thepaperreels's review
2.0
What more can I say about this? The premise looks promising. I was so ready to dive in in a new fantasy world.. turns out, Necoh wasn't worth visiting.
I had a huge problem with the construction. No explanation, information or description. I can't picture this magical world that this book is talking about. The characters kept saying Wow or It's beautiful here and I want to relate to them. But I can't! Also, I think the plot was not well thought.
The characters are a big MEH for me. Even the romance was boring. I don't really have much patience when it comes on finishing a book that I feel like I'm not going to like. But I pushed through because I thought maybe it'll surprise me and I'll turn out liking it.
But obviously, it didn't happen. Sorry, but I feel like I've wasted my time.
I had a huge problem with the construction. No explanation, information or description. I can't picture this magical world that this book is talking about. The characters kept saying Wow or It's beautiful here and I want to relate to them. But I can't! Also, I think the plot was not well thought.
The characters are a big MEH for me. Even the romance was boring. I don't really have much patience when it comes on finishing a book that I feel like I'm not going to like. But I pushed through because I thought maybe it'll surprise me and I'll turn out liking it.
But obviously, it didn't happen. Sorry, but I feel like I've wasted my time.
cinta's review
4.0
I was sent a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, I must say that I have really enjoyed reading this book. I like fantasy books, but I was having problems to find good books in the genre lately. I am glad I managed to come across this one. Very well written, it engrosses the reader from the very beginning with its intrigue and suspense.
Ryder lives in contemporary North America, but he doesn't really fit in. Why so? Because he belongs to an alternative world, a world threatened by a horrible monster called Grishma who has kidnapped Ryder's family after killing his father. When Grishma appears where Ryder is, Brooklyn, a high-school girl, finds herself involved in the events and in another dimension. Trying to understand the new situation, while feeling she is having a crush on Ryder, they both will have to find the way to make Brooklyn go back to her home. But things won't be so easy... Vicious monsters, strange creatures, and Brooklyn being mistaken for a certain Princess Sophie will lead to a lot of adventures and misfortunes that must be surmounted if Ryder wants to be successful in his quest of taking Brooklyn back to her own world and rescuing his family after killing Grishma. Will he be successful?
The story is very entertaining and it will make you turn the pages non-stop until you finish the book. Characters with distinctive voices and well-developed personalities, although some of them were pretty predictable.
If I have to find something not so good, I would say that I found typos and that some parts of the story needed further development.
Highly recommendable for this summer holidays.
First of all, I must say that I have really enjoyed reading this book. I like fantasy books, but I was having problems to find good books in the genre lately. I am glad I managed to come across this one. Very well written, it engrosses the reader from the very beginning with its intrigue and suspense.
Ryder lives in contemporary North America, but he doesn't really fit in. Why so? Because he belongs to an alternative world, a world threatened by a horrible monster called Grishma who has kidnapped Ryder's family after killing his father. When Grishma appears where Ryder is, Brooklyn, a high-school girl, finds herself involved in the events and in another dimension. Trying to understand the new situation, while feeling she is having a crush on Ryder, they both will have to find the way to make Brooklyn go back to her home. But things won't be so easy... Vicious monsters, strange creatures, and Brooklyn being mistaken for a certain Princess Sophie will lead to a lot of adventures and misfortunes that must be surmounted if Ryder wants to be successful in his quest of taking Brooklyn back to her own world and rescuing his family after killing Grishma. Will he be successful?
The story is very entertaining and it will make you turn the pages non-stop until you finish the book. Characters with distinctive voices and well-developed personalities, although some of them were pretty predictable.
If I have to find something not so good, I would say that I found typos and that some parts of the story needed further development.
Highly recommendable for this summer holidays.
melodicfate's review
2.0
2.5 stars.
It’s not often that you come across a book that you don’t love, like, dislike, or even outright can’t stand. But with this book, I did just that. There were elements that I appreciated, but in the end, I felt nothing for a good majority of the time.
The main characters were Brooklyn and Ryder. Ryder was more of a three-dimensional character, because he had a sad backstory, and he was a bit more developed. He was brave, and would do whatever he could to save the people he loved. I actually found him to be the only character I felt anything for in the whole book. As for Brooklyn, I didn’t know what to think. When she was first introduced, I felt sorry for her because she had a crush on someone who didn’t like her, and he and her best friend ended up spending time together. But then, she got unreasonably angry that that happened, and it made me mad. However, once the book moved along, all of that was just thrown away, and it became hard to tell what kind of person she was. Granted, circumstances prevented Brooklyn from truly being herself for a lot of the time, but I never got attached to her. I never cared about what happened to her. And that’s not a good thing.
There weren’t any well-developed side characters. Adeline was an evil villain, Aljid was a very jealous prince, and Ryder’s allies were steadfast and brave. But beyond that, they were very one-dimensional, and not developed beyond those stereotypes. I never got attached to any of them, so when bad things happened, I didn’t really care like I should.
The plot could have been interesting. It followed Ryder on his quest to kill Grishma, because the monster caused the death of his father, and the kidnapping of his sister and mother. It took him out of the world of Necoh, to Earth where he met Brooklyn. Through various events, Brooklyn ended up in Necoh, where she and Ryder became separated. Soon, everyone thought she was the lost-long Princess Sophie, and she began to believe it herself. There was betrayal, intrigue, and the ever-lurking monster. The world of Necoh was interesting, with lots of different creatures. However, none of this made me feel anything. I didn’t feel tense when bad things happened. The relationships between characters never impacted me. It just fell flat, which is sad as it could have been wonderful and different.
In the end, I neither recommend you read or pass up this book. It was a YA fantasy, with a whole new world. I did appreciate the author’s inventiveness when it came to Necoh and it’s various creatures. But the plot and characters never grabbed me, and I never became fully immersed in the book. So if any of this sounds appealing, definitely try it out for yourself, you may have better luck than I did.
It’s not often that you come across a book that you don’t love, like, dislike, or even outright can’t stand. But with this book, I did just that. There were elements that I appreciated, but in the end, I felt nothing for a good majority of the time.
The main characters were Brooklyn and Ryder. Ryder was more of a three-dimensional character, because he had a sad backstory, and he was a bit more developed. He was brave, and would do whatever he could to save the people he loved. I actually found him to be the only character I felt anything for in the whole book. As for Brooklyn, I didn’t know what to think. When she was first introduced, I felt sorry for her because she had a crush on someone who didn’t like her, and he and her best friend ended up spending time together. But then, she got unreasonably angry that that happened, and it made me mad. However, once the book moved along, all of that was just thrown away, and it became hard to tell what kind of person she was. Granted, circumstances prevented Brooklyn from truly being herself for a lot of the time, but I never got attached to her. I never cared about what happened to her. And that’s not a good thing.
There weren’t any well-developed side characters. Adeline was an evil villain, Aljid was a very jealous prince, and Ryder’s allies were steadfast and brave. But beyond that, they were very one-dimensional, and not developed beyond those stereotypes. I never got attached to any of them, so when bad things happened, I didn’t really care like I should.
The plot could have been interesting. It followed Ryder on his quest to kill Grishma, because the monster caused the death of his father, and the kidnapping of his sister and mother. It took him out of the world of Necoh, to Earth where he met Brooklyn. Through various events, Brooklyn ended up in Necoh, where she and Ryder became separated. Soon, everyone thought she was the lost-long Princess Sophie, and she began to believe it herself. There was betrayal, intrigue, and the ever-lurking monster. The world of Necoh was interesting, with lots of different creatures. However, none of this made me feel anything. I didn’t feel tense when bad things happened. The relationships between characters never impacted me. It just fell flat, which is sad as it could have been wonderful and different.
In the end, I neither recommend you read or pass up this book. It was a YA fantasy, with a whole new world. I did appreciate the author’s inventiveness when it came to Necoh and it’s various creatures. But the plot and characters never grabbed me, and I never became fully immersed in the book. So if any of this sounds appealing, definitely try it out for yourself, you may have better luck than I did.
paperbackprincess19's review
4.0
This review was originally posted on Paperback Princess to view in it's entirety please click here.
Grishma is a great debut fairytale-esque, adventure, YA fantasy novel by Kelly Anne Blount. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey that this book takes the readers on, it's well-paced and thrilling journey. There were some elements that baffled me and would have liked further explanation on, for example, I didn't understand why Grishma came to our World. However, Blount may just be setting the scene for the following books in the series, and an explanation may come at a later date.
Ryder is a traumatised teen who's main objective in life is to seek revenge for his Father's death and to rescue his Mother and Sister after being kidnapped by the same monster that killed his Father, Grishma. Brooklyn and Ryder's lives collide when Ryder is forced to transport Brooklyn to Necoh, whilst trying to save her from Grishma. What seemed like a saving grace at the time, transporting Brooklyn to Necoh, turned out to be more disastrous for the pair as local residents believe Brooklyn is the missing Princess Sophie, the Princess who's got a reward for her safe return.
Grishma is an amazing action-packed novel that has you glued to the very first page. Grishma is told from alternating views, which is quite hard to write, but Blount did an amazing job, keeping the two views separate with enough personality injected into each that you know who's view it is immediately. The story was well-paced and the entire journey was a thrilling ride with much heart-pumping action and anticipation as you eagerly await for what would happen next. The way the story unfolded was perfectly paced and there was a lot of surprising elements thrown in that the story never got boring.
Ryder was the perfect hero and gentleman there wasn't a part in the book where I got annoyed by him which was quite a feat considering most of the books I read the protagonist always has some fault. He wasn't your perfect protagonist but you can see that he's kind, loving, loyal and all the good stuff that boys are rarely made off LOL (just kidding). Brooklyn, I didn't enjoy her character as much, I felt that she lacked character. I didn't feel like she showed enough emotion to what was happening around her till towards the end. I much enjoyed Alexia and Bressa's characters despite the short time they appeared in the story. I had hoped that the story would end differently with two separate couples but alas it didn't but the story is not over yet so we shall see.
Grishma is an adventurous journey with a fairytale-like storyline. It's readers would be glued to it's pages as they rapidly flip through the pages, highly anticipating what happens to it's characters. It's a well-written, well-plotted story and I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. I did find some things that I would have liked further explained, and I did not understand Grishma the monster, for example why she was a "she" and so forth, but I hope to uncover more of the story in the following books. I'd highly recommend this book to the middle grade to young adult age group who enjoys fantasy, adventure and fairytale stories. A wonderful and well-written debut novel, and I'd definitely be reading other books written by Kelly Anne Blount.
Disclaimer:- This ebook was provided by the Author/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other incentives were offered for this review.
Grishma is a great debut fairytale-esque, adventure, YA fantasy novel by Kelly Anne Blount. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey that this book takes the readers on, it's well-paced and thrilling journey. There were some elements that baffled me and would have liked further explanation on, for example, I didn't understand why Grishma came to our World. However, Blount may just be setting the scene for the following books in the series, and an explanation may come at a later date.
Ryder is a traumatised teen who's main objective in life is to seek revenge for his Father's death and to rescue his Mother and Sister after being kidnapped by the same monster that killed his Father, Grishma. Brooklyn and Ryder's lives collide when Ryder is forced to transport Brooklyn to Necoh, whilst trying to save her from Grishma. What seemed like a saving grace at the time, transporting Brooklyn to Necoh, turned out to be more disastrous for the pair as local residents believe Brooklyn is the missing Princess Sophie, the Princess who's got a reward for her safe return.
Grishma is an amazing action-packed novel that has you glued to the very first page. Grishma is told from alternating views, which is quite hard to write, but Blount did an amazing job, keeping the two views separate with enough personality injected into each that you know who's view it is immediately. The story was well-paced and the entire journey was a thrilling ride with much heart-pumping action and anticipation as you eagerly await for what would happen next. The way the story unfolded was perfectly paced and there was a lot of surprising elements thrown in that the story never got boring.
Ryder was the perfect hero and gentleman there wasn't a part in the book where I got annoyed by him which was quite a feat considering most of the books I read the protagonist always has some fault. He wasn't your perfect protagonist but you can see that he's kind, loving, loyal and all the good stuff that boys are rarely made off LOL (just kidding). Brooklyn, I didn't enjoy her character as much, I felt that she lacked character. I didn't feel like she showed enough emotion to what was happening around her till towards the end. I much enjoyed Alexia and Bressa's characters despite the short time they appeared in the story. I had hoped that the story would end differently with two separate couples but alas it didn't but the story is not over yet so we shall see.
Grishma is an adventurous journey with a fairytale-like storyline. It's readers would be glued to it's pages as they rapidly flip through the pages, highly anticipating what happens to it's characters. It's a well-written, well-plotted story and I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. I did find some things that I would have liked further explained, and I did not understand Grishma the monster, for example why she was a "she" and so forth, but I hope to uncover more of the story in the following books. I'd highly recommend this book to the middle grade to young adult age group who enjoys fantasy, adventure and fairytale stories. A wonderful and well-written debut novel, and I'd definitely be reading other books written by Kelly Anne Blount.
Disclaimer:- This ebook was provided by the Author/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other incentives were offered for this review.
holliereadsbooks's review
4.0
This review was first posted on Music, Books and Tea
Grishma isn’t the kind of book I’d normally read, but I’m pleased that I decided to give it a go, as I was introduced to the interesting world of Necoh and a fun plotline that kept me entertained throughout the quick read.
I really couldn’t get to grips with Brooklyn, the main female character of Grishma. She was just a little too whiny for my liking, and I couldn’t warm to her character at all. I know she couldn’t help being drugged by the memory potion, and it sucked that she got married off to a Prince as soon as she arrived at the castle as Princess Sophie, but she was just too…sappy, for me. However, I do still hold out hope for her! For me, Ryder was just an okay character, but I preferred his chapters to Brooklyn’s because they seemed to have a lot more action in them which kept me hooked! The two characters I liked the most were Alexia and Brianna, and I’m interested to see what kind of role they play in the rest of the story. (Assuming there is a sequel…?)
I thought the Grishma storyline was the most interesting part of the book, and I’m really interested to see what happens next with the beast and whether or not Ryder gets to exact his revenge. I really hope so, and if it can’t be Ryder, I’d like to see Brooklyn take the beast on. I’m all for girl power here. The twist with the King of Sumner and Grishma was clever, I didn’t expect it, but I can’t see their alliance standing for much longer, especially as Grishma’s true intentions were exposed at the end of the book.
Grishma is a quick fantasy read that sets up a good, if at times predictable, storyline. It’s a shame that I wasn’t a fan of the two main characters more, but the plot did make up for that, and I’m interested to see where Blount takes the story next.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Grishma isn’t the kind of book I’d normally read, but I’m pleased that I decided to give it a go, as I was introduced to the interesting world of Necoh and a fun plotline that kept me entertained throughout the quick read.
I really couldn’t get to grips with Brooklyn, the main female character of Grishma. She was just a little too whiny for my liking, and I couldn’t warm to her character at all. I know she couldn’t help being drugged by the memory potion, and it sucked that she got married off to a Prince as soon as she arrived at the castle as Princess Sophie, but she was just too…sappy, for me. However, I do still hold out hope for her! For me, Ryder was just an okay character, but I preferred his chapters to Brooklyn’s because they seemed to have a lot more action in them which kept me hooked! The two characters I liked the most were Alexia and Brianna, and I’m interested to see what kind of role they play in the rest of the story. (Assuming there is a sequel…?)
I thought the Grishma storyline was the most interesting part of the book, and I’m really interested to see what happens next with the beast and whether or not Ryder gets to exact his revenge. I really hope so, and if it can’t be Ryder, I’d like to see Brooklyn take the beast on. I’m all for girl power here. The twist with the King of Sumner and Grishma was clever, I didn’t expect it, but I can’t see their alliance standing for much longer, especially as Grishma’s true intentions were exposed at the end of the book.
Grishma is a quick fantasy read that sets up a good, if at times predictable, storyline. It’s a shame that I wasn’t a fan of the two main characters more, but the plot did make up for that, and I’m interested to see where Blount takes the story next.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
cherryreads's review
4.0
Overall the plot and characters were good. I have some complaints about how believable the relationship between Sophie and her Prince was though. It wasn't believable at all. I understand the author trying to make the Prince seem like a bad guy with a few angry outbursts and finally with him not even letting his wife explain her identity. His personality in particular seemed inconsistent and unrealistic. I really do like Ryder, he's my favorite character. But the ending was a bit rushed in my opinion and though I love the two main characters together, I don't think the timing of their kiss was executed well. Other than that I liked the plot twists and how the author made the reader fall deeper and deeper into the story with no hope of ever returning to the original conflict (Grishma). I just think that maybe she took it a little too far. It was a great read nonetheless and I recommend it to everyone willing to give it a shot. It was enjoyable despite its flaws.
inlibrisveritas's review
1.0
I really wanted to like Grishma, but in the end it just wasn’t working for me at all. Grishma revolves around Ryder and Brooklyn, who have been forced together by a horrible beast called Grishma. This is a very fast paced adventure taking place in a world called Necoh, where everything is being turned on its head.
While the plot does promise some rather unique ideas, but I felt that some of them were never fully realized and others became confusing. I loved the idea of their being a world in addition to our own, but it felt disconnected and I wasn’t really sure why it necessary to have ‘our world’ involved at all. I was also quite intrigued by the Grishma, who is at first depicted as this towering beast of legend that is more than willing to rend flesh from bone….but then it sort of evolves into a more power hungry, intelligent being that is less likely to gut you. It was such a weird transition for me and not one I fully understood, if the Grishma was such a well known nightmare why is it in a position of power? There were also inconsistencies that I wasn’t sure about. For example: Ryder doesn’t know about the King or the missing princess, but this is his world and it seems odd that he of all people would be out of the loop on it. I did like the variety of creatures in Necoh, but wish they had been expanded upon so that I could get a feel for what they were like culturally. The world seems rather interesting and I liked learning about the different plants and foods that Brooklyn encountered.
Ryder showed some potential toward the beginning, but I think due to how quickly things were progressing and the lack of true description really pulled some of that back. I don’t feel like I know him that well but I do feel his skill level doesn’t match the way it was described. Brooklyn got on my nerves for most of the book and felt sort of like a stereotypical teenage girl, who doesn’t really do a lot as a whole. The one big issue I did have was the conversation, it felt odd. Being in a different world usually means a different way of speaking, but not in Necoh. There were only a few moments where something Brooklyn said was pointed out as being weird, and they were not even the weirdest things she said. In fact most of the characters speak like we do and understand modern curse words, and it really brought me out of the story.
So in short Grishma just wasn’t for me. I had issues all through this story and it’s not likely that I’ll continue the series.
While the plot does promise some rather unique ideas, but I felt that some of them were never fully realized and others became confusing. I loved the idea of their being a world in addition to our own, but it felt disconnected and I wasn’t really sure why it necessary to have ‘our world’ involved at all. I was also quite intrigued by the Grishma, who is at first depicted as this towering beast of legend that is more than willing to rend flesh from bone….but then it sort of evolves into a more power hungry, intelligent being that is less likely to gut you. It was such a weird transition for me and not one I fully understood, if the Grishma was such a well known nightmare why is it in a position of power? There were also inconsistencies that I wasn’t sure about. For example: Ryder doesn’t know about the King or the missing princess, but this is his world and it seems odd that he of all people would be out of the loop on it. I did like the variety of creatures in Necoh, but wish they had been expanded upon so that I could get a feel for what they were like culturally. The world seems rather interesting and I liked learning about the different plants and foods that Brooklyn encountered.
Ryder showed some potential toward the beginning, but I think due to how quickly things were progressing and the lack of true description really pulled some of that back. I don’t feel like I know him that well but I do feel his skill level doesn’t match the way it was described. Brooklyn got on my nerves for most of the book and felt sort of like a stereotypical teenage girl, who doesn’t really do a lot as a whole. The one big issue I did have was the conversation, it felt odd. Being in a different world usually means a different way of speaking, but not in Necoh. There were only a few moments where something Brooklyn said was pointed out as being weird, and they were not even the weirdest things she said. In fact most of the characters speak like we do and understand modern curse words, and it really brought me out of the story.
So in short Grishma just wasn’t for me. I had issues all through this story and it’s not likely that I’ll continue the series.
samchase112's review
1.75
Rating: 1.75 stars
How does this book get such high reviews? I don't understand it.
First of all, what's with the writing style? It's like the author was trying to fit in as many vocabulary words and odd descriptions as she could.
Yes, the action was non-stop. But there was so much happening all at once, it just wasn't too plausible.
The characters. Ryder himself was okay, but only as a "hero". Yes, we saw him be brave, etc, etc, but there was no depth to his character. It seemed that all he cared about was flipping revenge! What was it like living in his own for years? How did he figure out how to cross worlds? Why was Grishma even in our world? There are so many questions.
We also never got a complete description of the world they're living in, Neoch. We were only told things as they came up. Why didn't Ryder explain to Brooklyn where she really was? Also, Brooklyn barely blinks when she's told she's in another world. Really?
Insta-love. The worst kind of love. Ryder and Brooklyn barely spend any time together, and yet they "love" each other? WHY?!?! And if Ryder thinks Brooklyn is so great, why didn't he talk to her when they were in our world?
And another question (there sure seem to be a lot of unanswered questions...)- why does Brooklyn look so much like the long-lost princess? Are they related? What's going on here? It's just so odd that even Sophie's own father would believe Brooklyn was his daughter.
The only reason this book received a second star is because it kept me reading, and the plot was actually pretty interesting. That being said, I would definitely not recommend this book to anyone.
How does this book get such high reviews? I don't understand it.
First of all, what's with the writing style? It's like the author was trying to fit in as many vocabulary words and odd descriptions as she could.
Yes, the action was non-stop. But there was so much happening all at once, it just wasn't too plausible.
The characters. Ryder himself was okay, but only as a "hero". Yes, we saw him be brave, etc, etc, but there was no depth to his character. It seemed that all he cared about was flipping revenge! What was it like living in his own for years? How did he figure out how to cross worlds? Why was Grishma even in our world? There are so many questions.
We also never got a complete description of the world they're living in, Neoch. We were only told things as they came up. Why didn't Ryder explain to Brooklyn where she really was? Also, Brooklyn barely blinks when she's told she's in another world. Really?
Insta-love. The worst kind of love. Ryder and Brooklyn barely spend any time together, and yet they "love" each other? WHY?!?! And if Ryder thinks Brooklyn is so great, why didn't he talk to her when they were in our world?
And another question (there sure seem to be a lot of unanswered questions...)- why does Brooklyn look so much like the long-lost princess? Are they related? What's going on here? It's just so odd that even Sophie's own father would believe Brooklyn was his daughter.
The only reason this book received a second star is because it kept me reading, and the plot was actually pretty interesting. That being said, I would definitely not recommend this book to anyone.
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