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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
Besides the last chapter not being necessary I enjoyed this book. The polyamory was done well, and as a person who doesn’t really go for that that’s saying something. Great message about controlling relationships and how it’s possible to move on and thrive. Overall an enjoyable read.
Listen if you’re going to base your book off of Dracula but not use any of the original plot OR the vampire lore that’s established in the original, you’re not doing a retelling you are just writing a basic vampire novel, which would be FINE
Constanta was taken from the grips of death on a battlefield in medieval Eastern Europe by a charming, entrancing, powerful man - one whose name we all know well. Constanta loves him deeply, but as the years go on and their vampiric family grows, her fear and hatred for his manipulation becomes just as strong.
This was a deeply entrancing book that had me in a chokehold. The writing style is the strongest part of the book - it feels just as hypnotizing as the vampires in the story. Combined with the epistolary set up, we get put right into Constanta's perspective, seeing how beautiful and terrible the life she's been shoved into is. The narrative is raw and personal and painful, but sometimes lovely and hopeful. Seeing how her relationship shifts over the course of the story is so powerful - she goes from being in love to trapped, and then finds her strength by seeing those she loves going through the same thing. I adore her relationship with Magdalena, I wanted to live in those pages. This book is one of the best portrayals I've read of what a controlling relationship feels like, how it slides from something that feels intoxicating to nightmarish without notice. I love the journey of our main character and how the family gets their freedom.
Overall, this was a book I couldn't put down, with beautiful writing and well-done themes. I'm so glad this book is getting the attention it deserves.
This was a deeply entrancing book that had me in a chokehold. The writing style is the strongest part of the book - it feels just as hypnotizing as the vampires in the story. Combined with the epistolary set up, we get put right into Constanta's perspective, seeing how beautiful and terrible the life she's been shoved into is. The narrative is raw and personal and painful, but sometimes lovely and hopeful. Seeing how her relationship shifts over the course of the story is so powerful - she goes from being in love to trapped, and then finds her strength by seeing those she loves going through the same thing. I adore her relationship with Magdalena, I wanted to live in those pages. This book is one of the best portrayals I've read of what a controlling relationship feels like, how it slides from something that feels intoxicating to nightmarish without notice. I love the journey of our main character and how the family gets their freedom.
Overall, this was a book I couldn't put down, with beautiful writing and well-done themes. I'm so glad this book is getting the attention it deserves.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-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
it wasn’t as I initially expected it. I can’t place my finger on what has slowly turned me off, but I feel like it has a lot to do with the prose and the way it’s written. (Could also be an issue of translation, as I read it in italian). Too many metaphors and flowery comparisons that felt forced. Every two sentences it was a “x was like y” and it felt like a way to forcefully add to the word count. While the job of portraying a toxic relationship was mostly well done and showed the facets of how complex a victim-abuser relationship is, it still wasn’t enough to make up for the rest. Very sad I didn’f enjoy it :(
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
Non mi è piaciuto molto lo stile, ma ho trovato importante come il sentimento di sorellanza fra Costanta e Magda non sia solo un amore saffico, ma rivoluzionario e ribelle in tutti i sensi. Forse mi aspettavo di più dalla storia e dalla struttura narrativa, ma non è nemmeno malaccio.
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated