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A review by mjk1221
The Raven Queen by Jules Watson
4.0
Wow...Total marathon read to FINALLY finish this book that I've had for ages. Sad to say, I've got a digital and hard copy and it still took me forever to read it.
It took so long to read because, partially, the story was just not gripping me as it should. It's well-written, it's interesting, has a bit of "magic" in it (more mystical, I suppose), and it's a romance story all based on an old Irish myth so, in theory, it should have gripped me. I just wasn't and I don't know why.
I enjoyed the complexities of the characters. Maeve was an interesting character as she's been this pawn for most of her life and suddenly has taken her life into her own hands when her father dies. Bloodshed, war, manipulation, etc are just some of the things she has to overcome and do to take her life into her own hands. Ruan is an interesting juxtaposition to her. Where Maeve is intense and life-in-her-hands, Ruan is as calm and trying to leave the world of its issues alone. I enjoyed the intrigue and political maneuvering Maeve had to conduct and I even enjoyed the romance (be warned this does have some sex scenes in it), but it just didn't grip me. Hence, the 4 instead of 5 stars (could possibly be a 3 for me, but I feel like I'm cheating it by giving it a 3 since it is a good book even with my lack of interest). I do think the end was tidied up a little to well, but tying up all those ends in significant detail would be kind of boring after everything else that had gone on.
At any rate, based on this, I doubt I'll read any of Watson's other books. I'm just left with an "Eh" feeling about the book. It's not horrible, I want to love it, and I'm sure there are plenty of people who do/would love it, but apparently it just missed something small for me to really love it. I don't feel like I wasted hours of my life reading it, though. So, yes, I'm a little confused as to why I didn't enjoy this book more.
It took so long to read because, partially, the story was just not gripping me as it should. It's well-written, it's interesting, has a bit of "magic" in it (more mystical, I suppose), and it's a romance story all based on an old Irish myth so, in theory, it should have gripped me. I just wasn't and I don't know why.
I enjoyed the complexities of the characters. Maeve was an interesting character as she's been this pawn for most of her life and suddenly has taken her life into her own hands when her father dies. Bloodshed, war, manipulation, etc are just some of the things she has to overcome and do to take her life into her own hands. Ruan is an interesting juxtaposition to her. Where Maeve is intense and life-in-her-hands, Ruan is as calm and trying to leave the world of its issues alone. I enjoyed the intrigue and political maneuvering Maeve had to conduct and I even enjoyed the romance (be warned this does have some sex scenes in it), but it just didn't grip me. Hence, the 4 instead of 5 stars (could possibly be a 3 for me, but I feel like I'm cheating it by giving it a 3 since it is a good book even with my lack of interest). I do think the end was tidied up a little to well, but tying up all those ends in significant detail would be kind of boring after everything else that had gone on.
At any rate, based on this, I doubt I'll read any of Watson's other books. I'm just left with an "Eh" feeling about the book. It's not horrible, I want to love it, and I'm sure there are plenty of people who do/would love it, but apparently it just missed something small for me to really love it. I don't feel like I wasted hours of my life reading it, though. So, yes, I'm a little confused as to why I didn't enjoy this book more.