Scan barcode
A review by ali_k0
The Bright and the Pale by Jessica Rubinkowski
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The mines of Knnot are surely going to cause me at least one stress dream. If you also find yourself terrified of getting lost in the Parisian catacombs and yet spend sleepless night reading the Wikipedia page about them, The Bright and The Pale is a fantasy for you.
The book was well written, it terrified when it needed to terrify and sent my heart sputtering on multiple occasions. The lore was unique and fun, the world building easy to follow and understand. But in the end, it was a really interesting premise that failed at its execution.
The book makes the mines out as a sort of inescapable maze, and it does feel that way. But the way that the third act ends makes the idea seem false, and I was left disappointed. Because finding a way out of the endless maze described as the entrance to the underworld crawling with waking nightmares should not be solved by deciding to simply turn around. Like seriously, that's how that gets solved.
"Hey, I know I said the only way to reedom was to go through the underworld and face monsters you could not imagine, but what if we just don't anymore?" - Val standing next to another exit they can't use for a reason so stupid I can't put it to words.
And the entire third act wouldn't have been needed if Val was just a little more open to world domination.
I felt for Val, but her ever present anger became destructive to the point of annoyance, and her relationships fell flat because of it. How am I supposed to believe you care so much about a boy your always in the aftermath of an argument with. She was also stupid. And nothing makes up for a stupid character.
Still, the vibes were immaculate, and I couldn't stop reading it. Even when I put the book down to take a lap, the images haunted me from the page. I just wish it was executed a little better.
The book was well written, it terrified when it needed to terrify and sent my heart sputtering on multiple occasions. The lore was unique and fun, the world building easy to follow and understand. But in the end, it was a really interesting premise that failed at its execution.
"Hey, I know I said the only way to reedom was to go through the underworld and face monsters you could not imagine, but what if we just don't anymore?" - Val standing next to another exit they can't use for a reason so stupid I can't put it to words.
And the entire third act wouldn't have been needed if Val was just a little more open to world domination.
I felt for Val, but her ever present anger became destructive to the point of annoyance, and her relationships fell flat because of it. How am I supposed to believe you care so much about a boy your always in the aftermath of an argument with. She was also stupid. And nothing makes up for a stupid character.
Still, the vibes were immaculate, and I couldn't stop reading it. Even when I put the book down to take a lap, the images haunted me from the page. I just wish it was executed a little better.