This book wasn't bad, but I wouldn't call it good either. Maybe I'm biased but the TV show is much better. I found a lot of the things that happened to be silly and unnecessary, and also found the plot to be too slow. The characters are still pretty flat, but not as bad as in the first book.


2015 Reading Challenge: A book with a number in the title

The 100 wasn't bad, but the show is definitely a lot better. I found most of the characters to be dry and honestly quite annoying. I also thought the writing was pretty weak at times.


2015 Reading Challenge: A book based on or turned into a TV show

2015 Reading Challenge: A book with non-human characters

Oh my god this was so awful! The characters were dull, the plot boring, settings not all that impressive. And the writing style! So many run-on sentences and grammatical errors! I don't know how I managed to get through 308 pages of this. 2 stars because I thought the pacing was good, and the author is good at suspense/heart pounding moments (at least for me)

IT CANNOT JUST END LIKE THAT!!
Ahhh I don't even know what to say! It's so perfect! I need the next book right now!

Pros
I love the characters, especially Tobias. I love how strong Tris becomes; her character development was interesting to follow. The story line is wonderful, and I can't wait to read the next book. I liked the plot twists. The relationship wasn't too quick to develop, which I thought was nice for a change.

Cons
I found a lot of the major plot twists were somewhat predictable. The writing style took me a while to get used to.

Overall, I thought it was a great book and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

Yikes, I'm glad that's over. Started off strong and just went downhill from there

So what's going on here?
Nora Walker was born in a house in the mountains next to Jackjaw Lake, the same house where her mother was born, and her grandmother, and every Walker woman who has ever lived. And before there was a house, the Walker women are said to be of the forest, with moonlight in their blood and a magical ability unique to each woman. They call it their nightshade. Everyone else calls it witchcraft. One night Nora is walking among the sleeping, malevolent Wicker Woods in search of lost objects, but what she finds instead is a boy, a boy who is said to have ran away from camp two weeks ago during a snow storm that knocked out the power and blocked the roads, trapping everyone on the mountain. On that night, one boy went missing and another died, and Nora decides she needs to figure out the what's really going on before she falls too hard for Oliver. What follows is the story of a handful of teenagers in a snowed in mountain town, and a murder mystery that is much more complicated than any originally thought.

What I loved
I was originally captivated by the writing style from page one. This is my first novel by Shea Ernshaw and I was very impressed in the beginning by the setting she spun. This story is incredibly atmospheric, and I'm very happy that I read the majority of this book curled up on the couch during a snowstorm. I can absolutely see why this book is so well loved, it's a fantastic winter read and is perfect for those who love YA romance with a touch of magic and mystery. I, unfortunately, am not a huge fan of YA romance and didn't realize that romance would be the main focus going into this. More on this in the next section

What I didn't love
As just stated, I am not a fan of YA romance, especially the heterosexual kind. The second I realized that not only was this going to be a romance, but it was going to be an insta-love romance, I almost DNF'd on the spot. But at that point I was close to the halfway mark and figured I may as well finish it. So here we are, almost one in the morning after forcing myself to read the last hundred pages in one sitting because I really did not want to have to continue this tomorrow. Ugh I just caaaaaan't with insta-lovey bullshit. There were so many moments throughout this book that took me back in time ;) to late 2000's paranormal YA romance that just had me cringing and rolling my eyes so hard it hurt. The pining, the desperation, the "omg we've known each other for two seconds but I want to spend my life with you" garbage that I used to eat up when I was 12 years old. But main thing that had be audibly frustrated was

Nora RISKING HER GODDAMN LIFE STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOREST FIRE BECAUSE APPARENTLY HEARING OLIVER'S STORY WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HER SURVIVAL. BUT OK.

U G H I really can't deal with shit like that anymore, I do not have the patience. I also figured out the major plot twist way too early. I know I said in my updates when I figured it out that I was hoping I'd be right because that would be a rad plot point, I was actually really disappointed at being right during the revelation. In all honesty, it's not the most unique plot twist, and I feel like the reveal could have been done better. I know there was a lot going on at the time, but it somehow felt like a really slow moment when Nora finally figured it out and it didn't impact me the way I wanted it to. And finally, my last frustration with this book, is what the fuck happened to Nora's mom?? She was briefly mentioned a couple times and Nora speculated that every time she leaves might be the time she never comes back, and then that was just never resolved???? It's not mentioned whether or not the mom comes home and that is super frustrating to me because that question was asked by Nora multiple times throughout this book. But anyways

Overall thoughts
Not great, kinda wish I hadn't read this one to be honest and I don't think this story will stick with me for very long. I'm still planning on reading The Wicked Deep (mainly because I literally just bought it last week and now feel obligated to read it but... that's besides the point) but I don't know if I'll keep up with any other books Earnshaw publishes in the future

4.5 stars

U G H

Y E S

B I T C H

This was so good. Like oh-my-god-I-can't-even-deal-right-now kind of good. The characters! The plot! The world! The visuals! STUNNING I'm so in love with everything about this, I don't know why I ever put it down when I originally started read this 2 years ago (actually I do, and it's because of Strange the Dreamer. No regrets but a little bit). I'm so so glad I read this ahh I can't wait to read the rest!

Excuse me as I quietly sniffle and wipe my tears on the couch in hopes that my roommate won't notice that I'm crying.

I'm very very glad that I liked this. I adored Wild Beauty but DNF'd Blanca & Roja, so Dark and Deepest Red was my test to see if I actually like McLemore of if Wild Beauty was just a one-off. While I definitely liked Wild Beauty more than this one, I still really enjoyed this and will absolutely be reading the rest of her novels

So what's going on here?
Dark and Deepest Red is told in a dual timeline. One is set in Strasbourg in 1518, following Lala and her aunt during the Dancing Fever that they would be blamed for if word got out that they were secretly Romani. Lala takes it upon herself to keep not only her family safe, but the boy she loves as well. The other timeline follows Emil, a descendant of Lala, and Rosella during a week that happens every year in their town where something magical happens. This year, the red shoes that Rosella's family makes compel those who wear them to do things they normally wouldn't have the guts to do. For Rosella, they make her dance in the same way those afflicted with the Dancing Fever did 500 years prior. While Rosella struggles to understand why she cannot stop dancing, Emil begins having dreams of his ancestor during her trial and knows he must learn about his family and Romani history, something he has made clear he does not wish to know about, in order to help Rosella before she becomes a danger to herself.

What I loved
Oh boy. Oh boy oh boy oh boy. I loved so much about this. The timeline that takes place in 1518 was just so beautiful and magical, and incredibly atmospheric. Lala and Tante's fear was tangible, as was the love and longing shared between Lala and Alifair. Unsurprisingly the writing style was gorgeous, as is expected with anything written by Anna-Marie McLemore. I adored the characters from 1518, and that ending !! Oh my god. Actual tears. Completely unexpected and so moving. I also really enjoyed learning a bit about the Romani people. I admit I know very little about them, aside from the very basics of the unjust history they have endured, so reading bits about their beliefs and ways of life was really interesting and something that I would like to learn about (particularly their death practices). The ending of this book though, I really can't get over it, it was so beautiful. And the author's note too; I usually don't read (or in this case, listen) to the author's note, but for some reason I did this time and I'm very glad I did!

What I didn't love
I really wasn't a fan of the dual timeline to be honest. I had pretty much no interest in the present day timeline up until the last, I don't know, 5-10% of this book? It didn't captivate me whatsoever, I didn't care for the characters, and I actually found it to take away from my enjoyment from the 1518 timeline. Maybe it just wasn't executed very well for my tastes, but there were many times where I was really into the story, whether it be a suspenseful moment or something really emotional, and then all of a sudden I was transported out of that into a story that wasn't particularly interesting. I found it to be pretty jarring and usually didn't transition very well. There have been other books where I've enjoyed a dual timeline (I can't think of a single example right now but I know they exist), but in Dark and Deepest Red I really didn't think it was necessary to have it. The present day story didn't add enough to make it worth being taken out of the story set in the past.

Overall thoughts
Incredible. Magnificent. 10/10 would recommend. So close to, but not quite, perfection but close enough that this story will be held near and dear to my heart for years to come!