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abilyssa 's review for:
To Bleed a Crystal Bloom
by Sarah A. Parker
dnf @53%
This review is for the first half of the novel, since I didn't finish.
It’s a pretty lie I like to paint; a fabled reality where he needs me just as much as I need him. Something that helps tame this unwanted feeling sprouting in my chest.
Yeah, so (so far) this is a story about a girl (Orlaith) who does a whole lot of nothing except obsess -romantically- over the man who raised her from the age of two (Rhordyn). I kinda knew that before I got into this, but I had gotten the false impression that this was going to be a story about a girl who grew past her Stockholm Syndrome (kinda like Gild by Raven Kennedy).
I carried this impression for a while because there is a hint at another love interest, Kai:
But looking ahead at reviews of subsequent novels in the series, I learned that the most likely endgame is the a*hole father figure, and that, apparently, he redeems himself. I can't imagine anything redeeming him to me, but to be fair, I'm not crazy about Orlaith's character either.
Orlaith is painfully naive and childlike. It makes sense, since she has limited social/world exposure, and her education is apparently very narrowly focused. It makes sense, and yet it makes it so difficult to be in her head for most of the story. Especially since there's very little plot. We basically follow Orlaith as she: paints, explores the mansion she's lived in all her life, catches mice and feeds them to her shadowy forest friend, and trains with Rhordyn's right-hand-man. In between and during all that, she's thinking about how much she craves Rhordyn's attention even though she knows he's cruel to her. Oh, and then there were a few cringe-inducing scenes in which Orlaith throws a petty tantrum in front of Rhordyn's almost-fiance out of jealousy. In short, Rhordyn sucks, Orlaith is borderline unbearable to follow, and there's very little plot. Personally, I found the romance impossible to root for, and couldn't make myself care about what happens to the two MCs.
But enough of the negative. There are some positives.
For instance, I do like the side characters. I like them a whole lot more than the main characters.
Another plus is that the writing in this novel is FANTASTIC. Sarah A. Parker is brilliant at infusing mystery and suspense with every paragraph (almost to a fault). It's probably for that reason I was able to get so far in the novel. I love this author's writing and will keep my eye out for other novels by her.
Overall:
Great writing, lovely side characters, but terrible romance, and almost nonexistent plot.
This review is for the first half of the novel, since I didn't finish.
It’s a pretty lie I like to paint; a fabled reality where he needs me just as much as I need him. Something that helps tame this unwanted feeling sprouting in my chest.
Yeah, so (so far) this is a story about a girl (Orlaith) who does a whole lot of nothing except obsess -romantically- over the man who raised her from the age of two (Rhordyn). I kinda knew that before I got into this, but I had gotten the false impression that this was going to be a story about a girl who grew past her Stockholm Syndrome (kinda like Gild by Raven Kennedy).
I carried this impression for a while because there is a hint at another love interest, Kai:
“That’s how you kiss someone you love, Orlaith. Anything less and they aren’t worthy of your heart or the power to break it. Understood?”
But looking ahead at reviews of subsequent novels in the series, I learned that the most likely endgame is the a*hole father figure, and that, apparently, he redeems himself. I can't imagine anything redeeming him to me, but to be fair, I'm not crazy about Orlaith's character either.
Orlaith is painfully naive and childlike. It makes sense, since she has limited social/world exposure, and her education is apparently very narrowly focused. It makes sense, and yet it makes it so difficult to be in her head for most of the story. Especially since there's very little plot. We basically follow Orlaith as she: paints, explores the mansion she's lived in all her life, catches mice and feeds them to her shadowy forest friend, and trains with Rhordyn's right-hand-man. In between and during all that, she's thinking about how much she craves Rhordyn's attention even though she knows he's cruel to her. Oh, and then there were a few cringe-inducing scenes in which Orlaith throws a petty tantrum in front of Rhordyn's almost-fiance out of jealousy. In short, Rhordyn sucks, Orlaith is borderline unbearable to follow, and there's very little plot. Personally, I found the romance impossible to root for, and couldn't make myself care about what happens to the two MCs.
But enough of the negative. There are some positives.
For instance, I do like the side characters. I like them a whole lot more than the main characters.
Another plus is that the writing in this novel is FANTASTIC. Sarah A. Parker is brilliant at infusing mystery and suspense with every paragraph (almost to a fault). It's probably for that reason I was able to get so far in the novel. I love this author's writing and will keep my eye out for other novels by her.
Overall:
Great writing, lovely side characters, but terrible romance, and almost nonexistent plot.