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cas_reads_anything
Didn’t realize this would involve time travel. also WHY would a family who owns funeral homes be so negative about someone owning a flower shop? am I going crazy?? funerals all use flowers!
Loved the historical setting and the general concept of vampirism (or reapers, as this book calls them). In some ways, it made me think of Dread Nation, although that was quite a bit darker/heavier than this book. Still, this had some exploration of race & class issues, even if it was more surface level.
Writing was extremely vibes-heavy; I think you could describe most of the important plot points boiled down into a short list, with most of the on-page text dealing with character emotions, backstory, parties, outfits, sex scenes, murders, etc. Lots of 1920s gangsters and NYC vibes. I did find a lot of the dealings with Elise’s father and the conflict with Layla to be repetitive; by halfway through the book I felt like they were just going through the same motions over and over. I’m still not really sure why Elise’s father is so protective of his family & legacy but hates Elise, nor do I really understand how Layla (and Elise??) both blame Elise for reapers killing Layla’s family. At one point Layla points out that she’s made a new family with the reapers even though they are literally the ones who murdered her family so why should she hate the Saints more but it feels like we never delved into that further. Lastly, I truly don’t understand Sterling’s character. What was the point of him? Why all that build up just to have him completely change everything about himself 70% of the way in??
I did think the romance plot, which was dominate, felt well developed. I don’t get why these two held the specific grudges that they did but if you just accept that, then slowly overcoming those obstacles made some amount of sense. I did feel like the reaper venom issue clouded things and I’m actually sure that Elise was in her right mind to consent to some of what was happening, which does put a damper on the quick switch between the two of them. But the relationship is already pretty messy so it fits.
I would recommend this for fans of A Tempest of Tea.
Writing was extremely vibes-heavy; I think you could describe most of the important plot points boiled down into a short list, with most of the on-page text dealing with character emotions, backstory, parties, outfits, sex scenes, murders, etc. Lots of 1920s gangsters and NYC vibes. I did find a lot of the dealings with Elise’s father and the conflict with Layla to be repetitive; by halfway through the book I felt like they were just going through the same motions over and over. I’m still not really sure why Elise’s father is so protective of his family & legacy but hates Elise, nor do I really understand how Layla (and Elise??) both blame Elise for reapers killing Layla’s family. At one point Layla points out that she’s made a new family with the reapers even though they are literally the ones who murdered her family so why should she hate the Saints more but it feels like we never delved into that further. Lastly, I truly don’t understand Sterling’s character. What was the point of him? Why all that build up just to have him completely change everything about himself 70% of the way in??
I did think the romance plot, which was dominate, felt well developed. I don’t get why these two held the specific grudges that they did but if you just accept that, then slowly overcoming those obstacles made some amount of sense. I did feel like the reaper venom issue clouded things and I’m actually sure that Elise was in her right mind to consent to some of what was happening, which does put a damper on the quick switch between the two of them. But the relationship is already pretty messy so it fits.
I would recommend this for fans of A Tempest of Tea.
