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A review by tinydonats
Crown of Nightmares by Sylvia Mercedes
3.0
Thank goodness I was not super invested because I know that ending would have effed me up. Whewww. I am a sucker for those kind of endings.
Anyway. I couldn't really enjoy this series until somewhere in the 5th book so I can't really give it a high rating but I will say it had its moments. Oh and the series is a quick read. I finished this 7 book series in like 3 days. And I didn't even like it. No offense, but I mean that as in, even without me passionately reading, it was quick.
For me, the characters could have used more personality. I felt like I was watching them do things most times rather than experiencing things with them. We get a bit more vulnerability and personality in the last 3 books but this is a 7 book series so I can't, in good conscience, overlook that so easily. The story telling itself was not my cup of tea. The pacing wasn't consistent and I spent 4 books frustrated over the lack of plot revelations. It was like walking blind when we could have been turned on the lights. The plot revelations, when finally given, were info dumps. The redemption arcs weren't strong enough to move me. Granted, that could be due to my lack of connection with the characters. The relationships all felt sudden to me. There wasn't a lot of romance in this series, but when it was there, it was stark and didn't feel natural to me. I never felt like I fully understood the dynamics of this world, the venators, the shades, or the magic. Like how did she rule for 200 years? They say time doesn't matter but like, she was mortal, I don't know it wasn't really explained... But things like that, the details, the world building, I couldn't fully grasp the world of this book. Even now, 7 books later, it is patchy to me.
It really just didn't connect with me unfortunately. You know when you read a book and there are little things that might rub you the wrong way, but you can look past it? Benefit of the doubt and all that. I got hung up on those little things at the beginning and I dwelled on them too long to actually enjoy the series. Usually, I let it go, but I just didn't so it's on me. Mind over matter but I couldn't mind my mind. Something like that.
Overall, it's a 3.5 star series for me. I know there are heaps of people who love this series so please don't hate me Sylvia, I'm happy you got to tell your story.
Anyway. I couldn't really enjoy this series until somewhere in the 5th book so I can't really give it a high rating but I will say it had its moments. Oh and the series is a quick read. I finished this 7 book series in like 3 days. And I didn't even like it. No offense, but I mean that as in, even without me passionately reading, it was quick.
For me, the characters could have used more personality. I felt like I was watching them do things most times rather than experiencing things with them. We get a bit more vulnerability and personality in the last 3 books but this is a 7 book series so I can't, in good conscience, overlook that so easily. The story telling itself was not my cup of tea. The pacing wasn't consistent and I spent 4 books frustrated over the lack of plot revelations. It was like walking blind when we could have been turned on the lights. The plot revelations, when finally given, were info dumps. The redemption arcs weren't strong enough to move me. Granted, that could be due to my lack of connection with the characters. The relationships all felt sudden to me. There wasn't a lot of romance in this series, but when it was there, it was stark and didn't feel natural to me. I never felt like I fully understood the dynamics of this world, the venators, the shades, or the magic. Like how did she rule for 200 years? They say time doesn't matter but like, she was mortal, I don't know it wasn't really explained... But things like that, the details, the world building, I couldn't fully grasp the world of this book. Even now, 7 books later, it is patchy to me.
It really just didn't connect with me unfortunately. You know when you read a book and there are little things that might rub you the wrong way, but you can look past it? Benefit of the doubt and all that. I got hung up on those little things at the beginning and I dwelled on them too long to actually enjoy the series. Usually, I let it go, but I just didn't so it's on me. Mind over matter but I couldn't mind my mind. Something like that.
Overall, it's a 3.5 star series for me. I know there are heaps of people who love this series so please don't hate me Sylvia, I'm happy you got to tell your story.