Scan barcode
bloodwitch's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
courtney_saba's review against another edition
1.0
Overall: 1.5 stars. Alright. It wasn't as bad as some reviewers were saying, but it definitely wasn't as good as other reviewers were saying. Pretty average, to be honest, for a young adult book. Pretty forgettable at the end of the day, too.
Fable was alright. The author wanted us to think she was a badass, but she really wasn't. She made some stupid choices, didn't think through some of her decisions, and overall, wasn't a very entertaining character. Sure, she was a gem sage, and she learned some secrets with a bit of skill, but I couldn't summon any care for her.
The crew was okay. There was a gay couple involved, so that was pretty refreshing to see in a book. Willa added a bit of bad girl drama to the group. Hamish was bland, had no personality, and was one-dimensional at most.
West is another thing. I really wanted to like him. When I read books, I tend to pay attention to characters' actions. The foreshadowing and the hints of underlying emotions. If it's not there, then a declaration of love honestly means nothing. The romance bit was very sudden and very unbelievable. The author didn't give the reader any hint or detail or foreshadowing about this supposed romance. I thought it was just a forced relationship because all young adult books have to have romance, I guess. I knew West was going to be our love interest from the beginning, and so I really rooted for the relationship and searched for clues of feelings, but it was lacking. There was one conversation in the middle of the book that hinted at some feelings, but in the end, I didn't know that West felt anything for Fable and vice versa. That's a shame and the declaration in the end was meaningless.
The plot was average. The author built it up to this big thing, this big meeting with Fable and her father, but it wasn't really anything. All this tension and suspense, just for them to talk a little and then move on. The direction of the story just felt like it was checking boxes off for YA drama, and everything was a little too convenient. It wasn't as entertaining as I wanted it to be, or as intricate, or really just enjoyable. I finished this book in a day, so it was easy to read, but that sometimes isn't a good thing.
The world-building was also average. Going back and forth between towns and some ship stuff and the use of a bunch of words that I had no idea of their meaning. I don't know how many times I looked up a pirate ship on Google just so I could understand what all the words meant. It was very hard to imagine the ship Fable was on in the cities. I wanted more detail and less ambiguity about their world in general. Not to mention, their form of money consisted of coppers. But there wasn't any other form of money. So you're telling me that there's only one form and value of money, and that's coppers only? Our money and value system in the United States and elsewhere is so diverse and plentiful. Sure, it seems the world is set in the past, but this doesn't mean that you can get away with having only one kind of money value. So another weak point.
In the end, I really had looked forward to reading this book. The hype was immense. Everyone had something great to say. There were some exceptions, including a review by a reviewer who I hold to high esteem who also didn't like this book, but I thought I should make my own opinion since the overall majority really enjoyed it. The 2021 slump has been revived.
Would I re-read this book? No, not even close.
Would I recommend this book? Nope.
Was I entertained? Not really.
Beware of the hype, Goodreads fiends.
Fable was alright. The author wanted us to think she was a badass, but she really wasn't. She made some stupid choices, didn't think through some of her decisions, and overall, wasn't a very entertaining character. Sure, she was a gem sage, and she learned some secrets with a bit of skill, but I couldn't summon any care for her.
The crew was okay. There was a gay couple involved, so that was pretty refreshing to see in a book. Willa added a bit of bad girl drama to the group. Hamish was bland, had no personality, and was one-dimensional at most.
West is another thing. I really wanted to like him. When I read books, I tend to pay attention to characters' actions. The foreshadowing and the hints of underlying emotions. If it's not there, then a declaration of love honestly means nothing. The romance bit was very sudden and very unbelievable. The author didn't give the reader any hint or detail or foreshadowing about this supposed romance. I thought it was just a forced relationship because all young adult books have to have romance, I guess. I knew West was going to be our love interest from the beginning, and so I really rooted for the relationship and searched for clues of feelings, but it was lacking. There was one conversation in the middle of the book that hinted at some feelings, but in the end, I didn't know that West felt anything for Fable and vice versa. That's a shame and the declaration in the end was meaningless.
The plot was average. The author built it up to this big thing, this big meeting with Fable and her father, but it wasn't really anything. All this tension and suspense, just for them to talk a little and then move on. The direction of the story just felt like it was checking boxes off for YA drama, and everything was a little too convenient. It wasn't as entertaining as I wanted it to be, or as intricate, or really just enjoyable. I finished this book in a day, so it was easy to read, but that sometimes isn't a good thing.
The world-building was also average. Going back and forth between towns and some ship stuff and the use of a bunch of words that I had no idea of their meaning. I don't know how many times I looked up a pirate ship on Google just so I could understand what all the words meant. It was very hard to imagine the ship Fable was on in the cities. I wanted more detail and less ambiguity about their world in general. Not to mention, their form of money consisted of coppers. But there wasn't any other form of money. So you're telling me that there's only one form and value of money, and that's coppers only? Our money and value system in the United States and elsewhere is so diverse and plentiful. Sure, it seems the world is set in the past, but this doesn't mean that you can get away with having only one kind of money value. So another weak point.
In the end, I really had looked forward to reading this book. The hype was immense. Everyone had something great to say. There were some exceptions, including a review by a reviewer who I hold to high esteem who also didn't like this book, but I thought I should make my own opinion since the overall majority really enjoyed it. The 2021 slump has been revived.
Would I re-read this book? No, not even close.
Would I recommend this book? Nope.
Was I entertained? Not really.
Beware of the hype, Goodreads fiends.
rubywhatashmoo's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.75
votesforwomen's review against another edition
3.0
Very good and extremely quick. It just didn’t grab me as much I was hoping for, and I didn’t connect with most of the characters. Overall, though: I love seafaring stories.
gssmith7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
bright_night's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
I think it's now over three years since I got my very first Fairyloot box. And I have to admit that way too many of the books are still unread, even though I do intend to read them. However, when this book ended up in the Fairyloot box I was quite intrigued and I promised myself that I would read it soon. I'm not entirely sure how other people define soon, but I would say that within a couple of months is soon enough.
I have to admit that at first I had some issues with the settings and the world. For some reason it didn't really grab me. The characters didn't really work for me, the culture didn't really work for me, the whole crew thing didn't really work for me. However, at some moment the secrets came into play. We learned that all those characters were witholding information, were lying or had their own agenda. And that was the moment my interest started to grow.
Because that was the moment that all the plotting, scheming and planning came into play. To get the things they wanted or needed, they had to get certain things done in certain ways, without outing themselves or their friends. Not only was it quite nice to see all the secrets coming to light, but I also really enjoyed the slowly blossoming friendships. The more part of the crew Fable became, the more I started to care about this crew.
I have to admit that Fable never really became my kind of character. It's hard to pinpoint why, because she did seem a realistic product of her world and upbringing and her story and development did seem natural. And yet there wasn't really a click. Just like I really couldn't feel a click with West. I assume that's because I have the feeling we know so little about him. He never really showed us his cards, what's going on in his mind and what kind of person he is.
But who knows, maybe I'll get all that in the sequel. I will certainly read it to see for myself!
I have to admit that at first I had some issues with the settings and the world. For some reason it didn't really grab me. The characters didn't really work for me, the culture didn't really work for me, the whole crew thing didn't really work for me. However, at some moment the secrets came into play. We learned that all those characters were witholding information, were lying or had their own agenda. And that was the moment my interest started to grow.
Because that was the moment that all the plotting, scheming and planning came into play. To get the things they wanted or needed, they had to get certain things done in certain ways, without outing themselves or their friends. Not only was it quite nice to see all the secrets coming to light, but I also really enjoyed the slowly blossoming friendships. The more part of the crew Fable became, the more I started to care about this crew.
I have to admit that Fable never really became my kind of character. It's hard to pinpoint why, because she did seem a realistic product of her world and upbringing and her story and development did seem natural. And yet there wasn't really a click. Just like I really couldn't feel a click with West. I assume that's because I have the feeling we know so little about him. He never really showed us his cards, what's going on in his mind and what kind of person he is.
But who knows, maybe I'll get all that in the sequel. I will certainly read it to see for myself!
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I really, really liked this. It made me want to go seek out more nautical themed books. I loved the main character, the side characters, pretty much everything about it. I did not love the cliffhanger. Hopefully I can score an arc of the next book so I don't have to wait until March.
marthajennings's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.0