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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I felt like everything in this book happened painfully slowly. 75% of it was just the MC day to day minutiae which is really not my style. I feel bad calling it boring but I was not entertained by this book
dark
emotional
tense
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
I think this is an excellent example of a fairytale retelling: it expands the archetypal aspects of the tale into much more complex characters and worldbuilding that create an immersive novel. It balanced the whimsy of fairytales with their more horrific origins and underpinnings to create a tale of the complications of love, identity, and power.
I'm blown away. This twisted Sleeping Beauty retelling was a wild ride and I loved it. I will say that it's fairly predictable in what it does. That is in part because it is following the standard Sleeping Beauty storyline. You could tell from the very beginning that Alys was going to be the one to break Aurora's curse and that somehow it was all going to go wrong. I do feel that it modernized the fairytale. I enjoyed the Sapphic romance subplot, instead of having the typical Prince Charming savior. The different facets morally grey and villainous characters, especially from Alys' point of view really added a level of believability to this retelling. Alys, herself, was very morally grey and to see her vacillate between doing bad things while justifying it, and wanting to be good and kind, was made all the more nuanced when she lost everything in the end. Her juxtaposition with Aurora’s innate goodness was a very interesting take. And he absolute unraveling in the end really spoke to how much heartbreak, betrayal and pain she'd endured up until that point.
The worldbuilding was top-notch. Especially when it came to the elaborate setting and the magic system. Honestly, the magic system and Briar's history were so much more complex than I expected. I love a fantasy book with beautiful world building. It could have leaned more into the darker side of things, but honestly, I'm happy it didn't go completely dark. It made it easier for me to read and enjoy. I'm very much looking forward to the second book.
The worldbuilding was top-notch. Especially when it came to the elaborate setting and the magic system. Honestly, the magic system and Briar's history were so much more complex than I expected. I love a fantasy book with beautiful world building. It could have leaned more into the darker side of things, but honestly, I'm happy it didn't go completely dark. It made it easier for me to read and enjoy. I'm very much looking forward to the second book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Yikes.
Ok, before I start, I will say that it's really refreshing to have more representation in fantasy writing, and honestly the reason I read this book in the first place was because I was so interested in a queer retelling of Sleeping Beauty. This book definitely has that going for it. However...
The writing is just so clunky. The first few chapters were just cramming lore down the readers' throats - honestly, the whole system was overly complicated, but even so it could have been more artfully introduced. The characters were all completely two-dimensional, even the protagonist. Rose was just a bully, Aurora was the perfect pretty princess, and Alyce was just...boring. A boring character to read and follow along with. I never really cared about any of the characters at all. And then everyone betrayed everyone, and I really didn't care. Kal? Ok. Laurel? Sure. Tarkin? I guess, why not. And I felt like every YA adventure trope was thrown at the book "just because". There should be an animal sidekick - check. Callow, the kestrel, was a random addition and I wasn't phased in the least when she disappeared. But then suddenly she was back, and healed? And totally chill with her mistress being a dragon? Fine. And the protagonist needs adversity - check. Literally everyone hates Alyce - she even hates herself. And Alyce was just exhausted and "at the limits of her magic" basically 24/7. And yet she still kept improving exponentially? And woah, it went from 0 to 60 REAL fast at the end. Suddenly she's killing people left and right, and just okay with it? Where was absolutely any character development whatsoever? It was just all so simultaneously predictable, boring, and....clunky.
I'm all for more representation in fantasy. But I'm also an advocate of good writing.
Ok, before I start, I will say that it's really refreshing to have more representation in fantasy writing, and honestly the reason I read this book in the first place was because I was so interested in a queer retelling of Sleeping Beauty. This book definitely has that going for it. However...
The writing is just so clunky. The first few chapters were just cramming lore down the readers' throats - honestly, the whole system was overly complicated, but even so it could have been more artfully introduced. The characters were all completely two-dimensional, even the protagonist. Rose was just a bully, Aurora was the perfect pretty princess, and Alyce was just...boring. A boring character to read and follow along with. I never really cared about any of the characters at all. And then everyone betrayed everyone, and I really didn't care. Kal? Ok. Laurel? Sure. Tarkin? I guess, why not. And I felt like every YA adventure trope was thrown at the book "just because". There should be an animal sidekick - check. Callow, the kestrel, was a random addition and I wasn't phased in the least when she disappeared. But then suddenly she was back, and healed? And totally chill with her mistress being a dragon? Fine. And the protagonist needs adversity - check. Literally everyone hates Alyce - she even hates herself. And Alyce was just exhausted and "at the limits of her magic" basically 24/7. And yet she still kept improving exponentially? And woah, it went from 0 to 60 REAL fast at the end. Suddenly she's killing people left and right, and just okay with it? Where was absolutely any character development whatsoever? It was just all so simultaneously predictable, boring, and....clunky.
I'm all for more representation in fantasy. But I'm also an advocate of good writing.
dark
sad
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
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Started off slow, but quickly build up with lots of plot twist. The ending and really every part of it was incredibly unpredictable. The tentoon that was build towards the ending made me start the second book right after finishing.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ok soooo I enjoyed this! I had a lot of fun learning about the world and the magic system. However at the beginning, I felt like there were a lot of information heavy sections and my reading pace was becoming more slowed. This was kind of a problem throughout the whole book, but most notably at the beginning. I also didn’t think that Alyce and Aurora had that much chemistry. I’M SORRY! I thought they were really cute when they FINALLY got together, but I didn’t believe their attraction to one another, it felt very surface level. They never really hung out, which I get because Aurora is the princess, but when they did hang out it was kinda glossed over. I would like to know what they talk about! I want them to bond more! I understand that it’s hard to fit so many important things into a story, but this one felt almost bogged down by all of the information and everything that was going on. Spoilers in the next paragraph btw!
ALSO! Who would have guessed the isolated man with shadow powers would be evil? OH WAIT! I DID! I was so mad when the big reveal came and Kal betrays Alyce because like??? It was so obvious? The way he would get all touchy with her and he even kisses her face at one point I was like, “what the actual fuck is happening rn.” Like he felt entitled to her just because he helped her with her powers?? GROSS! RED FLAG BEHAVIOR!! And I KNOW Alyce is naïve about the world but come on. I also kinda guessed that Laurel would be the one spying on Alyce but damn that betrayal hurt. Another thing, Alyce’s friend Hilde? Yeah she’s in like one or two scenes and then we never hear from her again. She’s mentioned toward the end when Alyce is destroying the city and she regrets most-likely killing her, but I’m pretty sure she was only in the story as a plot device. I know there’s a second book but I’m not sure if I’ll pick it up.
P.s. why did Alyce have to say “dragon’s teeth” every other page? I appreciate fantasy world’s having their own curse instead of dammit or fuck but NO ONE ELSE SAYS IT! Also, is the dragon we are talking about a god-like being? Or are we just referencing Leythana’s dragons? I was a bit confused by that lol.
ALSO! Who would have guessed the isolated man with shadow powers would be evil? OH WAIT! I DID! I was so mad when the big reveal came and Kal betrays Alyce because like??? It was so obvious? The way he would get all touchy with her and he even kisses her face at one point I was like, “what the actual fuck is happening rn.” Like he felt entitled to her just because he helped her with her powers?? GROSS! RED FLAG BEHAVIOR!! And I KNOW Alyce is naïve about the world but come on. I also kinda guessed that Laurel would be the one spying on Alyce but damn that betrayal hurt. Another thing, Alyce’s friend Hilde? Yeah she’s in like one or two scenes and then we never hear from her again. She’s mentioned toward the end when Alyce is destroying the city and she regrets most-likely killing her, but I’m pretty sure she was only in the story as a plot device. I know there’s a second book but I’m not sure if I’ll pick it up.
P.s. why did Alyce have to say “dragon’s teeth” every other page? I appreciate fantasy world’s having their own curse instead of dammit or fuck but NO ONE ELSE SAYS IT! Also, is the dragon we are talking about a god-like being? Or are we just referencing Leythana’s dragons? I was a bit confused by that lol.