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coralkudu's review against another edition
4.0
What I really liked about this book was that there was no "good" or "evil", and everyone was somewhere in between. You don't often get that in this kind of book.
The reason why I haven't given it 5 stars, though, is that I felt there was sometimes something a bit awkward in the writing, but it is still definitely worth reading.
The reason why I haven't given it 5 stars, though, is that I felt there was sometimes something a bit awkward in the writing, but it is still definitely worth reading.
teressanz's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
rosaliesherry's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting premise but it really drags in the middle. So much talking and doing the same thing over and over again. Overall, intrigued for what might happen next, 3/5.
koops333's review against another edition
2.0
This was a tough one. I liked the premise- vampires have taken over the world after getting their hands on a weather machine that throws the world into perpetual darkness and have slaughtered a majority of humanity. Decades later a small human resistance is set to kill the Prince of Darkness and to try to bring daylight back to the world.
The problem?
I mean I understand not killing him bc his predecessor may be worse, but her being conflicted about it did not really connect for me. I mean after he killed that kid and the whole convoluted plot to kill the farm guy just made me have zero sympathy for him or his condescending games.
But at the same time his outsmarting Myra wasn't exactly difficult. She's 19, naive, has no world experience, and just doesn't seem to take things that seriously. Except for her writing. It might have made more sense if she was on her own and did have her family and the resistance to worry about- but she just seemed cool with hanging around for 2 months with no real planning except petty little games and half baked ideas.
And I def didn't care about the companion vamps enough to care if they died either, let alone enough to feel conflicted enough to want to root for her saving them in the end.
oh and PS the Sissy character was just another weird cherry on top.
Sorry to say I didn't buy this one
The problem?
Spoiler
Well the entire story hinges on an understanding of sorts developing between Myra and the vampires. But at no point in the book was Vlad compelling enough, or sympathetic, or relatable enough for that to actually make sense to me. The only thing that tied them together was him wanting her to finish her book and her wanting his approval and to be a better writer....I mean I understand not killing him bc his predecessor may be worse, but her being conflicted about it did not really connect for me. I mean after he killed that kid and the whole convoluted plot to kill the farm guy just made me have zero sympathy for him or his condescending games.
But at the same time his outsmarting Myra wasn't exactly difficult. She's 19, naive, has no world experience, and just doesn't seem to take things that seriously. Except for her writing. It might have made more sense if she was on her own and did have her family and the resistance to worry about- but she just seemed cool with hanging around for 2 months with no real planning except petty little games and half baked ideas.
And I def didn't care about the companion vamps enough to care if they died either, let alone enough to feel conflicted enough to want to root for her saving them in the end.
oh and PS the Sissy character was just another weird cherry on top.
Sorry to say I didn't buy this one
trudywoo's review against another edition
4.0
Note: I received the book free from the We ♥ YA Books! group and the author in exchange for a honest review.
Since Twilight especially, I've been a fan of books about vampires, and I'm always intrigued how authors manipulate the mythology to create something new. I enjoyed reading Elena May's creation, although it did take me a bit to get into the story. I'm still not sure if I like the protagonist; she is flawed and can be a bit immature or selfish. I liked how she grows to see that the world isn't always black and white. The "Weather Wizard" is a creative invention and I certainly can see our world creating a technology and not thinking of how it could be used against us until it is too late. I'm curious to find out Vladimir's plan for the future of vampires and humanity.
Since Twilight especially, I've been a fan of books about vampires, and I'm always intrigued how authors manipulate the mythology to create something new. I enjoyed reading Elena May's creation, although it did take me a bit to get into the story. I'm still not sure if I like the protagonist; she is flawed and can be a bit immature or selfish. I liked how she grows to see that the world isn't always black and white. The "Weather Wizard" is a creative invention and I certainly can see our world creating a technology and not thinking of how it could be used against us until it is too late. I'm curious to find out Vladimir's plan for the future of vampires and humanity.
dectren's review
1.0
The beginning of the book was so promising. I loved how it was addressed that people living underground for their whole lives would become vitamin d deficient. But after that I just became increasingly annoyed with the main character. She’s selfish and hypocritical in the most annoying ways. Someone would be telling their life’s story and how terrible it was and that’s why they’re how they are today and she just calls them a selfish monster and insults the things that are most vulnerable to them. I got so mad at her so many times for this. I thought she would be less judgmental at the end and she’d get a bit of character development but NOPE. I’m still mad about it I would’ve enjoyed this book a lot more of the main character changed.
milton's review against another edition
4.0
After "Twilight", I had given up on vampire fiction. I was sick of the old “teenaged girl falls in love with sexy dark lord who abuses her, but it’s okay because he loves her” paranormal romance trope.
And, boy, was I glad to find out that this book is different.
Well, Myra is still a teenager and self-proclaimed "Prince" Vladimir is still pretty attractive for a mass murderer. There’s also some “Beauty and the Beast” in here, with Myra being held in a castle by her enemies and slowly growing to like them, but “Kingdom of Ashes” is not, I repeat, NOT a romance. And thank heavens for that!
What I liked about this book:
1) It’s essentially meta-fiction, taking on all the old fantasy and paranormal romance tropes and lampshading, if not subverting them. Myra’s story about her fictional heroine “Maryabella” is reminiscent of all the Mary Sue-ish self-inserts one can find on fanfiction sites. Vladimir calls her out on this and gives her advice on how to become a better writer. Of course, having a vampire use word such as “genre savvy” is a bit much, but it’s enjoyable to read about a fictional character (who is himself somewhat similar to a literary cliché)expressing his exasperation at a teenage girl's romantic fantasies. Myra also makes fun about the classical “Resistance fighting Evil Empire” trope, pointing out that using words such as “headquarters” and “Resistance” is a bit much for a guerilla troop who barely survives by eating rats. Also, vampire clichés get viciously mocked by all characters. These vampires don’t sparkle in the sun. They just burn to ashes.
2) There’s no love story. At least not in this first part and I hope it’ll stay that way. In a typical paranormal romance, Myra would probably have to decide between her human friend and leader of the “Resistance”, Zack, and her darker but also hotter vampire love interest who would probably be either Tristan or Vladimir himself. But, no, Vlad already has a girlfriend and Tristan seems too much in love with himself to develop feelings for anyone who isn’t his platonic life partner Vlad. It’s beautiful and proves that a fantasy plot doesn’t need a cheesy romance.
3) It’s well researched. For once, most characters have culturally appropriate names and if not, this is explained soon enough. The author also uses history as a plot-driving elent. Although some events in the past of the characters are only hinted at, you can unravel the mystery yourself by doing a bit of research. I won’t give you any spoilers, but it took me only a couple of minutes to find out who Vlad’s people actually were and how his family died – this being directly linked to why he dislikes the Cyrillic alphabet so much. (Yes, this is mentioned at one point.) Emily May uses her knowledge of history to embellish her futuristic, post-apocalyptic setting without info-dumping the reader. It’s clever and perhaps surprised me more than anything else. Also, kudos to the author for including a performance of “Tosca” in her book – some foreshadowing, perhaps?
What could have been improved perhaps:
1) I know this is YA but the prose seemed a bit simplistic at times. There were beautiful parts, too, but not enough for my taste. I don’t simply read for the plot, but for the beauty of language itself and sometimes the writing felt a bit like the bad fanfictions it tries to parody.
2) Some minor plot inconsistencies. Why does it take the Resistance so long to invent rat farms? Are you honestly telling me that three generations went by without anyone thinking about breeding animals for food? Why do the vampires dress in 700-years-old clothes? I know clothing is scarce, but the Victorian period has been over for almost sevenhundred years, their clothes would be almost antique at this point. And why is everyone speaking and understanding English? The story may be set in Scotland but since none of the main vampire characters speaks English as a native tongue, it seems surprising that they chose it as their main form of communication. Maybe I’m just disappointed. I was awaiting the glorious return of Church Slavonic as a lingua franca.
While this book might not be perfect, it’s an entertaining, enjoyable read and I am looking forward to the second part. By now, I have grown fond of the characters and am interested in how their journeys will develop. And I hope that the author will elaborate more on what appears to be the actual theme of her novel: What makes humanity human? Do we need art and literature to survive, even in the face of the apocalypse? Does the end justify the means, like murdering someone to keep hundreds of other people from dying? Can the world really be divided in “good” and “bad”? And if yes, what side are humans actually on?
These are some pretty deep topics for a YA vampire novel and I can’t wait to find out how the conflicts are resolved in the following parts.
And, boy, was I glad to find out that this book is different.
Well, Myra is still a teenager and self-proclaimed "Prince" Vladimir is still pretty attractive for a mass murderer. There’s also some “Beauty and the Beast” in here, with Myra being held in a castle by her enemies and slowly growing to like them, but “Kingdom of Ashes” is not, I repeat, NOT a romance. And thank heavens for that!
What I liked about this book:
1) It’s essentially meta-fiction, taking on all the old fantasy and paranormal romance tropes and lampshading, if not subverting them. Myra’s story about her fictional heroine “Maryabella” is reminiscent of all the Mary Sue-ish self-inserts one can find on fanfiction sites. Vladimir calls her out on this and gives her advice on how to become a better writer. Of course, having a vampire use word such as “genre savvy” is a bit much, but it’s enjoyable to read about a fictional character (who is himself somewhat similar to a literary cliché)expressing his exasperation at a teenage girl's romantic fantasies. Myra also makes fun about the classical “Resistance fighting Evil Empire” trope, pointing out that using words such as “headquarters” and “Resistance” is a bit much for a guerilla troop who barely survives by eating rats. Also, vampire clichés get viciously mocked by all characters. These vampires don’t sparkle in the sun. They just burn to ashes.
2) There’s no love story. At least not in this first part and I hope it’ll stay that way. In a typical paranormal romance, Myra would probably have to decide between her human friend and leader of the “Resistance”, Zack, and her darker but also hotter vampire love interest who would probably be either Tristan or Vladimir himself. But, no, Vlad already has a girlfriend and Tristan seems too much in love with himself to develop feelings for anyone who isn’t his platonic life partner Vlad. It’s beautiful and proves that a fantasy plot doesn’t need a cheesy romance.
3) It’s well researched. For once, most characters have culturally appropriate names and if not, this is explained soon enough. The author also uses history as a plot-driving elent. Although some events in the past of the characters are only hinted at, you can unravel the mystery yourself by doing a bit of research. I won’t give you any spoilers, but it took me only a couple of minutes to find out who Vlad’s people actually were and how his family died – this being directly linked to why he dislikes the Cyrillic alphabet so much. (Yes, this is mentioned at one point.) Emily May uses her knowledge of history to embellish her futuristic, post-apocalyptic setting without info-dumping the reader. It’s clever and perhaps surprised me more than anything else. Also, kudos to the author for including a performance of “Tosca” in her book – some foreshadowing, perhaps?
What could have been improved perhaps:
1) I know this is YA but the prose seemed a bit simplistic at times. There were beautiful parts, too, but not enough for my taste. I don’t simply read for the plot, but for the beauty of language itself and sometimes the writing felt a bit like the bad fanfictions it tries to parody.
2) Some minor plot inconsistencies. Why does it take the Resistance so long to invent rat farms? Are you honestly telling me that three generations went by without anyone thinking about breeding animals for food? Why do the vampires dress in 700-years-old clothes? I know clothing is scarce, but the Victorian period has been over for almost sevenhundred years, their clothes would be almost antique at this point. And why is everyone speaking and understanding English? The story may be set in Scotland but since none of the main vampire characters speaks English as a native tongue, it seems surprising that they chose it as their main form of communication. Maybe I’m just disappointed. I was awaiting the glorious return of Church Slavonic as a lingua franca.
While this book might not be perfect, it’s an entertaining, enjoyable read and I am looking forward to the second part. By now, I have grown fond of the characters and am interested in how their journeys will develop. And I hope that the author will elaborate more on what appears to be the actual theme of her novel: What makes humanity human? Do we need art and literature to survive, even in the face of the apocalypse? Does the end justify the means, like murdering someone to keep hundreds of other people from dying? Can the world really be divided in “good” and “bad”? And if yes, what side are humans actually on?
These are some pretty deep topics for a YA vampire novel and I can’t wait to find out how the conflicts are resolved in the following parts.
soartfullydone's review
Began skimming early and got to the 25% mark. Simply not spicy enough for a vampire story with the message on the importance of human art being incredibly heavy-handed. Ironic because the characters, descriptions, dialogue, and plot were quite wooden themselves.
darklings's review
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
when i say it's once every blue moon that i find a non-trashy vampire book also i love how tristan was basically the vampire version of aaron warner...we love to see it
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