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trippalli's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Interesting fairy teen story reminded me of serpent and the thorn but much less developed and darker with a fairly shallow plot and unsatisfying ending
bekkz27's review against another edition
1.0
This book was a hot mess. The main character was the equivalent of an original Disney princess. "I have cool powers and I just met this boy. I must be in love! Hi, the random person I have never met before saying they are my aunt. I am going to trust you 100%. I will do anything you say and not question any of it." Amethyst is so basic and woefully stupid that the book was hard to slog through. The ending was unsatisfying and honestly, rushed. It felt like the author ran out of stuff to talk about and just ended it.
The only redeeming quality of this book is Ben. He deserves so much more than this fever dream. Why is it that the secondary characters are so much more interesting than the main character? That is the mark of a terrible book. I said what I said.
The only redeeming quality of this book is Ben. He deserves so much more than this fever dream. Why is it that the secondary characters are so much more interesting than the main character? That is the mark of a terrible book. I said what I said.
ditte's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
shamelessbibliophile's review against another edition
2.0
More like one star, maybe 1.5- the author was good at description and inner monologue (extra star because there were a couple times when I actually thought ‘huh, cool way to describe that.’) … terrible at everything else.
lovestory26's review against another edition
5.0
I NEED MORE!!! I’m dying here!!! I’m so intrigued and there has to be a second book!! It was so INCREDIBLE!!! I’m at a lost for words. There was plot twist after plot twist. This story was beautifully written and i definitely don’t regret loosing sleep over finishing it.
lotoazul's review against another edition
4.0
i am giving this book four stars with the caveat that the last star is entirely for one benjamin taylor, who is utterly precious and deserves every star in the sky.
full disclosure: i know shylah personally; we're fellow members of the hunger games fansite community so we've been friendly for years. given our familiarity, i feel it appropriate for me to summarize my feelings as i finish this book thusly:
SHYLAH. WHAT.
that said, i really did enjoy this book a lot. both amethyst and ben felt like real teenagers, and the conflict between the fairy world and the human world is rife with opportunities-- still plenty of places for it to go; even when it's been done often in this age of fantasy and urban fantasy, i think this is a fresh take on it. and as i suggested earlier, if you don't absolutely fall in love with ben, i don't know what's wrong with you because ben should be everyone's boyfriend.
the lore of the fairy world was interesting and made me want to know more, and i really liked how it weaved down into the dynamics of amethyst's family. i was already super curious about her mother's death as it was, so later twists that involved even more relatives really worked for me, and i liked the way it all came together.
still, it's not a perfect book. i did, at points, feel like amethyst was being a little too credulous about absynth's intentions ("has this girl never watched a horror movie?!" was a common refrain as i read through the book). however, i think considering that she's been treated like a weirdo her entire life, her gullibility is understandable, if not personally relatable. and i did think the climax was a little too quick. i could've used a little less padding in the middle if that meant the ending could be a little more stretched out. BUT! i can forgive that as long as we get a sequel, hint hint nudge nudge.
all in all, though, this is pretty damn good for a first outing. congrats to shylah, and hope to see much more of this universe in the future!
full disclosure: i know shylah personally; we're fellow members of the hunger games fansite community so we've been friendly for years. given our familiarity, i feel it appropriate for me to summarize my feelings as i finish this book thusly:
SHYLAH. WHAT.
that said, i really did enjoy this book a lot. both amethyst and ben felt like real teenagers, and the conflict between the fairy world and the human world is rife with opportunities-- still plenty of places for it to go; even when it's been done often in this age of fantasy and urban fantasy, i think this is a fresh take on it. and as i suggested earlier, if you don't absolutely fall in love with ben, i don't know what's wrong with you because ben should be everyone's boyfriend.
the lore of the fairy world was interesting and made me want to know more, and i really liked how it weaved down into the dynamics of amethyst's family. i was already super curious about her mother's death as it was, so later twists that involved even more relatives really worked for me, and i liked the way it all came together.
still, it's not a perfect book. i did, at points, feel like amethyst was being a little too credulous about absynth's intentions ("has this girl never watched a horror movie?!" was a common refrain as i read through the book). however, i think considering that she's been treated like a weirdo her entire life, her gullibility is understandable, if not personally relatable. and i did think the climax was a little too quick. i could've used a little less padding in the middle if that meant the ending could be a little more stretched out. BUT! i can forgive that as long as we get a sequel, hint hint nudge nudge.
all in all, though, this is pretty damn good for a first outing. congrats to shylah, and hope to see much more of this universe in the future!
kaitmary's review against another edition
4.0
I expected the whimsy and magic, but I was unprepared for the delicious creepiness in this novel! Full review TK.
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