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A review by amyiw
Divine Descendant by Jenna Black
2.0
I'm so on the fence between a 2 star and 3, it is pretty much right in between. Parts were pretty good but so much dragged and then the overall premise of the fertility goddess having dominion over our world so completely, it was just plain boring. Add in the dragging parts that were supposed to build suspense and lead to action, and it was a bit painful.
The good parts were few and far between, you would be taken into a long drag, maybe through the underworld or being pursued by plants and fire with all tries at fighting back always being futile, or maybe a battle where I'm knowing what is happening and Nikki doesn't so a bit bored and just waiting to catch up. So those scenes disappear and finally we get to the confrontations with Cyrus or the relationship with Jamal, or with the rest of the Liberi or her sister (which is a cliffy). And we are left with more drag, some not so interesting part, then a little good, and a wrap up that satisfies.
Still it was a slog and I'm not sure what could have been done to make it great. Maybe it could have been good if the scenes of non-suspense were shorten to almost nothing. Even that could have only made this good because the overall premise of the book, based on the fertility goddesses having total control over the human race, it just never clicked for me. The back plot of relationships was good but it was back plot, secondary. Her sister, Blake, Cyrus and the Olympians, her and Jamal, her and the rest of the house, etc... really good but a very small part of the story. This was mainly the fertility goddess's vengeance and it was pretty sucky. Increase the character driven part of the story and change up the main plot and it could have been very good but that is really changing the whole story, isn't it? So might have been made good but never was going for great, the slog left it at OK to good, and I'm deciding while writing this that 2 stars would be the fairer even with the decent ending.
Should you read this as a reader of the series? Sure, it wraps up the series and ends pretty well. You might want to skim to the personal parts involving Jamal, Blake and Steph, and to the end, to get the wrap up.
----50% update-------------------
So I'm halfway through and I keep veering away, I think mostly because the fertility goddess holding all fertility in their hands and the other gods leaving, just seems really weak. It just is not compelling as a set up. The characters are still pretty good but I'm just meh about the whole reasoning of this goddess holding that much power over all of human kind. It is supposed to explain Anderson and his past but it is weak. So after getting over that, going about figuring out the solution is pretty good... until you get to the next goddess and I have to go back to the whole fertility based solely on these goddesses wills to continue to care enough.
up-date - No longer $2 :-(
OK, I pre-ordered it since it is $2 right now. Only available in ebook.
The good parts were few and far between, you would be taken into a long drag, maybe through the underworld or being pursued by plants and fire with all tries at fighting back always being futile, or maybe a battle where I'm knowing what is happening and Nikki doesn't so a bit bored and just waiting to catch up. So those scenes disappear and finally we get to the confrontations with Cyrus or the relationship with Jamal, or with the rest of the Liberi or her sister (which is a cliffy). And we are left with more drag, some not so interesting part, then a little good, and a wrap up that satisfies.
Still it was a slog and I'm not sure what could have been done to make it great. Maybe it could have been good if the scenes of non-suspense were shorten to almost nothing. Even that could have only made this good because the overall premise of the book, based on the fertility goddesses having total control over the human race, it just never clicked for me. The back plot of relationships was good but it was back plot, secondary. Her sister, Blake, Cyrus and the Olympians, her and Jamal, her and the rest of the house, etc... really good but a very small part of the story. This was mainly the fertility goddess's vengeance and it was pretty sucky. Increase the character driven part of the story and change up the main plot and it could have been very good but that is really changing the whole story, isn't it? So might have been made good but never was going for great, the slog left it at OK to good, and I'm deciding while writing this that 2 stars would be the fairer even with the decent ending.
Should you read this as a reader of the series? Sure, it wraps up the series and ends pretty well. You might want to skim to the personal parts involving Jamal, Blake and Steph, and to the end, to get the wrap up.
----50% update-------------------
So I'm halfway through and I keep veering away, I think mostly because the fertility goddess holding all fertility in their hands and the other gods leaving, just seems really weak. It just is not compelling as a set up. The characters are still pretty good but I'm just meh about the whole reasoning of this goddess holding that much power over all of human kind. It is supposed to explain Anderson and his past but it is weak. So after getting over that, going about figuring out the solution is pretty good... until you get to the next goddess and I have to go back to the whole fertility based solely on these goddesses wills to continue to care enough.
up-date - No longer $2 :-(
OK, I pre-ordered it since it is $2 right now. Only available in ebook.