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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was looking forward to getting my hands on this because I liked Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat. I knew that this wouldn't be like CP, I didn't mind and was prepared for it to be different. It was different, indeed but in a not-so-good way mainly because of the writing/editing. It really threw me out of my reading flow time and again because it's just so unpolished. Some things felt too random and/or too easy. I'm usually not good at noticing stuff like that but there were continuity errors, unnecessary repetitions (both of facts and in speech) while other times stuff happens but we are never told about it until much later, which leads to another problem: it was sometimes difficult to tell how much time had actually passed, and events don't match up. For example,
So, all of this made it really hard for me to get invested in the story, it was hard to connect with characters and care for them. What should've been a devastating event at one point didn't move me as it should because I didn't get to know the characters properly to feel for or with them. Also, having three POVs also felt it bit too much.
Most of the time I wasn't sure about finishing the book, let alone buying book two. It's only a couple of chapters, but mainly the last one, that changed my mind because I want to see how the relationship between Will and James is handled, it has so much potential to be awesome, and cruel, and heartbreaking and I want to read about their destinies.
Spoiler
Katrine moved into Simon's house in January, while Will and Violet escape the sinking ship and shortly after fleeing to the Hall where they stay three months (which feel like a week, tops) before they leave for London again. In London Will meets Kathrine for the first time while Violet goes back home and is in captivity at the house of her family for one night. Will and Violet ride back to the Hall after Violet escapes, they get imprisoned there, escape with Cyprian's help, capture James and bring him back to the Hall. There, an attack at Ruthern is planned but Will, Violet, and Cyprian go ahead and leave for London again, to speak with Kathrine. Kathrine awaits Will's return in her garden and says it's been three days since she saw him, which matches up, even if all this stuff happens really fast but at the same time she observes the wintery scene in the garden and thinks about the yellow leaves that littered the garden paths in the weeks prior. There shouldn't be a wintery scene or autumn leaves around March/April unless I got all of this completely wrong...So, all of this made it really hard for me to get invested in the story, it was hard to connect with characters and care for them. What should've been a devastating event at one point didn't move me as it should because I didn't get to know the characters properly to feel for or with them. Also, having three POVs also felt it bit too much.
Most of the time I wasn't sure about finishing the book, let alone buying book two. It's only a couple of chapters, but mainly the last one, that changed my mind because I want to see how the relationship between Will and James is handled, it has so much potential to be awesome, and cruel, and heartbreaking and I want to read about their destinies.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm having trouble rating this book b/c I wanted to like it so much more than I did. I love where it's going, and I SO want to see the development of Will and James. There's so much pain and drama to come, and I am excited for it. It's why I'm going to continue with the series when this first book was so underwhelming for me.
It was just...It's a great idea, and I love the twist, but so much of the book is told and not shown, particularly in the beginning, that it kept me from connecting and sinking into the story as much as I wanted to. We have so many moments where people are feeling the history of the place they are in, but we are told that. We don't get to feel it ourselves. Even something so simple as "the room was filled with the ghosts of the past" would have made me feel more than "he could feel the past in this room" (or however it was actually worded. I don't feel like looking up the exact quote, but this is close enough).
It was the same with the history we are trying to prevent the resurgence of. It's all a story we are told. It's a familiar story of light vs dark, but I liked it as the background to work this series's plot off of, but did it all have to be told to me? Perhaps more of it could have come out in flashbacks or visions of the past. Whatever the solution, I would have liked it to feel less like an info dump and more of a rising tension we need to battle.
Like I said, I'm going to read the sequel, because I really do want to know where the story is going. Will has suddenly become VERY interesting and this plot has so much potential. Hopefully all the info dumping is done since we know where we are and we can forge forward with action and drama and surprises galore. And also with a heart wrenching story for Will and James.
I'm so here for that.
It was just...It's a great idea, and I love the twist, but so much of the book is told and not shown, particularly in the beginning, that it kept me from connecting and sinking into the story as much as I wanted to. We have so many moments where people are feeling the history of the place they are in, but we are told that. We don't get to feel it ourselves. Even something so simple as "the room was filled with the ghosts of the past" would have made me feel more than "he could feel the past in this room" (or however it was actually worded. I don't feel like looking up the exact quote, but this is close enough).
It was the same with the history we are trying to prevent the resurgence of. It's all a story we are told. It's a familiar story of light vs dark, but I liked it as the background to work this series's plot off of, but did it all have to be told to me? Perhaps more of it could have come out in flashbacks or visions of the past. Whatever the solution, I would have liked it to feel less like an info dump and more of a rising tension we need to battle.
Like I said, I'm going to read the sequel, because I really do want to know where the story is going. Will has suddenly become VERY interesting and this plot has so much potential. Hopefully all the info dumping is done since we know where we are and we can forge forward with action and drama and surprises galore. And also with a heart wrenching story for Will and James.
I'm so here for that.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
honestly what a fucking turn of events !!!
holy shit
holy shit
Wow. C.S. Pacat, you have done it again. You wrote another masterpiece of a book.
This was such an amazing experience.
I will come to back write a full review when I finish processing my thoughts.
Again, WOW.
This was such an amazing experience.
I will come to back write a full review when I finish processing my thoughts.
Again, WOW.