, beach read rather than a Halloween read. Plus, we have come a long way from the 2000s and the YA fantasy romance off the time. We’ve all read Twilight, Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, Need by Carrie Jones, The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting and Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor and many others from that time and some were strongly written and have survived the test of times and others… not so much. So, you have to give this series the respect it deserves as it’s still here and going from strength to strength, even now after 20 years on the tough teen market.
While the writing is solid and I get why many readers hold this series close to their hearts, this isn’t really for me. It’s readable and it was enjoyable, was not exactly something I would rave about. Maybe as the series goes on, I will fall under its spell (I am very curious over the next book in the series, Ink Exchange…)
She thought these rules would keep her safe. But now powerful and dangerous faerie are stalking her, including Keenan, who is positive she is important to his and the Summer Court’s survival. But Aislinn isn’t going to give her humanity so easily… but it might already be too late.
I remember this series from the mid-2000s. It seem to explode on the scene around the same time as the Twilight Saga hype train while every publisher was trying to find the next big thing to ride on Stephenie Meyer’s success. But I didn’t know much about this, expect that the original cover was very weird (I will see if I can find it and put in the post somewhere so you can see).
And you can tell that it was written in the 2000 YA. It hits all the YA supernatural romance troupe. It reminds me of an Instagram video of someone gently-poking fun at YA heroines (search for “Lavender Arsenic Avocado Basket” and you’ll see what I mean). There was something nice and easy about reading this and I am tempted to read the sequel, Ink Exchange, if it is ever really cheap on my kindle or if I see it in my local library randomly.
However, it wasn’t the most filling read. Does that sense? It feels like a sunny, beach read rather than a Halloween read. Plus, we have come a long way from the 2000s and the YA fantasy romance off the time. We’ve all read Twilight, Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, Need by Carrie Jones, The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting and Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor and many others from that time and some were strongly written and have survived the test of times and others… not so much. So, you have to give this series the respect it deserves as it’s still here and going from strength to strength, even now after 20 years on the tough teen market.
While the writing is solid and I get why many readers hold this series close to their hearts, this isn’t really for me. It’s readable and it was enjoyable, was not exactly something I would rave about. Maybe as the series goes on, I will fall under its spell (I am very curious over the next book in the series, Ink Exchange…)
This book actually had some really good points. I really appreciated a fresh take on the fairy/human story dynamic (meaning the mythology and history behind the characters, because the actual story was pretty…old school, and pretty 90’s Young Adult). I liked the characters to a degree, and the intensity of the main character and her abilities. I even sort of was ok with the romance she had. But the thing I didn’t like was how committed the storyline was vs. how committed the characters seemed to be. This is literally a life or death situation for every character and they are pretty friggin’ nonchalant about the whole thing. Especially after
Spoiler
she finds out the woman killed her mother! I mean, she just blows it off, doesn’t want to kill her, nothing, just keeps hooking up with her crappy emo boyfriend who is so ridiculous we even get an STD test! I mean, what? We needed a moment where she was pushed into the arms of the Summer King, not when he’s allowed to have sex with the new Winter Queen in a trailer made of iron! What a COP OUT!
The author did try and be different and think outside for a YA (quote from my co-book club member) but it was way too repetitive for my liking and to me had a big miscommunication plot device, like if he would have just been upfront from the beginning things could be been handled sooner and probably differently.