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ria_mhrj's review against another edition
4.0
Great fun! Fast paced and spiralling in unexpected directions, Tess was a wonderful character to follow. My only complaint was that the love interest(s?) didn't quite excite me. Nonetheless, looking forward to reading book 2!
aeslis's review against another edition
4.0
Tess is a fabulous character that goes through a good deal of character development in a short time. In the beginning she's reactionary to what's going on--an assassination and hostile takeover--but she has been trained well enough by her mentor that she may as well be called a ninja. She just didn't realize that during all throughout her childhood, the games her mentor played with her were for sharpening her skills. Once she starts putting things together, she makes good use of all her talents, and starts to capitalize on them, manipulating events so that she is in control instead of those that are pursuing her.
The characters are great and the author writes enjoyable dialogue. I enjoyed the hidden underworld and intricate plots and the loyalties of the characters.
One thing that distracted me was the word that was used for cursing in this world: "chu," sometimes "stinking chu pits" or other variations. Unfortunately, what a chu pit is is never explained, so I wondered every time I read it. There were also a few times that some of the writing went somewhat fast, skipping over some cues to clue you into what people were talking about, so you had to fill in a few minor blanks. Nothing that took you far out of the story, but there were a couple of confusing moments.
The characters are great and the author writes enjoyable dialogue. I enjoyed the hidden underworld and intricate plots and the loyalties of the characters.
One thing that distracted me was the word that was used for cursing in this world: "chu," sometimes "stinking chu pits" or other variations. Unfortunately, what a chu pit is is never explained, so I wondered every time I read it. There were also a few times that some of the writing went somewhat fast, skipping over some cues to clue you into what people were talking about, so you had to fill in a few minor blanks. Nothing that took you far out of the story, but there were a couple of confusing moments.
chaoseisor's review against another edition
2.0
Most frustrating book I've read in a long, long time. Tess was mostly annoying and I could hardly imagine what Duncan looked like, which is a first for me.
rachelreadwhat's review against another edition
2.0
Hmmm... I can't put my finger on why I didn't enjoy this book more. Although the characters acted realistically, I just didn't like them - I don't think there was a single character in the book I'd want to know in real life. Also, the ending sat wrong with me - some things took an unncessarily long time to resolve, some were resolved waaay too quickly, and some just weren't resolved at all. This book might work for some people, but I didn't enjoy it.
singerscientist's review
adventurous
hopeful
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Amazing book that is just as good or better than I remembered it! I am sorely tempted to try the second book again, knowing that other than a few lines, the idiotic and unsatisfying betrayal really wasn't set up in the first book... We'll see.
mindsplinters's review against another edition
2.0
But give it an extra point-five stars. After a slow start, it picked up and I started to like the heroine more. She became more of a realized character with goals and focus; it was also good that she was not always likable since that made her more real. Sometimes I wanted to shake her and that's a good thing. A lot of the supporting cast was interesting and there were enough hints about Other Things to keep me going. I would say, though, that some of the writing choices/word choices themselves are a bit less to my liking. There was some strange fixations going on there.
vicky216n's review against another edition
4.0
I was pleasantly surprised with this book, I thought I knew what to expect from it, but Dawn Cook threw some magical elements that elevated the story and made it even more entertaining.
librarydanielle's review against another edition
5.0
i'll admit I didn't have high hopes for this. I picked it up because goodreads recommended it, and to be honest, I was bored. I started it this afternoon and it was OK. but then things picked up. I highly enjoyed Tess, even though she whines enough for 3 children, and her willingness to keep going even though her world collapsed around her ears shows that she's a decent lead. even though she whines. a lot.
blue_squishie's review against another edition
3.0
A pretty interesting concept, a girl who's been brought up as princess, but she's just a decoy for all the assassination attempts. But the "hidden" story is a bit more interesting, but doesn't get much play in this book, just in the latter half. But it turns out there's a sequel, so that might explain it.