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lalaskal 's review for:
The Bitterwine Oath
by Hannah West
This really had the potential to be an amazing story but it fell short in multiple categories. There wasn't much magic so if you're expecting a book filled with witchcraft then this isn't it. By the time Natalie learns she has magic and decides to take the oath, it's at 51%. She doesn't perform any spells until the very end and that is her only dip into exploring her magic. The Wardens claimed to have magical powers but yet the only thing I saw them do is fight the Woodwalkers with weapons. Speaking of the weapons, Natalie has never handled weapons before and after a few hours training with guns and knives she is suddenly a pro. It's ridiculous because her best friend Lindsey informs her that everyone trains with weapons and magic starting at 12 and Lindsey and Natalie are currently 18. You're telling me that Natalie mastered 6 years of training in a few hours? Unbelievable.
Before Natalie learns of the Wardens, she notices Lindsey acting more reserved, covering up her arms with bandages, and hanging out with Vanessa who is also sporting bandages. After Natalie joins the Wardens, she learns that being a Warden is a 24/7 commitment. You don't have free time to hang out with friends and go on dates or do anything a normal teenager does. Natalie never noticed Lindsey's lack of free time until now which is another discrepancy.
The love interest was bland. Levi has always ignored Natalie until the previous summer when they kissed. Then he drove off to college and is back in town for the current summer. Even though both these characters have only exchanged a few sentences over the years, they are somehow madly in love with each other. The book summary also leads the reader to believe Levi is in danger of being Claimed by the Woodwalkers. He doesn't get Claimed until well after the 80% so until that point he was always safe, meddling around and wanting Natalie to tell him all her secrets as a manipulation into dating him.
I'm not sure if Abbie and Faith were supposed to be written as they were, but they came across as having low IQs. Every line they uttered made be cringe because it was just so stupid sounding. They had the vocabulary and sentence structure of a toddler learning to talk.
Also, the pacing was wicked slow. Nothing exciting or eventful happens. Natalie also takes on the stereotype of most teen female protagonists because she is super special with her magical abilities. There are three sources of magic (Earth, Bone, and Blood) and each Warden only possesses one, except Natalie of course because she has all three and is the most powerful out of all the Wardens.
Thank you Edelweiss for the ARC.
Before Natalie learns of the Wardens, she notices Lindsey acting more reserved, covering up her arms with bandages, and hanging out with Vanessa who is also sporting bandages. After Natalie joins the Wardens, she learns that being a Warden is a 24/7 commitment. You don't have free time to hang out with friends and go on dates or do anything a normal teenager does. Natalie never noticed Lindsey's lack of free time until now which is another discrepancy.
The love interest was bland. Levi has always ignored Natalie until the previous summer when they kissed. Then he drove off to college and is back in town for the current summer. Even though both these characters have only exchanged a few sentences over the years, they are somehow madly in love with each other. The book summary also leads the reader to believe Levi is in danger of being Claimed by the Woodwalkers. He doesn't get Claimed until well after the 80% so until that point he was always safe, meddling around and wanting Natalie to tell him all her secrets as a manipulation into dating him.
I'm not sure if Abbie and Faith were supposed to be written as they were, but they came across as having low IQs. Every line they uttered made be cringe because it was just so stupid sounding. They had the vocabulary and sentence structure of a toddler learning to talk.
Also, the pacing was wicked slow. Nothing exciting or eventful happens. Natalie also takes on the stereotype of most teen female protagonists because she is super special with her magical abilities. There are three sources of magic (Earth, Bone, and Blood) and each Warden only possesses one, except Natalie of course because she has all three and is the most powerful out of all the Wardens.
Thank you Edelweiss for the ARC.