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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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
This is too boring for me to invest my time for four whole novels
couldn't stand the tone of the narrator. she is doing a lot of harm due to colonisation powers & hierarchy but her internal monologue is simultaneously self righteous in parts and in others she doesn't question how to revolt. at least where i got it's understandable but i hated how it was told to you and not shown. just felt annoying
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I could tell in the first few pages the writing would be too on the nose and childish for me, maybe I’ll try again later
The writing was great! I have nothing against the author, and I know it's not easy to write a book, or everyone would do it. So I'm glad they pursued their dreams..
It's just, this book really wasn't for me. And it's a shame because I wanted to like it. The cover is so beautiful (especially the special edition version that I've got). But the more I read, I had to literally convince myself to keep going instead of just putting it down. In case it got better.
I need to stop making myself read things I'm not enjoying.
It's supposed to be an 'adult' fantasy.. but it reads exactly like a YA, just a bit more 'edgier.' Because it deals with angsty topics, like self-harm and alcohol abuse. But it just feels like... ticking the boxes to every political trap out there. Everyone in this book is gay, and while I definitely don't have a problem with that, I have a problem when it's doing it 'just to do it.' Because it's something that's in lately. There's even talk about gender-fluidness. Because we have to tick that box too.
Keera, is angsty and great at everything. It's kinda annoying. She wants to be assertive and closed off, she gives her hand-maiden (who's being abused by a prince) a secret weapon. Because "men are disgusting." I didn't make that up. For a book that's supposed to be 'adult,' I just know I can find this in a high school library. And it has a feeling of being geared towards young women, and that idea that they're reading this kind of stuff.. being so impressionable, it makes me kind of ehhh.
There are so many of the 'fae' books, I can't even keep up. And the differences between elves and fae (dark and light) are kind of confusing.. and not that important. Until we find out that of course, Keera is the 'different' special one, and her existence wows everyone. Like on top of everything else, we've got the 'I'm not special, but I'm not like the other girls,' thing. I've said it before: there's nothing wrong with being like regular girls. It just feels so insulting to the 'regular' girls.
AND, it doesn't end there. All of the halfling men were killed off, and the women are forced as slaves to work as the King's royal assassins. So they're all badasses, they're all hardcore, they're all angsty, they all hate men...
Until - she runs across a hot man, who kisses her randomly in the middle of the battle for...why? Because oh right, she can 'sense' magic too when no one else can. Then she's suddenly in a spiral of romance with this guy, who's supposed to be a legendary evasive Robin Hood type. Except when she gets involved, now he takes a step back, lets her do all the commanding of his people, and makes everyone listen to her..
And alcoholism. We get it, it's repeated every OTHER line that she really wants a drink right now, and after this book, so do I. But she manages to take on the 'legendary' status fighter at a spur-of-the-moment fight while being wasted.
He has magic, yeah. But the only time he ever uses it, is to give Keera a chance to reveal that she can feel it and the 'connection' between them too. Even though she's not supposed to, making Riven go 'oh she's special.'
I don't even know if sex or 'smut' in general was talked about for this book..but it's like a tease about it. They wanted to include it to make it more adult, but it doesn't really happen. Just a couple of times when she starts wanting it, then makes him stop because 'she's not ready,' and he of course, 'respects that.' Again, just another checkbox on the political list.
The scars. She carves names into her body. While the idea is there, and I understand it.. just the way it's done.. it's almost unhealthy in a way that feels like romanticizing it? I know it's not meant to.. but when I think about the target audience, I can't help but feel it. It becomes so much of an inconvenience to her, that she can't wear dresses or show some skin, and doesn't let people get close.. like okay. But you knew this before you started doing that, it had to cross your mind at some point. Why not just keep a journal instead? Because now it just feels like it's there to pull attention and pity if anyone happens to see it.
Oh, oh. And, she's all talk about being badass and angsty..but we just had to have a ball scene, where she wears the most amazing dress and has everyone's attention just by walking through the door. The attention of the special fae guy and even the prince.. but she doesn't 'do' girly things. Except for when they need her to do something female readers want to imagine themselves doing.
Maybe it's fun for people who like fae romance books.. but I'd be too worried about letting highschool girls read it. :/
I'm really really curious about where the 5 stars came from. If I was being generous, I could give it 2, but that is "it was okay." And I had to go with "I didn't like it," instead, because I just didn't. I'm sorry.
It's just, this book really wasn't for me. And it's a shame because I wanted to like it. The cover is so beautiful (especially the special edition version that I've got). But the more I read, I had to literally convince myself to keep going instead of just putting it down. In case it got better.
I need to stop making myself read things I'm not enjoying.
It's supposed to be an 'adult' fantasy.. but it reads exactly like a YA, just a bit more 'edgier.' Because it deals with angsty topics, like self-harm and alcohol abuse. But it just feels like... ticking the boxes to every political trap out there. Everyone in this book is gay, and while I definitely don't have a problem with that, I have a problem when it's doing it 'just to do it.' Because it's something that's in lately. There's even talk about gender-fluidness. Because we have to tick that box too.
Keera, is angsty and great at everything. It's kinda annoying. She wants to be assertive and closed off, she gives her hand-maiden (who's being abused by a prince) a secret weapon. Because "men are disgusting." I didn't make that up. For a book that's supposed to be 'adult,' I just know I can find this in a high school library. And it has a feeling of being geared towards young women, and that idea that they're reading this kind of stuff.. being so impressionable, it makes me kind of ehhh.
There are so many of the 'fae' books, I can't even keep up. And the differences between elves and fae (dark and light) are kind of confusing.. and not that important. Until we find out that of course, Keera is the 'different' special one, and her existence wows everyone. Like on top of everything else, we've got the 'I'm not special, but I'm not like the other girls,' thing. I've said it before: there's nothing wrong with being like regular girls. It just feels so insulting to the 'regular' girls.
AND, it doesn't end there. All of the halfling men were killed off, and the women are forced as slaves to work as the King's royal assassins. So they're all badasses, they're all hardcore, they're all angsty, they all hate men...
Until - she runs across a hot man, who kisses her randomly in the middle of the battle for...why? Because oh right, she can 'sense' magic too when no one else can. Then she's suddenly in a spiral of romance with this guy, who's supposed to be a legendary evasive Robin Hood type. Except when she gets involved, now he takes a step back, lets her do all the commanding of his people, and makes everyone listen to her..
And alcoholism. We get it, it's repeated every OTHER line that she really wants a drink right now, and after this book, so do I. But she manages to take on the 'legendary' status fighter at a spur-of-the-moment fight while being wasted.
He has magic, yeah. But the only time he ever uses it, is to give Keera a chance to reveal that she can feel it and the 'connection' between them too. Even though she's not supposed to, making Riven go 'oh she's special.'
I don't even know if sex or 'smut' in general was talked about for this book..but it's like a tease about it. They wanted to include it to make it more adult, but it doesn't really happen. Just a couple of times when she starts wanting it, then makes him stop because 'she's not ready,' and he of course, 'respects that.' Again, just another checkbox on the political list.
The scars. She carves names into her body. While the idea is there, and I understand it.. just the way it's done.. it's almost unhealthy in a way that feels like romanticizing it? I know it's not meant to.. but when I think about the target audience, I can't help but feel it. It becomes so much of an inconvenience to her, that she can't wear dresses or show some skin, and doesn't let people get close.. like okay. But you knew this before you started doing that, it had to cross your mind at some point. Why not just keep a journal instead? Because now it just feels like it's there to pull attention and pity if anyone happens to see it.
Oh, oh. And, she's all talk about being badass and angsty..but we just had to have a ball scene, where she wears the most amazing dress and has everyone's attention just by walking through the door. The attention of the special fae guy and even the prince.. but she doesn't 'do' girly things. Except for when they need her to do something female readers want to imagine themselves doing.
Maybe it's fun for people who like fae romance books.. but I'd be too worried about letting highschool girls read it. :/
I'm really really curious about where the 5 stars came from. If I was being generous, I could give it 2, but that is "it was okay." And I had to go with "I didn't like it," instead, because I just didn't. I'm sorry.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn't particularly love the characters or the plot. Great ideas but not great execution.