beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to read this series because I enjoyed the first series and I love the dual POV, so I wanted to try and give this series ago. Compared to Ana’s point of view, this one was a bit disappointing.  

This book is based on twenty-seven-year-old Christian Grey, and he exercises control in all things; his world is neat, disciplined and utterly empty until the day that Anastasia Steele falls into the office, in a tangle of shapely limbs and tumbling brown hair. He tries to forget her, but instead is swept up in a storm of emotion he cannot comprehend and cannot resist. Unlike any woman he has known before, shy, unworldly Ana seems to see right through him – past the business prodigy and the penthouse lifestyle to Christian’s cold, wounded heart. Will being with Ana dispel the horrors of his childhood that haunt Christian every night? Or will his dark desires, his compulsion to control, and the self-loathing that fills his soul drive this girl away and destroy the fragile hope she offers him? 

I will forever love alternative POV. I loved that there were more details of what Christian was up to especially with the SIP thing as we found out that the SIP takeover in the second book from Ana’s point of view and that Leila was stalking Christian as well as Ana. I loved seeing how distracted Christian was with trying to work and yet all he cares about if Ana had moved in and if she was comfortable and how her first day on the job was.  

My only issue with this book is the pace was very slow and I was bored at some points and yes, I know it was the same as Fifty Shades, but I found myself skimming over the BDSM chapters and the chapters that we had already read in Fifty Shades. It was just like one sentence or word had been changed to make it different. Change Ana to Christian and that was all that was happening in some chapters. If you do a shot every time Christian says control, you’ll be drunk before you hit 50 percent. I thought we would see more of Elena as well and considering she’s the big villain you only see her once when Christian and Elena have their dinner and Elena tells Christian to go to Georgia.  

I am going to hope that the series gets better, but I’m also trying not to put all my eggs in one basket. 

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mj_86's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75


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nidaelboustany's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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whrohala's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

This was... tough. Thankfully I was well aware going into it that that would be the case. I've read it before, but it's been several years and I have a vastly different understanding of the world now than I did when this first came out. 

The writing is fine. Not the worst, but certainly reads like many of the fanfics I've read. Makes sense since this was a twilight fanfic. 

The way that Christian is written is hard to work through. Very juvenile way of thinking - which makes sense if you think about it psychologically, but its pretty clear that that wasn't entirely the motivation for his behaviors and mind set. Definitely reads more as a bastardization of BDSM and the motivations and culture behind it. 

For the most part I actually really like the way that Anastasia is written. Funny, strong-willed, and true to herself. While still being a believability curious but inexperienced participant in this relationship dynamic. 

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rynicolereads's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5


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rini's review against another edition

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reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


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