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A review by paperprivateer
The Encanto's Curse by Melissa de la Cruz
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I had mixed feelings about the first book, mostly that it had a lot of potential but wasn’t as good as it could have been. This book was more enjoyable for me, with a more engaging plot and interesting developments, but it still wasn’t as good as it could have been.
The characters in this book are more fully developed than they were in the first book. Many of the main characters are dealing with complex emotions
The biggest weakness in my opinion is how fast everything happens. A relationship goes from like to hate in sentences. A relationship goes from hate to allies in a paragraph. The big dangerous thing that she’s dealing with the entire plot is resolved in minutes and she skips away with it no longer being a problem. The massive international issues are resolved almost immediately. Because of how quickly things happen without development, I finished the book feeling unfulfilled.
I also didn’t think the romance in this book was particularly satisfying. The attempted love triangle doesn’t work well, and I didn’t like when two of the characters continued to have an unfaithful relationship. In the end, it’s made “okay” because of extenuating circumstances (being vague because of spoilers), but I still don’t think those circumstances that were revealed later made their actions acceptable.
It was a fun book overall, and I appreciate having a Filipino YA fantasy book. I wish the romance and relationship shifts have been done better, but it’s an enjoyable read.
The characters in this book are more fully developed than they were in the first book. Many of the main characters are dealing with complex emotions
The biggest weakness in my opinion is how fast everything happens. A relationship goes from like to hate in sentences. A relationship goes from hate to allies in a paragraph. The big dangerous thing that she’s dealing with the entire plot is resolved in minutes and she skips away with it no longer being a problem. The massive international issues are resolved almost immediately. Because of how quickly things happen without development, I finished the book feeling unfulfilled.
I also didn’t think the romance in this book was particularly satisfying. The attempted love triangle doesn’t work well, and I didn’t like when two of the characters continued to have an unfaithful relationship. In the end, it’s made “okay” because of extenuating circumstances (being vague because of spoilers), but I still don’t think those circumstances that were revealed later made their actions acceptable.
It was a fun book overall, and I appreciate having a Filipino YA fantasy book. I wish the romance and relationship shifts have been done better, but it’s an enjoyable read.