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amethystbookwyrm's review
2.0
Thanks to Netgalley and Curiosity Quills Press for giving me this book to review.
The Tower Must Fall had an interesting premise and had lots of fairytales mentioned. However, the story was slow paced and the writing felt a bit jumpy. Marek was easy going, clumsy and naïve but also a dreamer and is dedicated. Eyno was not comfortable in her own skin and was looking for redemption. The Tower Must Fall was an OK book with an interesting story and a lot of unanswered questions.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
The Tower Must Fall had an interesting premise and had lots of fairytales mentioned. However, the story was slow paced and the writing felt a bit jumpy. Marek was easy going, clumsy and naïve but also a dreamer and is dedicated. Eyno was not comfortable in her own skin and was looking for redemption. The Tower Must Fall was an OK book with an interesting story and a lot of unanswered questions.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
kirstyreadsblog's review
3.0
Here is my review :) https://kirstyreadsblog.wordpress.com/2016/05/30/the-tower-must-fall-by-s-e-bennett
jlynnelseauthor's review
4.0
***I received a free copy of this book from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions stated are solely my own. ***
SUMMARY
The monsters and magical creatures from fairytales live in fear. Termed “Unnaturals,” they are hunted by the Animus, a group descended from the original knights in shining armor from the Golden Age of Fairytales. Despite the fact the last fairytale ended a hundred years ago, the Unnaturals (aka Cryptids) continue to be hunted down and killed. Enyo was once a knight of the Animus and is now running from that past. When she meets Marek, a clumsy traveller who dreams of independence and uprising for his kind, she finds a way to repay a blood-debt from long ago. But a war is brewing, and instead of delivering Marek to a safe place for Unnaturals to live, the two find themselves caught in a conflict that began centuries earlier.
MY REVIEW
This book was nothing like I expected, and I was so impressed with the places Bennett went. The way Bennett twisted the fairy tales was unexpected and also fascinating. Her exploration on the origin of fairy tales was surprisingly dark but at the same time provided a fresh twist in a very saturated genre. I looked forward to her snippets of these twisted fairy tales at the beginning of each chapter.
“Enyo was many things, but she wasn’t a coward, and she would find a way to live with what she had done.”
The book insightfully explores the challenges in acceptance and forgiveness of yourself for past wrongs. Granted, Enyo’s past is extreme compared to the modern readers. However, the way Bennett explored these concepts was beautiful and deeply felt.
“I don’t want to die like this! I wanted to do something statue-worthy first!” - Kian
Bennett also pens a great mix of characters. They are unique, three-dimensional, and have some fun dynamics with each other. I appreciated the amount of kick-ass females in the storyline too. A woman wielding an axe (who’s not a dwarf) as her weapon of choice? That was pretty special. Bennett also has a great sense of humor that comes out through her characters’ relationships, which was quite enjoyable.
“I have unimaginable power, and not much imagination.” - Marek
The main flaw I saw in the narrative was that important moments were glossed, and suddenly characters seemed to know something that wasn’t shared with them during the narrative. For instance, was Gespenst’s relationship to Enyo revealed? There is a mention at the end of theories why Enyo’s mother left. Does that mean he’s the father? It seemed obvious but it’s never stated. Another ‘glossed moment’ centered on Marek finding out about being the offspring of dragons. I don’t remember him ever being told; all we were given were Enyo’s memories. Additionally, transitions were scant. One moment, Marek is just a clumsy guy with a starry-eyed outlook on the resistance, the next he’s controlling his underdeveloped powers like a Jedi master. A second example of this is when in one chapter, the characters were at someone's house and in the subsequent chapter, the characters are suddenly taking care of Cryptids on the verge of death after a battle on the road. While this hinting at realities is a fine way to narrate, having a character accept certain facts without those facts being presented to the reader -- that was the thing missing. The author was great at emotional character exploration, but the physical and magical stuff were underexplored. Sometimes it felt like important things happened behind the scenes and readers were tossed into an action scene instead. If Bennett could have been slightly less vague when writing significant magical moments, I would have enjoyed this book that much more.
“It will bring you what you long for, but sometimes it is a terrible thing to get what you want.” - Ryder
Overall, this is a very intriguing story with great characters and dialogue. The world these characters live in is fascinating. I think it’s a good read with a unique perspective on the origin of fairytales and how those stories are remembered (what’s fact versus what’s fiction). Despite the flaws mentioned above, I would pick up another book by this author. S.E. Bennett has a wonderful imagination.
SUMMARY
The monsters and magical creatures from fairytales live in fear. Termed “Unnaturals,” they are hunted by the Animus, a group descended from the original knights in shining armor from the Golden Age of Fairytales. Despite the fact the last fairytale ended a hundred years ago, the Unnaturals (aka Cryptids) continue to be hunted down and killed. Enyo was once a knight of the Animus and is now running from that past. When she meets Marek, a clumsy traveller who dreams of independence and uprising for his kind, she finds a way to repay a blood-debt from long ago. But a war is brewing, and instead of delivering Marek to a safe place for Unnaturals to live, the two find themselves caught in a conflict that began centuries earlier.
MY REVIEW
This book was nothing like I expected, and I was so impressed with the places Bennett went. The way Bennett twisted the fairy tales was unexpected and also fascinating. Her exploration on the origin of fairy tales was surprisingly dark but at the same time provided a fresh twist in a very saturated genre. I looked forward to her snippets of these twisted fairy tales at the beginning of each chapter.
“Enyo was many things, but she wasn’t a coward, and she would find a way to live with what she had done.”
The book insightfully explores the challenges in acceptance and forgiveness of yourself for past wrongs. Granted, Enyo’s past is extreme compared to the modern readers. However, the way Bennett explored these concepts was beautiful and deeply felt.
“I don’t want to die like this! I wanted to do something statue-worthy first!” - Kian
Bennett also pens a great mix of characters. They are unique, three-dimensional, and have some fun dynamics with each other. I appreciated the amount of kick-ass females in the storyline too. A woman wielding an axe (who’s not a dwarf) as her weapon of choice? That was pretty special. Bennett also has a great sense of humor that comes out through her characters’ relationships, which was quite enjoyable.
“I have unimaginable power, and not much imagination.” - Marek
The main flaw I saw in the narrative was that important moments were glossed, and suddenly characters seemed to know something that wasn’t shared with them during the narrative.
“It will bring you what you long for, but sometimes it is a terrible thing to get what you want.” - Ryder
Overall, this is a very intriguing story with great characters and dialogue. The world these characters live in is fascinating. I think it’s a good read with a unique perspective on the origin of fairytales and how those stories are remembered (what’s fact versus what’s fiction). Despite the flaws mentioned above, I would pick up another book by this author. S.E. Bennett has a wonderful imagination.
bookwormbunny's review
5.0
The Tower Must Fall Review
***I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review of it. The opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***
The Tower Must Fall by S.E. Bennett is a story that revisits some of our favorite fairy tales and shines a new light on them in a unique way. In this story the world has changed from the one of where fairy tales are feared and reviled to where technology is trying to take a hold on the world and the creatures that were once feared are now hunted, enslaved and persecuted. But only because they are different and viewed as less than by the mortals who have come and driven them out of their homes and into hiding or into slavery for those who have survived.
We are quickly introduced to Marek, who is a 7th son of a 7th son, who was abandoned by his mother and ignored by his father. His aunts and other female relatives help raise him into the man he becomes. He’s a traveler but he is something more and not just because he is a 7th son of a 7th son. His mother abandoned him but only to try and protect and shield him from the truth. Marek gets into some trouble while in Fernab and meets a young woman who he quickly realizes who and what she is…Animus…one of the hunters of the UnNaturals. But she tells him she has no intent of harming him…he reads his tarot cards and learns it’s true. But by being a fugitive from running from the city guards he has brought danger to the bar where he takes refuge and ends up saving this woman’s, who is Animus, life. She is now honor bound to him. So she vows to keep him safe no matter what. But there is a very rough road ahead of them and The Tower Must Fall…
This book took a bit to get warmed up for me. Typically if a book doesn’t capture my attention in the first couple of chapters I put it down but this book managed that but there came moments when it was a bit hard to keep me engaged because the story line was slow in coming together and become truly interesting for me but when it did…it became hard to put down. In this story we follow our two main characters Enyo and Marek as they learn about each other and work to bring around a new age for Cryptids so that they need no longer live in fear of being hunted, killed or enslaved to the mortals who have decided there is no place for them in this world anymore. Enyo is an Animus assassin but she is a Cryptid too but she was trained and told that if she killed enough that one day she would be worthy of being saved and she believed…until one day her faith in that lie broke.
I have been reading a lot of fairy tale rewrites lately but I have to say that when I got to the first retelling of a fairy tale I was immediately hooked in and couldn’t wait to read another. It was so interesting and engaging to read the fairy tales that we grew up with being told a certain way to be told in such a unique and different way altogether of where what we believed to be true was just a twisted version to make another look better and to hide the evil that was done. It was sad to learn of the fates of those who had suffered so much but it enhanced the book so much.
There is a bit of romance in this story but not a lot for those who aren’t that into it but just a taste for those who are hoping for some. I really enjoyed the steampunk references throughout the book as well in the weapons and in the cities with how the technology has crept in bit by bit and I love how the kingdoms and cities are named for their unique queens as well. The story has so much uniqueness and so that much that makes it different from other books in its genre that I really believe that one day it will stand out on its own and really be something good. I also liked that there was room left for another book to be written if the author chooses which I would really love because I would love to revisit Enyo, Marek and all the other characters as they build, rebuild and fight for what is right.
Initially I had planned on just giving this book 3.5 stars but the more I read it the more I liked it and the more engaged I became in so I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. The beginning was a bit rough for me of where it took a bit to get warmed but once it got going it was very hard to put down. Well worth the read and very enjoyable. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Two thumbs up
***I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review of it. The opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***
The Tower Must Fall by S.E. Bennett is a story that revisits some of our favorite fairy tales and shines a new light on them in a unique way. In this story the world has changed from the one of where fairy tales are feared and reviled to where technology is trying to take a hold on the world and the creatures that were once feared are now hunted, enslaved and persecuted. But only because they are different and viewed as less than by the mortals who have come and driven them out of their homes and into hiding or into slavery for those who have survived.
We are quickly introduced to Marek, who is a 7th son of a 7th son, who was abandoned by his mother and ignored by his father. His aunts and other female relatives help raise him into the man he becomes. He’s a traveler but he is something more and not just because he is a 7th son of a 7th son. His mother abandoned him but only to try and protect and shield him from the truth. Marek gets into some trouble while in Fernab and meets a young woman who he quickly realizes who and what she is…Animus…one of the hunters of the UnNaturals. But she tells him she has no intent of harming him…he reads his tarot cards and learns it’s true. But by being a fugitive from running from the city guards he has brought danger to the bar where he takes refuge and ends up saving this woman’s, who is Animus, life. She is now honor bound to him. So she vows to keep him safe no matter what. But there is a very rough road ahead of them and The Tower Must Fall…
This book took a bit to get warmed up for me. Typically if a book doesn’t capture my attention in the first couple of chapters I put it down but this book managed that but there came moments when it was a bit hard to keep me engaged because the story line was slow in coming together and become truly interesting for me but when it did…it became hard to put down. In this story we follow our two main characters Enyo and Marek as they learn about each other and work to bring around a new age for Cryptids so that they need no longer live in fear of being hunted, killed or enslaved to the mortals who have decided there is no place for them in this world anymore. Enyo is an Animus assassin but she is a Cryptid too but she was trained and told that if she killed enough that one day she would be worthy of being saved and she believed…until one day her faith in that lie broke.
I have been reading a lot of fairy tale rewrites lately but I have to say that when I got to the first retelling of a fairy tale I was immediately hooked in and couldn’t wait to read another. It was so interesting and engaging to read the fairy tales that we grew up with being told a certain way to be told in such a unique and different way altogether of where what we believed to be true was just a twisted version to make another look better and to hide the evil that was done. It was sad to learn of the fates of those who had suffered so much but it enhanced the book so much.
There is a bit of romance in this story but not a lot for those who aren’t that into it but just a taste for those who are hoping for some. I really enjoyed the steampunk references throughout the book as well in the weapons and in the cities with how the technology has crept in bit by bit and I love how the kingdoms and cities are named for their unique queens as well. The story has so much uniqueness and so that much that makes it different from other books in its genre that I really believe that one day it will stand out on its own and really be something good. I also liked that there was room left for another book to be written if the author chooses which I would really love because I would love to revisit Enyo, Marek and all the other characters as they build, rebuild and fight for what is right.
Initially I had planned on just giving this book 3.5 stars but the more I read it the more I liked it and the more engaged I became in so I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. The beginning was a bit rough for me of where it took a bit to get warmed but once it got going it was very hard to put down. Well worth the read and very enjoyable. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Two thumbs up
sionna's review
4.0
4.5 stars!
*I received this book in exchange for an honest and fair review from netgalley*
My first instinct after finishing this amazing book was to give it 5 stars. I absolutely loved this book and I definitely will read it again. As I'm thinking about what to write, I've come to realize it isn't perfect and if I didn't love the book SO. MUCH. I'd drop it down to a full 4 stars.
First things first, A brief summary:
This book is about the discontent between mortals and the Cryptids (Unnaturals). These Cryptids are considered monsters or things of myth, once featured in Fairy Tales. Marek is one of these Cryptids, while unsure of which type of Cryptid he is, he still tries to spread the word of a better life for their people besides running for their life or living as slaves. Through an unfortunate turn of events he meets Enyo, another Cryptid, but also an ex-Animus, people who kill Cryptids without remorse. They go on a journey to Sanctuary, a place Cryptids are supposedly safe but, they will find out that isn't the end of their journey. War is imminent and the choices they make will help decide the fate of all Cryptids.
There are a lot of amazing characters with different backgrounds. There was a lot of variety and I absolutely loved reading about this world. One thing I personally enjoyed was the amount of strong female characters. Not just fighters but, strong protector mothers or women dealing with their own problems with their own minds.
The plot was so interesting. I loved they way fairy tales were worked in. The readers were not only given the happy endings hinted at, the ones we all know from Disney but, we are told sad versions were the original protagonist perhaps is the bad person or forced to do bad things. Absolutely amazing. The war between fantasy creatures and mortals is nothing really new but, the fact that these characters are known for being in these fairy tales was very interesting. The pacing I thought was pretty good but, this was a point of discontent for me. There were times I would be reading and then the next section would confuse me making me re-read a page, tentatively continue reading -- looking for answers and more so, looking for a time reference. I wasn't always sure if things were happening concurrently, in the past, or future.
One example was within Chapter 12. In the beginning of the chapter the reader is given background on a weapon as well as the 'history' (retelling) of Snow White and Rose Red. Then suddenly, there is an interlude of a different time period when Marek was at a riot. I really thought those two events didn't go together and there was no transition.
Another time was when the main characters are visiting the woman who raised Enyo and then suddenly they are still there... which shouldn't seem sudden but, everyone is nervous and scared of ???? oh! then we are told what is going on. Awesome-- continue reading everything is great until the end and now there are fights everywhere and how did they get into this fight?!
Things are explained. I was never confused for too long. It was just those parts jerking me out of the world. Which also happened each chapter because there are cover pages for the chapters. A rose, chapter #, and a line or so of what to expect-- a short kinda fortune-telling , if you will.
I loved the book and the story enough that the pacing didn't affect my love too much.
One last point I wanted to mention was that this book is not apparently a series. This really makes me sad. Also, puzzling. See, the book is this adventure with war looming. There is a battle and things end.... kinda. Toward the end I could see how the author was trying to wrap things up but, I really want more. I thought we should explore Marek's power more, see resolution with Kain's love life, figure out exactly who Gespenst is/was? to Enyo or who he wanted to be to her. So many things I thought were left a little loose but, don't worry the main story is definitely completed. I just love a sequel.
Would I recommend this book?? YES! I really want to talk about this book to more people.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest and fair review from netgalley*
My first instinct after finishing this amazing book was to give it 5 stars. I absolutely loved this book and I definitely will read it again. As I'm thinking about what to write, I've come to realize it isn't perfect and if I didn't love the book SO. MUCH. I'd drop it down to a full 4 stars.
First things first, A brief summary:
This book is about the discontent between mortals and the Cryptids (Unnaturals). These Cryptids are considered monsters or things of myth, once featured in Fairy Tales. Marek is one of these Cryptids, while unsure of which type of Cryptid he is, he still tries to spread the word of a better life for their people besides running for their life or living as slaves. Through an unfortunate turn of events he meets Enyo, another Cryptid, but also an ex-Animus, people who kill Cryptids without remorse. They go on a journey to Sanctuary, a place Cryptids are supposedly safe but, they will find out that isn't the end of their journey. War is imminent and the choices they make will help decide the fate of all Cryptids.
There are a lot of amazing characters with different backgrounds. There was a lot of variety and I absolutely loved reading about this world. One thing I personally enjoyed was the amount of strong female characters. Not just fighters but, strong protector mothers or women dealing with their own problems with their own minds.
"This place is the future, Liesel von Asche, because here, when someone says 'women's work,' no one actually knows what the hell they're talking about."
The plot was so interesting. I loved they way fairy tales were worked in. The readers were not only given the happy endings hinted at, the ones we all know from Disney but, we are told sad versions were the original protagonist perhaps is the bad person or forced to do bad things. Absolutely amazing. The war between fantasy creatures and mortals is nothing really new but, the fact that these characters are known for being in these fairy tales was very interesting. The pacing I thought was pretty good but, this was a point of discontent for me. There were times I would be reading and then the next section would confuse me making me re-read a page, tentatively continue reading -- looking for answers and more so, looking for a time reference. I wasn't always sure if things were happening concurrently, in the past, or future.
One example was within Chapter 12. In the beginning of the chapter the reader is given background on a weapon as well as the 'history' (retelling) of Snow White and Rose Red. Then suddenly, there is an interlude of a different time period when Marek was at a riot. I really thought those two events didn't go together and there was no transition.
Another time was when the main characters are visiting the woman who raised Enyo and then suddenly they are still there... which shouldn't seem sudden but, everyone is nervous and scared of ???? oh! then we are told what is going on. Awesome-- continue reading everything is great until the end and now there are fights everywhere and how did they get into this fight?!
Things are explained. I was never confused for too long. It was just those parts jerking me out of the world. Which also happened each chapter because there are cover pages for the chapters. A rose, chapter #, and a line or so of what to expect-- a short kinda fortune-telling , if you will.
I loved the book and the story enough that the pacing didn't affect my love too much.
One last point I wanted to mention was that this book is not apparently a series. This really makes me sad. Also, puzzling. See, the book is this adventure with war looming. There is a battle and things end.... kinda. Toward the end I could see how the author was trying to wrap things up but, I really want more. I thought we should explore Marek's power more, see resolution with Kain's love life, figure out exactly who Gespenst is/was? to Enyo or who he wanted to be to her. So many things I thought were left a little loose but, don't worry the main story is definitely completed. I just love a sequel.
Would I recommend this book?? YES! I really want to talk about this book to more people.
banalgirl's review
4.0
I confess that when I started this book I had high expectations. It was very hard for me to get into this story. I do not know if it was me who was not in the mood or the story that was not engaging me. Maybe it was both.
I believe that I only got interested in the book when I was on half of it.
However, I found the premise very interesting and original. I also liked the reference to fairy-tales, I think it made the book richer and more interesting.
I should also mention the romance that, even though is not the main subject of the book, was well developed and worked. The author managed to make me ship a couple that I though was strange together and I did not shipped at first. And that, my dears, is difficult.
My rating for this book is 4,1 out of 5.
I believe that I only got interested in the book when I was on half of it.
However, I found the premise very interesting and original. I also liked the reference to fairy-tales, I think it made the book richer and more interesting.
I should also mention the romance that, even though is not the main subject of the book, was well developed and worked. The author managed to make me ship a couple that I though was strange together and I did not shipped at first. And that, my dears, is difficult.
My rating for this book is 4,1 out of 5.
kyouen's review
2.0
The Tower Must Fall is the story of what happens when fairy tales end. When humans are the majority and those who are Cryptid--the witches, faeries, the creatures of myth--live in fear. Marek Tobar dreams of the day when humans and Cryptid can live in harmony and no longer fear death at the hands of the Animus, a group of people who believe that Cryptids are the scourge of the earth. Tension has been growing for centuries, and Marek finds that he may be more important to the war than he originally thought. Along with Enyo, a reformed Animus, Marek must try to create a place in the world where coexistence is possible--but it may come at a cost too great to bear.
I wanted to like this book. The premise pulled me in and initial reviews praised it highly. And I did enjoy the first part of it. The writing and dialogue was intelligent and interesting, and I wanted to continue reading about this world. It seemed really unique. But at some point, that all dropped off. I needed to push myself through sections of text more and more. It dragged. Many times I questioned if I wanted to continue this book. I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed the ending. At the same time, however, I'm not sure it was worth struggling through the huge middle section when I only truly enjoyed the first part and the end of the novel. I think the cause of this was the plotting. It was very odd. It was almost like reading a book that had half of its pages torn out, because it jumps from moment to moment and doesn't give us all the information for something that has just happened. In one chapter, we're in one place and in the next it seems like months have passed.
Of course, there were things that really worked for this novel. As mentioned before, the writing style was really clever. I enjoyed S.E. Bennett's descriptions of places and characters. The author took traditional fairy tales and twisted them. In this world, fairy tales as we know them are stories that are not remembered correctly. I liked that the author took the idea that history is told by the victors and made it work for fairy tales. Those that have been cast as the villains in the story are not happy about their roles. While humans view them as monsters, they view themselves as people. Sure, there have always been quarrels between different Cryptid tribes, but they only want the things that humans want: freedom and the ability to live in peace. Instead, they've been cast as second-class citizens, sometimes even being hunted down. They're not recognized as anything but monsters, and some have decided to make that true. Others still hope for a future, and thus the rebellion was born. The opening of each chapter deals with how the sparks of this rebellion have resonated and continued to the present day of the novel. The stories were steadily shown to be all connected.
Unfortunately, I think that the writing style is also what caused the novel to drag in the middle. I marked at around 45% in my ebook that it was dragging, and I know that it had been happening for a while before I decided to mark it. This continued until around the 80% mark, which in my opinion is too much. I got the sense while reading it that the action was slowed in order to make the book longer. By doing that, there wasn't enough action to keep me engaged with the story. Another thing that didn't work was the characters. Individually, I was really interested in them. I liked them. But because of the way the plot jumped around, when growing friendships and relationships were revealed they fell flat.
I'm disappointed that this book didn't really turn out to be what was promised. I expected so much more. Going into this novel, I would have given it high marks. But now at the end, I find that it was only okay. I kept reading when the story dragged because I kept expecting something major to happen. I can't really say I recommend it, but if you enjoy twisted fairy tales and the idea that the creatures in them want peace just as much as the humans, you may like it.
2 stars.
I received a copy of The Tower Must Fallfrom NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This book was released on April 25th, 2016.
I wanted to like this book. The premise pulled me in and initial reviews praised it highly. And I did enjoy the first part of it. The writing and dialogue was intelligent and interesting, and I wanted to continue reading about this world. It seemed really unique. But at some point, that all dropped off. I needed to push myself through sections of text more and more. It dragged. Many times I questioned if I wanted to continue this book. I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed the ending. At the same time, however, I'm not sure it was worth struggling through the huge middle section when I only truly enjoyed the first part and the end of the novel. I think the cause of this was the plotting. It was very odd. It was almost like reading a book that had half of its pages torn out, because it jumps from moment to moment and doesn't give us all the information for something that has just happened. In one chapter, we're in one place and in the next it seems like months have passed.
Of course, there were things that really worked for this novel. As mentioned before, the writing style was really clever. I enjoyed S.E. Bennett's descriptions of places and characters. The author took traditional fairy tales and twisted them. In this world, fairy tales as we know them are stories that are not remembered correctly. I liked that the author took the idea that history is told by the victors and made it work for fairy tales. Those that have been cast as the villains in the story are not happy about their roles. While humans view them as monsters, they view themselves as people. Sure, there have always been quarrels between different Cryptid tribes, but they only want the things that humans want: freedom and the ability to live in peace. Instead, they've been cast as second-class citizens, sometimes even being hunted down. They're not recognized as anything but monsters, and some have decided to make that true. Others still hope for a future, and thus the rebellion was born. The opening of each chapter deals with how the sparks of this rebellion have resonated and continued to the present day of the novel. The stories were steadily shown to be all connected.
Unfortunately, I think that the writing style is also what caused the novel to drag in the middle. I marked at around 45% in my ebook that it was dragging, and I know that it had been happening for a while before I decided to mark it. This continued until around the 80% mark, which in my opinion is too much. I got the sense while reading it that the action was slowed in order to make the book longer. By doing that, there wasn't enough action to keep me engaged with the story. Another thing that didn't work was the characters. Individually, I was really interested in them. I liked them. But because of the way the plot jumped around, when growing friendships and relationships were revealed they fell flat.
I'm disappointed that this book didn't really turn out to be what was promised. I expected so much more. Going into this novel, I would have given it high marks. But now at the end, I find that it was only okay. I kept reading when the story dragged because I kept expecting something major to happen. I can't really say I recommend it, but if you enjoy twisted fairy tales and the idea that the creatures in them want peace just as much as the humans, you may like it.
2 stars.
I received a copy of The Tower Must Fallfrom NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This book was released on April 25th, 2016.
sof's review
4.0
NetGalley copy in exchange of an honest review">my link text.
Welcome to the land of fairy tales! Unfortunately, no happily-ever-after is on the menu for the time being.
Magical creatures live in hiding, now, and they are chased. Those creatures are often called Unnaturals, or Cryptids, and their pursuers are the Animus.
But life is not just black and white, now, is it?
When Marek Tobar (Cryptid) saves Enyo Namenlos’ life (Animus), they found themselves bound to each other by old rules. And their story has only just begun.
And the war is coming.
“Hello, there, handsome.
- It’s a mare, Marek.
- Oh. Hello there, beautiful.
- Get in the dogs-forsaken saddle, before you get us both killed.”
I really enjoyed this book.
It’s fast-paced, full of action and loveable characters. It takes an very interesting twist on the fairy tales we know and love, and I thought it was really creative and enjoyable -- refreshing, too!
The style is easy to read and funny - there’s a lot of humour in this story, and it’s a clever humour I thoroughly enjoyed all throughout the book.
I think the best element is the world building. The descriptions are vivid and highly immersive, and in the end the reader (aka, me) cannot escape the feeling of being inside the world: I truly had the impression of living in a faraway, magical kingdom, and this is really, really great. Another impression is like having lots of fairy tales inside a bigger one.
The characters are great, too, because they don’t fall into cliché versions of themselves. If anything, it feels like Enyo is the Prince saving Marek’s ass.
One thing I particularly loved about those two is the mutual respect they have for each other, which is something we don’t read enough of, in my opinion.
If you love dark, twisted fairy tales about trust, sacrifice, bravery, great world-building, accepting the differences in everyone, dreams and forgiveness, please do give The Tower Must Fall a try, because I’m sure you won’t regret it!
★★★★
Welcome to the land of fairy tales! Unfortunately, no happily-ever-after is on the menu for the time being.
Magical creatures live in hiding, now, and they are chased. Those creatures are often called Unnaturals, or Cryptids, and their pursuers are the Animus.
But life is not just black and white, now, is it?
When Marek Tobar (Cryptid) saves Enyo Namenlos’ life (Animus), they found themselves bound to each other by old rules. And their story has only just begun.
And the war is coming.
“Hello, there, handsome.
- It’s a mare, Marek.
- Oh. Hello there, beautiful.
- Get in the dogs-forsaken saddle, before you get us both killed.”
I really enjoyed this book.
It’s fast-paced, full of action and loveable characters. It takes an very interesting twist on the fairy tales we know and love, and I thought it was really creative and enjoyable -- refreshing, too!
The style is easy to read and funny - there’s a lot of humour in this story, and it’s a clever humour I thoroughly enjoyed all throughout the book.
I think the best element is the world building. The descriptions are vivid and highly immersive, and in the end the reader (aka, me) cannot escape the feeling of being inside the world: I truly had the impression of living in a faraway, magical kingdom, and this is really, really great. Another impression is like having lots of fairy tales inside a bigger one.
The characters are great, too, because they don’t fall into cliché versions of themselves. If anything, it feels like Enyo is the Prince saving Marek’s ass.
One thing I particularly loved about those two is the mutual respect they have for each other, which is something we don’t read enough of, in my opinion.
If you love dark, twisted fairy tales about trust, sacrifice, bravery, great world-building, accepting the differences in everyone, dreams and forgiveness, please do give The Tower Must Fall a try, because I’m sure you won’t regret it!
★★★★
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