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A review by thewordsdevourer
All Princesses Die Before Dawn by Quentin Zuttion
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC
All Princesses Die Before Dawn is a slow read, chronicling the lives of a family in suburban France on one fateful day. The story is nice but not impactful enough for me, while the art fits the story with its dreamy style.
There are multiple things happening in this novel, all with the setting and thematic backdrop of Princess Diana's death. Zuttion does a good job of layering the story and its themes, though it can feel a little disjointed at times. A sense of melancholy also permeates the book; coupling with the slow pace, it makes for a moody combination suited for certain readers more than others, with me belonging in the latter. We do not learn much about the characters aside from the one day shown in the novel, and while I am interested in Lulu's story, I do not feel connected enough to or impacted by the other characters and overall plot (or lack thereof). As someone who quite values emotional impact in my reading, needless to say this is not as good a reading experience as can be.
The art fares better in my opinion. It has a certain dream-like, ethereal quality that fits the book's inclusion of fairytales and renders the story with a particular uniqueness. The color scheme is nice as well, maintaining the novel's dreaminess while also portraying the vibrane and tranquility of summer. It can be hard to discern facial expressions at times, however, and the font in the e-book edition is small, making it almost impossible to see punctuations.
This is a nice read overall, but its pace, tone and story are suited for some readers more than others. One has to be in a particular mood to truly enjoy it, but objectively it is nice enough.
All Princesses Die Before Dawn is a slow read, chronicling the lives of a family in suburban France on one fateful day. The story is nice but not impactful enough for me, while the art fits the story with its dreamy style.
There are multiple things happening in this novel, all with the setting and thematic backdrop of Princess Diana's death. Zuttion does a good job of layering the story and its themes, though it can feel a little disjointed at times. A sense of melancholy also permeates the book; coupling with the slow pace, it makes for a moody combination suited for certain readers more than others, with me belonging in the latter. We do not learn much about the characters aside from the one day shown in the novel, and while I am interested in Lulu's story, I do not feel connected enough to or impacted by the other characters and overall plot (or lack thereof). As someone who quite values emotional impact in my reading, needless to say this is not as good a reading experience as can be.
The art fares better in my opinion. It has a certain dream-like, ethereal quality that fits the book's inclusion of fairytales and renders the story with a particular uniqueness. The color scheme is nice as well, maintaining the novel's dreaminess while also portraying the vibrane and tranquility of summer. It can be hard to discern facial expressions at times, however, and the font in the e-book edition is small, making it almost impossible to see punctuations.
This is a nice read overall, but its pace, tone and story are suited for some readers more than others. One has to be in a particular mood to truly enjoy it, but objectively it is nice enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content, Infidelity, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death, Car accident, and Medical content