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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Do you want dialogue that feels like an AI generated Shakespearen comedy that never made it into the folios? Prompted by a middle schooler? Dialogue that’s trying really fucking hard to sound like the 18th century kind and conversations that last 15 pages, wherein the same damn point gets repeated again and again and we never GET ANYWHERE? Do you want characters that tell tell tell and absolutely no showing? Do you HATE plot and want your book to be the kind where nothing ever happens? A female character that is all-powerful and super important but for some reason chose submission and abuse for five years until a dude came into her life? And the dude is a fucking idiot asshole? And they fall in love because….well, because! Because we want a romance plot, of course! Oh? and do you want an ending so stupid, a build-up to a sequel so astoundingly boring, full of MORE UNREALISTIC DIALOGUE THAT DRAGS ON AND ON AND ON? I got just the thing for you!
This was a super solid first book. I am definitely going to continue with this series because it really felt like it was just getting started.
UPDATE ON 07/28/2024
yeah this is 5 stars I haven’t stopped thinking about it
UPDATE ON 07/28/2024
yeah this is 5 stars I haven’t stopped thinking about it
This was a well-written YA low fantasy! I have read Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series, so when I saw that she had come out with a fantasy series, I had to read it. I was both not disappointed and disappointed in a variety of different ways. The world-building was beautiful, and the descriptions and the mythology this book is based on were mesmerizing.
However, that being said, I will say that this book read incredibly slow. It's a pretty long book for a story that didn't really have a lot of plot in it until the very end. It was hard for me to get through going on page 200 of a lot of nothing but back-and-forth of the same conversations that were already had. I felt that Mafi may not have been totally "in" writing this book (I hope that changes with book #2). There was a lack-of characterization, plot, and even theme. These elements were very loosely portrayed.
The "agonizing romance" that is pitched with this romance is also not entirely accurate. The romance isn't very well-developed at all and seems a bit random. Kamran also just seems angry. Anger is his personality and it doesn't offer a lot of depth other than he's an angsty, spoiled teenage boy. Although he does have some swoon-worthy lines, it didn't add much for me. I also don't know the WHY or the HOW Kamran and Alizeh are attracted to each other besides their physical appearances. It felt like a bland Romeo-and-Juliet, love-at-first-sight thing.
Alizeh also didn't have much of a character arch I had expected out of Mafi's characters. She showed a bit of it at the end which I wanted more of but it just ended there. I'm assuming this will be explored more book 2 but she was a brutally flat character in book 1. She didn't offer much of any personality, either.
I still love Mafi, the writing was good. She has some beautiful lines as well, but this book fell surprisingly short for me. It didn't feel like this wasn't the same author that wrote Aaron Warner's character whatsoever. I feel like readers can tell when the author isn't super into their own book as well. It shows.
However, that being said, I will say that this book read incredibly slow. It's a pretty long book for a story that didn't really have a lot of plot in it until the very end. It was hard for me to get through going on page 200 of a lot of nothing but back-and-forth of the same conversations that were already had. I felt that Mafi may not have been totally "in" writing this book (I hope that changes with book #2). There was a lack-of characterization, plot, and even theme. These elements were very loosely portrayed.
The "agonizing romance" that is pitched with this romance is also not entirely accurate. The romance isn't very well-developed at all and seems a bit random. Kamran also just seems angry. Anger is his personality and it doesn't offer a lot of depth other than he's an angsty, spoiled teenage boy. Although he does have some swoon-worthy lines, it didn't add much for me. I also don't know the WHY or the HOW Kamran and Alizeh are attracted to each other besides their physical appearances. It felt like a bland Romeo-and-Juliet, love-at-first-sight thing.
Alizeh also didn't have much of a character arch I had expected out of Mafi's characters. She showed a bit of it at the end which I wanted more of but it just ended there. I'm assuming this will be explored more book 2 but she was a brutally flat character in book 1. She didn't offer much of any personality, either.
I still love Mafi, the writing was good. She has some beautiful lines as well, but this book fell surprisingly short for me. It didn't feel like this wasn't the same author that wrote Aaron Warner's character whatsoever. I feel like readers can tell when the author isn't super into their own book as well. It shows.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
the way nothing happens until the last few chapters and the romance between alizeh and kamran felt forced as they barely interacted and i couldn’t understand why they were so drawn to each other. most of the book is spent telling and explaining which made it feel really slow. i can see potential in the world but this first book in the series didn’t deliver for me. i will be carrying the series on as it ends on a cliffhanger and everyone says that book two and three are better.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-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
Okay the last 100 pages got me.