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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
Won a copy of this from a goodreads giveaway.
The premise and some of the lore was promising, but overall delivery and execution was lacking. Difficult to get through and not very satisfying overall.
Wanted to like it, but just not my type of book I guess.
The premise and some of the lore was promising, but overall delivery and execution was lacking. Difficult to get through and not very satisfying overall.
Wanted to like it, but just not my type of book I guess.
I really loved the writing style as this book opens. Saintcrow uses athletic descriptions and similes and metaphors to bring a snowbound yet dismal NYC in December to life. I felt enmeshed in Nat and her sadness and loneliness. I felt I understood her harsh yet loving relationship with her mother.
But as Nat’s cross country adventure unfolds, the over-description weighs down the story and slogs the reader into frustration and disinterest.
The magical makeover, the self-driving cars, the multitude of deities, the jealous, shallow side characters, the sexy and powerful bad boy, all felt familiar. Nat is an oft-seen YA main character who is lovable yet clueless and is “surprised” to learn she is a princess/goddess who happens to be drop dead gorgeous.
But as Nat’s cross country adventure unfolds, the over-description weighs down the story and slogs the reader into frustration and disinterest.
The magical makeover, the self-driving cars, the multitude of deities, the jealous, shallow side characters, the sexy and powerful bad boy, all felt familiar. Nat is an oft-seen YA main character who is lovable yet clueless and is “surprised” to learn she is a princess/goddess who happens to be drop dead gorgeous.
Interesting, sometimes confusing. I definitely see the resemblance to (inspiration from, I assume) _American Gods_. I'm glad I didn't read this when it first came out, because this is not a complete story. I'll be starting book 2 immediately.
Thanks to @libro.fm and MacmillanAudio for the ALC.
Thanks to @libro.fm and MacmillanAudio for the ALC.
I am rather disappointed with the first full book (I had read a short story and liked it better) by this author.
The story is rather dark, harsh and as urban fantasy it seems to me rather a soup of "Good omens" and "Anansi boys" written worse and less entertaining.
Now I will despite myself be forced to read the second one because I requested it from Netgalley before I had read this first volume, but I hope that maybe at least the story will finally become clear, because I am quite tired of a main female character who, for some reason known only to her, refuses to ask for explanations every time she meets someone who might give them to her.
Sono piuttosto delusa dal primo libro intero (avevo letto un racconto breve e mi era piaciuto di piú) di questa autrice.
La storia é piuttosto cupa, dura e come urban fantasy mi sembra piuttosto un minestrone di good omens ed anansi boys scritto peggio e meno divertente.
Ora saró mio malgrado costretta a leggere il secondo perché l'ho richiesto a Netgalley prima di aver letto questo primo volume, ma spero che magari almeno la storia diventi finalmente chiara, perché sono abbastanza stanca di una protagonista che, per qualche motivo solo a lei noto, si rifiuta di chiedere spiegazioni ogni volta che incontra qualcuno che potrebbe dargliele.
The story is rather dark, harsh and as urban fantasy it seems to me rather a soup of "Good omens" and "Anansi boys" written worse and less entertaining.
Now I will despite myself be forced to read the second one because I requested it from Netgalley before I had read this first volume, but I hope that maybe at least the story will finally become clear, because I am quite tired of a main female character who, for some reason known only to her, refuses to ask for explanations every time she meets someone who might give them to her.
Sono piuttosto delusa dal primo libro intero (avevo letto un racconto breve e mi era piaciuto di piú) di questa autrice.
La storia é piuttosto cupa, dura e come urban fantasy mi sembra piuttosto un minestrone di good omens ed anansi boys scritto peggio e meno divertente.
Ora saró mio malgrado costretta a leggere il secondo perché l'ho richiesto a Netgalley prima di aver letto questo primo volume, ma spero che magari almeno la storia diventi finalmente chiara, perché sono abbastanza stanca di una protagonista che, per qualche motivo solo a lei noto, si rifiuta di chiedere spiegazioni ogni volta che incontra qualcuno che potrebbe dargliele.
This ARC was given at no cost from Netgalley.com and I am providing an unbiased opinion.
I have read Saintcrow's work before (Dante Valentine series) and have enjoyed her writing style. I was happy to see her coming out with a new series. As it states above, this does feel like American Gods vs Baba Yaga, who is in fact a major character in the story. But it mostly centers around Nat, who appears to be the offspring of the 'Spring' persona of the Baba Yaga myth/lore. Of course, she has no ideas of what power she has, or will have, or how things go in the "magic realm" that she has never been exposed to until now. Add in the death-sick mother (whom the MC loves) that sends her on a mission to recover something stolen.... Yeah. Gets pretty interesting.
Definitely a good start for a new series, with a different accounting of the Baba Yaga legend in a modern day setting. I don't foresee any romance happening in the series, but who really knows aside from the author. I have a few ideas of what may happen in the next book, and will anxiously await the next in this series.
I have read Saintcrow's work before (Dante Valentine series) and have enjoyed her writing style. I was happy to see her coming out with a new series. As it states above, this does feel like American Gods vs Baba Yaga, who is in fact a major character in the story. But it mostly centers around Nat, who appears to be the offspring of the 'Spring' persona of the Baba Yaga myth/lore. Of course, she has no ideas of what power she has, or will have, or how things go in the "magic realm" that she has never been exposed to until now. Add in the death-sick mother (whom the MC loves) that sends her on a mission to recover something stolen.... Yeah. Gets pretty interesting.
Definitely a good start for a new series, with a different accounting of the Baba Yaga legend in a modern day setting. I don't foresee any romance happening in the series, but who really knows aside from the author. I have a few ideas of what may happen in the next book, and will anxiously await the next in this series.
Hmmm, on the one hand I wasn't fully invested in the characters, but on the other I still want to know what happens next. I think this is an issue of medium -- I'd like this a lot more as a TV show. Very atmospheric and moody.
I read most of this author’s books a few years ago, and I was excited to see a new series by her. I read this, and I don’t know how I feel about it even a few days later. I am not a fan of over flowery language like taking a page to describe something or using multisyllabic words when “regular” words would do. I can appreciate it, but I like to move the plot along and feel more emotion from the characters. I also felt that as a reader I could have used more information upfront to figure out what was going on. I don’t mind not having an info dump, but I struggled with the language, words, and adding not knowing what was going on at the beginning made it a struggle I shouldn’t have. However, towards the middle and end, when I figured out what was going on and become used to the word use, I came to appreciate everything. This is by no means a terrible book. It’s more of a preference for what you want as a reader. I can recommend this for others, but even after writing this review, I still don’t know how I feel about this book. Will I read the second one? Probably. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated