Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
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.
This would be a 5-star read but I'm deducting one for reasons that are entirely my own and do not reflect at all on the great way that Walter created a fully realized world full of interesting characters.
So I'll start with the positive. I'm amazed at how well Walter created her world. It's complex, full of history, and the magic system is perfectly grounded and believable. It helps make everything about all the characters, not just Alyce and Aurora, feel like they're real people with lives outside of the story.
This creative reimagining of the classic Sleeping Beauty tale was on its way to being declared a new favorite, but I'm afraid I don't exactly agree with where the author decided to take it in the end. I shouldn't even complain because I was very clearly warned it was going to head in the direction it did, I just really hoped for a different type of ending. The ending is shocking and expertly crafted, I should have known it was heading there, but it still hit me as a surprise. Not just any author can manage that.
That said, sign me up for the sequel because I'm devouring that as soon as I get my hands on it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the early read!
So I'll start with the positive. I'm amazed at how well Walter created her world. It's complex, full of history, and the magic system is perfectly grounded and believable. It helps make everything about all the characters, not just Alyce and Aurora, feel like they're real people with lives outside of the story.
This creative reimagining of the classic Sleeping Beauty tale was on its way to being declared a new favorite, but I'm afraid I don't exactly agree with where the author decided to take it in the end. I shouldn't even complain because I was very clearly warned it was going to head in the direction it did, I just really hoped for a different type of ending. The ending is shocking and expertly crafted, I should have known it was heading there, but it still hit me as a surprise. Not just any author can manage that.
That said, sign me up for the sequel because I'm devouring that as soon as I get my hands on it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the early read!
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
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
By all means, I should have loved this story, but I couldn't get past the classist nature of the book. Alyce talked down to servants and treated them like shit. Maybe if I had stuck through it, she would have this grand sweeping character development, but I wasn't patient enough to find out.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
this is one of those books that made the smart, logical side of my brain and the monkey, i-don't-care-just-entertain-me side of my brain clash.
first of all: the pacing of this book is pretty all over the place, with the first ~40% or so being pretty slow (and pretty info-dumpy), and the ending just goes at breakneck speed. near the tail end of the book we just keep getting plot twist after plot twist after plot twist. it was so stupid that it just made me laugh my ass off.
there were also a lot of repeated phrases and adjectives, such as "[character] suddenly become(s) fascinated with [object]", "bronze colored skin", "[character]'s touch igniting under me", were ones that particularly annoyed me.
as for the politics of the world, they were pretty much nonsensical; a couple of interesting ideas were introduced, but the author never actually bothered exploring them. not only that, but even the oppression faced by the main character was just your average run-of-the-mill fantasy creature racism - it never actually provided any sort of commentary or even really any sort of idea at all into the how or the why the world set this system up in the first place outside of "they think green bad". the writing at the very end in particular wasn't much better, very "we are the daughters of the witches you couldn't burn" type writing that i despise.
despite all these problems, i was honestly still quite entertained, so i'll be giving the sequel a go.
first of all: the pacing of this book is pretty all over the place, with the first ~40% or so being pretty slow (and pretty info-dumpy), and the ending just goes at breakneck speed. near the tail end of the book we just keep getting plot twist after plot twist after plot twist. it was so stupid that it just made me laugh my ass off.
there were also a lot of repeated phrases and adjectives, such as "[character] suddenly become(s) fascinated with [object]", "bronze colored skin", "[character]'s touch igniting under me", were ones that particularly annoyed me.
as for the politics of the world, they were pretty much nonsensical; a couple of interesting ideas were introduced, but the author never actually bothered exploring them. not only that, but even the oppression faced by the main character was just your average run-of-the-mill fantasy creature racism - it never actually provided any sort of commentary or even really any sort of idea at all into the how or the why the world set this system up in the first place outside of "they think green bad". the writing at the very end in particular wasn't much better, very "we are the daughters of the witches you couldn't burn" type writing that i despise.
despite all these problems, i was honestly still quite entertained, so i'll be giving the sequel a go.
5 stars
my heart hurts guys
I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THE DOUBLE BETRAYAL
YOU EXPECTED IT BUT YOU ALSO DIDN'T IT'S INSANE
my heart hurts guys
I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THE DOUBLE BETRAYAL
YOU EXPECTED IT BUT YOU ALSO DIDN'T IT'S INSANE