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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
adventurous
dark
slow-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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
adventurous
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:
No
This book is for YA and looks written by YA. The over descriptions from the protagonist are very eye roll for me and gets kind of annoying the first half of the book. Plot comes about 60% in but it ties together nicely, for me it went from 2.5 to 3 stars just for that. It's fun and entertaining if you don't expect much from it.
adventurous
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
Sorry WHAT. This is not the book I ordered. The inside flap promises several things:
- The power is gone. What's pitched as the inciting incident, happens past page 300.
- And our worst nightmares are suddenly real--and out for blood. Without spoilers, this does not capture the actual conflict. There's one scene with nightmares becoming real. They deal lots of trauma, and then our main characters walk away sad but pretty much fine. None of the hiding from monsters in the dark I was promised. Mostly we're focusing on a tapestry.
- Secretly loving every minute of it. There is nothing secret about the feelings between the main character, Clementine, and the love interest, Jude. Side characters comment on it. Jude and Clementine talk about it and act on it. There isn't any tension. I was hoping for a fun, swoony romance--I got insta love and cliches instead.
- Bonus: The tagline is Don't Fall Asleep. That is never ONCE a plot point or goal. The book takes place over a period of ~72 hours, and we never worry about what will happen if the characters sleep. They just...are tired and lie down.
This is partially the authors fault but also an issue with marketing. I wish another author would read the blurb of this book and actually write that book.
Aside from following through on the promise of the premise, there were other issues with the writing:
- No foreshadowing. Things were said as the dramatic ending to chapters, but they meant nothing. Only after the dramatic "reveal" would the author take a few paragraphs to explain the significance (telling, not showing). Some spoiler examples:
Halfway through the book Jude says he's the Prince of Nightmares. Why does that matter? We're told afterward that all paranormal species have a "court" and being a prince is a big deal. This is never explored or relevant again. On page 412--412 out of a 450 page book--a mate bond is suddenly introduced. Wth??? That concept is not foreshadowed once but all the characters just act like it's normal. How and why did it even form?? We're supposed to just accept it no question?? Clementine sure does as she calls Jude "my mate" numerous times in the last 30 pages just in case you hadn't bought into it yet. - Weak writing style. This book could have been much shorter if all the crutch words, repetitive phrases, and unnecessary asides were cut. It read like a first draft. I was shocked to learn this is such an experienced author.
- Relying on injuries for tension. Every other chapter Clementine or one of her "friends" gets thrown into a wall or their arm shredded or their bones broken. It came to mean nothing when Clementine endured "[cliche adjective] pain" constantly. There's no tension if there's no variation, and there's no believability when characters just walk it off.
- Flat friend characters. I was ready for an intimate cast with just Clementine and Jude, but when it was clear that wouldn't be the case, I buckled up for a fun friend cast. I didn't get that either. Though the characters had distinct personalities, they were like flat sitcom characters. I also was disappointed by the lack of paranormal powers displayed or cultures explored. I didn't care when anyone died. (And honestly, this wasn't helped by how Clementine didn't react strongly to deaths or loss either.)
- Underdeveloped worldbuilding. All these paranormal species live together but we don't get any information on origin, life outside for them, inter-species dynamics, etc. Just throwaway lines about fae mafia. Why do paranormals send their troubled kids to the school if it's clearly not helping them--and most end up dead? Don't even get me started on the magic system. It mostly consisted of doing what was convenient with no explanation.
I almost DNF'd this book but felt I was already too far in. The last forty pages dropped it from a 2-star to a 1-star. I would not recommend this to anyone unless you want a rage read--and don't waste your money buying it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
I loved this book, and really enjoyed the story, UNTIL there was RANDOM MENTION OF MATES??? It was literally not mentioned and nothing happened and then suddenly they were mates. UGH. other than that I loved it and will definitely read book 2
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book is very easy to read. It's engaging, has pretty good pacing and the characters are interesting. The first half was great. The second half tho, not so much. I feel like the author put too much action and just plot twists in there and the ending is just a shit show with several new characters and this dark truth behind everything that of course doesn't get explained. I also didn't really like Clementine, she doesn't have much of a personality and I was so confused by the "mate" stuff in the ending. It reminded me of Bride and it's knots...