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smolhousewitch 's review for:
The Twisted Mark
by Sophie Williamson
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wanted to like this book - I really did. I enjoy spicy, witchy, dark fantasy romances with enemies to lovers vibes (like Kingdom of the Wicked), but the writing just wasn't convincing enough.
Sadie defends her family not the way an adult would, knowingly turning a blind eye, but the way a child does, telling the reader over and over again that her father is a "good" man to justify his actions. It felt more like a teenager realizing her parents were human for the first time rather than an experienced lawyer. Some characters make decisions that could be justified but we don't get enough build up or explanation (I have endless questions about Leah's motivations). For other characters, decisions they made felt inconsistent and out of character.
And at the end of the day, the key to a good enemies to lovers plot for me is justification: I prefer to feel like there was justification to the enemy actions and subsequent shift into romantic territory. Here, Sadie constantly seemed overpowered by her desire for Gabriel in a way that undermined her character arc as a strong, independent witch learning the truth about her family. It was just hard to believe the sex scenes and romance when she's in the middle of her brother's trial.
I would consider reading the sequel because there were definitely parts of this book I enjoyed - inconsistent characterization was an issue for me but I really loved Sadie, Gabriel, and Nikki and would love to see more of them.
Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC!
Sadie defends her family not the way an adult would, knowingly turning a blind eye, but the way a child does, telling the reader over and over again that her father is a "good" man to justify his actions. It felt more like a teenager realizing her parents were human for the first time rather than an experienced lawyer. Some characters make decisions that could be justified but we don't get enough build up or explanation (I have endless questions about Leah's motivations). For other characters, decisions they made felt inconsistent and out of character.
And at the end of the day, the key to a good enemies to lovers plot for me is justification: I prefer to feel like there was justification to the enemy actions and subsequent shift into romantic territory. Here, Sadie constantly seemed overpowered by her desire for Gabriel in a way that undermined her character arc as a strong, independent witch learning the truth about her family. It was just hard to believe the sex scenes and romance when she's in the middle of her brother's trial.
I would consider reading the sequel because there were definitely parts of this book I enjoyed - inconsistent characterization was an issue for me but I really loved Sadie, Gabriel, and Nikki and would love to see more of them.
Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC!