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mythicaldelenn
I have been ranting about this book in my head since I read it so it's past time to write a review for it.
There are a lot of things I didn't like, but let's start on a positive note. The writing style is really engaging and I constantly wanted to keep reading so I could find out what would happen next. I usually don't like books with long chapters like this one had, but the writing kept me interested anyway. I also enjoyed some of the side characters, especially the Queen's guards and Kelsea's adoptive parents, but I wanted more of them or sections from their perspective. The world was an interesting idea and I liked getting to know more about its history, but, again, I wanted more world building than there was, especially since so much of the literature and religion is similar to our world.
To elaborate on the world building, there are too many holes in the story of how the world got to this point. I get that the author wants to reveal those things in later books and Kelsea has limited knowledge of her world's history, but there wasn't enough to feel like I understood the geography of their country and those surrounding it if it's supposed to be set on our world or how the governments developed, especially since they all seem to be monarchies. Even if those things are explained in future books, I don't know that it's worth it to feel so disconnected with the world in the first book. It just felt kind of lazy to me. You would think, with all the influence from our world, that the original world building would be better developed, but it just wasn't for me.
The world building is something I could be okay with if the plot and characters were better, but they were even worse. The plot was okay for most of the book, but none of the reveals shocked me or even really surprised me that much and it didn't seem realistic that the characters wouldn't figure certain things out. The pacing was good so it never felt rushed or boring, which helped keep me engaged. However, it felt like the author equates violent with shocking or original, which doesn't work unless we care about the characters and understand the context, which we don't. This is especially true in the scene with the Red Queen at the end.
The Red Queen as a character had a lot of potential, but she is not nearly developed enough to be a compelling villain. I wasn't scared of her or sympathetic toward her. The scene at the end helped explain who she is a little bit, but I wanted that kind of explanation earlier in the story so we know what the characters are really dealing with. Thorne also had potential as a villain, but we never get his perspective and I didn't think his character had enough ambiguity. No one is all bad so his character didn't feel real to me. However, he was a smart and capable villain, which I appreciate.
As far as good characters, I already mentioned I liked some of the side characters, but the ones we really get to know through their perspectives are the ones I didn't like and their sections didn't make me think any differently about them than I would have otherwise, especially with Thomas. Javel's perspective was better and I understood why it was there, but I didn't need so much of him. And then there's Kelsea, the main character. I actually really liked Kelsea at first. She's somewhat naive and definitely flawed, but she wants to do what's best for her country and really cares about being a good queen. She's also smart enough and brave enough to actually make that happen. Unfortunately, she got on my nerves by the end of the book. There were things she wasn't telling her guards that would have made things go smoother if they knew. She's supposed to be perceptive, but she doesn't pick up on things that should have been obvious. Also, how is she so perceptive if she grew up so isolated? The thing that really irritated me by the end is how much she complains about being "plain" or "ugly." I was hoping her views on her looks and body would change by the end, but they did not. She even judges someone else for being ugly, but confident. This could develop in the rest of the series, but there is no change in this book. It's not even just her complaining; other people mention it to, in front of her, and that behavior is never challenged. I get that it's easier to fight if you're skinny, but her mother's story proves that beauty isn't everything so why doesn't she come to that. conclusion about herself? There wasn't even really a good excuse in the societal norms. At least not a well developed one. She also has bigger things to complain about so I don't get why she's so obsessed with the way she looks and spends so much time judging other people for their looks.
I ultimately disliked reading this book, but I gave it two stars because I did like the pacing and the writing style even if it wasn't enough for me to like the book.
There are a lot of things I didn't like, but let's start on a positive note. The writing style is really engaging and I constantly wanted to keep reading so I could find out what would happen next. I usually don't like books with long chapters like this one had, but the writing kept me interested anyway. I also enjoyed some of the side characters, especially the Queen's guards and Kelsea's adoptive parents, but I wanted more of them or sections from their perspective. The world was an interesting idea and I liked getting to know more about its history, but, again, I wanted more world building than there was, especially since so much of the literature and religion is similar to our world.
To elaborate on the world building, there are too many holes in the story of how the world got to this point. I get that the author wants to reveal those things in later books and Kelsea has limited knowledge of her world's history, but there wasn't enough to feel like I understood the geography of their country and those surrounding it if it's supposed to be set on our world or how the governments developed, especially since they all seem to be monarchies. Even if those things are explained in future books, I don't know that it's worth it to feel so disconnected with the world in the first book. It just felt kind of lazy to me. You would think, with all the influence from our world, that the original world building would be better developed, but it just wasn't for me.
The world building is something I could be okay with if the plot and characters were better, but they were even worse. The plot was okay for most of the book, but none of the reveals shocked me or even really surprised me that much and it didn't seem realistic that the characters wouldn't figure certain things out. The pacing was good so it never felt rushed or boring, which helped keep me engaged. However, it felt like the author equates violent with shocking or original, which doesn't work unless we care about the characters and understand the context, which we don't. This is especially true in the scene with the Red Queen at the end.
The Red Queen as a character had a lot of potential, but she is not nearly developed enough to be a compelling villain. I wasn't scared of her or sympathetic toward her. The scene at the end helped explain who she is a little bit, but I wanted that kind of explanation earlier in the story so we know what the characters are really dealing with. Thorne also had potential as a villain, but we never get his perspective and I didn't think his character had enough ambiguity. No one is all bad so his character didn't feel real to me. However, he was a smart and capable villain, which I appreciate.
As far as good characters, I already mentioned I liked some of the side characters, but the ones we really get to know through their perspectives are the ones I didn't like and their sections didn't make me think any differently about them than I would have otherwise, especially with Thomas. Javel's perspective was better and I understood why it was there, but I didn't need so much of him. And then there's Kelsea, the main character. I actually really liked Kelsea at first. She's somewhat naive and definitely flawed, but she wants to do what's best for her country and really cares about being a good queen. She's also smart enough and brave enough to actually make that happen. Unfortunately, she got on my nerves by the end of the book. There were things she wasn't telling her guards that would have made things go smoother if they knew. She's supposed to be perceptive, but she doesn't pick up on things that should have been obvious. Also, how is she so perceptive if she grew up so isolated? The thing that really irritated me by the end is how much she complains about being "plain" or "ugly." I was hoping her views on her looks and body would change by the end, but they did not. She even judges someone else for being ugly, but confident. This could develop in the rest of the series, but there is no change in this book. It's not even just her complaining; other people mention it to, in front of her, and that behavior is never challenged. I get that it's easier to fight if you're skinny, but her mother's story proves that beauty isn't everything so why doesn't she come to that. conclusion about herself? There wasn't even really a good excuse in the societal norms. At least not a well developed one. She also has bigger things to complain about so I don't get why she's so obsessed with the way she looks and spends so much time judging other people for their looks.
I ultimately disliked reading this book, but I gave it two stars because I did like the pacing and the writing style even if it wasn't enough for me to like the book.
4/5 stars
As someone who doesn't read classics often, this was really enjoyable. It was dark and twisted in all the ways I expected it to be and I loved being able to analyze some of the symbolism and other literary devices throughout the book. It was also interesting looking at the relationships between the characters and how obsessed they are with each other. However it was a little slow for me at times so it took longer for me to read than a book this short normally would, which is why I took off a star.
As someone who doesn't read classics often, this was really enjoyable. It was dark and twisted in all the ways I expected it to be and I loved being able to analyze some of the symbolism and other literary devices throughout the book. It was also interesting looking at the relationships between the characters and how obsessed they are with each other. However it was a little slow for me at times so it took longer for me to read than a book this short normally would, which is why I took off a star.
