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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
A beautifully dark story that could easily be called a fairytale & I looooved it <3
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I loved the premise for this book; a haunting lyrical fantasy. Unfortunately for me, the lyrical element completely took over for the majority of the book and what could have been a stunning book became a rather confused mess of a novel.
The concepts behind this, a Hades and Persephone twist, set in Chicago in the 1930's against the backdrop of a struggling Ballet school, are wonderfully unique and helped to carry the book along. So little happened in the first half of the book, I'd actually forgotten what I was supposed to be reading and had to go back and check the blurb.
The last quarter of this book was exactly what it should have been throughout; gothic and mysterious, creepy and filled with devastation. This would have made a superb short story, but the padding out with pages of nothingness that I skimmed took away from the main idea. I know some people really enjoy this style of writing and pairing that with the underworld element, I can imagine lots of readers really being pulled into this story and held captive by it.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an arc in return for an honest review.
The concepts behind this, a Hades and Persephone twist, set in Chicago in the 1930's against the backdrop of a struggling Ballet school, are wonderfully unique and helped to carry the book along. So little happened in the first half of the book, I'd actually forgotten what I was supposed to be reading and had to go back and check the blurb.
The last quarter of this book was exactly what it should have been throughout; gothic and mysterious, creepy and filled with devastation. This would have made a superb short story, but the padding out with pages of nothingness that I skimmed took away from the main idea. I know some people really enjoy this style of writing and pairing that with the underworld element, I can imagine lots of readers really being pulled into this story and held captive by it.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an arc in return for an honest review.
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
For such a short book this was long af
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This one was more a mood than anything. Super atmospheric and ominous.
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
3 and a half because I feel like I didn't quite understand the ending, but rounded up to 4 because I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit. More than anything, I enjoyed the atmosphere of this novel. It felt like a winter fairy tale. I loved the lyrical writing and the artistic passion of the characters. I also loved the strong friendship between the two main female characters. Overall, this was right up my alley and the length ensured that the story didn't overstay it's welcome.
3 and a half because I feel like I didn't quite understand the ending, but rounded up to 4 because I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit. More than anything, I enjoyed the atmosphere of this novel. It felt like a winter fairy tale. I loved the lyrical writing and the artistic passion of the characters. I also loved the strong friendship between the two main female characters. Overall, this was right up my alley and the length ensured that the story didn't overstay it's welcome.