The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
wiebkereads's review against another edition
4.0
It is really difficult for me to describe what exactly was so amazing about this book. When I first read what it was about I had the same thoughts as everybody.
They moved through the corridors like sleek fish, ripples in their wake. Stares followed their backs and their hair.
That description screamed Twilight.
And when I read this book I understood that the Graces and their description were in some parts comparable to the Cullens. But I still think that this story is very unique. I liked the description of magic and that you never could be really sure if it was all true or not. The characters felt at some parts too superficially and the main character River and her obsession also bothered me.
But overall I liked the story really much. The last parts of the book were amazing and changed everything for me. The ending completely surprised me and I can't wait for the continuation.
They moved through the corridors like sleek fish, ripples in their wake. Stares followed their backs and their hair.
That description screamed Twilight.
And when I read this book I understood that the Graces and their description were in some parts comparable to the Cullens. But I still think that this story is very unique. I liked the description of magic and that you never could be really sure if it was all true or not. The characters felt at some parts too superficially and the main character River and her obsession also bothered me.
But overall I liked the story really much. The last parts of the book were amazing and changed everything for me. The ending completely surprised me and I can't wait for the continuation.
idkimoutofideas's review against another edition
2.0
If this book was a food it would be stale crackers. Dry, boring, and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Technically edible, but not something you'd enjoy eating. The only reason I gave this book 2 stars (more like 1.5) instead of 1 was because it had so much potential and could've been so good .
Here's the thing, if you liked Twilight, you're gonna love The Graces. New girl moves into town, and becomes obsessed with the rich, dark, and mysterious family that lives there. Everyone wants to be friends with the Graces but the main character is the only one special enough to actually get to.
Can we please just stop with the "I'm not like other girls" trope? It's not cool, it doesn't make you sound clever or better than other girls, it makes you sound mean. The whole book River complains about people bullying her but she's not really much better. River's personality is constantly changing, from being the shy, quiet, girl who doesn't want to make a fuss, to being rude, petty, and outright mean to everyone, including the Graces, who she's trying to impress.
The ending didn't as much surprise me as confuse me. The author kept trying to hide things from the reader so there could be a grand reveal but it just came out super rushed and confusing.
This book almost ended up a DNF just because once I put it down I couldn't get back into it. It was a fast read so I'll give it that. I'd only recommend this book if you liked Twilight, but if not, don't bother reading it.
Here's the thing, if you liked Twilight, you're gonna love The Graces. New girl moves into town, and becomes obsessed with the rich, dark, and mysterious family that lives there. Everyone wants to be friends with the Graces but the main character is the only one special enough to actually get to.
Can we please just stop with the "I'm not like other girls" trope? It's not cool, it doesn't make you sound clever or better than other girls, it makes you sound mean. The whole book River complains about people bullying her but she's not really much better. River's personality is constantly changing, from being the shy, quiet, girl who doesn't want to make a fuss, to being rude, petty, and outright mean to everyone, including the Graces, who she's trying to impress.
Spoiler
To top it all off, River ends up killing Wolf just because he had the audacity to be with Fenrin when obviously she had a right to be with him even though Wolf and Fenrin have been together a lot longer than she's even known them.The ending didn't as much surprise me as confuse me. The author kept trying to hide things from the reader so there could be a grand reveal but it just came out super rushed and confusing.
Spoiler
The whole thing with the Graces kidnapping River was just weird. And then tying her up and saying they were going to sacrifice her? But no, Thalia was totally kidding, she wasn't actually going to... It made no sense.This book almost ended up a DNF just because once I put it down I couldn't get back into it. It was a fast read so I'll give it that. I'd only recommend this book if you liked Twilight, but if not, don't bother reading it.
hdennis799's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
Not terrible but it is slow. Got pretty interesting towards the end so I'm hoping the sequel is a bit faster and more interesting. This was a lot of setup of the characters and I felt like I had to push through some of it to get to the end.
zorawitchin's review against another edition
4.75
imagine being carrie white but somehow worse. this book is a gift that truly feels like one you ought to find accidentally in the young adult section of the library and you love it to death but can never find it again because you don't remember the name. that kind of good book.
mythos05's review against another edition
1.0
1/5 stars
Possible spoilers:
I really tried to like this book but couldn't bring myself to.
Summary:
Our main character, River, is obsessed with the Grace family, which has a complicated history. She is in love with Fenrin Grace, who's supposed to be the most attractive guy at school. He also has two sisters, Summer and Thalia Grace. Summer is gone, whereas Thalia is both beautiful and untouchable. River wants to be a part of their group but knows that they tend to switch friends rather quickly.
My problems with these books are:
1) This book is the Walmart version of Twilight. Twilight was more enjoyable because I could actually find enjoyable moments within all that mess.
2) We have an all-white cast with one token, possibly a South Asian character. I wasn't really sure what her ethnicity was. All the characters are either problematic or show no growth throughout the book. Thalia has no other interesting character traits other than how she dresses. Summer is transparent. She doesn't hide anything and just tells River everything. Fenrin is only shown as unattainable and hot. It is stated that he is possibly bisexual, but this is used to show how the other characters are biphobic/queerphobic. Trigger Warning: From River to Fenrin's own mother, they both use the word "disgusting" to describe Fenrin. River because Fenrin's kissing another boy. His mother likely called him that for the same reasons. This was a breaking point and they almost immediately dropped it.Â
3) River is practically obsessed with the Graces. This is shown through their thoughts and is a recurring problem as they can be creepy and borderline stalker-like. We learn that River isn't her real name. She does everything she can in order to become a different person. She does so in order to please others. Specifically, people she doesn't even know well. She is constantly putting other girls down. From judging their mannerisms to how much lip gloss they have on. Again, I know sometimes you can read a book and not like the main character, but she has no redeeming qualities, and this affects all the other characters, who barely have a personality.
4) SO MANY TROPES THAT I DESPISE. I can usually excuse tropes I dislike. I'm not like other girls' tropes, using diverse characters to give other characters "development", "mean girl" status, etc. All these tropes combined can only make a mess of a book. Perhaps they would work with a better set of characters, but the current set is not worth reading. In addition, the writing isn't that good either. It's a rather slow story, and there are parts where you feel as if the problem was just added to create drama or some form of plot which there was none of.
5) I skimmed the book all the way to the end. Without any spoilers, given the ending was a set up for you to go read the other book. It leaves you with a cliffhanger.
To summarize, the characters suck, there is no plot, there are so many bad tropes used, and this book has no redeemable qualities. Go read Twilight or any other book that's better than this one.
Possible spoilers:
I really tried to like this book but couldn't bring myself to.
Summary:
Our main character, River, is obsessed with the Grace family, which has a complicated history. She is in love with Fenrin Grace, who's supposed to be the most attractive guy at school. He also has two sisters, Summer and Thalia Grace. Summer is gone, whereas Thalia is both beautiful and untouchable. River wants to be a part of their group but knows that they tend to switch friends rather quickly.
My problems with these books are:
1) This book is the Walmart version of Twilight. Twilight was more enjoyable because I could actually find enjoyable moments within all that mess.
2) We have an all-white cast with one token, possibly a South Asian character. I wasn't really sure what her ethnicity was. All the characters are either problematic or show no growth throughout the book. Thalia has no other interesting character traits other than how she dresses. Summer is transparent. She doesn't hide anything and just tells River everything. Fenrin is only shown as unattainable and hot. It is stated that he is possibly bisexual, but this is used to show how the other characters are biphobic/queerphobic. Trigger Warning: From River to Fenrin's own mother, they both use the word "disgusting" to describe Fenrin. River because Fenrin's kissing another boy. His mother likely called him that for the same reasons. This was a breaking point and they almost immediately dropped it.Â
3) River is practically obsessed with the Graces. This is shown through their thoughts and is a recurring problem as they can be creepy and borderline stalker-like. We learn that River isn't her real name. She does everything she can in order to become a different person. She does so in order to please others. Specifically, people she doesn't even know well. She is constantly putting other girls down. From judging their mannerisms to how much lip gloss they have on. Again, I know sometimes you can read a book and not like the main character, but she has no redeeming qualities, and this affects all the other characters, who barely have a personality.
4) SO MANY TROPES THAT I DESPISE. I can usually excuse tropes I dislike. I'm not like other girls' tropes, using diverse characters to give other characters "development", "mean girl" status, etc. All these tropes combined can only make a mess of a book. Perhaps they would work with a better set of characters, but the current set is not worth reading. In addition, the writing isn't that good either. It's a rather slow story, and there are parts where you feel as if the problem was just added to create drama or some form of plot which there was none of.
5) I skimmed the book all the way to the end. Without any spoilers, given the ending was a set up for you to go read the other book. It leaves you with a cliffhanger.
To summarize, the characters suck, there is no plot, there are so many bad tropes used, and this book has no redeemable qualities. Go read Twilight or any other book that's better than this one.
gracexo7's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0