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larakaa 's review for:
Midnight in Everwood
by M.A. Kuzniar
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
let me start by saying that I didn't know (or remember) anything about the book before reading, so I only realized that it was a retelling of the nutcracker half way through the book. Which then made me understand certain things (like the names taken from the original, the sigil of the mouse for the king, marietta's passion for ballett etc.), but didn't make me like most other things.
from a purely personal reading experience point of view it was hard for me to connect to the book, because I disliked the protagonist and most other characters. Also, too many in detail descriptions of the surroundings and in general the tone/language. It reads like a novel written in the time it is set in and I don't mean the way people speak, but how it's narrated. It doesn't work for me most of the time when modern, contemporary 21st century authors try to emulate an older style, it feels like trying to hard for me.
The plot...it takes too long until it gets to everwood and once we are there the rhythm is never quite right. Sometimes things happen too fast, sometimes too slow. And most of it is sooooo predictable. Like the romance, or that someone has to die, and that Gellum reveals he knew they would try to escape the whole time. The sex scene was just plain unnecessary and forced and weird. Which brings me to...
The characters (again, sort of). Legat wasn't as deep or layered as the author wants to make us believe. His feelings for Marietta came to strong too quickly. Also, why did he give her his diary?! At that point they werent even that close. Dellara and Pirlipata are cool, but why didn't they escape earlier? It's not like they really needed Marietta's help and I'm sure one of them could have persuaded Legat to help them, too. They lacked depth, too, as their stories were kind of flat. Much like Marietta's brother they also felt a bit like the diversity add on
from a more objective point of view as a critic, I can see the merit in having an unlikeable protagonist as it makes their internal change stronger and also makes the reader question their bias towards (strong) women and how they get to be that. It's also a nice idea to update some of the characters, like making the brother gay or adding Dellara as an hommage to antoinetta dell'era. Some of the more "modern" ideas feel a bit hamfisted, like how she points out how privileged her life has been before being capture by the King. It feels like the editor suggested to add that in or something.
Seeing it as a product of our time I can't help to see some GAme of Thrones elements or influences. I never quite get for whom this story is. A dark and grim fantasy story with blood and sex? - No, too nice and "clean". A fairy tale for adults? - Too brutal and triggering. For young adults? - maybe. Also the way Marietta fancies almost every young man she sees for the first time is just bad writing. However, the ending was a good solution. How she got rid of drosselmeier und how she said fuck you to her parents and pursues her career instead of staying in wonderland, I mean celestia and marrying Legat.
from a purely personal reading experience point of view it was hard for me to connect to the book, because I disliked the protagonist and most other characters. Also, too many in detail descriptions of the surroundings and in general the tone/language. It reads like a novel written in the time it is set in and I don't mean the way people speak, but how it's narrated. It doesn't work for me most of the time when modern, contemporary 21st century authors try to emulate an older style, it feels like trying to hard for me.
The plot...it takes too long until it gets to everwood and once we are there the rhythm is never quite right. Sometimes things happen too fast, sometimes too slow. And most of it is sooooo predictable. Like the romance, or that someone has to die, and that Gellum reveals he knew they would try to escape the whole time. The sex scene was just plain unnecessary and forced and weird. Which brings me to...
The characters (again, sort of). Legat wasn't as deep or layered as the author wants to make us believe. His feelings for Marietta came to strong too quickly. Also, why did he give her his diary?! At that point they werent even that close. Dellara and Pirlipata are cool, but why didn't they escape earlier? It's not like they really needed Marietta's help and I'm sure one of them could have persuaded Legat to help them, too. They lacked depth, too, as their stories were kind of flat. Much like Marietta's brother they also felt a bit like the diversity add on
from a more objective point of view as a critic, I can see the merit in having an unlikeable protagonist as it makes their internal change stronger and also makes the reader question their bias towards (strong) women and how they get to be that. It's also a nice idea to update some of the characters, like making the brother gay or adding Dellara as an hommage to antoinetta dell'era. Some of the more "modern" ideas feel a bit hamfisted, like how she points out how privileged her life has been before being capture by the King. It feels like the editor suggested to add that in or something.
Seeing it as a product of our time I can't help to see some GAme of Thrones elements or influences. I never quite get for whom this story is. A dark and grim fantasy story with blood and sex? - No, too nice and "clean". A fairy tale for adults? - Too brutal and triggering. For young adults? - maybe. Also the way Marietta fancies almost every young man she sees for the first time is just bad writing. However, the ending was a good solution. How she got rid of drosselmeier und how she said fuck you to her parents and pursues her career instead of staying in wonderland, I mean celestia and marrying Legat.