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A review by nicolemhewitt
Ruined by Amy Tintera
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
On the surface, this book seems like it might be sort of derivative. It's not. Well, okay, it sort of is. I mean, just based on the basic description, I feel like I've read this book before: Em's parents were murdered because a power-hungry king is afraid of her people's abilities, and she wants revenge. She decides to pass herself off as the prince's bride-to-be (possible since they've never actually met), but she falls in love with the prince and starts to doubt her plan to betray him. It sounds vaguely familiar, right.
But Tintera makes this series stand out because she doesn't sugarcoat anything. Em's no wronged angel, she's a killer, right from the very start. And though her people may have been unfairly hunted, Em's mother was brutal herself and gave people reason to fear her. And while Cas is innocent enough that Em falls in love with him, he isn't perfect---he's turned a blind eye to his father's inhumanity, excusing it in order to hide from any sense of guilt. And Tintera never really lets up. This isn't the sort of story where everyone realizes they were wrong and they fix their mistakes and get a simple happily ever after. The characters (and the realistic political embroilments) are too complex for that. No, once things get underway, it almost doesn't matter what anyone wants anymore---there are kingdoms and many lives at stake. Tintera never lets us forget that!
This story is simply brilliant. It has everything I want in a fantasy: high stakes, complex characters, and deadly magic! I give it 5/5 Stars.
On the surface, this book seems like it might be sort of derivative. It's not. Well, okay, it sort of is. I mean, just based on the basic description, I feel like I've read this book before: Em's parents were murdered because a power-hungry king is afraid of her people's abilities, and she wants revenge. She decides to pass herself off as the prince's bride-to-be (possible since they've never actually met), but she falls in love with the prince and starts to doubt her plan to betray him. It sounds vaguely familiar, right.
But Tintera makes this series stand out because she doesn't sugarcoat anything. Em's no wronged angel, she's a killer, right from the very start. And though her people may have been unfairly hunted, Em's mother was brutal herself and gave people reason to fear her. And while Cas is innocent enough that Em falls in love with him, he isn't perfect---he's turned a blind eye to his father's inhumanity, excusing it in order to hide from any sense of guilt. And Tintera never really lets up. This isn't the sort of story where everyone realizes they were wrong and they fix their mistakes and get a simple happily ever after. The characters (and the realistic political embroilments) are too complex for that. No, once things get underway, it almost doesn't matter what anyone wants anymore---there are kingdoms and many lives at stake. Tintera never lets us forget that!
This story is simply brilliant. It has everything I want in a fantasy: high stakes, complex characters, and deadly magic! I give it 5/5 Stars.