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A review by books_and_cha
Sebastian by Sam Argent
3.0
Sebastian shook his head. "No one in this family is sane."
I love the Orwells. Sebastian himself is an endearing, witty grouch, and I loved reading about him and the rest of the family. They come off as dysfunctional, but they're held together by strong bonds of love . . . and magical threats, of course.
I loved reading this book. I liked the world-building and magic. Although there were numerous characters, it wasn't hard to keep track of everyone because they each had distinct personality traits. At some point, I stopped being surprised when Sebastian mentioned yet another sibling. A part of me just nodded and moved on.
The plot was well-paced. There were a lot of new developments but I thought they were spaced out and there was a good mix of action, dialogue, and different subplots taking place: family ties growing stronger, the romance progressing, and the mystery of who is after Prince Turren slowly unraveling.
I found the romance itself to be slightly disappointing. It started off interesting. I liked the dynamic between the hopelessly in-love Prince Turner and the untrusting, reserved (but also soft) Sebastian Orwell. Things escalated quickly, though. I found it implausible that the Prince should have fallen in love with so little interaction with Sebastian, that too when they were kids. I don't doubt that he was in love, I just thought the fact was ridiculous. I was, however, prepared to overlook that and was eagerly anticipating how Sebastian would fall in love, but even there, we had very little emotional development.
My main problem with the romance was that it was too physical. Now, I love myself some steam in my romance novels, but if the physical relationship is the driving factor behind the pairing - and this is what it felt like to me - then it is disappointing (especially cause the characters were so interesting!).
The mystery behind why Sebastian must wear a hood was also a letdown. I think Sam Argent does a great job of explaining why the cloak is necessary and ties it into the larger plot. She makes it work, but I still felt like less of the big reveal I had in my head.
Another aspect of the book I took issue with was the language. The wit and humor were whip-smart and on-point. I loved the bickering and back-and-forth retorts taking place. It made the book lively and gave it a bit of an edge. What didn't work for me was how inconsistent the language itself was. The formal tone jarred sharply with sudden swear words and a mix of new language. It isn't that I mind profanity, but I wish there was more consistency in the tone: either use formal language throughout or don't. The mix didn't work well.
The characters were good, and frankly, the entire book was very entertaining and heartwarming. The family aspect was my favorite. The romance, the mystery, and murder, even the character development - though appreciated - seemed to fall short of everything going on with the Orwells.
What gets me about this book is that it has so much potential. With a few tweaks, it could be much better. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read.
I love the Orwells. Sebastian himself is an endearing, witty grouch, and I loved reading about him and the rest of the family. They come off as dysfunctional, but they're held together by strong bonds of love . . . and magical threats, of course.
I loved reading this book. I liked the world-building and magic. Although there were numerous characters, it wasn't hard to keep track of everyone because they each had distinct personality traits. At some point, I stopped being surprised when Sebastian mentioned yet another sibling. A part of me just nodded and moved on.
The plot was well-paced. There were a lot of new developments but I thought they were spaced out and there was a good mix of action, dialogue, and different subplots taking place: family ties growing stronger, the romance progressing, and the mystery of who is after Prince Turren slowly unraveling.
I found the romance itself to be slightly disappointing. It started off interesting. I liked the dynamic between the hopelessly in-love Prince Turner and the untrusting, reserved (but also soft) Sebastian Orwell. Things escalated quickly, though. I found it implausible that the Prince should have fallen in love with so little interaction with Sebastian, that too when they were kids. I don't doubt that he was in love, I just thought the fact was ridiculous. I was, however, prepared to overlook that and was eagerly anticipating how Sebastian would fall in love, but even there, we had very little emotional development.
My main problem with the romance was that it was too physical. Now, I love myself some steam in my romance novels, but if the physical relationship is the driving factor behind the pairing - and this is what it felt like to me - then it is disappointing (especially cause the characters were so interesting!).
The mystery behind why Sebastian must wear a hood was also a letdown. I think Sam Argent does a great job of explaining why the cloak is necessary and ties it into the larger plot. She makes it work, but I still felt like less of the big reveal I had in my head.
Another aspect of the book I took issue with was the language. The wit and humor were whip-smart and on-point. I loved the bickering and back-and-forth retorts taking place. It made the book lively and gave it a bit of an edge. What didn't work for me was how inconsistent the language itself was. The formal tone jarred sharply with sudden swear words and a mix of new language. It isn't that I mind profanity, but I wish there was more consistency in the tone: either use formal language throughout or don't. The mix didn't work well.
The characters were good, and frankly, the entire book was very entertaining and heartwarming. The family aspect was my favorite. The romance, the mystery, and murder, even the character development - though appreciated - seemed to fall short of everything going on with the Orwells.
What gets me about this book is that it has so much potential. With a few tweaks, it could be much better. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read.