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smalljillian's review against another edition
4.25
4.25
This is wildly different from the other novel I’ve read by this author, but ended up enjoying it.
It feels kind of like a soap opera? It’s broken out into 3 parts, but I’m not entirely sure what each part is supposed to correspond to.
Nina is cousin to a very wealthy man who loves her dearly. He is married to Valerie, but it’s a marriage not borne out of love. Enter Hector. He has spent the past 10 years becoming a man worthy of Valerie’s love. He has built himself into a wealthy and honorable man, using his talent (it’s like telekinesis) to become a well-known entertainer. Nina shares his talent, although at a much less developed level and is immediately infatuated with him when they meet. Cue lies, secrecy, deception, and love!
We see an insane amount of personal growth from Hector. I was actively angry at him for about half of this book, he was making some really odd choices and his actions indicated a careless disregard for Nina and her feelings. Eventually he came to see the error of his ways and realize his blind devotion of a decade to Valerie was not healthy or even real. He had been in love with the idea of Valerie, and had overlooked her faults because of love.
Valerie is a very complex character. She’s kind of the epitome of a high society darling, but is deeply, deeply unhappy. She’s vain, narcissistic, and often cruel. But she’s really just filled with a deep sadness that transforms into rage. She feels (somewhat fairly) that her privileged life is only a result of desperate actions from her family. Essentially forced to marry a rich man she holds no affection for at the behest of her family, she is basically a trophy wife with little to no autonomy, so it’s hard to not feel a smidgen of sympathy for her at some points.
I genuinely had no idea where this story was going to go. It’s also a very unique blend of fiction, with fantasy elements as it relates to Hector and Nina’s telekinesis and is set in made up cities, as well as romance and historical fiction because this society is very clearly dictated by antiquated rules of etiquette.
I really liked Garcia Moreno’s storytelling and writing. She has a wonderful way with words, she can make these absolutely beautiful turns of phrase that just kind of stick with you.
This is wildly different from the other novel I’ve read by this author, but ended up enjoying it.
It feels kind of like a soap opera? It’s broken out into 3 parts, but I’m not entirely sure what each part is supposed to correspond to.
Nina is cousin to a very wealthy man who loves her dearly. He is married to Valerie, but it’s a marriage not borne out of love. Enter Hector. He has spent the past 10 years becoming a man worthy of Valerie’s love. He has built himself into a wealthy and honorable man, using his talent (it’s like telekinesis) to become a well-known entertainer. Nina shares his talent, although at a much less developed level and is immediately infatuated with him when they meet. Cue lies, secrecy, deception, and love!
We see an insane amount of personal growth from Hector. I was actively angry at him for about half of this book, he was making some really odd choices and his actions indicated a careless disregard for Nina and her feelings. Eventually he came to see the error of his ways and realize his blind devotion of a decade to Valerie was not healthy or even real. He had been in love with the idea of Valerie, and had overlooked her faults because of love.
Valerie is a very complex character. She’s kind of the epitome of a high society darling, but is deeply, deeply unhappy. She’s vain, narcissistic, and often cruel. But she’s really just filled with a deep sadness that transforms into rage. She feels (somewhat fairly) that her privileged life is only a result of desperate actions from her family. Essentially forced to marry a rich man she holds no affection for at the behest of her family, she is basically a trophy wife with little to no autonomy, so it’s hard to not feel a smidgen of sympathy for her at some points.
I genuinely had no idea where this story was going to go. It’s also a very unique blend of fiction, with fantasy elements as it relates to Hector and Nina’s telekinesis and is set in made up cities, as well as romance and historical fiction because this society is very clearly dictated by antiquated rules of etiquette.
I really liked Garcia Moreno’s storytelling and writing. She has a wonderful way with words, she can make these absolutely beautiful turns of phrase that just kind of stick with you.
its_thekla's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
auroralgr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.25
joysanwhoa's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
expressivekim's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Classism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Body shaming, Gun violence, Infertility, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
tanya_hinduja's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kylarkylar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Incredible love story, beautiful writing. But the tying up towards the end??? Not super believable :/
elysiennee's review against another edition
4.0
I do think it’s a good book. The love and relationships are kind of complicated, and it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. That part, I did love a lot. I loved that Nina matured in Part 2, at least somewhat. It was quite noticeable even though she did continue to make questionable choices. The book in the end managed to convince me that Hector had truly changed and had me rooting for him eventually. In the beginning of part two, I actually wanted Nina to marry Luc, even though it was obvious that he would eventually be painted in a bad light, he did seem to genuinely have some sort of affection for her. I just didn’t believe Hector at all. But the book managed to convince me that Hector really loves Nina and that they are well matched. Even though I seemed to have enjoyed it somewhat, I also didn’t enjoy it THAT much. It is a good book though, not at all the typical romance, but at the same time very typical as well, if that makes sense. All in all, quite conflicting.
amw5471's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a fun alternate world, like a fantasy Jane Austen. The story was beautiful and so where the relationships the author built. If you love a 19th century British novel and Sarah J Maas (with less spice) you’ll probably like this.