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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
This dark retelling of sleeping beauty had a few twists I found interesting when compared to the old fairytale but the amount of bullying in this book kept it from being great for me. I feel like Alice should have known quite a few times based on how everyone has treated her her whole life. I wanted her to be smarter...
chciałam tej książce wystawić 2 gwiazdki, ale ostatnie 100 stron mnie przekonało do 3 - w końcu ta historia miała jakiś sens i zaczęła się akcja, której chciałam od początku rozwinięcia niektórych wątków!
miałam bardzo duże oczekiwania co do tej książki i mogę śmiało przyznać, że nie zostały one w większości spełnione… zawiodłam się pod kilkoma względami, a najbardziej razi mnie zbudowany świat - jest strasznie zagmatwany i niejasny, niejednokrotnie się pogubiłam co jest w nim właściwe, a co nie, wiele sytuacji sobie zaprzeczało. relacja głównych bohaterek wywołała u mnie kilka uśmiechów i emocjonalnych rekacji, ale nie było tego wiele - dziewczyny miały albo zero interakcji albo nagły rzut romantycznych gestów. dużo schematów jest też przewidywalnych, ale to pewnie fakt, że ta historia mogłaby być nazywana retellingiem śpiącej królewny.
dobrą cechą tej książki jest kreacja głównej bohaterki i to ona mnie zmotywuje do tego by przeczytać drugą cześć. koncept stawania się main villain bardzo mi się podoba i mam nadzieję, że nie zostanie to źle poprowadzone
miałam bardzo duże oczekiwania co do tej książki i mogę śmiało przyznać, że nie zostały one w większości spełnione… zawiodłam się pod kilkoma względami, a najbardziej razi mnie zbudowany świat - jest strasznie zagmatwany i niejasny, niejednokrotnie się pogubiłam co jest w nim właściwe, a co nie, wiele sytuacji sobie zaprzeczało. relacja głównych bohaterek wywołała u mnie kilka uśmiechów i emocjonalnych rekacji, ale nie było tego wiele - dziewczyny miały albo zero interakcji albo nagły rzut romantycznych gestów. dużo schematów jest też przewidywalnych, ale to pewnie fakt, że ta historia mogłaby być nazywana retellingiem śpiącej królewny.
dobrą cechą tej książki jest kreacja głównej bohaterki i to ona mnie zmotywuje do tego by przeczytać drugą cześć. koncept stawania się main villain bardzo mi się podoba i mam nadzieję, że nie zostanie to źle poprowadzone
adventurous
medium-paced
i love the romance of this book but i feel like the worldbuilding aspect of fantasy books aren't for me
YESSSS. It was crazy then got crazier. Kept ramping up. Eat. Love the descriptive imagery
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-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
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
Overall, I really liked this book! I thought it was a very interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty story most of us are familiar with. Alyce was a strong narrator and getting to see the kingdom of Briar through her eyes was intriguing as we show the mistreatment she endured by being Villa, or dark fae. I thought all the characters were memorable and recognizable in their own right too. From “mean girl” bitch Rose and Marigold, to Laurel who was like the pinnacle of neutrality, and Cal who I’ll get into lol…I liked the cast of characters! Also, Aurora! Loved her characterization of having a feisty personality and deep morals she stands herself on. And I know sometimes when princesses are written to be more feisty and less docile like they originally were in their stories it comes across as almost another form of “I’m not like other girls.” But Aurora is so naturally herself in this book that I think it shows this fierce attitude done right. :)
The writing was definitely very YA but as a young adult I didn’t mind it at all. I enjoyed the descriptive language and use of senses. I also LOVED the world building! It was absolutely stellar in my opinion and honestly what gives this book a higher ranking than just three stars. The deep history between Briar and the fae kingdoms was so good and I shows how a fairytale retelling can be done right and expand well on its source material.
*SPOILERS*
Okay now back to Cal. So, I’m not going to lie, when he was first introduced it felt a bit unnatural? Like just so matter of circumstance and random and after finishing the book I still feel that way a bit. However, I thoroughly liked the setup and relationship build up done between him and Alyce. I think it was done really well to the point that I was genuinely caught off guard by his betrayal. I know twist villains are seen as a bit of a cop out but Cal is an exception to this imo. It made total sense that after his curse was lifted he would be revengeful and seek retribution after all his years of torment and isolation. I think using his as the driving force behind the whole “spinning wheel” curse we all know from Sleeping Beauty was an interesting take and one I liked.
Now I do think the ending was a bit rushed to be honest, but overall I didn’t have many issues with this book. The only reason it didn’t get five stars is because I wasn’t absolutely blown away by it, but it was still an excellent read! The cliffhanger at the end is gripping and I went to instantly pick up the sequel which I’m now halfway through. My thoughts on the sequel are definitely not as positive as this first book, but that’s for another day. I do think this would have made a perfect standalone if it was just a bit longer or some unnecessary scenes were taken out and replaced with more plot relevant ones. But I digress and we’ll have to see how this duology ends lol.
The writing was definitely very YA but as a young adult I didn’t mind it at all. I enjoyed the descriptive language and use of senses. I also LOVED the world building! It was absolutely stellar in my opinion and honestly what gives this book a higher ranking than just three stars. The deep history between Briar and the fae kingdoms was so good and I shows how a fairytale retelling can be done right and expand well on its source material.
*SPOILERS*
Okay now back to Cal. So, I’m not going to lie, when he was first introduced it felt a bit unnatural? Like just so matter of circumstance and random and after finishing the book I still feel that way a bit. However, I thoroughly liked the setup and relationship build up done between him and Alyce. I think it was done really well to the point that I was genuinely caught off guard by his betrayal. I know twist villains are seen as a bit of a cop out but Cal is an exception to this imo. It made total sense that after his curse was lifted he would be revengeful and seek retribution after all his years of torment and isolation. I think using his as the driving force behind the whole “spinning wheel” curse we all know from Sleeping Beauty was an interesting take and one I liked.
Now I do think the ending was a bit rushed to be honest, but overall I didn’t have many issues with this book. The only reason it didn’t get five stars is because I wasn’t absolutely blown away by it, but it was still an excellent read! The cliffhanger at the end is gripping and I went to instantly pick up the sequel which I’m now halfway through. My thoughts on the sequel are definitely not as positive as this first book, but that’s for another day. I do think this would have made a perfect standalone if it was just a bit longer or some unnecessary scenes were taken out and replaced with more plot relevant ones. But I digress and we’ll have to see how this duology ends lol.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes