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rchll's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
alexperc_92's review
5.0
I seriously didn't expect such a lush, detailed world with mystery and budding romance. Thank you Nenia for the recommendation! I'll definitely read the next ones.
thereaderandthebeast's review
1.0
DNF.
La escritura no funcionó para mí, demasiado reiterativa... todo un arte el de escribir sin decir nada. Lo siento, no pude.
La escritura no funcionó para mí, demasiado reiterativa... todo un arte el de escribir sin decir nada. Lo siento, no pude.
anzuk's review
2.0
I'm finding it a tad difficult to rate this one. For one, I really like the idea of a thin line between hero and villain. Questionable actions, justifying them from a different point of view that might not seem so evil in the end. Tristan, our local might-be-demon, is precisely that. I think he is my favorite part of this book. His strangeness is fascinating, the author did a great job fleshing him out. I still felt at times that he was a bit bland, too robotic. But maybe that was the idea, to make him feel 'wrong'.
Isla, our protagonist... Eh. I did not click with her whatsoever. I couldn't help but feel a constant condescending air about her, a special snowflake kind of deal. I can get over that, sometimes. The way her relationship and feelings towards Tristan changed over time was too childish, it did not feel like a natural progression or a connection. There was no chemistry. It happened, and that's about it. They're an item now. Deal with it.
Some other things I like were the little inserts of random trivia about how certain things worked back in the day, hygiene, and whatnot. Even though sometimes it felt a little bit strange to have it all of a sudden take the spotlight in a scene.
Overall, the mood of the setting was nothing special, I would have enjoyed it more if it was gloomier and darker, more atmospheric. But that's just me and the typical things that draw me to gothic novels, I like me them desolate moods. At times I found myself grinding through the chapters, waiting for something to happen. It was a complete slug at the end, it took much too long to be able to finish than anticipated.
Will I be giving the rest of the series a try? No. I think this was more than enough for me.
Isla, our protagonist... Eh. I did not click with her whatsoever. I couldn't help but feel a constant condescending air about her, a special snowflake kind of deal. I can get over that, sometimes. The way her relationship and feelings towards Tristan changed over time was too childish, it did not feel like a natural progression or a connection. There was no chemistry. It happened, and that's about it. They're an item now. Deal with it.
Some other things I like were the little inserts of random trivia about how certain things worked back in the day, hygiene, and whatnot. Even though sometimes it felt a little bit strange to have it all of a sudden take the spotlight in a scene.
Overall, the mood of the setting was nothing special, I would have enjoyed it more if it was gloomier and darker, more atmospheric. But that's just me and the typical things that draw me to gothic novels, I like me them desolate moods. At times I found myself grinding through the chapters, waiting for something to happen. It was a complete slug at the end, it took much too long to be able to finish than anticipated.
Will I be giving the rest of the series a try? No. I think this was more than enough for me.
literaryhomeland's review
3.0
Okay, so, this book was... interesting?
It’s kind of gothic off the rails. Yes, arguably, gothic of course is dark, but this is just, well, something else.
The ending was a bit too random for me, and unfortunately the reviews for the second book isn’t great so I’m not going to continue the series, but please be aware before you read this that there are a lot of trigger warnings and sensitive terms that do crop out of nowhere. This book is EXTREMELY trigger heavy and therefore why I’m not tagging as spoilers and going fully in depth because I would rather potential readers be aware of that and mindful of it before proceeding to read the book.
The world building is honestly something else, and it was captivating — don’t get me wrong! It was a very enjoyable read! But some of it made even me, a dark read enthusiast, found this a little too much. It had the content there, I just felt like there was just something missing I couldn’t put my finger on?
Anyway! If you are looking for a read that is completely out there, give it a go! Just be mindful of the triggering content, please!
It’s kind of gothic off the rails. Yes, arguably, gothic of course is dark, but this is just, well, something else.
The ending was a bit too random for me, and unfortunately the reviews for the second book isn’t great so I’m not going to continue the series, but please be aware before you read this that there are a lot of trigger warnings and sensitive terms that do crop out of nowhere. This book is EXTREMELY trigger heavy and therefore why I’m not tagging as spoilers and going fully in depth because I would rather potential readers be aware of that and mindful of it before proceeding to read the book.
The world building is honestly something else, and it was captivating — don’t get me wrong! It was a very enjoyable read! But some of it made even me, a dark read enthusiast, found this a little too much. It had the content there, I just felt like there was just something missing I couldn’t put my finger on?
Anyway! If you are looking for a read that is completely out there, give it a go! Just be mindful of the triggering content, please!
clairetrellahill's review
DNF at 40%
Sadly this didn’t catch me enough to make me keep going. The weird blend of historical things (and long asides to explain things), seemingly incongruous minor character motivations from chapter to chapter, the ahistorical Woke monologues here and there, all made me go hunt for other reviews to see if I should stick with it. Alas the thing I was invested in, the heroine marrying this monster guy, doesn’t even happen in this book. Lame. The idea of this book clearly carries more weight than the actual text.
Sadly this didn’t catch me enough to make me keep going. The weird blend of historical things (and long asides to explain things), seemingly incongruous minor character motivations from chapter to chapter, the ahistorical Woke monologues here and there, all made me go hunt for other reviews to see if I should stick with it. Alas the thing I was invested in, the heroine marrying this monster guy, doesn’t even happen in this book. Lame. The idea of this book clearly carries more weight than the actual text.
juliamaria1999's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
valleisu's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
laureading's review
1.0
DNF.
La escritura no funcionó para mí, demasiado reiterativa... todo un arte el de escribir sin decir nada. Lo siento, no pude.
La escritura no funcionó para mí, demasiado reiterativa... todo un arte el de escribir sin decir nada. Lo siento, no pude.