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A review by mamamelreads
Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
4.0
Debating between whether I found this book to be three or four stars, I decided to bump it up to four because Rosamund Hodge's writing really is remarkable in this fantasy/supernatural story. It is a complicated story about a girl fighting to maintain goodness when everything in her nature is pulling her to evil. You really need to be paying attention as you read this story because it is a somewhat complicated story with details that weave in and out with one another as the plot comes to fruition. Even after finishing the book I feel as if I need to go back and re-read it so that I can catch details that I'm sure I missed on the way to a great conclusion. Explaining the plot is almost impossible in a way that makes sense is almost impossible in a review. It is something that you have to experience for yourself as you read. One thing that I really loved about this story was the way that religious imagery and ideas were woven throughout this story. No, it isn't a religious book, but many of the themes borrow heavily from Christian, and particularly Catholic, theology. I loved the explored theme of having faith in things that are not seen and the pull between the logic of the state and the beliefs of the religious. It isn't a religious theme that bangs you over the head, but I found the ideas explored to be super interesting.
My favorite part of this story was the heroine, Rachelle. Rachelle believes that her very nature is evil. She believes that her destiny is to give herself entirely to that evil side and become a heartless killing machine. The intense guilt she feels for the events that led to her transformation to her current state dominates her thoughts and actions throughout the novel. But despite what seems to be an inevitable end in tragedy, Rachelle fights to be good and help those around her. She will do whatever it takes to push back and save the world, even if that world has no understanding of how much they need to be saved.
The relationship in this story is nice and satisfying in many ways, but in some ways I thought it came a bit out of nowhere. There wasn't enough conversation to warrant the quick change from wariness and dislike to love. Nevertheless, it all ended the way I'd hoped.
In the end I think that this one earned its four stars by keeping me interesting and making me think about the action of the story long after finishing. I am becoming a big fan of Rosamund Hodge's unusual and unique novels. Four stars!
My favorite part of this story was the heroine, Rachelle. Rachelle believes that her very nature is evil. She believes that her destiny is to give herself entirely to that evil side and become a heartless killing machine. The intense guilt she feels for the events that led to her transformation to her current state dominates her thoughts and actions throughout the novel. But despite what seems to be an inevitable end in tragedy, Rachelle fights to be good and help those around her. She will do whatever it takes to push back and save the world, even if that world has no understanding of how much they need to be saved.
The relationship in this story is nice and satisfying in many ways, but in some ways I thought it came a bit out of nowhere. There wasn't enough conversation to warrant the quick change from wariness and dislike to love. Nevertheless, it all ended the way I'd hoped.
In the end I think that this one earned its four stars by keeping me interesting and making me think about the action of the story long after finishing. I am becoming a big fan of Rosamund Hodge's unusual and unique novels. Four stars!