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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
While I very much enjoyed this book's worldbuilding, as time went on it just kept losing me more and more. I think I made it around 42% into this before deciding it wasn't going anywhere quickly enough to keep me on the hook.
I do think this had a really strong beginning act. I loved the setup of the times Hellevir met Death early in her life leading up to the main story and the setup of the cost of bringing someone back from the dead. I also thought the riddles and quests for treasures for Death was a very interesting concept.
I was also pretty stoked to find this was sapphic, but, at the point where things started to build in that area, I had already lost almost any interest in the story going on around it.
Because, despite all the promise this initially showed, I simply was not interested in Sullivain, whom the entire plot of the novel—both romantic and otherwise—hinges on, and I was even less interested in the life at court and Hellevir reconnecting with her brother.
At the end of the day, this book struggled with pacing. I think if it had been much shorter, it would have been much better, and it might have made room for the characters to pull more weight rather than just the world they're in. I might have finished this book if I'd had more patience, but this time around, it couldn't keep me around for the long run.
I do think this had a really strong beginning act. I loved the setup of the times Hellevir met Death early in her life leading up to the main story and the setup of the cost of bringing someone back from the dead. I also thought the riddles and quests for treasures for Death was a very interesting concept.
I was also pretty stoked to find this was sapphic, but, at the point where things started to build in that area, I had already lost almost any interest in the story going on around it.
Because, despite all the promise this initially showed, I simply was not interested in Sullivain, whom the entire plot of the novel—both romantic and otherwise—hinges on, and I was even less interested in the life at court and Hellevir reconnecting with her brother.
At the end of the day, this book struggled with pacing. I think if it had been much shorter, it would have been much better, and it might have made room for the characters to pull more weight rather than just the world they're in. I might have finished this book if I'd had more patience, but this time around, it couldn't keep me around for the long run.
I was not able to finish this book, I read 30% but had to put so much effort to get to that point.
I couldn’t connect with the characters, nor the story. I expected to be gripped into this world from the start but it never did.
Unfortunately if I have to drag myself through the pages, I don’t feel it’s worth continuing, because it doesn’t give me any joy…. Maybe I’ll pick it up again one day (since I own a hardcover copy), who knows.
(I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
I couldn’t connect with the characters, nor the story. I expected to be gripped into this world from the start but it never did.
Unfortunately if I have to drag myself through the pages, I don’t feel it’s worth continuing, because it doesn’t give me any joy…. Maybe I’ll pick it up again one day (since I own a hardcover copy), who knows.
(I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The narrator is excellent. I liked the story. A nice change of pace from other popular fantasy books.
dark
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes