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Posted here: https://ethnographyofleslie.wordpress.com/2017/01/13/review-genesis-girl/
I downloaded this book to my Kindle mostly because I follow the author on Instagram (@the_ya_gal), and also because it went on sale. The blurb interested me, but didn't leave me with terribly high hopes. But I was proved blissfully, wonderfully wrong.
I'll start with the few things that didn't impress me, since the opposing list is much longer. The use of the term Geisha didn't sit too well with me, probably because I feel it is an appropriation of the term. Bardley uses it to describe a Vestal (which is what Blanca is, they are the individuals separated from society and technology) who is not sold to a company for use in advertisements, but rather to an individual for personal use. It is HEAVILY implied, both indirectly and directly, that Geisha vestal service their purchasers in a sexual manner. A Japanese Geisha is a traditional entertainer who acts as a hostess to male patrons. They have a wide variety of skills which includes classical music, dance, parlor game (think board games and card games), and conversation. Their career is basically being a pleasurable dinning partner. There is a nasty habit in Western communities to consider Geishas to be something along the lines of a prostitute. This is completely ignorant and incorrect, and a stereotype that Genesis Girl indirectly supports.
A more correct term for Bradley's characters called Geishas would be Courtesan, which were well-educated and independent women associated with wealthy, powerful, or upper-class society men (usually clergymen) who provided luxuries and status in exchange for entertainment and companionship. Courtesans were very much in line with what we would view as mistresses and escorts, and would have been a much less appropriative and correct term. ANYWAYS. The only other thing that stood out to me as sub-par was the drag that occurred about a third into the book. It basically served as a mental break down for Blanca, which while I understand is necessary, still went slow and was a little difficult to read.
However, Blanca was my favorite thing about this book. She goes from seeing herself as a strong, secure character, to loosing everything she thought was true about herself and having to do a complete overhaul about her thought process and character, to becoming strong and secure in herself again. She was so dynamic, and she grows so much through the book, which is honestly my favorite thing to see in a female character. Lydia, the other prominent female character, also grows quite a bit. I will say that I did not see the male characters as dynamic as Blanca, but she steals so much of the show that in the end it didn't really matter to me. This story is wholly hers, and that's so wonderful.
The concept behind this story is also incredibly fabulous, although it scared me off at first. I was worried I would get the same force-fed, tech is bad becuase the youths are addicted to it bullshit. Bradley however manages to bring forward the so true concept of balance, showing how technology enhances our life as well as hinders it, which is something Blanca learns in the course of the novel. This was such a refreshing message to have.
The ending was also SO. GOOD. Once Bardsley pulled us into her high stakes rising action it was a smooth shot of anticipation and impatience to get to the resolution, which was very satisfying I will say. There is a cliche plot twist thrown in there, but Cal and Blanca's father/daughter relationship eclipsed it with all the warm fuzzies I wanted. The characters were just as wonderful as the story, all playing their own little mind games with each other that kept me interested in their dynamics and how everything would play out.
All in all, I feel like this is such a strong novel, and a unique one within YA. I'm still surprised how much I enjoyed it, as it isn't usually a genre I pick out for myself. (I see this book as a YA psychological thriller.) But I guess that just stands as credit to Bardsley as a writer, since it takes a very compelling story to pull picky readers like me in. It's one I would recommend, and one who's sequel I will certainly be purchasing!
I downloaded this book to my Kindle mostly because I follow the author on Instagram (@the_ya_gal), and also because it went on sale. The blurb interested me, but didn't leave me with terribly high hopes. But I was proved blissfully, wonderfully wrong.
I'll start with the few things that didn't impress me, since the opposing list is much longer. The use of the term Geisha didn't sit too well with me, probably because I feel it is an appropriation of the term. Bardley uses it to describe a Vestal (which is what Blanca is, they are the individuals separated from society and technology) who is not sold to a company for use in advertisements, but rather to an individual for personal use. It is HEAVILY implied, both indirectly and directly, that Geisha vestal service their purchasers in a sexual manner. A Japanese Geisha is a traditional entertainer who acts as a hostess to male patrons. They have a wide variety of skills which includes classical music, dance, parlor game (think board games and card games), and conversation. Their career is basically being a pleasurable dinning partner. There is a nasty habit in Western communities to consider Geishas to be something along the lines of a prostitute. This is completely ignorant and incorrect, and a stereotype that Genesis Girl indirectly supports.
A more correct term for Bradley's characters called Geishas would be Courtesan, which were well-educated and independent women associated with wealthy, powerful, or upper-class society men (usually clergymen) who provided luxuries and status in exchange for entertainment and companionship. Courtesans were very much in line with what we would view as mistresses and escorts, and would have been a much less appropriative and correct term. ANYWAYS. The only other thing that stood out to me as sub-par was the drag that occurred about a third into the book. It basically served as a mental break down for Blanca, which while I understand is necessary, still went slow and was a little difficult to read.
However, Blanca was my favorite thing about this book. She goes from seeing herself as a strong, secure character, to loosing everything she thought was true about herself and having to do a complete overhaul about her thought process and character, to becoming strong and secure in herself again. She was so dynamic, and she grows so much through the book, which is honestly my favorite thing to see in a female character. Lydia, the other prominent female character, also grows quite a bit. I will say that I did not see the male characters as dynamic as Blanca, but she steals so much of the show that in the end it didn't really matter to me. This story is wholly hers, and that's so wonderful.
The concept behind this story is also incredibly fabulous, although it scared me off at first. I was worried I would get the same force-fed, tech is bad becuase the youths are addicted to it bullshit. Bradley however manages to bring forward the so true concept of balance, showing how technology enhances our life as well as hinders it, which is something Blanca learns in the course of the novel. This was such a refreshing message to have.
The ending was also SO. GOOD. Once Bardsley pulled us into her high stakes rising action it was a smooth shot of anticipation and impatience to get to the resolution, which was very satisfying I will say. There is a cliche plot twist thrown in there, but Cal and Blanca's father/daughter relationship eclipsed it with all the warm fuzzies I wanted. The characters were just as wonderful as the story, all playing their own little mind games with each other that kept me interested in their dynamics and how everything would play out.
All in all, I feel like this is such a strong novel, and a unique one within YA. I'm still surprised how much I enjoyed it, as it isn't usually a genre I pick out for myself. (I see this book as a YA psychological thriller.) But I guess that just stands as credit to Bardsley as a writer, since it takes a very compelling story to pull picky readers like me in. It's one I would recommend, and one who's sequel I will certainly be purchasing!
Blog: https://ethnographyofleslie.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/review-a-court-of-thorns-and-roses/
This was a book that I kept seeing on Bookstagrams and Goodreads that people couldn't seem to stop drooling over. Sarah J. Mass is slowly becoming more and more prominent in YA. Her Throne of Glass series is on nearly everyone's feed no matter what bookish tags you're in. So, when I found A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACTR) on sale on Amazon I figured it was time to finally give some of her work a go.
I have not been so annoyed in a long time.
I can see from the Goodreads rating that I am in the minority, but honestly it seems I always end up that way when it comes to bestsellers. My first mistake with ACTR was that I didn't read the synopsis. I knew it was a beauty and the beast retelling, but I went in pretty blind, following the obvious hype of the book that I had seen. I don't have a lot of nice things to say about this book, so my following critiques may not be as polite as other reviews.
First of all I'll say that Mass' plot for this book was poorly developed. She follows an almost stock story, keeping with many of the same plot twists and events that are grossly common in all simplistic tellings of the original folktale. If you've seen the Disney version you can basically guess what is going to happen page by page in this book. I will bend a little and acknowledge that Mass has a decently original premise. Fairies have been noticeably absent from YA since the earlier 2000's (2001-2009), so I respect her effort to revitalize them, especially with fairytale retellings being on the rise. However, this creative enterprise did not receive the plot it deserves. The main character Feyre and her fairy love interest Tamlin (dubbed "faebae" by my roommate) are products of this poor storytelling. I'm not much for a straight love story, and maybe if I was I would have found this tale more enjoyable. I doubt it, but there is a possibility.
The entire 416 pages of this novel consisted of forcing the hapless reader of watching the two main character fall inexplicably and unrealistically in love. I believe my main problem with this plot choice was the two main characters, a generous title for the bland expanse of printed space that their names took up. Ferye is the snarky/stupid, scrappy, skinny™ character while Tamlin is the basic white prince/soldier/boy that seems to dominate the consciousness of all above mentioned ™characters. There was no part of me that at any part of this book sympathized with Feyre. When a reader can't at least understand your protagonist's motivation there is a serious issue. If I had to explain why I could not see Feyre's motivation and understand her reasonings I suppose I would have to say that I don't think she had any. I spent the first 200 pages of this novel wondering what the fucking point was. Nothing she did seemed to make sense. At first she wants to return to take care of her family, but once she learns they are being provided for she still looks to escape. Why? It's never actually explained. Feyre is an uncurious and narrow-minded protagonist who jumps on the first act of decency Tamlin shows her and immediately decides that he's got the dick she wants to ride.
Normally I don't have a problem with love story arcs in the novels I read. I draw the line when I feel they aren't realistic. Feyre went from hating varies and Tamlin with every inch of her annoying little body to suddenly wanting nothing more than to wax poetic about Tamlin's physical attributes for several pages. Nothing about their relationship was realistic. I have never once heard "true love" or any kind of lasting relationships described the way Mass chose to describe Tamlin's and Feyre's amorous exploits. Some specific quotes that earned numerous eye rolls would be "I was as unburdened as a piece of dandelion fluff, and he was the wind that stirred me about the world" (228), "I became aware of every pore in my body when his tongue entered my mouth." (245), and "I ground against his hand, yielding completely to the writhing wildness that had roared alive inside of me, and breathed his name onto his skin" (246). Not quoted would be the multiple times Mass refers to their encounters as fiery, furnace like, enflaming, all consuming, ect. The novel went from mildly annoying to badly written soft core erotica suitable for Harlequin Teen.
As far as characters go the majority of my annoyances will be voiced on Feyre; this is because there isn't enough substance in the other characters to relegate much space on a page to talk about them. Tamlin can be summarized in a single word: basic. he is the unfolded male character that exists only so that readers can project their own ideas of perfection onto him. A perfect stock character. The other members of the supporting cast, such as Rhysand and Lucien, exist only as convenient helpers and comic relief for moments where the main couple gets to be a little too obnoxious.
As far as story construction goes I was even more disappointed. Mass keeps her readers completely in the dark except for one info dump until we reach the 300's page wise. Anyone who has managed to stick it out that far will then be privy to two enormous info dumps from the other two prevalent female characters, Alis and Amarantha, that clears up all of the obvious information that Feyre never knew and is then shamed for not being clever enough to figure out. These info dumps apparently served as an okay for having the rest of the story be bland and unlaced, leaving the reader struggling through chapter after chapter of stupidity on Feyre's part and bland existence on Tamlin's.
Another issue I had with the storytelling would have been the fact that I feel like I have read two books. The first half of the novel, which focuses on Feyre and Tamlin developing unspoken feelings and going on strange dates while the curse Tamlin and his house are under (shoutout to Disney) keeps them from telling Feyre about anything that's happening in their world, dragged. The second half which has Feyre rushing in to save Tamlin and the rest of his fairy court from Amarantha, an evil queen with a pitiful background and motivation of her own. The second half of the novel was disjointed from the rest, and was amazingly just as slow and ridiculous as the rest of the novel. I hazard to say that the 340 odd pages spent on useless interaction could have been filled so much petter with court intrigue and well thought out mind games, making the 160 pages of actual action so much more enjoyable.
To conclude, ACTR was a wasted opportunity. Mass set the novel up with the possibilities of being something along the lines of The Other Boleyn Girl or Cruel Beauty with a well earned love story and plenty of court drama to keep in interesting. Unfortunately, she did not deliver that. The most disappointing for me however is the fact that this novel is the first of a six book series.
This was a book that I kept seeing on Bookstagrams and Goodreads that people couldn't seem to stop drooling over. Sarah J. Mass is slowly becoming more and more prominent in YA. Her Throne of Glass series is on nearly everyone's feed no matter what bookish tags you're in. So, when I found A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACTR) on sale on Amazon I figured it was time to finally give some of her work a go.
I have not been so annoyed in a long time.
I can see from the Goodreads rating that I am in the minority, but honestly it seems I always end up that way when it comes to bestsellers. My first mistake with ACTR was that I didn't read the synopsis. I knew it was a beauty and the beast retelling, but I went in pretty blind, following the obvious hype of the book that I had seen. I don't have a lot of nice things to say about this book, so my following critiques may not be as polite as other reviews.
First of all I'll say that Mass' plot for this book was poorly developed. She follows an almost stock story, keeping with many of the same plot twists and events that are grossly common in all simplistic tellings of the original folktale. If you've seen the Disney version you can basically guess what is going to happen page by page in this book. I will bend a little and acknowledge that Mass has a decently original premise. Fairies have been noticeably absent from YA since the earlier 2000's (2001-2009), so I respect her effort to revitalize them, especially with fairytale retellings being on the rise. However, this creative enterprise did not receive the plot it deserves. The main character Feyre and her fairy love interest Tamlin (dubbed "faebae" by my roommate) are products of this poor storytelling. I'm not much for a straight love story, and maybe if I was I would have found this tale more enjoyable. I doubt it, but there is a possibility.
The entire 416 pages of this novel consisted of forcing the hapless reader of watching the two main character fall inexplicably and unrealistically in love. I believe my main problem with this plot choice was the two main characters, a generous title for the bland expanse of printed space that their names took up. Ferye is the snarky/stupid, scrappy, skinny™ character while Tamlin is the basic white prince/soldier/boy that seems to dominate the consciousness of all above mentioned ™characters. There was no part of me that at any part of this book sympathized with Feyre. When a reader can't at least understand your protagonist's motivation there is a serious issue. If I had to explain why I could not see Feyre's motivation and understand her reasonings I suppose I would have to say that I don't think she had any. I spent the first 200 pages of this novel wondering what the fucking point was. Nothing she did seemed to make sense. At first she wants to return to take care of her family, but once she learns they are being provided for she still looks to escape. Why? It's never actually explained. Feyre is an uncurious and narrow-minded protagonist who jumps on the first act of decency Tamlin shows her and immediately decides that he's got the dick she wants to ride.
Normally I don't have a problem with love story arcs in the novels I read. I draw the line when I feel they aren't realistic. Feyre went from hating varies and Tamlin with every inch of her annoying little body to suddenly wanting nothing more than to wax poetic about Tamlin's physical attributes for several pages. Nothing about their relationship was realistic. I have never once heard "true love" or any kind of lasting relationships described the way Mass chose to describe Tamlin's and Feyre's amorous exploits. Some specific quotes that earned numerous eye rolls would be "I was as unburdened as a piece of dandelion fluff, and he was the wind that stirred me about the world" (228), "I became aware of every pore in my body when his tongue entered my mouth." (245), and "I ground against his hand, yielding completely to the writhing wildness that had roared alive inside of me, and breathed his name onto his skin" (246). Not quoted would be the multiple times Mass refers to their encounters as fiery, furnace like, enflaming, all consuming, ect. The novel went from mildly annoying to badly written soft core erotica suitable for Harlequin Teen.
As far as characters go the majority of my annoyances will be voiced on Feyre; this is because there isn't enough substance in the other characters to relegate much space on a page to talk about them. Tamlin can be summarized in a single word: basic. he is the unfolded male character that exists only so that readers can project their own ideas of perfection onto him. A perfect stock character. The other members of the supporting cast, such as Rhysand and Lucien, exist only as convenient helpers and comic relief for moments where the main couple gets to be a little too obnoxious.
As far as story construction goes I was even more disappointed. Mass keeps her readers completely in the dark except for one info dump until we reach the 300's page wise. Anyone who has managed to stick it out that far will then be privy to two enormous info dumps from the other two prevalent female characters, Alis and Amarantha, that clears up all of the obvious information that Feyre never knew and is then shamed for not being clever enough to figure out. These info dumps apparently served as an okay for having the rest of the story be bland and unlaced, leaving the reader struggling through chapter after chapter of stupidity on Feyre's part and bland existence on Tamlin's.
Another issue I had with the storytelling would have been the fact that I feel like I have read two books. The first half of the novel, which focuses on Feyre and Tamlin developing unspoken feelings and going on strange dates while the curse Tamlin and his house are under (shoutout to Disney) keeps them from telling Feyre about anything that's happening in their world, dragged. The second half which has Feyre rushing in to save Tamlin and the rest of his fairy court from Amarantha, an evil queen with a pitiful background and motivation of her own. The second half of the novel was disjointed from the rest, and was amazingly just as slow and ridiculous as the rest of the novel. I hazard to say that the 340 odd pages spent on useless interaction could have been filled so much petter with court intrigue and well thought out mind games, making the 160 pages of actual action so much more enjoyable.
To conclude, ACTR was a wasted opportunity. Mass set the novel up with the possibilities of being something along the lines of The Other Boleyn Girl or Cruel Beauty with a well earned love story and plenty of court drama to keep in interesting. Unfortunately, she did not deliver that. The most disappointing for me however is the fact that this novel is the first of a six book series.
I am always afraid of being disappointed. Unfortunately, that is exactly what Rick Riordan did with this book. I am a big fan of the Percy Jackson series and the Kane Chronicles; they were original, they were funny. Riordan’s new work with The Sword of Summer feels kind of lackluster when considering his talent for creating engaging stories. I’m going to say this now: this book should not have been 499 pages, because it felt like nothing was happening. It didn’t pull me in as much as the others did, frankly, it didn’t pull me in at all. Riordan’s voice, which was so quick and witty in his previous works, felt extremely forced this time. He wasn’t funny. It was a stream of cheap jokes, puns, and ridiculous events that didn’t make much coherent sense together. Sure, Riordan is known for being a bit ridiculous. Weird shit happens in his stories. But Sword of Summer read more like a 30 Places to Go in Boston Buzzfeed article. He not only had a hodgepodge of events, but his description was so lackluster I was left wondering if anything had happened at all. I had very little sense of place, which was a problem considering how often characters were jumping around America’s Eastern seaboard as well as the Tree of Life. When your reader can’t tell where the characters are it leads to some confusion.
For full review see here: https://aggietheskeletonreads.wordpress.com/2016/06/23/review-the-sword-of-summer/
For full review see here: https://aggietheskeletonreads.wordpress.com/2016/06/23/review-the-sword-of-summer/
I picked up this book because I am and always have been fascinated by different representations of werewolves.
I was very disappointed with this book.
The werewolves, called Fenris for some unexplained reason, served as flat monsters that popped up when the story got too slow. That's saying something considering how slow the story was. I was not a fan of any of the characters to be perfectly honest. I found the two "sisters red" Scarlet and Rosie to be manifestations of the things I hate most: flat female characters with guns.
Some people think all it takes to create a dynamic and interesting female character is to make her as unlike the traditional female role as possible and give her some combat skills. Unfortunately that's exactly how both characters read. The amount of second hand girl hate in the book is ridiculous. The worst of it came from Scarlet with lines such as "Stupid, stupid Dragonflies. Here I am, saving your lives, bitten and scarred and wounded for you, and you don't even know it. I should let the Fenris have one of you." Beauty isn't everything, but it isn't a crime. She is also equating other girls to bugs, as if their interests and ignorance to the situation aren't valid. A page later the girl hate continues, this time from Silas, Rosie's love interest and the sister's longtime friend: "It's like they're trying to be eaten, isn't it?" He asks pointedly. "Can I tell you how glad I am that you and Rosie aren't like them?" What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
Maybe I'm too much of a feminist critic. But that doesn't excuse the lack of characterisation and plot that plagued this story. Silas and the sisters have an unbelievable relationship. Nothing develops from them besides Scarlet's angst and Rosie's crush on Silas. The story also makes very little logical sense as it progresses. There is a lot of talking and meaningless actions, but not a lot accomplished for about 200 of the books 324 pages, and a lot of what does happen is annoyingly convenient (looking at Pa Reynolds' nursing home just being right there for Scarlet to be at and Rosie magically having a lighter while kidnapped). Also, anyone who knows anything about plot twists will see Silas being the potential a mile away. I was actually very disappointed he didn't turn and have Scarlet kill him. The pacing of the story was awful, one of the worst I have seen. The world building was surprisingly worse. I believe that Pearce missed a great opportunity to dig into the already rich werewolf lore available and focuses too much on the melodrama of the three main character's relationships. If she had better built her world I could have also ignored her shitty dialogue.
Werewolf fiction is a dangerous place for readers who like well written and well thought out stories. Sisters Red has been another letdown in the search for the perfect werewolf novel.
I was very disappointed with this book.
The werewolves, called Fenris for some unexplained reason, served as flat monsters that popped up when the story got too slow. That's saying something considering how slow the story was. I was not a fan of any of the characters to be perfectly honest. I found the two "sisters red" Scarlet and Rosie to be manifestations of the things I hate most: flat female characters with guns.
Some people think all it takes to create a dynamic and interesting female character is to make her as unlike the traditional female role as possible and give her some combat skills. Unfortunately that's exactly how both characters read. The amount of second hand girl hate in the book is ridiculous. The worst of it came from Scarlet with lines such as "Stupid, stupid Dragonflies. Here I am, saving your lives, bitten and scarred and wounded for you, and you don't even know it. I should let the Fenris have one of you." Beauty isn't everything, but it isn't a crime. She is also equating other girls to bugs, as if their interests and ignorance to the situation aren't valid. A page later the girl hate continues, this time from Silas, Rosie's love interest and the sister's longtime friend: "It's like they're trying to be eaten, isn't it?" He asks pointedly. "Can I tell you how glad I am that you and Rosie aren't like them?" What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
Maybe I'm too much of a feminist critic. But that doesn't excuse the lack of characterisation and plot that plagued this story. Silas and the sisters have an unbelievable relationship. Nothing develops from them besides Scarlet's angst and Rosie's crush on Silas. The story also makes very little logical sense as it progresses. There is a lot of talking and meaningless actions, but not a lot accomplished for about 200 of the books 324 pages, and a lot of what does happen is annoyingly convenient (looking at Pa Reynolds' nursing home just being right there for Scarlet to be at and Rosie magically having a lighter while kidnapped). Also, anyone who knows anything about plot twists will see Silas being the potential a mile away. I was actually very disappointed he didn't turn and have Scarlet kill him. The pacing of the story was awful, one of the worst I have seen. The world building was surprisingly worse. I believe that Pearce missed a great opportunity to dig into the already rich werewolf lore available and focuses too much on the melodrama of the three main character's relationships. If she had better built her world I could have also ignored her shitty dialogue.
Werewolf fiction is a dangerous place for readers who like well written and well thought out stories. Sisters Red has been another letdown in the search for the perfect werewolf novel.
Truly awful.
Find my full review here: https://aggietheskeletonreads.wordpress.com/2016/04/10/review-the-abused-werewolf-rescue-group/
Find my full review here: https://aggietheskeletonreads.wordpress.com/2016/04/10/review-the-abused-werewolf-rescue-group/
*Spoiler Alert*
From: https://aggietheskeletonreads.wordpress.com/2017/01/11/review-ruin-and-rising/
I can say with total and complete confidence that I am glad to be done with this series. Out of the three I found Ruin and Rising to be my least favorite (it’s only saving grace is the lesbian relationship between Tamar and Nadia, which is cute and incorporated so well, and with Tamar being coded as Asian is also a good plug for diverse queer individuals). It’s hard to formulate why, so bear with me. First of all, I have a similar problem with this book as with Siege and Storm, I can’t really tell you what happened. I feel like this stems from a not much actually happened problem. While the world building and concept continues to be vast and intriguing the actual plot falls rather flat. There is a lot of walking and hiding and running in this book. The slow start didn’t help much either. Alina and her group of Grisha and human rebels take refuge underground for the first fourth of the book, and a lot of it just felt unnecessary.
Another issue I had was the continued love story between Alina and Mal. There is no chemistry between them, they don’t communicate with one another, and there is an expectation that they will be a constant for one another. I honestly felt like Alina’s character would have benefited from a break-up with Mal. I wanted her to be more than magically powerful, and I really, really feel like she wasn’t. Her story and character depended so much on Mal, who was barley a character to begin with, that it’s actually hard to distinguish them. Also, the whole thing with Mal being the final amplifier was the most annoying and convenient incident to happen. I don’t buy into the whole “we were meant to be together because of fate” shit, I really don’t. I’m not a romantic. So having Mal be this final version of power for Alina did not sit well for me. The fact that she was most powerful with him isn’t so much what got me. I am a more powerful person with my current partner, because he compliments my strengths and weaknesses very well. Mal and Alina do not complement one another, they create nothing but drama and stress for the other and the reader. Alina being more powerful with Mal isn’t an issue, my issue is that we have spent three books knowing Alina will not feel complete unless she has all three amplifiers. She does not feel complete without Mal. I call complete and utter bullshit on this entire concept. This is most likely the hinge my disappointment with this series comes from. I LOATHE seeing female characters and actual women who are only completed by a man (or another woman). Alina cannot stand on her own, which is a double edged problem. The story stresses relying on your friends and those close to you for support and working together for a cause. This is a very good message to have. Complete reliance on a romantic partner is not.
Secondly, the ending just did nothing for me. I spent over 3/4ths of this book waiting for something exciting, for some more rising action, for some kind of draw into these characters. I was again disappointed. The final battle against the Darkling finally came and felt much too short! That could possibly be me being a glutton for fight scenes, but it did not feel like it got the justice it deserved. But this could also be because I’m honestly confused about what happened in it as well. Honestly, after Mal “died” things got very confusing. It felt like Bardugo was trying to explain things that looked amazing in her head, but don’t translate very well to page. So the entire last half of the finale was a little muddled for me, even after reading it again.
Finally, everything that happened after the battle with the Darkling was irrelevant and should have been cut. Alina’s conversation with Nikolai was unnecessary and annoying. The epilogue was obnoxious and dragged. For me with was like the five endings to The Return of the King when you’re seven years old and have held in your pee for over forty minutes now. Painful. Grueling. Not needed. I know the reason for this: I did not care about these characters, least of all Alina and Mal. I wanted their story to be done and I wanted to be six books away from them.
I think what I find the most disappointing is that I can see that Bardugo is talented. Her writing style, especially in the opening of Shadow and Bone, is so lyrical. The concept behind this trilogy is original and fascinating, it made me really excited to start these books. Her supporting cast is diverse, interesting, and actually develop more than her main characters. That, I think, is the main problem. Despite her talent Bardugo allowed her mains to fall very flat, and have a stale, book consuming relationship that, quite frankly, ruined the series for me. However, I will explore some of her other work, because her style is beautiful, and there is still a lot of developing as a writer to be done.
From: https://aggietheskeletonreads.wordpress.com/2017/01/11/review-ruin-and-rising/
I can say with total and complete confidence that I am glad to be done with this series. Out of the three I found Ruin and Rising to be my least favorite (it’s only saving grace is the lesbian relationship between Tamar and Nadia, which is cute and incorporated so well, and with Tamar being coded as Asian is also a good plug for diverse queer individuals). It’s hard to formulate why, so bear with me. First of all, I have a similar problem with this book as with Siege and Storm, I can’t really tell you what happened. I feel like this stems from a not much actually happened problem. While the world building and concept continues to be vast and intriguing the actual plot falls rather flat. There is a lot of walking and hiding and running in this book. The slow start didn’t help much either. Alina and her group of Grisha and human rebels take refuge underground for the first fourth of the book, and a lot of it just felt unnecessary.
Another issue I had was the continued love story between Alina and Mal. There is no chemistry between them, they don’t communicate with one another, and there is an expectation that they will be a constant for one another. I honestly felt like Alina’s character would have benefited from a break-up with Mal. I wanted her to be more than magically powerful, and I really, really feel like she wasn’t. Her story and character depended so much on Mal, who was barley a character to begin with, that it’s actually hard to distinguish them. Also, the whole thing with Mal being the final amplifier was the most annoying and convenient incident to happen. I don’t buy into the whole “we were meant to be together because of fate” shit, I really don’t. I’m not a romantic. So having Mal be this final version of power for Alina did not sit well for me. The fact that she was most powerful with him isn’t so much what got me. I am a more powerful person with my current partner, because he compliments my strengths and weaknesses very well. Mal and Alina do not complement one another, they create nothing but drama and stress for the other and the reader. Alina being more powerful with Mal isn’t an issue, my issue is that we have spent three books knowing Alina will not feel complete unless she has all three amplifiers. She does not feel complete without Mal. I call complete and utter bullshit on this entire concept. This is most likely the hinge my disappointment with this series comes from. I LOATHE seeing female characters and actual women who are only completed by a man (or another woman). Alina cannot stand on her own, which is a double edged problem. The story stresses relying on your friends and those close to you for support and working together for a cause. This is a very good message to have. Complete reliance on a romantic partner is not.
Secondly, the ending just did nothing for me. I spent over 3/4ths of this book waiting for something exciting, for some more rising action, for some kind of draw into these characters. I was again disappointed. The final battle against the Darkling finally came and felt much too short! That could possibly be me being a glutton for fight scenes, but it did not feel like it got the justice it deserved. But this could also be because I’m honestly confused about what happened in it as well. Honestly, after Mal “died” things got very confusing. It felt like Bardugo was trying to explain things that looked amazing in her head, but don’t translate very well to page. So the entire last half of the finale was a little muddled for me, even after reading it again.
Finally, everything that happened after the battle with the Darkling was irrelevant and should have been cut. Alina’s conversation with Nikolai was unnecessary and annoying. The epilogue was obnoxious and dragged. For me with was like the five endings to The Return of the King when you’re seven years old and have held in your pee for over forty minutes now. Painful. Grueling. Not needed. I know the reason for this: I did not care about these characters, least of all Alina and Mal. I wanted their story to be done and I wanted to be six books away from them.
I think what I find the most disappointing is that I can see that Bardugo is talented. Her writing style, especially in the opening of Shadow and Bone, is so lyrical. The concept behind this trilogy is original and fascinating, it made me really excited to start these books. Her supporting cast is diverse, interesting, and actually develop more than her main characters. That, I think, is the main problem. Despite her talent Bardugo allowed her mains to fall very flat, and have a stale, book consuming relationship that, quite frankly, ruined the series for me. However, I will explore some of her other work, because her style is beautiful, and there is still a lot of developing as a writer to be done.
I began this book with every hope in the world that Alina and Mal’s melodrama would be over and that I could finally enjoy the non-high schoolesque fantasy I deserve. This is not what I got. The main drawback to this book is similar to the main drawback of the first; the love story is overdone. Alina and Mal act like petulant children when it comes to one another, completely disregarding the ongoing conflicts around them to focus on each other and spend paragraphs going over their feelings. (At least in Alina’s case since she is the narrator.) It is exhausting. A lot of Alina and Mal’s arguments and heartache could be avoided by them using common sense and basic communication skills. But honestly feelings are hard and so is talking about them, so I understand the emotional constipation to a certain extent. What I don’t understand is the need to drag Alina’s romantic feelings all over the place and have it be as important if not more so than the actual storyline.
Full review here: https://aggietheskeletonreads.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/review-siege-and-storm/
Full review here: https://aggietheskeletonreads.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/review-siege-and-storm/