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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
Like many other reviews state, this book has too much purple prose. She over describes everything in an extremely dramatic fashion.
You know, almost the whole time I was reading this one, I thought “eh, three stars, only because this prose is gorgeous.” But the ending really threw me! And most of the complaints I’d compiled along the way got crossed out one by one over the last 50 pages. Would have loved a bit more characterization, and a lot more agency for our protagonist here, but overall lovely.
2.5 stars | Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
This would have been an enthralling tale of love and death if the writing wasn’t so exhaustive. When used sparingly, extensive descriptions can be a heart-gripping method of building up to something big. They lost their magic in Nocture because they were used so excessively. Not everything needs to be described in poetic detail. The book would be half its length if the prose was removed - there was no real meat to the story because of it.
You got that from five words? The language is pretty, but c’mon.
This would have been an enthralling tale of love and death if the writing wasn’t so exhaustive. When used sparingly, extensive descriptions can be a heart-gripping method of building up to something big. They lost their magic in Nocture because they were used so excessively. Not everything needs to be described in poetic detail. The book would be half its length if the prose was removed - there was no real meat to the story because of it.
“What are you doing here?”
A voice at my back, dry and deep, like a black patch of soil where a rosebush once thrived but then died in an unexpected drought, and now nothing will grow there again. Stripped of softness, shorn of beauty, abandoned by light and life.
You got that from five words? The language is pretty, but c’mon.
Thank you Alyssa, I enjoyed the magic in this book. Transported to a different time.
I would give it a 3.5/5
I would give it a 3.5/5
I picked this up because it said it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and I'm a sucker for those, since that's always been one of my favorite fairytales. However, this was not that, and I'm annoyed at the false advertising tbh. Be warned: this is not that kind of book.
I'm also annoyed at overwritten prose that is trying to sell itself as "lyrical". Too much telling, not enough showing. The MC is self-centered, and I'm glad I dipped when I did.
I have over 2k other books on my TBR. I ain't got time for books I'm not vibing with. This is literally the year with that mantra, and I'm sorry to anyone who liked this book, but I am not messing around with stuff like this anymore (i.e. books that just aren't working for me).
I feel like if the author tightened her prose and really tried to create a story that wasn't just a bunch of other things smushed together like a ball of Play-Doh, it could be good. But for now, this is a "nah" from me.
I'm also annoyed at overwritten prose that is trying to sell itself as "lyrical". Too much telling, not enough showing. The MC is self-centered, and I'm glad I dipped when I did.
I have over 2k other books on my TBR. I ain't got time for books I'm not vibing with. This is literally the year with that mantra, and I'm sorry to anyone who liked this book, but I am not messing around with stuff like this anymore (i.e. books that just aren't working for me).
I feel like if the author tightened her prose and really tried to create a story that wasn't just a bunch of other things smushed together like a ball of Play-Doh, it could be good. But for now, this is a "nah" from me.
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OK so now that my coffee has hit I can communicate my emotions about this book:
This felt exactly like something I would have written during high school and thought this was pure art. It was poetic and overly flowery, there was a stunning lack of communication between characters, and there was some motive for character's actions, but not a ton. I'm trying to keep this spoiler free so I on't go too into that last bit but the book is super short.
On that exact note, this book clocks in at under 300 pages. Half of it was all flowery words and repetition and metaphors and the rest was something resembling a story. For example, instead of saying something like "I was scared", it would have said "my heart trembled like a frightened little dove ready to fly away", but it did that every time. It feels like the author tried to push a story that ran on emotions alone.
Grace, our main character, is just a little dumb. I'll keep it spoiler free, but everything is going great and then she does one little bitty thing that goes against everything she was talking about for the previous 150 pages and she brings it all it shit. I wish I could divulge it all here but that would spoil it and, thus, this would not be a spoiler free review. Sigh.
Anyway, if you like poetic and flowery books with no point that will make you feel smart, you'll enjoy this. I don't so I did not. Not the worst book I have ever written but I wouldn't consider rereading it so... 1.5 stars.
This felt exactly like something I would have written during high school and thought this was pure art. It was poetic and overly flowery, there was a stunning lack of communication between characters, and there was some motive for character's actions, but not a ton. I'm trying to keep this spoiler free so I on't go too into that last bit but the book is super short.
On that exact note, this book clocks in at under 300 pages. Half of it was all flowery words and repetition and metaphors and the rest was something resembling a story. For example, instead of saying something like "I was scared", it would have said "my heart trembled like a frightened little dove ready to fly away", but it did that every time. It feels like the author tried to push a story that ran on emotions alone.
Grace, our main character, is just a little dumb. I'll keep it spoiler free, but everything is going great and then she does one little bitty thing that goes against everything she was talking about for the previous 150 pages and she brings it all it shit. I wish I could divulge it all here but that would spoil it and, thus, this would not be a spoiler free review. Sigh.
Anyway, if you like poetic and flowery books with no point that will make you feel smart, you'll enjoy this. I don't so I did not. Not the worst book I have ever written but I wouldn't consider rereading it so... 1.5 stars.
Lyrical in this book's case unfortunately was a way to mean overly descriptive. I found myself lost in the writing at times wondering what was going on and not in a fun way.
I received an ecopy of this through Netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this through Netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
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
This book is DENSE. I loved the story, thought it was beautifully and tragically prolific but so DENSE. It's only 220-something pages. So much happens so fast. I love fast paced books but wish this had more fluff. More digestion time. It's dark and deeply unsettling and I wanted to wallow with that for longer.
medium-paced