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A review by lb_ferguson
Seeds of Sorrow by Christis Christie, Elle Beaumont
2.0
Right from the beginning I saw elements not just from the Hades and Persephone tale, but also from ACOTR and Beauty and the Beast. Which really isn’t a huge surprise. All those stories either share the same root story or similar elements. Either the Tam Lin story or the aspects of an innocent, yet strong female character falling in love with the dark beast.
The world building is pretty evident in this story. Though, I didn’t really feel it was developed to its full potential. I felt that it could have been more detailed. And the details that were already present having more emphasis in the story. The characters were there and their interactions were interesting. Yet, their development wasn’t nearly as strong as the world building. They seemed muted; not fully colored or present within the fantasy. The secondary characters especially, and compared to the primary characters, seemed more than a little underdeveloped.
Then there was the story itself… The story was enjoyable. It read nicely and did keep your interest. But it was not exactly the best story out there. It seemed more like half a story, like pieces were missing or not all the way said. Then there was the conflicts within the story; the conflicts were half baked and most either disappeared without cause. Or suddenly went from 0 to 60 in no time (especially about half way through the story). They also seemed to be very mild and not melding with the story that well. The bouncing between Draven and Eden’s perspectives was well done. There was no question who’s point of view was being followed or when that perspective took place. There was no confusion between the characters and the reader. The romance between the two protagonists was inevitable and could be seen coming from a mile away. Yet, it also seemed too sudden. You could see interest at the beginning, but the real emotion felt like it came out of nowhere. It, too, had instances that made it seem muted. But that could be because of the timing and lack of solid interactions between Draven and Eden at the start. Like a majority of what happened or the story being told happened off to the side. More inferred or lightly mentioned, rather than lived through by the reader.
My over all impressions of the characters, conflicts, and story was that it was mild. It was alright to read, but was underdeveloped. What conflicts there were, I wished were stronger and better integrated into the story. On a side note about their romance, there are areas that can be seen as explicit. But I would not call them steamy; they Amy be hot and heavy to some readers, but to others it was not too hot to handle. The whole story, over all, while enjoyable, could have used some more oomph.
The world building is pretty evident in this story. Though, I didn’t really feel it was developed to its full potential. I felt that it could have been more detailed. And the details that were already present having more emphasis in the story. The characters were there and their interactions were interesting. Yet, their development wasn’t nearly as strong as the world building. They seemed muted; not fully colored or present within the fantasy. The secondary characters especially, and compared to the primary characters, seemed more than a little underdeveloped.
Then there was the story itself… The story was enjoyable. It read nicely and did keep your interest. But it was not exactly the best story out there. It seemed more like half a story, like pieces were missing or not all the way said. Then there was the conflicts within the story; the conflicts were half baked and most either disappeared without cause. Or suddenly went from 0 to 60 in no time (especially about half way through the story). They also seemed to be very mild and not melding with the story that well. The bouncing between Draven and Eden’s perspectives was well done. There was no question who’s point of view was being followed or when that perspective took place. There was no confusion between the characters and the reader. The romance between the two protagonists was inevitable and could be seen coming from a mile away. Yet, it also seemed too sudden. You could see interest at the beginning, but the real emotion felt like it came out of nowhere. It, too, had instances that made it seem muted. But that could be because of the timing and lack of solid interactions between Draven and Eden at the start. Like a majority of what happened or the story being told happened off to the side. More inferred or lightly mentioned, rather than lived through by the reader.
My over all impressions of the characters, conflicts, and story was that it was mild. It was alright to read, but was underdeveloped. What conflicts there were, I wished were stronger and better integrated into the story. On a side note about their romance, there are areas that can be seen as explicit. But I would not call them steamy; they Amy be hot and heavy to some readers, but to others it was not too hot to handle. The whole story, over all, while enjoyable, could have used some more oomph.