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typedtruths's Reviews (1.8k)
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
This is one of those books where I don’t have anything new to add to the discussion board. Everything that I want to say has already been said. I don’t know whether that’s a bad thing or not, but either way, this is pretty much what we’re all agreeing on:
1. This book is incredibly feminist… and that is awesome! This isn’t the usual YA fantasy or retelling. This isn’t about the girl who needs to be saved by the prince or the story of a warrior girl learning her to embrace softside by falling in love with the handsome prince. This story is about an orphaned girl who is being exploited and abused by her awful stepmother and stepsisters… and deciding to do something about it. She’s realising she’s the only one that can get herself out of this situation and uses her mechanical know-how (despite the world telling her that isn’t a suitable hobby for a woman) to build wares to sell at the Market. She plans to raise enough money to open her own business/workshop and become independent. Awesome, right? It’s so refreshing to have an ambitious female character that doesn’t get distracted by romance. She sticks to her guns and decides she wants a better life so goes out and gets it. *applauds*
2. ... but this book was a boring as drying paint. Feminist themes aside, Mechanica was about a girl building stuff and it. was. so. damn. slow. It wasn't exactly anti-climatic because a climax was never reached in the first place. It was just deathly slow and monotonous the whole way through. The writing didn’t help because it was a little over-the-top. Some of the descriptions just went on and on forever and ever. I could only read this in little spurts. I just kept getting distracted.
Some other small thoughts:
• Female friendship done right! Seriously, this book hit all the feminist marks by a mile.
• Info-dumps. The first 30% of this book was the character recounting her childhood and explaining the political situation with the fey. Not exactly the way to grip an audience. I almost DNFed it.
• The secondary characters - particularly the Steps - could have done with some fleshing out. I liked that the author didn’t slut-shame the Evil Stepsisters (because that happens way too often) and actually gave them some qualities that almost made me pity them… but I wanted to understand them more.
• I liked how unique this race of fey was but I wanted more about Nicolette’s world instead.
• There was a reveal towards the end (that Caro and Fin were royalty, not servants like they said ) that made me question everything… but not in a good way. I think it made some things that happened in the book previously impossible? I don’t get how it all works now.
• The cover is to die for! I love the level of detail (so many references to the book within the artwork) and the colouring is on point.
Overall? It’s kind of hard to judge this book. I liked what it tried to do. I loved the feminist themes… but my God, it was so damn boring and I had problems with the world-building. I did love Nicolette as a character but I needed more from this world. I hear there’s going to be a companion sequel so I’ll definitely check that out but yeah, I’m disappointed that I didn’t love this one.
This is one of those books where I don’t have anything new to add to the discussion board. Everything that I want to say has already been said. I don’t know whether that’s a bad thing or not, but either way, this is pretty much what we’re all agreeing on:
1. This book is incredibly feminist… and that is awesome! This isn’t the usual YA fantasy or retelling. This isn’t about the girl who needs to be saved by the prince or the story of a warrior girl learning her to embrace softside by falling in love with the handsome prince. This story is about an orphaned girl who is being exploited and abused by her awful stepmother and stepsisters… and deciding to do something about it. She’s realising she’s the only one that can get herself out of this situation and uses her mechanical know-how (despite the world telling her that isn’t a suitable hobby for a woman) to build wares to sell at the Market. She plans to raise enough money to open her own business/workshop and become independent. Awesome, right? It’s so refreshing to have an ambitious female character that doesn’t get distracted by romance. She sticks to her guns and decides she wants a better life so goes out and gets it. *applauds*
2. ... but this book was a boring as drying paint. Feminist themes aside, Mechanica was about a girl building stuff and it. was. so. damn. slow. It wasn't exactly anti-climatic because a climax was never reached in the first place. It was just deathly slow and monotonous the whole way through. The writing didn’t help because it was a little over-the-top. Some of the descriptions just went on and on forever and ever. I could only read this in little spurts. I just kept getting distracted.
Some other small thoughts:
• Female friendship done right! Seriously, this book hit all the feminist marks by a mile.
• Info-dumps. The first 30% of this book was the character recounting her childhood and explaining the political situation with the fey. Not exactly the way to grip an audience. I almost DNFed it.
• The secondary characters - particularly the Steps - could have done with some fleshing out. I liked that the author didn’t slut-shame the Evil Stepsisters (because that happens way too often) and actually gave them some qualities that almost made me pity them… but I wanted to understand them more.
• I liked how unique this race of fey was but I wanted more about Nicolette’s world instead.
• There was a reveal towards the end (
• The cover is to die for! I love the level of detail (so many references to the book within the artwork) and the colouring is on point.
Overall? It’s kind of hard to judge this book. I liked what it tried to do. I loved the feminist themes… but my God, it was so damn boring and I had problems with the world-building. I did love Nicolette as a character but I needed more from this world. I hear there’s going to be a companion sequel so I’ll definitely check that out but yeah, I’m disappointed that I didn’t love this one.
3.5 stars
After being pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my reread of Dorothy Must Die, I had a feeling this would be a good read… and it certainly was. I read this 400+ book in a single evening because I literally just could put it down. It was addictive. The pacing was just so on point. I had to keep flipping the pages. I just loved how the story took a journey/quest direction. It gave the opportunity to explore Oz and learn more about the types of people and creatures which live there. With that being said, I don’t think I quite loved the characters to the extent I did in the first book. In this sequel, we focus very much on Amy and don’t get to see a lot of our favourite secondary characters. I don’t dislike Amy, but she is hardly the most lovable type of character. She isn’t meant to be, I know. But is hard to be in her head 24/7 without some frustration, you know? I think that the audiobook was definitely what helped bring her to life and I wish my library would have stocked the audiobook instead. Like I said though, the world-building and plotline was incredible. The ending absolutely slayed me. I had no idea it would be so emotional or dramatic! I definitely need to get my hands on the sequel as soon as humanly possible...
After being pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my reread of Dorothy Must Die, I had a feeling this would be a good read… and it certainly was. I read this 400+ book in a single evening because I literally just could put it down. It was addictive. The pacing was just so on point. I had to keep flipping the pages. I just loved how the story took a journey/quest direction. It gave the opportunity to explore Oz and learn more about the types of people and creatures which live there. With that being said, I don’t think I quite loved the characters to the extent I did in the first book. In this sequel, we focus very much on Amy and don’t get to see a lot of our favourite secondary characters. I don’t dislike Amy, but she is hardly the most lovable type of character. She isn’t meant to be, I know. But is hard to be in her head 24/7 without some frustration, you know? I think that the audiobook was definitely what helped bring her to life and I wish my library would have stocked the audiobook instead. Like I said though, the world-building and plotline was incredible. The ending absolutely slayed me. I had no idea it would be so emotional or dramatic! I definitely need to get my hands on the sequel as soon as humanly possible...
3.5 stars
The Shadow Queen is one of those books that has me in a bind. I just cannot make my mind up how I feel about it! On one hand, it was so entertaining and easy to read that I had a hard time putting it down but on the other hand, there were so many elements I thought should have been more fleshed out. I was disappointed in the world-building and the romance. For the most part, I just generally wanted more from the story.
The plot draws on the type of familiar fantasy tropes that had me throwing a celebratory party, although I can see why so many people were frustrated. Personally, I think the ‘lost princess has to reclaim her throne/kingdom by banding together a group of misfits and storming the castle’ trope will never get old. I love it! My main problem was more to do with the way the author used these tropes than fact that she had a tropey plot if that makes sense. She just… didn’t add much to them? There is a lot of things happening in this story - magic, political intrigue, wars, robberies, famines - and Redwine just never made everything feel coherent. I think she stretched herself a little too thin at times and it affected the pacing and the timing of key events. I also felt that she never quite packed the right amount of punch into important events. Aspects of the story, particularly the ogre war in Kol’s kingdom, were central to the overall plotline but felt completely glossed over. I think this was because the plot had a real formulaic structure to it: Lorelei would move to a location, perform a spell/robbery, fight Irina’s response and then move to the next location. Rinse and repeat. This was one of the main problems I had with Riordan’s Percy Jackson series! It really bugs me when authors use it.
However, I did really fall in love with the characters. Redwine wasn’t scared to hit us in the feels - she even made me tear up at one point - and I felt that really made her characters shine. Lorelei was a strong, badass princess but unlike some other female fantasy characters, she had a realistic and flawed side to her. She was kinda of insecure in herself but determined and I found her a really easy character to root for. I also adored Kol. We definitely didn’t get enough time with him but the focus on his internal battle - between his human side and his dragon heart - was wonderful. I just needed a little more from it to be completely satisfied. Together, I thought Lorelei and Kol’s relationship was sweet but their initial meeting was so forced and made it so obvious that there were destined for a romantic subplot that it kinda soured the mood of the romance for me. I would have liked more tension.
Extra thoughts:
• I did not expect to have dragons in this story so that was an amazing addition. Shapeshifters have to be my favourite fantastical creatures so I loved that we had a whole cultural surrounding that.
• I really adored Lorelei’s relationship with her brother. He was so sweet and sassy. I definitely wish more fantasies had sibling relationships.
• Lorelei’s magical abilities felt a little bit too Special Snowflake-ish at times.
• I am not sure where Jyn and Trugg went for so long? It was convenient to have them gone but not realistic to have them swoop in at the perfect moment.
Overall?
I enjoyed The Shadow Queen a lot because it drew on so many fantasy tropes I have previously read and enjoyed, although it did follow a formulaic plotline that bothered me quite a bit. The characters were easy to root for and I enjoyed their relationship, I just wanted more from Kol and a little more pacing in their romance. With a bit more detail and attention to certain aspects of the story, I could see myself coming to really adore Redwine’s stories and I am definitely looking forward to the sequel.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
The Shadow Queen is one of those books that has me in a bind. I just cannot make my mind up how I feel about it! On one hand, it was so entertaining and easy to read that I had a hard time putting it down but on the other hand, there were so many elements I thought should have been more fleshed out. I was disappointed in the world-building and the romance. For the most part, I just generally wanted more from the story.
The plot draws on the type of familiar fantasy tropes that had me throwing a celebratory party, although I can see why so many people were frustrated. Personally, I think the ‘lost princess has to reclaim her throne/kingdom by banding together a group of misfits and storming the castle’ trope will never get old. I love it! My main problem was more to do with the way the author used these tropes than fact that she had a tropey plot if that makes sense. She just… didn’t add much to them? There is a lot of things happening in this story - magic, political intrigue, wars, robberies, famines - and Redwine just never made everything feel coherent. I think she stretched herself a little too thin at times and it affected the pacing and the timing of key events. I also felt that she never quite packed the right amount of punch into important events. Aspects of the story, particularly the ogre war in Kol’s kingdom, were central to the overall plotline but felt completely glossed over. I think this was because the plot had a real formulaic structure to it: Lorelei would move to a location, perform a spell/robbery, fight Irina’s response and then move to the next location. Rinse and repeat. This was one of the main problems I had with Riordan’s Percy Jackson series! It really bugs me when authors use it.
However, I did really fall in love with the characters. Redwine wasn’t scared to hit us in the feels - she even made me tear up at one point - and I felt that really made her characters shine. Lorelei was a strong, badass princess but unlike some other female fantasy characters, she had a realistic and flawed side to her. She was kinda of insecure in herself but determined and I found her a really easy character to root for. I also adored Kol. We definitely didn’t get enough time with him but the focus on his internal battle - between his human side and his dragon heart - was wonderful. I just needed a little more from it to be completely satisfied. Together, I thought Lorelei and Kol’s relationship was sweet but their initial meeting was so forced and made it so obvious that there were destined for a romantic subplot that it kinda soured the mood of the romance for me. I would have liked more tension.
Extra thoughts:
• I did not expect to have dragons in this story so that was an amazing addition. Shapeshifters have to be my favourite fantastical creatures so I loved that we had a whole cultural surrounding that.
• I really adored Lorelei’s relationship with her brother. He was so sweet and sassy. I definitely wish more fantasies had sibling relationships.
• Lorelei’s magical abilities felt a little bit too Special Snowflake-ish at times.
• I am not sure where Jyn and Trugg went for so long? It was convenient to have them gone but not realistic to have them swoop in at the perfect moment.
Overall?
I enjoyed The Shadow Queen a lot because it drew on so many fantasy tropes I have previously read and enjoyed, although it did follow a formulaic plotline that bothered me quite a bit. The characters were easy to root for and I enjoyed their relationship, I just wanted more from Kol and a little more pacing in their romance. With a bit more detail and attention to certain aspects of the story, I could see myself coming to really adore Redwine’s stories and I am definitely looking forward to the sequel.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
• I found Gwendolyn incredibly unlikable. Her decision-making skills were appalling, and I found it hard to care for her when she made such obviously dumb decisions over and over again.
• Rowan was the reason I kept reading this book. I adored him. I absolutely and utterly loved his character. He reminded me so much of Killian Jones from OUAT. He was sassy but sweet. He acted like a genuine pirate, which is a surprisingly hard quality to find in YA pirates. I just really connected to him.
• I did not ship the romance. It was too… juvenile? The tension felt manufactured. It was rushed and overly dramatic. I wholeheartedly shipped Rowan with Will.
• I did like the fae lore but it did feel a little… I don’t know. It was just one of those fantasy worlds that felt a little basic.
• Unhooked was definitely a solid story. I was engaged throughout the whole book. I wanted to find out how it ended. It did go off on several unnecessary tangents at times that bothered me immensely bit as a whole, it was still an engaging read.
• I don’t know how I feel about how Gwen’s mother was portrayed.
• The short flashbacks at the beginning of each chapter really worked for me. They were almost poetic. It was a clever way of letting us know Rowan’s backstory without info-dumping it us at some point.
• I did really, really appreciate the ending. It was so realistic, even if it tore at my heartstrings. My poor Rowan! I wanted to give him a giant bear hug so badly.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
• Rowan was the reason I kept reading this book. I adored him. I absolutely and utterly loved his character. He reminded me so much of Killian Jones from OUAT. He was sassy but sweet. He acted like a genuine pirate, which is a surprisingly hard quality to find in YA pirates. I just really connected to him.
• I did not ship the romance. It was too… juvenile? The tension felt manufactured. It was rushed and overly dramatic. I wholeheartedly shipped Rowan with Will.
• I did like the fae lore but it did feel a little… I don’t know. It was just one of those fantasy worlds that felt a little basic.
• Unhooked was definitely a solid story. I was engaged throughout the whole book. I wanted to find out how it ended. It did go off on several unnecessary tangents at times that bothered me immensely bit as a whole, it was still an engaging read.
• I don’t know how I feel about how Gwen’s mother was portrayed.
• The short flashbacks at the beginning of each chapter really worked for me. They were almost poetic. It was a clever way of letting us know Rowan’s backstory without info-dumping it us at some point.
• I did really, really appreciate the ending. It was so realistic, even if it tore at my heartstrings. My poor Rowan! I wanted to give him a giant bear hug so badly.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
3.5 stars
Roseblood is one of those books that was so unique and different that I am still not convinced that it wasn’t straight up weird… but in a good way? This book took something we are all familiar with (or should be) - the Phantom of the Opera - and turned it on its head. Mixed with familiar fantasy tropes, Howard was able to blend the magical boarding school setting with the creeptastic and somehow sensual retelling elements with practised ease. I will admit that it felt a little too meta at times with the book and musical having been written/performed in this world as well as the fictional characters being… well, not so fictional. It got a tad confusing!
The writing was so lush and vibrant. Every element of the story - the characters, the setting, the music, especially the music - was described in such vivid and realistic detail that it felt like certain scenes played out in my mind in movie-quality pictures. However, this did limit the pace of the story. Howard obviously struggled to find the balance between her prose and the story’s action. This is going to annoy a lot of readers who don’t have infinite patience for dense, wordy descriptions but will certainly excite those readers who adore lush writing.
Character-wise, I did not connect to Rune that much but Thorne was absolutely adorable. My little cinnamon roll, I desperately wanted to give him a hug and never let him go.
Roseblood is one of those books that was so unique and different that I am still not convinced that it wasn’t straight up weird… but in a good way? This book took something we are all familiar with (or should be) - the Phantom of the Opera - and turned it on its head. Mixed with familiar fantasy tropes, Howard was able to blend the magical boarding school setting with the creeptastic and somehow sensual retelling elements with practised ease. I will admit that it felt a little too meta at times with the book and musical having been written/performed in this world as well as the fictional characters being… well, not so fictional. It got a tad confusing!
The writing was so lush and vibrant. Every element of the story - the characters, the setting, the music, especially the music - was described in such vivid and realistic detail that it felt like certain scenes played out in my mind in movie-quality pictures. However, this did limit the pace of the story. Howard obviously struggled to find the balance between her prose and the story’s action. This is going to annoy a lot of readers who don’t have infinite patience for dense, wordy descriptions but will certainly excite those readers who adore lush writing.
Character-wise, I did not connect to Rune that much but Thorne was absolutely adorable. My little cinnamon roll, I desperately wanted to give him a hug and never let him go.
randomly decided to pick up the book that's been on my tbr the longest. let's see how 2013 rachel's taste match up to 2017 rachel.
update: not so well, it turns out.
update: not so well, it turns out.
2.5 stars
Love, Life and the List was the kind of cutesy contemporary I knew I could expect of West. The premise was enticing; the promise of a best-friends-to-more romance too good to turn away. The execution, however, left a bit to be desired. The tone was quite young so its attempt to explore important topics like mental health and family fell a little flat. The characterisation was also quite shallow and there were some subplots that took too much attention away from the main storyline. It needed more heart.
Our protagonist, Abby, was a big thorn in my side. I loved how she was so passionate, and her sarcasm did make me smile, but I struggled to connect to her on any deeper level. The way she treated the people in her life - particularly her mother - was not all that great, and it bothered me a lot. Her mother is suffering from an untreated anxiety disorder, most likely agoraphobia. I completely understand how hard it would be to see your parent succumb to such a debilitating mental illness. I have no doubt that the situation would be scary, uncomfortable and put a lot of pressure on her family unit. If Abby had been dismissive out of sheer ignorance, I could have understood. There is room for growth there. However, she rejected her grandfather’s plea to get her into some sort of therapy multiple times, and there was no good reason for it. She made her mum and her grandfather feel like shit over it but refused to help. That - among many other smaller things, including how juvenile her voice was - made it really hard for me to warm to Abby.
The romance bothered me for a couple of reasons but Abby’s treatment of Cooper was icing on the cake. Abby has a crush on her best friend, Cooper. She had revealed her feelings to him a year earlier in the spur of the moment but quickly dismissed it as a joke. At this point then, Cooper does not know the true extent of her feelings. He has not said anything about his own feelings. They are no way obligated to one another or in a romantic relationship. When Cooper starts dating Iris at the beginning of the book, I can understand that Abby would be envious of their growing relationship. I can even understand genuinely disliking Iris or not getting along with her. People are people. A lot of the time personalities clash. All of this is fine. Cliched and not the best female characterisation but nonetheless, understandable.
Here is where my problem lies: Abby eventually has a falling out with Cooper largely because she cannot ‘put up’ with him not reciprocating her feelings anymore. I just. If Abby had been a male protagonist and Cooper his female LI, this book would have been shut down in an instant. This is blatant ‘friendzoning’ bullshit! People are not obligated to return your feelings! You cannot say that someone is a poor friend for not falling in love with you. I just, this is ridiculous. Cooper did nothing wrong by dating someone else. I know there is more to the story in the end, which I will leave you to read on your own, but I have to say the whole situation made me uncomfortable. Abby was completely out of line. I felt sorry for Cooper, and also Ethan because Abby went on a few dates with him to ‘get over Cooper’. This is not emotional cheating since she is not in a relationship with this other character, but it definitely did not sit entirely right with me. As a whole, I felt that Abby’s treatment of Cooper spoiled the romance for me. I loved their friendship. It was realistic and sweet, and their banter genuinely puts a smile on my face. But in the end, I wanted more for Cooper.
The fact that this romance took over so much of the plot was also quite disappointing. West introduced a lot of elements that could have made this story more of a standout if they had been developed. I loved the focus on family (more of that would have been so welcome). Yet it was the fact that she did so little with the original premise that let this down most of all. Like I said earlier, Abby’s passion for art was well-written. I enjoyed that added element. However, the entire Heart List arc - the idea that she needed to find her metaphorical heart to make her art truly shine - was rushed. It was anticlimactic. I wanted more time to be devoted to it. Abby improved her art incredibly quickly. It could have been a much grittier and character-driven process if the author had devoted more time to it. I think that was what I was hoping for.
Extra thoughts:
• West’s writing is simple and flows well. It is easy to fly through, driving the story forward easily.
• The pacing was genuinely well executed. I was never bored.
• I wanted more from their friends, particularly Justin and Ethan.
• Lacey was horrendous. I actually despised her.
• Abby says at one point that being an artist defined her. I have to agree. I wanted a little more from her.
Overall? Not my favourite contemporary. I liked the sweet friendship between Abby and Cooper. The banter made me smile, and there were lots of little elements that worked well. Her relationship with her grandfather being one of them. I just needed more emotion, more grit from it. The entire art plotline was shallow and rushed. I was not a massive of our protagonist either. She treated her mother and Cooper so poorly. It rubbed me the wrong way. Will I read more West in the future? Yes. I hope it is a little better, though.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
Love, Life and the List was the kind of cutesy contemporary I knew I could expect of West. The premise was enticing; the promise of a best-friends-to-more romance too good to turn away. The execution, however, left a bit to be desired. The tone was quite young so its attempt to explore important topics like mental health and family fell a little flat. The characterisation was also quite shallow and there were some subplots that took too much attention away from the main storyline. It needed more heart.
Our protagonist, Abby, was a big thorn in my side. I loved how she was so passionate, and her sarcasm did make me smile, but I struggled to connect to her on any deeper level. The way she treated the people in her life - particularly her mother - was not all that great, and it bothered me a lot. Her mother is suffering from an untreated anxiety disorder, most likely agoraphobia. I completely understand how hard it would be to see your parent succumb to such a debilitating mental illness. I have no doubt that the situation would be scary, uncomfortable and put a lot of pressure on her family unit. If Abby had been dismissive out of sheer ignorance, I could have understood. There is room for growth there. However, she rejected her grandfather’s plea to get her into some sort of therapy multiple times, and there was no good reason for it. She made her mum and her grandfather feel like shit over it but refused to help. That - among many other smaller things, including how juvenile her voice was - made it really hard for me to warm to Abby.
The romance bothered me for a couple of reasons but Abby’s treatment of Cooper was icing on the cake. Abby has a crush on her best friend, Cooper. She had revealed her feelings to him a year earlier in the spur of the moment but quickly dismissed it as a joke. At this point then, Cooper does not know the true extent of her feelings. He has not said anything about his own feelings. They are no way obligated to one another or in a romantic relationship. When Cooper starts dating Iris at the beginning of the book, I can understand that Abby would be envious of their growing relationship. I can even understand genuinely disliking Iris or not getting along with her. People are people. A lot of the time personalities clash. All of this is fine. Cliched and not the best female characterisation but nonetheless, understandable.
Here is where my problem lies: Abby eventually has a falling out with Cooper largely because she cannot ‘put up’ with him not reciprocating her feelings anymore. I just. If Abby had been a male protagonist and Cooper his female LI, this book would have been shut down in an instant. This is blatant ‘friendzoning’ bullshit! People are not obligated to return your feelings! You cannot say that someone is a poor friend for not falling in love with you. I just, this is ridiculous. Cooper did nothing wrong by dating someone else. I know there is more to the story in the end, which I will leave you to read on your own, but I have to say the whole situation made me uncomfortable. Abby was completely out of line. I felt sorry for Cooper, and also Ethan because Abby went on a few dates with him to ‘get over Cooper’. This is not emotional cheating since she is not in a relationship with this other character, but it definitely did not sit entirely right with me. As a whole, I felt that Abby’s treatment of Cooper spoiled the romance for me. I loved their friendship. It was realistic and sweet, and their banter genuinely puts a smile on my face. But in the end, I wanted more for Cooper.
The fact that this romance took over so much of the plot was also quite disappointing. West introduced a lot of elements that could have made this story more of a standout if they had been developed. I loved the focus on family (more of that would have been so welcome). Yet it was the fact that she did so little with the original premise that let this down most of all. Like I said earlier, Abby’s passion for art was well-written. I enjoyed that added element. However, the entire Heart List arc - the idea that she needed to find her metaphorical heart to make her art truly shine - was rushed. It was anticlimactic. I wanted more time to be devoted to it. Abby improved her art incredibly quickly. It could have been a much grittier and character-driven process if the author had devoted more time to it. I think that was what I was hoping for.
Extra thoughts:
• West’s writing is simple and flows well. It is easy to fly through, driving the story forward easily.
• The pacing was genuinely well executed. I was never bored.
• I wanted more from their friends, particularly Justin and Ethan.
• Lacey was horrendous. I actually despised her.
• Abby says at one point that being an artist defined her. I have to agree. I wanted a little more from her.
Overall? Not my favourite contemporary. I liked the sweet friendship between Abby and Cooper. The banter made me smile, and there were lots of little elements that worked well. Her relationship with her grandfather being one of them. I just needed more emotion, more grit from it. The entire art plotline was shallow and rushed. I was not a massive of our protagonist either. She treated her mother and Cooper so poorly. It rubbed me the wrong way. Will I read more West in the future? Yes. I hope it is a little better, though.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
If I were a publicist I would be pitching this book as [b:Reboot|13517455|Reboot (Reboot, #1)|Amy Tintera|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1350931774s/13517455.jpg|19075624] meets [b:Flawed|23438288|Flawed (Flawed, #1)|Cecelia Ahern|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1433842801s/23438288.jpg|43002885]. There are so many similar elements between the three of them (which I don’t mean as a bad thing) that I think they’ll all appeal to the same type of reader… which unfortunately is just not me. Most of the problems I had with those two books, I also had with Falls the Shadow. While this story promises a fascinating exploration into some very hot topics - genetic engineering and cloning - it was ultimately dull and forgettable.
I think it was a mix of unmoving characters and a meandering plotline that made it so hard for me to get into the story. Cate and Jaxon were fine characters but they didn’t really set themselves apart from the other protagonists in the genre. Cate had some hidden badassery - as usual - but she was so meh most of the story that I never really connected to her. Her relationship with Jaxon was sweet, I guess, but their rocky start really put a damper on their development, in my opinion, and it was hard to ship them when I was so busy being suspicion of Jaxon’s loyalties. I think my favourite character was definitely Seth - for the comic relief he provided and his sensibility in not trusting anyone (unlike his ‘brother’). I’m so excited he’ll be more of a focus in the sequel!
While I appreciate that the book didn’t shy away from the nitty-gritty details associated with such a controversial topic like cloning, and didn’t censor the hardship Cate would realistically have had to face, I think having Cate debate the ethicality of the topic in lengthy, internal monologues was a bit too much times. Yes, it was vital for the development of her character to go through these ideas and decide what she believed in but they were often so goddamn long-winded that they became a little detrimental to the overall story. I also was not a fan of how her naivety of the true nature of the corporations and generally the world outside her mansion was used to limit our knowledge of the situation. I wanted more information about the history of this society so I could understand her parents’ decision to have her and her sister cloned more thoroughly.
The plotline was definitely another sore spot for me. Like I said, the majority of this book actually consists of Cate’s internal monologues. There is some action and when there was, it was generally rather well-written but I think the overall storyline was just a little unmotivated. I could never quite understand why Cate was making the decisions she was making - like leaving the city - but I think that comes down the vagueness of the world-building. We know that two corporations were fighting over having Cate and Violet as their puppets but I would have like their motives to be a little more transparent. I still don’t understand what exactly everyone fighting over and attacking each other for. I’m hoping that there will be something more definitive in the sequel…?
Overall?
I thought Falls the Shadow had a great premise and provided some great discussion points/food for thought about a relevant and contemporary issue. The characterisation and worldbuilding, however, were underdeveloped and somehow strangely vague. I never concretely knew exactly what was going on so I found it hard to form a connection to the characters. Cate and Jaxon’s relationship was sweet but started on some rocky formations so I found it hard to jump aboard that ship. I’m interested to see what the sequel will add to this series though and I will definitely be picking it up as soon as I can.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
I think it was a mix of unmoving characters and a meandering plotline that made it so hard for me to get into the story. Cate and Jaxon were fine characters but they didn’t really set themselves apart from the other protagonists in the genre. Cate had some hidden badassery - as usual - but she was so meh most of the story that I never really connected to her. Her relationship with Jaxon was sweet, I guess, but their rocky start really put a damper on their development, in my opinion, and it was hard to ship them when I was so busy being suspicion of Jaxon’s loyalties. I think my favourite character was definitely Seth - for the comic relief he provided and his sensibility in not trusting anyone (unlike his ‘brother’). I’m so excited he’ll be more of a focus in the sequel!
While I appreciate that the book didn’t shy away from the nitty-gritty details associated with such a controversial topic like cloning, and didn’t censor the hardship Cate would realistically have had to face, I think having Cate debate the ethicality of the topic in lengthy, internal monologues was a bit too much times. Yes, it was vital for the development of her character to go through these ideas and decide what she believed in but they were often so goddamn long-winded that they became a little detrimental to the overall story. I also was not a fan of how her naivety of the true nature of the corporations and generally the world outside her mansion was used to limit our knowledge of the situation. I wanted more information about the history of this society so I could understand her parents’ decision to have her and her sister cloned more thoroughly.
The plotline was definitely another sore spot for me. Like I said, the majority of this book actually consists of Cate’s internal monologues. There is some action and when there was, it was generally rather well-written but I think the overall storyline was just a little unmotivated. I could never quite understand why Cate was making the decisions she was making - like leaving the city - but I think that comes down the vagueness of the world-building. We know that two corporations were fighting over having Cate and Violet as their puppets but I would have like their motives to be a little more transparent. I still don’t understand what exactly everyone fighting over and attacking each other for. I’m hoping that there will be something more definitive in the sequel…?
Overall?
I thought Falls the Shadow had a great premise and provided some great discussion points/food for thought about a relevant and contemporary issue. The characterisation and worldbuilding, however, were underdeveloped and somehow strangely vague. I never concretely knew exactly what was going on so I found it hard to form a connection to the characters. Cate and Jaxon’s relationship was sweet but started on some rocky formations so I found it hard to jump aboard that ship. I’m interested to see what the sequel will add to this series though and I will definitely be picking it up as soon as I can.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
3.5 stars - Review copy provided by Sky Pony Press for an honest review.
• The beginning was rather dull. Little happened for the first half of the book and it was rather tiresome. However, the second half was much more action-packed and had a lot of great scenes. It much more entertaining and enjoyable.
• It lacked a good introduction to the setting and time period. Is this a dystopian? Supposing so, yet we were weren't told roughly when it was meant to be set or what happened to cause the drastic changes to society. Were the "wards" section of the same Earth we know today or is this set in alternate universe-like situation? Too many unanswered questions.
• Great character development. Aris was not the most likeable characters to begin with. She was compliant and dependant and lacked motivation. I wasn't impressed with her choice to join the military solely to find Calix, it should have been about saving people, defending Atalanta or for protest against the military's "no women" policy. It was fantastic to see Aris grow from this insecure girl into someone much more confident in who she really was.
• Calix was a brat.
• The Diatous Veil needed more explanations. I didn't believe it could possibly work for even a second. How could it change an entire person image? A hologram couldn't be that advanced in this setting if nothing else was that high tech. They still flew planes after all. Wouldn't they have cool hover jets or something else fancy if they had the sort of technology available to them that could change a person's entire appearance?
• I didn't like the romantic complications, especially concerning Galena and Nekos.
• A little thing that annoyed me was that we never learnt what a digitablet was despite Aris constantly using one.
• Side note, I prefer the title Shattered Veil to Rebel Wing. I think its much more suitable. This cover is better though.
• The ending was a little convenient but I liked it.
• I have high hopes for Storm Fall and am actually really excited to read it. The ending of this gave me hope that the second book will be much more action-packed and Aris-focused.
Check out my buddy reading partner's review here. She pretty much summed up all my feelings about this book.
• The beginning was rather dull. Little happened for the first half of the book and it was rather tiresome. However, the second half was much more action-packed and had a lot of great scenes. It much more entertaining and enjoyable.
• It lacked a good introduction to the setting and time period. Is this a dystopian? Supposing so, yet we were weren't told roughly when it was meant to be set or what happened to cause the drastic changes to society. Were the "wards" section of the same Earth we know today or is this set in alternate universe-like situation? Too many unanswered questions.
• Great character development. Aris was not the most likeable characters to begin with. She was compliant and dependant and lacked motivation. I wasn't impressed with her choice to join the military solely to find Calix, it should have been about saving people, defending Atalanta or for protest against the military's "no women" policy. It was fantastic to see Aris grow from this insecure girl into someone much more confident in who she really was.
• Calix was a brat.
• The Diatous Veil needed more explanations. I didn't believe it could possibly work for even a second. How could it change an entire person image? A hologram couldn't be that advanced in this setting if nothing else was that high tech. They still flew planes after all. Wouldn't they have cool hover jets or something else fancy if they had the sort of technology available to them that could change a person's entire appearance?
• I didn't like the romantic complications, especially concerning Galena and Nekos.
• A little thing that annoyed me was that we never learnt what a digitablet was despite Aris constantly using one.
• Side note, I prefer the title Shattered Veil to Rebel Wing. I think its much more suitable. This cover is better though.
• The ending was a little convenient but I liked it.
• I have high hopes for Storm Fall and am actually really excited to read it. The ending of this gave me hope that the second book will be much more action-packed and Aris-focused.
Check out my buddy reading partner's review here. She pretty much summed up all my feelings about this book.
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Not a fan of the art style, at all, but great story.