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A review by lavdisy
Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
It's written as a retelling-inspired, and honestly, quite good for a debut novel. I picked this up because I was curious about the blurb, which promised interesting stuff. Firstly, while the plot revolves around a prince and princess with ballroom scenes and fairy tale twists, the political problems and fantasy elements like witches and beasts are overshadowed by romance. Despite being part of a series, the depth of detail for these elements is easy to forget. It feels like the focus is more on the romantic aspect rather than the fantasy elements that should guide the story. Secondly, regarding the romance, I must admit I LIKED IT. Their chemistry and passion deeply immersed me, with clandestine meetings and longing stares that were beautifully written. Lastly, the characters, while not all my favorites, had some standout moments, like Dante, who I expected to be an eye-catcher but was barely mentioned. Others lacked detail, and I struggled to remember their names after finishing the book.
So, I enjoyed the book, but up until the ending, I was kind of disliking how the story ends for only book 1. There is so much potential for plot and character detail, and that political intrigue should be delved into more to set up the next book. As for the witch, curses, and some dark powers, I feel like there's not even a little hint to put in, which makes it hard for me to understand them more. Despite all that, I'm still curious about the second book and hope there will be a lot of development. Overall, it was a really fun read to spend my time on.
So, I enjoyed the book, but up until the ending, I was kind of disliking how the story ends for only book 1. There is so much potential for plot and character detail, and that political intrigue should be delved into more to set up the next book. As for the witch, curses, and some dark powers, I feel like there's not even a little hint to put in, which makes it hard for me to understand them more. Despite all that, I'm still curious about the second book and hope there will be a lot of development. Overall, it was a really fun read to spend my time on.