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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pacing is very weird and the characters seem to be oblivious to things until they suddenly aren’t, instead of gradually building situational understanding
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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 did not enjoy this book as much as I had thought I would.
The concept is interesting. It was intriguing enough to keep me reading.
I think one of my main problems was with one of the main characters. I am always hesitatent to judge younger characters, especially teenagers and especially young girls, but I found Ofelia practicall insufferable. Hearing about how lovely and kind she is when it did not align with her actions at all. I also understand the reader is meant to perceive her as sheltered and innocent, but it felt more as though I was reading a 10-12 year olds PoV than a 17 year olds one.
I tried to look past it but I found myself constantly rolling my eyes at her.
The plot, while something I was interested in was also quite predictable. Personally I don't think predictability is a bad thing in stories, but I can't say much in this book surprised me.
I think maybe a younger audience could enjoy it more than I did.
The concept is interesting. It was intriguing enough to keep me reading.
I think one of my main problems was with one of the main characters. I am always hesitatent to judge younger characters, especially teenagers and especially young girls, but I found Ofelia practicall insufferable. Hearing about how lovely and kind she is when it did not align with her actions at all. I also understand the reader is meant to perceive her as sheltered and innocent, but it felt more as though I was reading a 10-12 year olds PoV than a 17 year olds one.
I tried to look past it but I found myself constantly rolling my eyes at her.
The plot, while something I was interested in was also quite predictable. Personally I don't think predictability is a bad thing in stories, but I can't say much in this book surprised me.
I think maybe a younger audience could enjoy it more than I did.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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:
No
I wish it was a short story. Too much pining and repetition. Would be good as a short fairytale
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
Hands up if you like sapphic fantasy romance! Ofelia has wished for a long time of going to Le Château Enchanté, a beautiful and mysterious palace safe from the monsters that roam the land, but her mother forbids it, so dreams are all that Ofelia has. When the worst happens, Ofelia and her loyal knight Lope must journey to the Château, where not everything is quite as it seems and a mystery is waiting to be uncovered.
There was a lot here to like, but unfortunately, Ofelia didn't end up being one of those things for me. She is a sheltered noble who loves to dream and see beauty all around her. Her counterpart and loyal knight Lope is the opposite, stalwart in the face of danger and ready to always fight off the monsters that threaten Ofelia's home. As we know from the outset that this is a romance, I was hoping that their differences would lead each to change and develop into better versions of themselves.
While Lope does remain true to her morals and truly wants the best for Ofelia, Ofelia unfortunately refuses to listen to the girl who is supposedly her truest and most loyal companion. At first, it was understandable because things were scary and daunting, but after a while, it got to be incredibly annoying. Thankfully Lope was a fantastic character, sharp, loyal and motivated and I enjoyed her chapters a lot.
The plot was interesting - I enjoyed the mystery that appears when we reach the Château and discover that the beauty of the Palace is hiding something darker. I also thought the take on Gods was interesting, and I really enjoyed meeting one of them (but no spoilers!). I did find the pacing dragged a little in the middle, but the action in the last third picked it up again.
The writing was lovely and lent a fairytale feeling to everything, which worked really well with the French and Spanish inspired Palace setting.
Overall I found this to be a quick read with lovely writing. I definitely think that younger readers will enjoy it a lot for its fairytale vibes, though for me the character development fell a little short.
Thank you to @harper360ya for sending me a copy to read and review!
There was a lot here to like, but unfortunately, Ofelia didn't end up being one of those things for me. She is a sheltered noble who loves to dream and see beauty all around her. Her counterpart and loyal knight Lope is the opposite, stalwart in the face of danger and ready to always fight off the monsters that threaten Ofelia's home. As we know from the outset that this is a romance, I was hoping that their differences would lead each to change and develop into better versions of themselves.
While Lope does remain true to her morals and truly wants the best for Ofelia, Ofelia unfortunately refuses to listen to the girl who is supposedly her truest and most loyal companion. At first, it was understandable because things were scary and daunting, but after a while, it got to be incredibly annoying. Thankfully Lope was a fantastic character, sharp, loyal and motivated and I enjoyed her chapters a lot.
The plot was interesting - I enjoyed the mystery that appears when we reach the Château and discover that the beauty of the Palace is hiding something darker. I also thought the take on Gods was interesting, and I really enjoyed meeting one of them (but no spoilers!). I did find the pacing dragged a little in the middle, but the action in the last third picked it up again.
The writing was lovely and lent a fairytale feeling to everything, which worked really well with the French and Spanish inspired Palace setting.
Overall I found this to be a quick read with lovely writing. I definitely think that younger readers will enjoy it a lot for its fairytale vibes, though for me the character development fell a little short.
Thank you to @harper360ya for sending me a copy to read and review!
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
I had high hopes for this book, and was disappointed. I think the idea behind it was very interesting and promising.
I wish we got to know the characters through seeing their actions, instead of being told what they are. The beginning especially was so fast-paced that I could not know the characters enough to care about them by the time emotional scenes happened.
The plot was also very confusing. At most times I was unsure of where all of it was going, almost as if the story was made-up as we progressed instead of being already thought of.
The romance was also very confusing? I did not feel any chemistry between the characters, and truly, at some points they did not even seem that good for each other.
I feel like this whole story had a lot of potential, but needed to slow down to build its characters more, give us more scenes to understand the setting, the characters, the mood, build up the mystery, and go deeper into some themes.
I wish we got to know the characters through seeing their actions, instead of being told what they are. The beginning especially was so fast-paced that I could not know the characters enough to care about them by the time emotional scenes happened.
The plot was also very confusing. At most times I was unsure of where all of it was going, almost as if the story was made-up as we progressed instead of being already thought of.
The romance was also very confusing? I did not feel any chemistry between the characters, and truly, at some points they did not even seem that good for each other.
I feel like this whole story had a lot of potential, but needed to slow down to build its characters more, give us more scenes to understand the setting, the characters, the mood, build up the mystery, and go deeper into some themes.