You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-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:
No
I guess she named Cezar that way because of the probability the readers might want to stab him.
4.5 stars! Such a fun and magical read!
The half star is knocked off for insta-love....and the same character slowly wasting away due to her love. Luckily not the main character. Hate that trope. But other than that, a beautiful book!
The half star is knocked off for insta-love....and the same character slowly wasting away due to her love. Luckily not the main character. Hate that trope. But other than that, a beautiful book!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Note: This whole review is a spoiler.
So this is a loose retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Princess and the Frog, and seemingly some kind of odd Twilight-esque side story. This book wasn't badly written, and I did make it to the end, I just feel like I wasted my time reading 400 pages of a story with a very bizarre incest-romance story. Not only that, but it's also really typical with it's objectifying treatment of female characters. I realize this is supposed to take place a looooong time ago, but still. Very odd and not fun reading about a 15 year old girl being hit in the face by a suitor and told she can't work because she's a girl and whatnot. There is a LOT of bullying in this book. Mindless, obnoxious, ridiculous bullying. It's cringe-worthy most of the time, and just infuriating the rest of the time.
Even if you can somehow look past the weird cousin-love times two, there's the whole age difference thing. One sister is 13 and she's very sexualized, even having a suitor/suitors 18-20 years old, and our main character (15) is hit on and groped by a middle-aged man vampire (who is actually much older obviously, but looks middle-aged) as well as by her 18 and 20 year old cousins.
There's also a weird story the 13 year old sister tells the other sisters at bedtime about a father being in love with his own daughter. That story is told in passing, randomly, before bed as if it's no big deal. This was just a very bizarre book that seemed desperate to find ways to sexualize young girls and add taboo elements for no reason. It's also a bit unbelievable that a 5 year old girl would be as prolific as Stela, speaking as if she's some sage woman. Same thing with Paula, the 12 year old genius. It was just all very unbelievable.
This also takes place in Transylvania. Yes, vampire country, and there are vamps in the form of the "Night People". I wouldn't have read this if I had known because I don't like "young adult" vampire books, and generally don't enjoy reading about vampires period.
Sad thing is, this could have been a very good book, or at least a decent one, if the cousins were changed to unrelated neighbors the girls had grown up with. Maybe this book appeals to some people who can look past those things and read it as a sign of the times, but I just couldn't.
So this is a loose retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Princess and the Frog, and seemingly some kind of odd Twilight-esque side story. This book wasn't badly written, and I did make it to the end, I just feel like I wasted my time reading 400 pages of a story with a very bizarre incest-romance story. Not only that, but it's also really typical with it's objectifying treatment of female characters. I realize this is supposed to take place a looooong time ago, but still. Very odd and not fun reading about a 15 year old girl being hit in the face by a suitor and told she can't work because she's a girl and whatnot. There is a LOT of bullying in this book. Mindless, obnoxious, ridiculous bullying. It's cringe-worthy most of the time, and just infuriating the rest of the time.
Even if you can somehow look past the weird cousin-love times two, there's the whole age difference thing. One sister is 13 and she's very sexualized, even having a suitor/suitors 18-20 years old, and our main character (15) is hit on and groped by a middle-aged man vampire (who is actually much older obviously, but looks middle-aged) as well as by her 18 and 20 year old cousins.
There's also a weird story the 13 year old sister tells the other sisters at bedtime about a father being in love with his own daughter. That story is told in passing, randomly, before bed as if it's no big deal. This was just a very bizarre book that seemed desperate to find ways to sexualize young girls and add taboo elements for no reason. It's also a bit unbelievable that a 5 year old girl would be as prolific as Stela, speaking as if she's some sage woman. Same thing with Paula, the 12 year old genius. It was just all very unbelievable.
This also takes place in Transylvania. Yes, vampire country, and there are vamps in the form of the "Night People". I wouldn't have read this if I had known because I don't like "young adult" vampire books, and generally don't enjoy reading about vampires period.
Sad thing is, this could have been a very good book, or at least a decent one, if the cousins were changed to unrelated neighbors the girls had grown up with. Maybe this book appeals to some people who can look past those things and read it as a sign of the times, but I just couldn't.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love this story so much; I love how everything breaks apart, and I love how it all gets put back together. It's the ultimate blend of folklore, fantasy, romance, and just that little bit of abject terror. Perfectly encapsulates 'No, no, no, NO.... Yes!'
Gogu is my favorite frog. <3
Gogu is my favorite frog. <3
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t think I’ve ever disliked a character as much as Tati. She’s selfish and annoying. She met this guy two times and she already can’t live without him to the point where she stops eating and losing weight? Jena annoyed me too, she let people walk over her then complain to her frog, but I learned to tolerate her a lot more toward the end. The three youngest sisters are fine and I wish the story was more focused on them. The villain is one dimensional and horrible throughout the book.
This may sound like I hated this but I actually really liked the story and the writing. It was very atmospheric, I almost wished I’d read it in the fall. I liked how the side characters were interwoven throughout the story and I want to know more about the Other Kingdom and its inhabitants. I’m kind of disappointed that there’s a companion instead of a sequel but I’m excited to explore more of the world.
This may sound like I hated this but I actually really liked the story and the writing. It was very atmospheric, I almost wished I’d read it in the fall. I liked how the side characters were interwoven throughout the story and I want to know more about the Other Kingdom and its inhabitants. I’m kind of disappointed that there’s a companion instead of a sequel but I’m excited to explore more of the world.