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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
What a gorgeous take on the sleeping beauty fairytale. Took a while for me to get into this book as there’s a lot of lore about the world at the start of the book but once it got going I was hooked. Alyce is such a complex character with so much depth and pain to her. Her decisions throughout the book are shaped by everything she’s lived through and her love story with Aurora is a beautiful way to show why her own mind and the world she lives in were so wrong about her. The ending was devastating and now I need to read the second book immediately!
As soon as I saw the premise I was intrigued, and after only a few pages I was hooked! The world is so intriguing and Alyce is such an amazing character! It was difficult not to find myself wanting her to lash out, but every action she takes felt both understandable and unexpected. I want to say more but I'll end up spoiling it. Read this book! It's such a novel take on the fairy tale, and it left me thinking about the world for days after finishing!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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
I don't typically read fantasy, so it took me a bit to get into. But a creative retelling of sleeping beauty.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The end of this book as absolutely amazing. I love that she’s not entirely good. It’s such a breath of fresh air to have a villain point of view
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was very slow paced until about the last 80% of the book where all hell breaks loose. I thought it touched on interesting topics but because it tried to do so much, none of the threads seemed to meet for me. I found the protagonists to be incredibly naive which left me saying "really?! The possibility never crossed your mind?" I particularly didn't enjoy the whole Cal and evil Vila part. It felt disjointed from the rest of the story like an after thought added in to serve as the catalyst for Alyce's incredible descent into villainy.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If I were to only judge that second half of the book, it would be 4.5 stars, but that 1st 50% ddddddruuuuugggggggggg on unnecessarily my dude! It was so slow and boring, but I am glad I kept on it.
Sapphic retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the Evil Witches perspective (spoiler: she's not evil initially, people are just assholes). There's a book 2, and I do love a duology, but IDK if I would read it because I really liked how this book ended.
Sapphic retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the Evil Witches perspective (spoiler: she's not evil initially, people are just assholes). There's a book 2, and I do love a duology, but IDK if I would read it because I really liked how this book ended.
3 stars-- I liked it.
I haven't seen Maleficent, and I think this book may rely pretty heavily on references to the film that I didn't get. My rating reflects that-- YMMV.
Alyce is the Dark Grace, her green Vila blood and ugly appearance separate her from the Graces, who use their golden blood to make people more beautiful. The kingdom of Briar was founded by a warrior queen, but now languishes in the care of a weakened queen and corrupt king whose family is victim of an ancient Vila curse: daughters who do not kiss their true love by their 21st birthday will die. Aurora is the third and only living daughter and heir to the crown. She finds Alyce interesting, despite the fact that she is of the same race as the curse-maker.
The pacing was good, we learn the world of the Graces and the royals and the black tower for a while, the BAM at 80% things really happen fast. I enjoyed that crescendo. I found the worldbuilding confusing and the book lacked a central theme. Alyce is maligned for her identity, but she seems to trust easily and make decisions without thought. It felt like the author was trying to do too many things-- echo Maleficent, incorporate original fairy tales, and maybe work on too many themes-- revenge, trust, conflicts among races, beauty standards, family, betrayal, morality, class. Those are all things that interest me but Alyce is kind of all over the place with her relationships with people, and the national conflicts are a little confusing.
I do hope that the second in the duology will add some clarity, and I'm hoping some themes emerge that unite the narrative.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC. My opinions are my own.
I haven't seen Maleficent, and I think this book may rely pretty heavily on references to the film that I didn't get. My rating reflects that-- YMMV.
Alyce is the Dark Grace, her green Vila blood and ugly appearance separate her from the Graces, who use their golden blood to make people more beautiful. The kingdom of Briar was founded by a warrior queen, but now languishes in the care of a weakened queen and corrupt king whose family is victim of an ancient Vila curse: daughters who do not kiss their true love by their 21st birthday will die. Aurora is the third and only living daughter and heir to the crown. She finds Alyce interesting, despite the fact that she is of the same race as the curse-maker.
The pacing was good, we learn the world of the Graces and the royals and the black tower for a while, the BAM at 80% things really happen fast. I enjoyed that crescendo. I found the worldbuilding confusing and the book lacked a central theme. Alyce is maligned for her identity, but she seems to trust easily and make decisions without thought. It felt like the author was trying to do too many things-- echo Maleficent, incorporate original fairy tales, and maybe work on too many themes-- revenge, trust, conflicts among races, beauty standards, family, betrayal, morality, class. Those are all things that interest me but Alyce is kind of all over the place with her relationships with people, and the national conflicts are a little confusing.
I do hope that the second in the duology will add some clarity, and I'm hoping some themes emerge that unite the narrative.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC. My opinions are my own.
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This a was a reread, and I love it still. Onto book 2!