Scan barcode
elly_slifeinbooks's review
2.0
I don't think I can finish this book.
I'm more than halfway through and I can't seem to see the point.
When I requested this book, the description sounded really interesting and I was intrigued.
Already in the prologue the main character Illyse is pursued, handcuffed and put before an ultimatum by the king. Even if that's a memorable start... I don't have a connection to the story yet. Why should I care? All I get from that is a sense of deep frustration and injustice. That's not a problem in itself! But halfway through the story that's still kind of the main emotion I feel (and it's deeply uncomfortable to sit with it for so long without some sense of relief or break from it).
I imagine the budding romance between Illyse and Gerit was intended for that, but everything is so fast-paced that you don't really get those moments, those breathers from the plot, to get invested in them.
Because right after the prologue it cuts to a few months after her capture... and I read the words on the page how the attraction between Illyse and Gerit supposedly started from the first moment they saw each other and I read how they have feelings for each other now... but I just don't feel it. It doesn't translate. There's no real build-up, no descriptions that made me understand why those two. I just follow along how they behave with their established feelings.
So, I'm not invested in the characters individually, their relationship doesn't feel like it has an organic development, I'm deeply annoyed by the behaviour of the people around her (it's kind of explained why humans don't like her and her kind and there are events that show this, so I logically get their behaviour... but I don't really get it, I don't feel it) and I don't understand why she specifically was picked to help out and not somebody more suitable.
I'm not sure if you notice my frustration from my review, but it runs deep.
To be fair, the writing style and wording is kind of beautiful to read and get lost in, even though I wouldn't naturally gravitate towards it. It just needs to slow down (a lot) and take more time to build up the characters, their development and the reader's emotional connection to them.
Thank you NetGalley and Sword and Silk Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'm more than halfway through and I can't seem to see the point.
When I requested this book, the description sounded really interesting and I was intrigued.
Already in the prologue the main character Illyse is pursued, handcuffed and put before an ultimatum by the king. Even if that's a memorable start... I don't have a connection to the story yet. Why should I care? All I get from that is a sense of deep frustration and injustice. That's not a problem in itself! But halfway through the story that's still kind of the main emotion I feel (and it's deeply uncomfortable to sit with it for so long without some sense of relief or break from it).
I imagine the budding romance between Illyse and Gerit was intended for that, but everything is so fast-paced that you don't really get those moments, those breathers from the plot, to get invested in them.
Because right after the prologue it cuts to a few months after her capture... and I read the words on the page how the attraction between Illyse and Gerit supposedly started from the first moment they saw each other and I read how they have feelings for each other now... but I just don't feel it. It doesn't translate. There's no real build-up, no descriptions that made me understand why those two. I just follow along how they behave with their established feelings.
So, I'm not invested in the characters individually, their relationship doesn't feel like it has an organic development, I'm deeply annoyed by the behaviour of the people around her (it's kind of explained why humans don't like her and her kind and there are events that show this, so I logically get their behaviour... but I don't really get it, I don't feel it) and I don't understand why she specifically was picked to help out and not somebody more suitable.
Spoiler
Also, we are told over and over again how forbidden the romance between her and a human is, how severely punished, but when the king finds out he just... warns her? Like what?I'm not sure if you notice my frustration from my review, but it runs deep.
To be fair, the writing style and wording is kind of beautiful to read and get lost in, even though I wouldn't naturally gravitate towards it. It just needs to slow down (a lot) and take more time to build up the characters, their development and the reader's emotional connection to them.
Thank you NetGalley and Sword and Silk Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
smizock's review
adventurous
dark
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
3.5
luckylulureads's review
2.0
Beneath the Starlit Sea has a lot of promise as a story. The premise is really interesting, and think that it could be incredible with a little work. The story follows a witch and a doctor who are tasked to discover what’s been killing men at night. The threat is potentially magical, but it’s been hard to find any discerning evidence.
That being said, this reads almost like a draft zero to me. Sure, there’s been line editing, but I think there’s a ways to go with developmental edits.
The first thing that struck me was the length of the sentences. Each sentence is a plodding run-on with little to no variation. I feel like breaking up the sentences would bring the book up to a three star book almost immediately. As it is currently, reading it feels like a slog. The sentence structure also, unfortunately, detracts from the really interesting descriptions because it’s all shoved into one line. This makes the pacing both incredibly fast, while feeling slow.
The story spends little to no time building emotional weight, and so scenes don’t stand out. Nor do the characters, unfortunately. And when the romance begins, I almost got whiplash. The love interest, Garit, seems like a stand-in for Geralt (The Witcher) for the first few chapters, until he’s suddenly waxing poetic about how his love is the kind that bards write about. It feels very out of character, and I have no other context clues to make sense of this shift in his nature. Similarly, Illyse, our main character, doesn’t seem to have more than an attraction to him at first. Then out of the blue she’s in love. We’re to believe these two have been working together for two months, and then this just occurs. Their relationship should have been more advanced than it was, in my opinion.
Ultimately, the reason I feel like this reads like a “draft zero” is because it reads as if the author is plotting out the story. I,e, “This happens, then this happens, then this happens.” While there are some good nuggets of prose, certain scenes definitely need to be expanded upon. I know people roll their eyes at the “show, don’t tell” advice, but this is a perfect instance of how a story could be improved upon by following it. We’re often told what is happening, but there’s no sense of what it looks, feels, smells, sounds, or tastes like.
Ultimately, I gave this two stars because I feel like it has so much potential to be something amazing. Howevre, it just didn’t hit the mark for me, personally. I genuinely don’t think it’s bad, just feel that it’s not for me and the style I’ve come to enjoy.
That being said, this reads almost like a draft zero to me. Sure, there’s been line editing, but I think there’s a ways to go with developmental edits.
The first thing that struck me was the length of the sentences. Each sentence is a plodding run-on with little to no variation. I feel like breaking up the sentences would bring the book up to a three star book almost immediately. As it is currently, reading it feels like a slog. The sentence structure also, unfortunately, detracts from the really interesting descriptions because it’s all shoved into one line. This makes the pacing both incredibly fast, while feeling slow.
The story spends little to no time building emotional weight, and so scenes don’t stand out. Nor do the characters, unfortunately. And when the romance begins, I almost got whiplash. The love interest, Garit, seems like a stand-in for Geralt (The Witcher) for the first few chapters, until he’s suddenly waxing poetic about how his love is the kind that bards write about. It feels very out of character, and I have no other context clues to make sense of this shift in his nature. Similarly, Illyse, our main character, doesn’t seem to have more than an attraction to him at first. Then out of the blue she’s in love. We’re to believe these two have been working together for two months, and then this just occurs. Their relationship should have been more advanced than it was, in my opinion.
Ultimately, the reason I feel like this reads like a “draft zero” is because it reads as if the author is plotting out the story. I,e, “This happens, then this happens, then this happens.” While there are some good nuggets of prose, certain scenes definitely need to be expanded upon. I know people roll their eyes at the “show, don’t tell” advice, but this is a perfect instance of how a story could be improved upon by following it. We’re often told what is happening, but there’s no sense of what it looks, feels, smells, sounds, or tastes like.
Ultimately, I gave this two stars because I feel like it has so much potential to be something amazing. Howevre, it just didn’t hit the mark for me, personally. I genuinely don’t think it’s bad, just feel that it’s not for me and the style I’ve come to enjoy.
alexpaperandpages's review
4.0
What a lovely romance fantasy book! I don't typically like first person narratives but Nicole Bea's prose was definitely lyrical enough to keep me reading. I read this in one sitting, if that says anything!
Thank you to NetGalley and Sword and Silk Books for the DRC!
Thank you to NetGalley and Sword and Silk Books for the DRC!
becxreadz's review
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Liked
*The world and the story were really unique
*The Germanic and Slavic mythology influences were really cool
*A Love interest with a disability was also a nice rep
*Witchy characters are always cool
*Fox familiar
Disliked
*No chemistry between the characters
*They felt more like coworkers than lovers
*Their "drama" was superficial and unnecessary and led to circumstances that I'd have been pissed about
*The world and the story were really unique
*The Germanic and Slavic mythology influences were really cool
*A Love interest with a disability was also a nice rep
*Witchy characters are always cool
*Fox familiar
Disliked
*No chemistry between the characters
*They felt more like coworkers than lovers
*Their "drama" was superficial and unnecessary and led to circumstances that I'd have been pissed about
emoleereads's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The first 50ish% of the book I really enjoyed but the back half moved so fast and so confusingly. Also ilyse constantly acts like a petulant child when she’s supposed to be a 70+ year old sorceress.
zillanovikov's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
More...