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A review by meganamaral
The Child Thief by Bella Forrest
3.0
3.5 stars
Honestly, I really enjoyed how incredibly different this book was compared to the normal genre I usually read, but ultimately, I wish it was executed a little better. I LOVED (5 star rating on all her books in the gender games, I think Violet Bates is my favorite YA character and Viggo Croft, my ultimate book boyfriend) The Gender Games so I was excited to read something new by Bella Forrest, and even though the story seemed so mature (total handmaid's tale vibes), the execution was just alright. I was extremely intrigued by the high stake situations they put themselves including that CRAZY scene with Pam, who lived in that chapel, and I could not put this book down. I didn't want to put it down which is why I read probably 80% of this book yesterday, on a Sunday, while I was cleaning my house. But I just couldn't get over how all the "huge" cliffhangers that were supposed to be these HUGE cliffhangers, were very obvious and just fell flat. Plus, everything was super repetitive. Like it was getting to a point where every time Robin would say she couldn't have feelings for Jace, I was just baffled how much she was trying to convince herself that she didn't like him when she clearly stated how much she liked him in the beginning. And then every time she would hang out with him and tell herself that she didn't like him, I was just in awe how much she was clearly breaking this man down, rejecting him before he could even say anything, and then she would feel terrible because she could see the hurt in his eyes and wanted to know what he was going to say. Like, I totally get why she doesn't want to be in a relationship, but girlfriend, you don't have to have sex with the guy. You can still put finding your daughter first, and still figure out your feelings. But maybe she is doing him a favor because one of the things I HATED about Robin, was how at the end when they stepped into a trap, and when Nelson went offline, Robin seemed to only care about Nelson's wellbeing because she was the closest chance she had to find her daughter. She didn't seem to care too much about Nelson being alive or dead because she was a friend, but only as someone who could help her get what she wanted and then run away.
I honestly hope that Robin goes through some kind of character development because she is a very selfish person and I kind of wish that Jace was a strong person to kind of put her in her place. Instead, he just keeps to himself and keeps getting broken hearted little by little with her little rejections. Maybe he feels like he isn't good enough because she fixed his relationship with his sister in only a couple of hours and he hasn't really done anything equally emotional. And it sucks because Robin is so into herself that even though he is helping her in every way he can, and that is enough for her, she hasn't told him. Jace needs to find some self-confidence and know his self-worth. Maybe saving Robin at the end of this book will help with that.
Honestly, I really enjoyed how incredibly different this book was compared to the normal genre I usually read, but ultimately, I wish it was executed a little better. I LOVED (5 star rating on all her books in the gender games, I think Violet Bates is my favorite YA character and Viggo Croft, my ultimate book boyfriend) The Gender Games so I was excited to read something new by Bella Forrest, and even though the story seemed so mature (total handmaid's tale vibes), the execution was just alright. I was extremely intrigued by the high stake situations they put themselves including that CRAZY scene with Pam, who lived in that chapel, and I could not put this book down. I didn't want to put it down which is why I read probably 80% of this book yesterday, on a Sunday, while I was cleaning my house. But I just couldn't get over how all the "huge" cliffhangers that were supposed to be these HUGE cliffhangers, were very obvious and just fell flat. Plus, everything was super repetitive. Like it was getting to a point where every time Robin would say she couldn't have feelings for Jace, I was just baffled how much she was trying to convince herself that she didn't like him when she clearly stated how much she liked him in the beginning. And then every time she would hang out with him and tell herself that she didn't like him, I was just in awe how much she was clearly breaking this man down, rejecting him before he could even say anything, and then she would feel terrible because she could see the hurt in his eyes and wanted to know what he was going to say. Like, I totally get why she doesn't want to be in a relationship, but girlfriend, you don't have to have sex with the guy. You can still put finding your daughter first, and still figure out your feelings. But maybe she is doing him a favor because one of the things I HATED about Robin, was how at the end when they stepped into a trap, and when Nelson went offline, Robin seemed to only care about Nelson's wellbeing because she was the closest chance she had to find her daughter. She didn't seem to care too much about Nelson being alive or dead because she was a friend, but only as someone who could help her get what she wanted and then run away.
I honestly hope that Robin goes through some kind of character development because she is a very selfish person and I kind of wish that Jace was a strong person to kind of put her in her place. Instead, he just keeps to himself and keeps getting broken hearted little by little with her little rejections. Maybe he feels like he isn't good enough because she fixed his relationship with his sister in only a couple of hours and he hasn't really done anything equally emotional. And it sucks because Robin is so into herself that even though he is helping her in every way he can, and that is enough for her, she hasn't told him. Jace needs to find some self-confidence and know his self-worth. Maybe saving Robin at the end of this book will help with that.