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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Beauty and the Beast meets Red Riding hood with similar feels to Novak's Uproot.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love a dark fairytale retelling, so I was all in on the premise. I didn’t fully get my head around the magic system, but it was nature based and that was clear enough for me. I think listening to the audiobook fit well with the atmospheric nature of the book.
I don’t know that I really loved any of the characters, but I was intrigued by their dynamics. I think there was a lot more to pull at in the sister relationship and I’ll be interested to see how that plays out in book 2.
I appreciated that the stakes were different between the overall world impact (high) and the romance (lower) because I realized partway through that I simply didn’t have the patience for higher stakes in the latter case.
If I had been in the mood for a deep, rich, and highly complex story, this wouldn’t be it. There’s a bit more telling than showing in some spots, but as I was listening to audio I found that worked for my level of processing.
I don’t know that I really loved any of the characters, but I was intrigued by their dynamics. I think there was a lot more to pull at in the sister relationship and I’ll be interested to see how that plays out in book 2.
I appreciated that the stakes were different between the overall world impact (high) and the romance (lower) because I realized partway through that I simply didn’t have the patience for higher stakes in the latter case.
If I had been in the mood for a deep, rich, and highly complex story, this wouldn’t be it. There’s a bit more telling than showing in some spots, but as I was listening to audio I found that worked for my level of processing.
definitely dragged in the beginning but sucked me in after we finally got the plot moving
lowkey too much detail and overexplanation to the point of boredom and also confusion
loved the slow burn romance between Eammon and Red
confused about the town bc ??? i guess inbreeding isnt a thing in this world lol
lowkey too much detail and overexplanation to the point of boredom and also confusion
loved the slow burn romance between Eammon and Red
confused about the town bc ??? i guess inbreeding isnt a thing in this world lol
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hard to rate this one. Probably a 3.5…compelling for sure. I am going to read book 2 and then rate them together, I think!
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loved the story overall, but sometimes didn't enjoy the cut aways for interludes, even though they were useful to understanding the plot. Felt occasionally like the author used big words improperly to sound smart but they weren't fully wrong? Idk, very good book though.
This book started a bit slow and took some time to develop a sense of urgency. It did pick up, though (about 1/3rd in), and was more engaging. The descriptions were beautiful, atmospheric, and dark (though sometimes veering into melodramatics) and the twists and turns felt mostly organic and unique (though some left me with unanswered questions). I really loved the way the author described the power of the Wilderwood. The characters could have been developed a bit more because I didn’t care as much as I probably should have. I especially felt like Eammon was unfinished. He seemed a bit like the generic love interest who conveniently kept things from Red to “protect her” (ewww this trope) when I wanted him to be the hard, centuries-old beast-creature he was advertised to be. I actually found that I preferred the chapters back in Valleyda with Red’s sister Neve, which was the side story rather than the main plot. All in all, a good read. I’ll likely pick up the second when it comes out next year.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
It was entertaining enough, but seemed very similar to Uprooted. Though, the writing wasn’t was strong. I found some plot points didn’t connect, but it was fine overall. I wish we had more of the sister dynamic. I felt this could have been a great example of showing desperate people do stupid things. But though it was trying to convey that, the way it was written glossed over those emotions that I think could have really hit well.
World building could also have been stronger and the choices made for power didn’t have much negative consequence as was hyped
World building could also have been stronger and the choices made for power didn’t have much negative consequence as was hyped