Scan barcode
fiagarrod96's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
The premise is really good and exciting, but unfortunately the story did not give me the same vibes. It continuously mentions that the characters are beautiful/handsome as if that is the main quality we should focus on (e.g. “so I can return to my handsome boyfriend” - imagine this being said a million times) and the chapters are extremely short too
It left a lot to desire, maybe the second book is better? But alas, I don’t think I will continue this series
It left a lot to desire, maybe the second book is better? But alas, I don’t think I will continue this series
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
booking_along's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
this was a lot of different things all rolled in to one story but it worked.
this entire book reminded me of a fantasy/sci-fi version of the popular teen movies from the late 90s early 2000s.
and while i normally absolutely hate: this is a cross between and than list either other books or movie/tv shows that most of the time don’t really compare all that much….
reading the characters behavior reminded me a LOT of Gossip Girl (original series! no clue if the “new” one is similar) and utterly other worldly moments in that show where. and that mixed with Alias maybe a sprinkle of Dark Angel? in the sense that it’s all a bit mysterious- not even the entire group that is supposed to work together really knows what’s going on, nobody really explains what’s going on or how this one unbelievable unrealistic thing can actually be happening. Also the action/adventure moments of going somewhere doing something dangerously secret and basically hoping that a bit of a pretty smile can get you through the worst if necessary -if not a fight is always a good option, right?!
so i guess i am saying if you enjoyed those shows and what i listed above reminded me off them? This book might be just as entertaining and fun for you as it was for me.
mostly this book consisted of well known if not a bit overused tropes in the YA media as a whole:
- the unpopular girl there overlooked by basically everyone suddenly gets discovered and learns she can do or is something special and finds this too good to be true guy that somehow actually seems be interested in her as well.
- the ones where the unpopular girl gets the attention for some reason of someone outside of her typical reach and the popular girl tries everything she can to sabotage and be hurtful without actually showing how close she is coming to becoming stepping over the line into becoming actually dangerous to those around her.
- the ones where the popular girl gets away with being awful, hurtful and even dangerous to others around her but everyone is too afraid to stand up to her at the chance that it will put them into her distractive path.
as i said for me this was just a fun book.
ridiculous, even stupid in some moments, but fun.
it was entertaining and fun, but had nice touches throughout that kept it interesting and the entire plot of time traveling teenagers to rob history to enrich a billionaire? come on! that’s just too entertaining to not enjoy simply because of its utter ridiculousness!
the writing style was easy to read, the chapters short (2-6 pages) making it easy to read a few more and fly through the book.
did i find the over the top descriptions of the “fashion” moments (where a 17/18 year old girl seems to always grab the silky short mini dress that hugs her just right and learns to walk in mile high heels just by her desire to be able to) a bit stupid and sometimes even skipped a few lines because i was just not interested in that?
yeah sure but i do think that there are YA readers that will love those moments because they can relate.
and in many ways who can’t relate to the dream of owning your dream wardrobe filled to the brim with every piece of clothing and accessories you ever dreamed of or could imagine? be that full of designer pieces or the most comfortable sweatshirts and pants you could dream up? do not even pretend that you never imagined in your younger years what it would be like to just be able to own your dream style in all the ways you ever imaged! so really the author just wrote the dream into a bookish reality!
i do wish that the petty girl-sabotage-girl moments wouldn’t have been as often and obvious and extreme or at least not without some form of repercussions for the saboteur. but again YA book and first in a series so clearly that couldn’t have been resolved as fast as i wish it did.
also it played a bit too hard on the “trust no one!” “everyone’s your enemy!” trope, especially for a group of people that do need to at least be able to trust that they are not just left stranded somewhere they can’t come back from and with every possibility of getting killed if they are left behind!
i did really enjoy the entire time travel elements and wish we would have gotten more of that and even the training of how they learned to fit into the time -what of the linguistic dialects of specific time periods that were never written down but would make you stand out? or specific small details in style that would make you stand out as a time traveler?
the book skipped a bit too much above or around those explanations.
and overall for a book that’s not small not a huge amount gets explained or solved to give even hints of answers. that was disappointing.
i do dislike books a bit that start to really build up their momentum just pages before it’s finished and than leave the reader hanging, waiting for the next book and hoping that one will provide all the answers and explanations.
all that sounds as if i didn’t enjoy this!
i did!
it was very fun! it was entertaining and had its funny moments, it’s ridiculously over the top moments, the cheesy romance scenes… it had all elements of a very entertaining read and i was in the right mood or just really enjoy this a lot.
but this book does have a lot of flaws and plot holes or just no real plot in some moments that are covered with jealous characters and their extreme behavior and sometimes a bit of snark.
and to stop myself from repeating myself more, let’s just end this with:
do you want something that just sweeps you up and makes you grin (and other because it’s fun or because it’s so utterly stupid)? give it a try!
do you want a full blown thought out time travel Sci-Fi that explains it all and everything makes sense and has a good realistic reason?
just skip this!
if you want fantastic plot that don’t write in a jealousy scene if the plot gets a bit too lacking, complicated or too tangled? don’t read this.
Read this if you want something that will be a fun read for you.
Not every book needs to be a literary master piece people!
the fun easy entertaining ones are often the best reads! this is one of those!
enjoy it for what it is and have fun with it!
this entire book reminded me of a fantasy/sci-fi version of the popular teen movies from the late 90s early 2000s.
and while i normally absolutely hate: this is a cross between and than list either other books or movie/tv shows that most of the time don’t really compare all that much….
reading the characters behavior reminded me a LOT of Gossip Girl (original series! no clue if the “new” one is similar) and utterly other worldly moments in that show where. and that mixed with Alias maybe a sprinkle of Dark Angel? in the sense that it’s all a bit mysterious- not even the entire group that is supposed to work together really knows what’s going on, nobody really explains what’s going on or how this one unbelievable unrealistic thing can actually be happening. Also the action/adventure moments of going somewhere doing something dangerously secret and basically hoping that a bit of a pretty smile can get you through the worst if necessary -if not a fight is always a good option, right?!
so i guess i am saying if you enjoyed those shows and what i listed above reminded me off them? This book might be just as entertaining and fun for you as it was for me.
mostly this book consisted of well known if not a bit overused tropes in the YA media as a whole:
- the unpopular girl there overlooked by basically everyone suddenly gets discovered and learns she can do or is something special and finds this too good to be true guy that somehow actually seems be interested in her as well.
- the ones where the unpopular girl gets the attention for some reason of someone outside of her typical reach and the popular girl tries everything she can to sabotage and be hurtful without actually showing how close she is coming to becoming stepping over the line into becoming actually dangerous to those around her.
- the ones where the popular girl gets away with being awful, hurtful and even dangerous to others around her but everyone is too afraid to stand up to her at the chance that it will put them into her distractive path.
as i said for me this was just a fun book.
ridiculous, even stupid in some moments, but fun.
it was entertaining and fun, but had nice touches throughout that kept it interesting and the entire plot of time traveling teenagers to rob history to enrich a billionaire? come on! that’s just too entertaining to not enjoy simply because of its utter ridiculousness!
the writing style was easy to read, the chapters short (2-6 pages) making it easy to read a few more and fly through the book.
did i find the over the top descriptions of the “fashion” moments (where a 17/18 year old girl seems to always grab the silky short mini dress that hugs her just right and learns to walk in mile high heels just by her desire to be able to) a bit stupid and sometimes even skipped a few lines because i was just not interested in that?
yeah sure but i do think that there are YA readers that will love those moments because they can relate.
and in many ways who can’t relate to the dream of owning your dream wardrobe filled to the brim with every piece of clothing and accessories you ever dreamed of or could imagine? be that full of designer pieces or the most comfortable sweatshirts and pants you could dream up? do not even pretend that you never imagined in your younger years what it would be like to just be able to own your dream style in all the ways you ever imaged! so really the author just wrote the dream into a bookish reality!
i do wish that the petty girl-sabotage-girl moments wouldn’t have been as often and obvious and extreme or at least not without some form of repercussions for the saboteur. but again YA book and first in a series so clearly that couldn’t have been resolved as fast as i wish it did.
also it played a bit too hard on the “trust no one!” “everyone’s your enemy!” trope, especially for a group of people that do need to at least be able to trust that they are not just left stranded somewhere they can’t come back from and with every possibility of getting killed if they are left behind!
i did really enjoy the entire time travel elements and wish we would have gotten more of that and even the training of how they learned to fit into the time -what of the linguistic dialects of specific time periods that were never written down but would make you stand out? or specific small details in style that would make you stand out as a time traveler?
the book skipped a bit too much above or around those explanations.
and overall for a book that’s not small not a huge amount gets explained or solved to give even hints of answers. that was disappointing.
i do dislike books a bit that start to really build up their momentum just pages before it’s finished and than leave the reader hanging, waiting for the next book and hoping that one will provide all the answers and explanations.
all that sounds as if i didn’t enjoy this!
i did!
it was very fun! it was entertaining and had its funny moments, it’s ridiculously over the top moments, the cheesy romance scenes… it had all elements of a very entertaining read and i was in the right mood or just really enjoy this a lot.
but this book does have a lot of flaws and plot holes or just no real plot in some moments that are covered with jealous characters and their extreme behavior and sometimes a bit of snark.
and to stop myself from repeating myself more, let’s just end this with:
do you want something that just sweeps you up and makes you grin (and other because it’s fun or because it’s so utterly stupid)? give it a try!
do you want a full blown thought out time travel Sci-Fi that explains it all and everything makes sense and has a good realistic reason?
just skip this!
if you want fantastic plot that don’t write in a jealousy scene if the plot gets a bit too lacking, complicated or too tangled? don’t read this.
Read this if you want something that will be a fun read for you.
Not every book needs to be a literary master piece people!
the fun easy entertaining ones are often the best reads! this is one of those!
enjoy it for what it is and have fun with it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Rape, Violence, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment
lunar_song's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
A fun adventure with time travel (think 1700s), thievery, a secret island academy, the Antikythera Mechanism, magic, and futuristic technology. This is very much a young adult read with both sci-fi and fantasy elements.
WARNINGS: Attempted Rape (the main character is almost raped, but fights the attacker off), kidnapping, parental neglect
It’s the first in a series and while it doesn’t quite end on a cliffhanger, many questions are yet to be answered and many plotlines yet to come to a head. Nothing’s really resolved at the end. This book really wouldn’t work as a stand-alone.
The main character, Natasha, is likeable, intelligent, pragmatic, and a little bit morally grey. Between Natasha and some intriguing mysteries yet to be explained, I’m drawn in enough to want to read book 2 despite the lack of resolution at the end of book 1.
THE PREMISE:
Natasha’s just a (mostly) normal 17 year old. After her father left and never came back years ago, her mother basically checked out and gave up, they’ve been barely getting by, and Natasha basically stopped trying and let her grades plummet. Then, things get weird. Natasha gets framed for theft and extorted into attending a reclusive trillionaire’s mysterious Gray Wolf Academy on an island in the middle of nowhere.
Now, Natasha’s terrifying and seemingly random bouts of seeing through time that her father told her to always keep secret are back, she’s already made one enemy among her classmates, and the Grey Wolf Academy clearly teaches students things far more strange and dangerous than a typical high school curriculum, like sword-fighting, thievery, horseback riding, and the fundamentals of general relativity and space-time. The trillionaire running the school says he expects her to help complete his life’s ambition (no pressure or red flags there). Now, Natasha’s trying to rise up ranks at the academy, deal with a crush on the ever-secretive Braxton, and figure out what the academy is for and what the trillionaire head of the academy is really after.
It’s not all bad. In exchange for joining the academy, her mother is being financially taken care of. The part of her that loves fine art and aesthetics is in heaven with all the art, antiques, fancy clothes, and expensive decor at Gray Wolf Academy. One thing’s for sure, Natasha’s got her ambition and sense of adventure back, because apathy is a luxury she can’t afford at Grey Wolf and she’s starting to get the sense that there aren’t many ways to leave the academy and none of them are good. Failing is no longer an option.
THE WORLD:
It’s set in a part fantasy, part sci-fi world. On a reclusive tech trillionaire’s island, there are holograms and tons of technology that’s way ahead of the rest of the world. There’s also enchantments and time travel of a yet to be revealed and seemingly magical origin. Natasha seems to have the unique magical ability to see through time and glimpse things from other time periods. Although, she doesn’t have any control over it. There also seems to be some significance placed on numerology and tarot cards that I can only assume is supposed to be somehow mystically related to time, magic, fate, or Natasha’s abities.
THE CHARACTERS:
The main character, Natasha, can be a bit naive at times, but in a way that’s pretty realistic for her age. It’s not enough to really make her stupid (for her age) and she’s still fairly pragmatic, suspicious, and quick on her feet. She’s empathetic and likeable, but also pragmatic and a little bit morally gray. She’s not overly-forgiving, but she also bides her time for an opportunity for revenge instead of being a shortsighted hothead or tipping her hand prematurely. She lies when it’s smart to and she makes her fair share of mistakes. She’s not above being tempted or distracted. She doesn’t lose all perspective and spill all her secrets to the first guy she crushes on. She also doesn’t trust him completely. Natasha also undergoes growth, getting her ambition and sense of adventure back.
You don’t really get to the other characters very well yet, with the exception of Elodie, a classic antagonist that is impressive, pitiable, dangerous, diabolical, and never boring. Every character seems to be at least a bit morally grey, including Natasha. Most characters have a dark backstory for how they came to Greg Wolf Academy, like Natasha.
This book really keeps you guessing about who’s trustworthy and what hidden agendas and secrets everyone on the island has. Everyone seems to be hiding things.
THE ROMANCE:
There’s a bit of not exactly insta-love, but insta-attraction with the main love interest. However, it doesn’t completely overwhelm the main character’s good sense or, so I’m okay with it. (Although, I’m hoping for another love interest in Killian or a new character in book two cause I’m not liking Braxton and his whole mysterious, secretive, I-protect-people-by-keeping-them-in-dark-and-giving-vague-warnings, guy-with-a-dark-tortured-past-looking-for-redeption-by-getting-the-girl shtick. I thought it was weird and creepy that he Spoilerliked Natasha and gave her a nickname before he even met her because he read her file and basically stalked her at the behest of his boss.)
THE PLOT & ENDING:
It’s a bit predictable at times, but not enough to spoil the major mysteries too much. There were definitely still surprises. The mysteries were interesting and kept my attention.
At times, I thought the pace was bogged down a bit by descriptions of clothes, picking out clothes, and fancy things. The main character had an interest in fashion/fancy things and sometimes these descriptions were relevant to the plot, so it made sense to include them. I’m not really interested in fashion or general fanciness, so I found those (usually brief) digressions a bit boring.
The only major problem with the plot was that it felt…. unfinished. No major plot arcs are resolved. No short-term plot arcs are resolved to give you closure while a long-term arc remains unfinished. You don’t even know what the main antagonist wants or is planning. Add to that a twist introduced at the end of the book that introduced a new plotline and created a mini cliffhanger.
All in all, this book wouldn’t be a complete story as a standalone.This makes it hard to judge the story on its own. It all depends on Book 2 in this series.
I received a free digital advanced reader copy via NetGalley. I am writing this review completely honestly and voluntarily.
WARNINGS: Attempted Rape (the main character is almost raped, but fights the attacker off), kidnapping, parental neglect
It’s the first in a series and while it doesn’t quite end on a cliffhanger, many questions are yet to be answered and many plotlines yet to come to a head. Nothing’s really resolved at the end. This book really wouldn’t work as a stand-alone.
The main character, Natasha, is likeable, intelligent, pragmatic, and a little bit morally grey. Between Natasha and some intriguing mysteries yet to be explained, I’m drawn in enough to want to read book 2 despite the lack of resolution at the end of book 1.
THE PREMISE:
Natasha’s just a (mostly) normal 17 year old. After her father left and never came back years ago, her mother basically checked out and gave up, they’ve been barely getting by, and Natasha basically stopped trying and let her grades plummet. Then, things get weird. Natasha gets framed for theft and extorted into attending a reclusive trillionaire’s mysterious Gray Wolf Academy on an island in the middle of nowhere.
Now, Natasha’s terrifying and seemingly random bouts of seeing through time that her father told her to always keep secret are back, she’s already made one enemy among her classmates, and the Grey Wolf Academy clearly teaches students things far more strange and dangerous than a typical high school curriculum, like sword-fighting, thievery, horseback riding, and the fundamentals of general relativity and space-time. The trillionaire running the school says he expects her to help complete his life’s ambition (no pressure or red flags there). Now, Natasha’s trying to rise up ranks at the academy, deal with a crush on the ever-secretive Braxton, and figure out what the academy is for and what the trillionaire head of the academy is really after.
It’s not all bad. In exchange for joining the academy, her mother is being financially taken care of. The part of her that loves fine art and aesthetics is in heaven with all the art, antiques, fancy clothes, and expensive decor at Gray Wolf Academy. One thing’s for sure, Natasha’s got her ambition and sense of adventure back, because apathy is a luxury she can’t afford at Grey Wolf and she’s starting to get the sense that there aren’t many ways to leave the academy and none of them are good. Failing is no longer an option.
THE WORLD:
It’s set in a part fantasy, part sci-fi world. On a reclusive tech trillionaire’s island, there are holograms and tons of technology that’s way ahead of the rest of the world. There’s also enchantments and time travel of a yet to be revealed and seemingly magical origin. Natasha seems to have the unique magical ability to see through time and glimpse things from other time periods. Although, she doesn’t have any control over it. There also seems to be some significance placed on numerology and tarot cards that I can only assume is supposed to be somehow mystically related to time, magic, fate, or Natasha’s abities.
THE CHARACTERS:
The main character, Natasha, can be a bit naive at times, but in a way that’s pretty realistic for her age. It’s not enough to really make her stupid (for her age) and she’s still fairly pragmatic, suspicious, and quick on her feet. She’s empathetic and likeable, but also pragmatic and a little bit morally gray. She’s not overly-forgiving, but she also bides her time for an opportunity for revenge instead of being a shortsighted hothead or tipping her hand prematurely. She lies when it’s smart to and she makes her fair share of mistakes. She’s not above being tempted or distracted. She doesn’t lose all perspective and spill all her secrets to the first guy she crushes on. She also doesn’t trust him completely. Natasha also undergoes growth, getting her ambition and sense of adventure back.
You don’t really get to the other characters very well yet, with the exception of Elodie, a classic antagonist that is impressive, pitiable, dangerous, diabolical, and never boring. Every character seems to be at least a bit morally grey, including Natasha. Most characters have a dark backstory for how they came to Greg Wolf Academy, like Natasha.
This book really keeps you guessing about who’s trustworthy and what hidden agendas and secrets everyone on the island has. Everyone seems to be hiding things.
THE ROMANCE:
There’s a bit of not exactly insta-love, but insta-attraction with the main love interest. However, it doesn’t completely overwhelm the main character’s good sense or, so I’m okay with it. (Although, I’m hoping for another love interest in Killian or a new character in book two cause I’m not liking Braxton and his whole mysterious, secretive, I-protect-people-by-keeping-them-in-dark-and-giving-vague-warnings, guy-with-a-dark-tortured-past-looking-for-redeption-by-getting-the-girl shtick. I thought it was weird and creepy that he Spoilerliked Natasha and gave her a nickname before he even met her because he read her file and basically stalked her at the behest of his boss.)
THE PLOT & ENDING:
It’s a bit predictable at times, but not enough to spoil the major mysteries too much. There were definitely still surprises. The mysteries were interesting and kept my attention.
At times, I thought the pace was bogged down a bit by descriptions of clothes, picking out clothes, and fancy things. The main character had an interest in fashion/fancy things and sometimes these descriptions were relevant to the plot, so it made sense to include them. I’m not really interested in fashion or general fanciness, so I found those (usually brief) digressions a bit boring.
The only major problem with the plot was that it felt…. unfinished. No major plot arcs are resolved. No short-term plot arcs are resolved to give you closure while a long-term arc remains unfinished. You don’t even know what the main antagonist wants or is planning. Add to that a twist introduced at the end of the book that introduced a new plotline and created a mini cliffhanger.
All in all, this book wouldn’t be a complete story as a standalone.This makes it hard to judge the story on its own. It all depends on Book 2 in this series.
I received a free digital advanced reader copy via NetGalley. I am writing this review completely honestly and voluntarily.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Blackmail, coercion, rape attemptmaryannc's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Rape, Blood, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
More...