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anyaemilie's Reviews (1.57k)
Oof. This was really disappointing. Especially considering how much I enjoyed the first book.
There was zero chemistry between the two leads (in my opinion), the insta-love was really weird given the context, and the constant telling instead of showing drove me crazy (yes, Enrique, we get that you're a lapsed Catholic because it doesn't fit your lifestyle and good for you for having gay friends, do you want a gold star?? And omg I can't count the number of times Carolina said she's never EVER going to get married!!!). I also wasn't a fan of the not-so-subtle implications that there was something wrong with Carolina for not being married at 23. I get that this was a (loose) retelling of The Taming of the Shrew but I feel like that maybe wasn't the best Shakespeare play to tell this story? Or it could have been done differently without all the misogyny. Carolina has legit reasons to be angry but I think the whole plot of this was a bit of a mess because it tried too hard to fit into the structure of the original story.
All of that plus the borderline(?) abusive behavior from Carolina's family (which the author only kind of calls out herself with one throwaway sentence about there being a thin line between being traditional and abusive) really left a sour taste in my mouth 😬
There was zero chemistry between the two leads (in my opinion), the insta-love was really weird given the context, and the constant telling instead of showing drove me crazy (yes, Enrique, we get that you're a lapsed Catholic because it doesn't fit your lifestyle and good for you for having gay friends, do you want a gold star?? And omg I can't count the number of times Carolina said she's never EVER going to get married!!!). I also wasn't a fan of the not-so-subtle implications that there was something wrong with Carolina for not being married at 23. I get that this was a (loose) retelling of The Taming of the Shrew but I feel like that maybe wasn't the best Shakespeare play to tell this story? Or it could have been done differently without all the misogyny. Carolina has legit reasons to be angry but I think the whole plot of this was a bit of a mess because it tried too hard to fit into the structure of the original story.
All of that plus the borderline(?) abusive behavior from Carolina's family (which the author only kind of calls out herself with one throwaway sentence about there being a thin line between being traditional and abusive) really left a sour taste in my mouth 😬
I think I should have read the ebook/physical version of this because the verse aspect of this was completely lost in the audio translation. I didn't even realize it was a novel in verse until I read someone else's review (although I did have a clue since I saw the physical version was 452 pages and the audiobook is only 4 hours long...)
I'm not really sure what I thought of this book (hence no rating). I liked certain aspects of it, like the fact that I could tell the story was very personal to the author, and the fact that the MC is 16 (something I'm always complaining there aren't enough of in YA). I also appreciated the historical aspects of the story. The combination of Jewish myths and actual Jewish history in Prague was really well done (and for me, really educational).
I did feel like the plot was a little sparse, but I really think that was partially due to the fact that I listened to the audiobook. In my opinion, novels in verse aren't meant to be read (only) in audio so I kind of regret I didn't know it was verse before I started reading it (especially since novels in verse are one of my favorite formats/genres). I think reading the ebook/physical version would have let me get more absorbed in the story.
Also, I wasn't super into the romance sub-plot. But for all those paranormal girlies who dream of falling in love with a ghost, this might be a better book for you than it was for me 👻
This line was epic though: "The most impressive monsters are always the least impressive men" 🙌🏻
I'm not really sure what I thought of this book (hence no rating). I liked certain aspects of it, like the fact that I could tell the story was very personal to the author, and the fact that the MC is 16 (something I'm always complaining there aren't enough of in YA). I also appreciated the historical aspects of the story. The combination of Jewish myths and actual Jewish history in Prague was really well done (and for me, really educational).
I did feel like the plot was a little sparse, but I really think that was partially due to the fact that I listened to the audiobook. In my opinion, novels in verse aren't meant to be read (only) in audio so I kind of regret I didn't know it was verse before I started reading it (especially since novels in verse are one of my favorite formats/genres). I think reading the ebook/physical version would have let me get more absorbed in the story.
Also, I wasn't super into the romance sub-plot. But for all those paranormal girlies who dream of falling in love with a ghost, this might be a better book for you than it was for me 👻
This line was epic though: "The most impressive monsters are always the least impressive men" 🙌🏻
