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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
5 ☆ (08/08/23 stupid me removed this from my books by accident and now I've lost the review, just know I loved it)
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book gave me so many emotions. The build up between Wrath and Emilia killed me, and I'm eager to see how they interaction in #2. However, finding out who murdered Vittoria, AND the thing with House Pride? UGH. I guess we'll just see in book 2!
adventurous
emotional
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
Miten fantasia voi olla näin tylsää. Myöskään missään ei ollu mitään järkeä tai pointtia. Asioita tapahtu yllättäen ja niille ei ollu mitään pointtia
I had great expectations for this book because I absolutely love the premise but I ended up not loving it as much as I thought I would; there are issues with it that I just cannot overlook.
The first one is the characters. The main character is the most bland narrator I have come across in a while – I understand that this is a writing tactic used by authors, specially young adult, so that every girl reading can relate to that blank canvas, but goddamn. Usually there’s at least something we can work with. Emilia is completely void of any personality traits aside from enjoying cooking. She had very inconsistent opinions and behavior throughout the book, getting upset at the most nonsensical things while being okay with things no actual person would just accept. Wrath is literally every bad boy cliché you can find in any YA book, but I still like him. He may have the same personality as a thousand other characters, but at least he has one. And don’t get me started on how infuriating the grandma was; I did not think I could hate an old lady this much.
My other main problem is the complete lack of descriptions and world building. This is supposed to be late 19th century Italy but there isn’t any description of clothing, buildings, or anything else really aside from the food. It gives the impression that the author was trying to give us a generic setting, which feels like lazy writing to me. When you’re writing historical fiction, this is the kind of stuff that can’t be left to the reader’s imagination, you need to give us something we can work with. The characters also spoke and behaved in a way that felt a little too contemporary.
There’s not much explanation about the magic system either. Magic seems to work in whichever way is convenient at the moment to keep the plot going, and the rules surrounding the Wicked also seem to shift without explanation. It feels like everything works just conveniently enough for the story. If you want to have a magic system, you need to create a magic system. You can’t just throw a bunch of inconsistent information at the reader and expect them to figure out what’s going on or create your setting for you. As the author, this is your job. There also seemed to be Wiccan elements to their magical practices which bothered me because Wicca is neopaganism that did not exist until mid 20th century in England; ancient witches would hardly have anything to do with that.
Lastly, I don’t mind a bit of foreshadowing and buildup for the next book when it’s a series, but the feeling I have is that nothing really got solved and the entire book was just a prequel to whatever is to come. A lot was introduced, but very little was explained, and even less was wrapped up.
That being said, it was one of those books that you will devour in one sitting and enjoy it. If you can get past these things, it’s an entertaining read, and I plan on giving it the benefit of the doubt and picking up the next book when it’s out.
The first one is the characters. The main character is the most bland narrator I have come across in a while – I understand that this is a writing tactic used by authors, specially young adult, so that every girl reading can relate to that blank canvas, but goddamn. Usually there’s at least something we can work with. Emilia is completely void of any personality traits aside from enjoying cooking. She had very inconsistent opinions and behavior throughout the book, getting upset at the most nonsensical things while being okay with things no actual person would just accept. Wrath is literally every bad boy cliché you can find in any YA book, but I still like him. He may have the same personality as a thousand other characters, but at least he has one. And don’t get me started on how infuriating the grandma was; I did not think I could hate an old lady this much.
My other main problem is the complete lack of descriptions and world building. This is supposed to be late 19th century Italy but there isn’t any description of clothing, buildings, or anything else really aside from the food. It gives the impression that the author was trying to give us a generic setting, which feels like lazy writing to me. When you’re writing historical fiction, this is the kind of stuff that can’t be left to the reader’s imagination, you need to give us something we can work with. The characters also spoke and behaved in a way that felt a little too contemporary.
There’s not much explanation about the magic system either. Magic seems to work in whichever way is convenient at the moment to keep the plot going, and the rules surrounding the Wicked also seem to shift without explanation. It feels like everything works just conveniently enough for the story. If you want to have a magic system, you need to create a magic system. You can’t just throw a bunch of inconsistent information at the reader and expect them to figure out what’s going on or create your setting for you. As the author, this is your job. There also seemed to be Wiccan elements to their magical practices which bothered me because Wicca is neopaganism that did not exist until mid 20th century in England; ancient witches would hardly have anything to do with that.
Lastly, I don’t mind a bit of foreshadowing and buildup for the next book when it’s a series, but the feeling I have is that nothing really got solved and the entire book was just a prequel to whatever is to come. A lot was introduced, but very little was explained, and even less was wrapped up.
That being said, it was one of those books that you will devour in one sitting and enjoy it. If you can get past these things, it’s an entertaining read, and I plan on giving it the benefit of the doubt and picking up the next book when it’s out.
medium-paced
3.75 ⭐️ this was fun, nothing groundbreaking but I enjoyed reading it. I’ve heard the 2nd book is better and more NA so I’m definitely excited for that
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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:
No
Maniscalco expertly introduces this world of demons and witchcraft through the eyes of the MFC. The snippets of the grimoir feel like they may have inspired other authors' uses of fictional literature to deepen the story. I am excited to see what is next for the witch and the demon.