americangirlemmie's review against another edition
2.0
Wow. Where do I begin? I actually loved Sara B. Larson’s other books–I even liked the book preceding this–however this one… boy oh boy…
This story takes place ten years after Dark Breaks the Dawn. Evelayn has been trapped in the body of a swan for ten years, TEN YEARS, only ever becoming human when the guy who transformed her showed up. And, um like, also?? This same guy?? Also killed her fiance??? Okay, anyways, I need to form this into a cohesive review.
Basically, Evelayn is transformed back to her human form, and almost IMMEDIATELY starts to fall in love with her captor, Lorcan. Okay, yeah, this could be the whole Beauty and the Beast thing, or even a cool Darkling-esque spin. HOWEVER, that is not what happens. The two are passionately making out and professing their undying love for each other within a matter of days. I already struggle with novels that try to condense any normal plotline into a matter of weeks/days, as it can become far too convoluted. However, trying to attempt such intense character development and romance in such a short time span is ridiculous. The characters lacked all believability and empathy and really weakened the entire story for me.
That being aside (and, honestly, it kind of ruined the whole book for me…) I had a hard time with the story anyway. I did not see any connection to the original Swan Lake, which was a huge part of the advertising. But, regardless of that tie, I didn’t get very invested in the story. The character’s emotional connection and motivations were very weak and kind of jumped around, and thus it was hard for me to make any connection and, well… care.
That being said, I really did enjoy everything else I’ve read from Sara B. Larson. So, I wouldn’t let this review stop you from trying out some of her other series, but I would certainly not start with either of this duology.
This story takes place ten years after Dark Breaks the Dawn. Evelayn has been trapped in the body of a swan for ten years, TEN YEARS, only ever becoming human when the guy who transformed her showed up. And, um like, also?? This same guy?? Also killed her fiance??? Okay, anyways, I need to form this into a cohesive review.
Basically, Evelayn is transformed back to her human form, and almost IMMEDIATELY starts to fall in love with her captor, Lorcan. Okay, yeah, this could be the whole Beauty and the Beast thing, or even a cool Darkling-esque spin. HOWEVER, that is not what happens. The two are passionately making out and professing their undying love for each other within a matter of days. I already struggle with novels that try to condense any normal plotline into a matter of weeks/days, as it can become far too convoluted. However, trying to attempt such intense character development and romance in such a short time span is ridiculous. The characters lacked all believability and empathy and really weakened the entire story for me.
That being aside (and, honestly, it kind of ruined the whole book for me…) I had a hard time with the story anyway. I did not see any connection to the original Swan Lake, which was a huge part of the advertising. But, regardless of that tie, I didn’t get very invested in the story. The character’s emotional connection and motivations were very weak and kind of jumped around, and thus it was hard for me to make any connection and, well… care.
That being said, I really did enjoy everything else I’ve read from Sara B. Larson. So, I wouldn’t let this review stop you from trying out some of her other series, but I would certainly not start with either of this duology.
helenamt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
dlewis85's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
randomly_kait's review against another edition
5.0
I'm a big fan of the bad guy to hero trope, so I rather enjoyed listening to this audiobook
rachelgart0n's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
kirstenleigh's review against another edition
5.0
I just want to curl up inside this book and stay forever. I didn’t expect to love it even more than I did Dark Breaks the Dawn, but I definitely did. The story felt more mature and more thought out. The relationships were more thoughtful and deep and I couldn’t believe how easily Larson made me fall in love with characters I thought I was supposed to hate. Everything got flipped in this story and I loved every minute of it! I thought I would be glad that this was the end of the series because I feel like so often, especially these days, series get dragged on far longer than they should... however I need another one!!! Right now. Haha It amazed me how clearly I could see all the magic and the fight scenes in my head with so few words from Larson. It was really impressive. The world came to life for me in a way that few YA books have in a while and I’m sad to see it over! ♥️
enbyenglish's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating: 4.5
This was a good book. Definitely a fast read and very enjoyable. The only reason it’s 4.5 instead of 5 is because I would have like some more explanation for certain things that happened at the end. That part felt rushed
This was a good book. Definitely a fast read and very enjoyable. The only reason it’s 4.5 instead of 5 is because I would have like some more explanation for certain things that happened at the end. That part felt rushed