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imme_van_gorp's reviews
701 reviews
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This managed to be so much more disappointing than I could have ever imagined. I was really hoping the author would do it right after where she left off with the previous book, but she managed to do everything exactly wrong.
First of all, I found it so off-putting that they kept on bantering with each other in every single situation, from beginning to end. They’re supposed to feel immense betrayal, yet they just keep on quipping quirky little one-liners towards each other? It’s not what I was expecting or hoping for. I wanted to feel the intensity and the angst between them; not this silly bit of almost-anger that hardly seemed to matter to either of them. Their entire relationship was just so superficial, it made me lose all interest in it.
Even more: Where was Kai’s guilt? Where was his desperation to win back her forgiveness and affection? Sometimes his inner-monologue seemed like he cared, but he treated her so callously and cold. Like he didn’t even care that she hated him now… He didn’t fight for her whatsoever.
And she didn’t even seem to mind that he didn’t grovel or beg or show remorse; she weakly kept lusting after him anyway.
Furthermore, I absolutely despised the fact that Kai seemed to act like he had any right to anger. Like he was the one who should feel betrayed or hurt. He acted like she wronged him instead of the other way around. The hypocrisy of it all pissed me off so badly.
First of all, I found it so off-putting that they kept on bantering with each other in every single situation, from beginning to end. They’re supposed to feel immense betrayal, yet they just keep on quipping quirky little one-liners towards each other? It’s not what I was expecting or hoping for. I wanted to feel the intensity and the angst between them; not this silly bit of almost-anger that hardly seemed to matter to either of them. Their entire relationship was just so superficial, it made me lose all interest in it.
Even more: Where was Kai’s guilt? Where was his desperation to win back her forgiveness and affection? Sometimes his inner-monologue seemed like he cared, but he treated her so callously and cold. Like he didn’t even care that she hated him now… He didn’t fight for her whatsoever.
And she didn’t even seem to mind that he didn’t grovel or beg or show remorse; she weakly kept lusting after him anyway.
Furthermore, I absolutely despised the fact that Kai seemed to act like he had any right to anger. Like he was the one who should feel betrayed or hurt. He acted like she wronged him instead of the other way around. The hypocrisy of it all pissed me off so badly.
She’s alluring in the way most deadly things are. It’s captivating. No. No, it’s terrifying. It’s <i>supposed</i> to be terrifying, still thinking of her as something I’m trying to deserve. Still deeming her worthy of my desire. But she’s not. No matter what has already happened between us. She’s my prisoner and my mission. She is nothing to me.
Worst of all, the fact that Kai kept putting his “mission” above saving her, loving her, earning her forgiveness, was insanely unattractive. Him acting like an aimless lapdog to his father and now to his brother was just pathetic.
I mean, this dude has been slaughtering innocents for years because… what? Because he couldn’t say a simple “no” to his evil daddy? PATHETIC. And now he’s willing to do the same thing to the girl he “loves” for the new king, his brother, just because he’s told to? PATHETIC.
There’s seriously nothing less attractive than a man who’s willing to throw the girl he loves to the wolves because it’s his “duty” to listen to his king. I mean, where is his duty to <i>her</i>? Where is his sense of courage or protectiveness?? Absolutely nowhere.
“One landmark closer to my death.”
I look away to the street below us, not wanting to think about the possible truth in her words. I hate that I don’t know what Kitt plans for her. Or worse, what he plans for me to do to her.
Is it bad of me to say I almost want her to end up with Kitt now? At least he was somewhat interesting and seemed to have actual emotions that went further than teasing and bantering. Most importantly, at least <i>he</i> never intended to murder her and give her up for his “duty”. Nope, he’s just straight up going to save her and all the other Ordinaries by marrying her. Like, I’m sorry, but am I supposed to pick the guy who never fought for her and was willing to let her die (and even killed lots of other people just like her) over the guy who’s going against everything and everyone to have her as his bride and do what’s right? Because I think not. I’m going with Kitt here.
My life is not my own. And, for that reason, she can never be mine.
Anyway, this entire book was just a giant disappointing mess that didn’t even come close to living up to its potential. The whole thing was nothing but repetitive and silly banter; there was no actual plot or any form of development. Everything stayed the same from beginning to end, and we basically saw the same scene play over and over again. It was annoying, superficial and boring.
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
I know many people aren’t too fond of this novella as they deem it too uneventful, but I actually really liked that about this. I appreciated the little insight into their daily lives; I feel like we got to know the characters and their relationships a bit better in a different way. It was nice.
Although we did get to see more from all the characters here, the main focus was still Feyre, and I loved her as much as always. She’s so strong, gracious and selfless; I pretty much adore everything about her.
Her relationship with Rhysand is also still as perfect as ever. And although their perfection has always been a little boring to me, I can’t say they aren’t lovely together.
Although we did get to see more from all the characters here, the main focus was still Feyre, and I loved her as much as always. She’s so strong, gracious and selfless; I pretty much adore everything about her.
Her relationship with Rhysand is also still as perfect as ever. And although their perfection has always been a little boring to me, I can’t say they aren’t lovely together.
“I love you,” he breathed. “More than life, more than my territory, more than my crown.”
This novella definitely made me like Elain a lot more; I wasn’t a fan of her at all previously, but I could finally see the gentle, warm and sweet heart that everyone keeps talking about when it comes to her.
I still despise the potential idea of a romance between her and Lucien (they clearly have no chemistry and zero interest in each other), but I’m becoming a full-blown shipper of her and Azriel. I love the combination of her soft sunshiny attitude and his stoic brooding, especially since they both have a heart of gold.
Moreover, I really loved the bonding we got to see between her and Feyre. I’ve always felt like Feyre has been severely mistreated, ignored and used by her sisters, so it was nice to see Elain show some long-overdue appreciation and love towards her.
It was then that I realized what the three different tiers had been painted to look like. On the top: flowers. In the middle: flames. And on the bottom, widest layer… stars.
“I asked Nuala to do it in that order,” Elain said as the others gathered round. “Because you’re the foundation, the one who lifts us. You always have been.”
Opposingly, Nesta actually got on my nerves a little now. I really started to like her in the previous book, but she was insanely difficult and unnecessarily cruel to everyone here. To Elain, to Feyre, to Cassian… They all reached out, they all tried to be there for her, and yet she just continued to treat them like trash. It made me feel quite a bit angry on their behalf. I hope she will redeem herself again in her own book.
Lastly, I want to see more of Amren and Varian; they’re so strangely adorable together!?
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
This tells the story of a group of children who live in a colony on Venus where the sun only comes out for an hour every seven years. All the children hate the constant rain and the lack of true warmth on their skin, but Margot is suffering most of all. She has grown sullen, ashy, quiet and sad; it’s like she has been slowly losing her life force, or perhaps even her very will to live. The other children tease her relentlessly and, worst of all, lock her in a closet when the sun is finally shining again after seven years. She misses that little hour of sunshine she so desperately needed…
All in all, I wasn’t very impressed with this story. It felt a little aimless, and although I’m sure some sort of meaning could be attributed to what I’ve just read, I didn’t really see it. To me, it seemed insubstantial and perhaps even a bit random.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Pfew, wow, so much to unpack here… I’m not sure what to say, but this was certainly a depressing, shocking, emotional, powerful and intense story.
It tells the story of a woman of unknown origin who’s rejected by her husband when their baby turns out brown. He assumes she must have a black heritage and therefore loses all love for her, which leaves her absolutely shattered to pieces. The end gives such a twist, though, that it puts the whole narrative on its head!
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
A cute, fluffy, angst-free read that’ll make you smile more often than not! It took me a little while to get into this one, but once I did, I really had a great time with it.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This story is about two sisters; one of them, Marianne, represents “sensibility”, while the other, Elinor, represents “sense”.
If I ever had any doubts as to which category I am most attached to, I can now vehemently proclaim it to be “sense”, because, wow, I cannot even begin to explain in words how much Marianne got on my nerves. Her ungratefulness, her superiority complex, her dramatics, and her general selfishness were just too much to excuse on her simply being a “spirited girl”. I honestly felt so bad for Elinor that she had to be subjected to this person, day in, day out. I’d go mad!
Opposingly, Elinor was truly an amazing heroine and it was a joy to see her navigate all social situations in such a mindful, kind and clever way. I often admired her selfless perseverance and her ability to know right from wrong. She was very resolute as well as astute, and always composed herself in a confident yet gentle manner, and I therefore had difficulty finding any fault in her at all. If I must name one thing, however, that bothered me about her, it would be her tendency towards excusing the behaviors of disgusting men (her immediate forgiveness of Edward and, even more, her eventual forgiveness of Willoughby, never sat right with me).
This was also why it pained me to see a good, honorable man such as Colonel Brandon pine after Marianne when everything would have pointed towards Elinor as the better match! Marianne treated him so unkindly, so uncivilized, so judgmental, so dismissively (as she did everyone, actually), and it was almost painful to witness. What he saw in her, I will never understand. Was it truly just because of her pretty face? It does my opinion of him no good if that really were the truth…
In any case, his love for Marianne was especially baffling to me when someone so much better than her was right there! Elinor and the Colonel actually suited each other quite perfectly, so much unlike their respective partners. Because truly, let me not even begin to speak of Edward, as it physically pained me to see Elinor settle for a man who never fought for her. She deserved much more passion and affection than that man could ever give her.
When it comes to all the many side-characters, I fear it would take up too much time to express my opinion on all of them, but be sure that I had many and excessive opinions of them all. I could feel genuine affection, but also vexation or even hatred, towards a multitude of them. I really admired this novel for its ability to bring forth such strong opinion on so many characters in me. The warmth I felt towards Mrs. Jennings was strongest of all, while my judgment and disgust towards the Ferrars (I am, of course, also including John and Fanny in this, even if their surname was technically Dashwood, as well as Lucy, even if she only acquired the surname near the end) was unmatched.
All in all, I have to say that this book was far from what I was expecting it to be, but I did not find myself feeling disappointed nonetheless. Whereas I expected to find a story of grand romance, I got none in that regard at all. Instead, I received a detailed story of two sisters traversing the intricacies of gentry social life in Regency England. And although I must proclaim the writing to have been a little dense at times, these characters truly did captivate my interest to a high enough degree to have me consider this novel to be rather engaging and certainly intriguing.
If I ever had any doubts as to which category I am most attached to, I can now vehemently proclaim it to be “sense”, because, wow, I cannot even begin to explain in words how much Marianne got on my nerves. Her ungratefulness, her superiority complex, her dramatics, and her general selfishness were just too much to excuse on her simply being a “spirited girl”. I honestly felt so bad for Elinor that she had to be subjected to this person, day in, day out. I’d go mad!
Opposingly, Elinor was truly an amazing heroine and it was a joy to see her navigate all social situations in such a mindful, kind and clever way. I often admired her selfless perseverance and her ability to know right from wrong. She was very resolute as well as astute, and always composed herself in a confident yet gentle manner, and I therefore had difficulty finding any fault in her at all. If I must name one thing, however, that bothered me about her, it would be her tendency towards excusing the behaviors of disgusting men (her immediate forgiveness of Edward and, even more, her eventual forgiveness of Willoughby, never sat right with me).
This was also why it pained me to see a good, honorable man such as Colonel Brandon pine after Marianne when everything would have pointed towards Elinor as the better match! Marianne treated him so unkindly, so uncivilized, so judgmental, so dismissively (as she did everyone, actually), and it was almost painful to witness. What he saw in her, I will never understand. Was it truly just because of her pretty face? It does my opinion of him no good if that really were the truth…
In any case, his love for Marianne was especially baffling to me when someone so much better than her was right there! Elinor and the Colonel actually suited each other quite perfectly, so much unlike their respective partners. Because truly, let me not even begin to speak of Edward, as it physically pained me to see Elinor settle for a man who never fought for her. She deserved much more passion and affection than that man could ever give her.
When it comes to all the many side-characters, I fear it would take up too much time to express my opinion on all of them, but be sure that I had many and excessive opinions of them all. I could feel genuine affection, but also vexation or even hatred, towards a multitude of them. I really admired this novel for its ability to bring forth such strong opinion on so many characters in me. The warmth I felt towards Mrs. Jennings was strongest of all, while my judgment and disgust towards the Ferrars (I am, of course, also including John and Fanny in this, even if their surname was technically Dashwood, as well as Lucy, even if she only acquired the surname near the end) was unmatched.
All in all, I have to say that this book was far from what I was expecting it to be, but I did not find myself feeling disappointed nonetheless. Whereas I expected to find a story of grand romance, I got none in that regard at all. Instead, I received a detailed story of two sisters traversing the intricacies of gentry social life in Regency England. And although I must proclaim the writing to have been a little dense at times, these characters truly did captivate my interest to a high enough degree to have me consider this novel to be rather engaging and certainly intriguing.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
I know it’s a fairy tale, and should thus not be taken too seriously, but the pure and utter stupidity of Snow White really got on my nerves so badly. She genuinely had to have had less than a single brain cell, and her passivity and unwillingness to learn were truly astounding.
I’m certain that if she didn’t have her pretty privilege, nobody would have even cared to save her either. Sure, the Queen wouldn’t have had a reason to go after her in the first place, but let’s ignore that for argument’s sake.
Oddly enough, I was actually looking forward to reading this original fairy tale (even though I was never a fan of Snow White’s story), but it was exceedingly disappointing to me due to its complete lack of intelligence and rationale. It’s hard for me to root for a character if they don’t even attempt to save themselves and honestly seem to do everything in their power to make the dumbest possible decisions.
Oh, and the fact that she eventually marries the guy who tried to take her dead corpse to his castle because she was just too damn pretty to never look at again was… disturbing, at best.
P.S. The version I read didn’t have any illustrations, so maybe those could have made this more enjoyable or charming.
I’m certain that if she didn’t have her pretty privilege, nobody would have even cared to save her either. Sure, the Queen wouldn’t have had a reason to go after her in the first place, but let’s ignore that for argument’s sake.
Oddly enough, I was actually looking forward to reading this original fairy tale (even though I was never a fan of Snow White’s story), but it was exceedingly disappointing to me due to its complete lack of intelligence and rationale. It’s hard for me to root for a character if they don’t even attempt to save themselves and honestly seem to do everything in their power to make the dumbest possible decisions.
Oh, and the fact that she eventually marries the guy who tried to take her dead corpse to his castle because she was just too damn pretty to never look at again was… disturbing, at best.
P.S. The version I read didn’t have any illustrations, so maybe those could have made this more enjoyable or charming.
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This play is about Prometheus, a Titan who defied Zeus and is now being torturously punished for it.
After Zeus overthrew the Titans (with Prometheus’ help), he settled himself as a pure tyrant with nothing but cruelty and narcissism to his name. He saw no use for humans and wanted to wipe them off the face of the earth to be replaced by a new race. However, Prometheus took pity on the human creatures and decided to give them the gift of Fire, and with that gift gave them the knowledge to stay alive and improve their lives.
Zeus, furious for being defied, puts Prometheus in chains for this and orders him to be tied to a cliff’s edge for many, many years, where he will feel nothing but torture and misery. Prometheus knew that he would be punished for his selfless act to help the humans, but even he did not imagine his punishment to be so cruel. Thus, the play mostly shows him lamenting his bad fortune and hopeless future to whoever will listen, but yet he never loses his spirit or his belief in his own righteousness. He screams taunts of Zeus’ inevitable downfall, and refuses to offer any help in the future. The play shows us that Prometheus may have lost his freedom, but he did not lose his fiery heart or his desire for revenge.
After Zeus overthrew the Titans (with Prometheus’ help), he settled himself as a pure tyrant with nothing but cruelty and narcissism to his name. He saw no use for humans and wanted to wipe them off the face of the earth to be replaced by a new race. However, Prometheus took pity on the human creatures and decided to give them the gift of Fire, and with that gift gave them the knowledge to stay alive and improve their lives.
Zeus, furious for being defied, puts Prometheus in chains for this and orders him to be tied to a cliff’s edge for many, many years, where he will feel nothing but torture and misery. Prometheus knew that he would be punished for his selfless act to help the humans, but even he did not imagine his punishment to be so cruel. Thus, the play mostly shows him lamenting his bad fortune and hopeless future to whoever will listen, but yet he never loses his spirit or his belief in his own righteousness. He screams taunts of Zeus’ inevitable downfall, and refuses to offer any help in the future. The play shows us that Prometheus may have lost his freedom, but he did not lose his fiery heart or his desire for revenge.
HERMES:
“You think I am to blame for your misfortune?”
PROMETHEUS:
“To put it bluntly—I hate all the gods who received my help and then abused me, perverting justice.”
HERMES:
“From the words you speak I see your madness is no mild disease.”
PROMETHEUS:
“I may well be insane, if madness means one hates one’s enemies.”
All in all, I think this was a very sad story that showed the evilness of the Gods, even towards someone to whom they owe their rule.
We see how Prometheus, who acted out of nothing but the goodness of his heart and willingness to teach, will have to suffer dire consequences by the hands of the evil Zeus, who, by tradition, is truly one of the most cruel and disgusting Gods in the whole of Greek mythology. Honestly, Zeus and his weak-minded minions made me want to rage and riot, as per usual.
That said, I do think the play itself lacked a sense of action, suspense and urgency. The characters spoke a lot of words discussing the past and future, but we don’t actually get to see any events unfold in the present. Therefore, the story was a little bit stale.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved Hyacinth, but I hated that Gareth didn’t appreciate her whatsoever. I truly despised the fact that she fell first AND harder…
It’s extra unfortunate because Hyacinth was probably one of my favourite heroines in the series so far and she truly had a lot of personality, so her romance could have been so much better. It definitely feels a lot like wasted potential.
I just wish that Gareth adored her for her wit, enthusiasm, intelligence, banter, sass, honesty, sarcasm and quirkiness, rather than just tolerated it… She deserved to be worshipped, and instead he acted like she was a nuisance he reluctantly enjoyed against his better judgement.
I mean, imagine if this is how your future husband decides that he wants to marry you:
It’s extra unfortunate because Hyacinth was probably one of my favourite heroines in the series so far and she truly had a lot of personality, so her romance could have been so much better. It definitely feels a lot like wasted potential.
I just wish that Gareth adored her for her wit, enthusiasm, intelligence, banter, sass, honesty, sarcasm and quirkiness, rather than just tolerated it… She deserved to be worshipped, and instead he acted like she was a nuisance he reluctantly enjoyed against his better judgement.
I mean, imagine if this is how your future husband decides that he wants to marry you:
She was sometimes vexing, occasionally infuriating, but always entertaining. She would make a fine wife. Not for most men, but for him, and that was all that mattered.
The whole romance was made even worse by the fact that Gareth only pursued her because he had daddy issues and he wanted to proof to him that he could marry Hyacinth if he wanted to. It made me a little sick to my stomach.
I also really disliked the plotline where he tried to seduce her so she’s be trapped into marrying him. It was not only unromantic and uncomfortable, but it also made his love for her seem very dirty rather than gentle. It made me feel so bad for Hyacinth, and made me dislike Gareth even more.
In conclusion, Hyacinth had a great personality on her own, but she completely lacked a backbone when it came to Gareth. He treated her pretty badly and she just took it. She never held him accountable and even ended up being the one fighting for him over and over again instead of the other way around. Yuck.
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is such a tragic story, but so beautifully written.
It’s a story that many queer people used to live through in the past, which makes it all the more heartbreaking to read…
There’s not much focus here on the build-up of their love connection, but instead it tells the story of how sad and lonely and angry and impossible their lives were because of that love.
It’s a story that many queer people used to live through in the past, which makes it all the more heartbreaking to read…
There’s not much focus here on the build-up of their love connection, but instead it tells the story of how sad and lonely and angry and impossible their lives were because of that love.