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nedenz's review
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
1.0
DNF at 37% (beginning of chapter 12)
I'm disappointed bcs I really wanted to like this book. Gender bent Robin Hood in a fantasy world with fae-like creatures and a badass FMC like Aelin from TOG? I signed up so fast and left so incredibly exhausted and underwhelmed.
It was really just small things bugging me that just kept stacking and stacking until they finally broke me to down into the final decision to stop reading. Small grammatical errors (misplaced or altogether missing punctuation), choppy and incoherent dialogue, weak worldbuilding, confusing character interactions and plot points.
Another thing that annoyed me was the fact that some things in the dialogue are clearly just meant to be info dumps, which seems really lazy. Example:Isolde asking about the effects of not transforming when she seems like she should know full well what those are at this point in her life. If Isolde is the heir of Thornwood shouldn't she know all this by now? Also isn't this the whole reason she's been mad and staying mad, bcs she knows if they don't transform they'll die? Idk it just doesn't sit right with me. It feels artificially placed just for the benefit of the reader instead of learning this information organically, like a dialogue block where a human is asking about it bcs they just don't know things about this other race and their abilities.
There's a lot of growling and snarling and rasping and jesus christ we fucking get it. Normally I don't mind this as much but it seems out of place and way overused. It also lends to my next big gripe: the showing off and getting in fights was just so... weird.This lady just walks over and starts groping Malakai, and then Isolde does a magic thing on her, and no one else in the room notices or cares? Everyone everywhere is growling all the time and magic is flowing and blah blah whatever. On top of that, the writing of it is so choppy and hard to follow.
Onto some of the characters. First, Isolde. I really really didn't like her. I did at first, but that fell away REAL quick. After the first chapter, she turns into a stubborn, childish, petulant brat. She's just plain annoying with all the whining she does. She's a masked vigilante for christ sake! Everyone (especially her family and cadre) treats it like oh it's just Isolde being Isolde, whaddya gonna do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ like no fuck off she's an adult. She was unlikable and unremarkable and I knew nothing about her, past the fact that she's apparently vain, good at archery, and hates slavery (as one should). Don't even get me started on the Liam thing. That was just weird. Maybe take this one with a grain of salt bcs I stopped right after he was introduced but like, the fact that their relationship dynamic and its implied impact on the plot made me actively want to stop reading isn't a good sign.
Malakai. I see what the author is going for with his relationship with Isolde but it comes off exhausting. She does a dumb thing bcs iM tHE hOoD aNd I cAN dO whAt I wAnT and he gets mad but acquiesces (as does the rest of the cadre), then goes along with it. And broods. And growls. Oh also he does death glares a lot. It's the same shit over again and I was done with it by the time I got a quarter of the way thru.
Random gripe but this line: "A faint pulse pushed out from her skin, and her scent coated his." What the literal fuck does this even mean? It's like the author is just putting together fantasy romance buzzwords and phrases in any order they'll fit (I FUCKING SEE YOU "LIKE CALLS TO LIKE" TRYNA BE SARAH J MAAS DUPE BITCH).
I'm disappointed bcs I really wanted to like this book. Gender bent Robin Hood in a fantasy world with fae-like creatures and a badass FMC like Aelin from TOG? I signed up so fast and left so incredibly exhausted and underwhelmed.
It was really just small things bugging me that just kept stacking and stacking until they finally broke me to down into the final decision to stop reading. Small grammatical errors (misplaced or altogether missing punctuation), choppy and incoherent dialogue, weak worldbuilding, confusing character interactions and plot points.
Another thing that annoyed me was the fact that some things in the dialogue are clearly just meant to be info dumps, which seems really lazy. Example:
There's a lot of growling and snarling and rasping and jesus christ we fucking get it. Normally I don't mind this as much but it seems out of place and way overused. It also lends to my next big gripe: the showing off and getting in fights was just so... weird.
Onto some of the characters. First, Isolde. I really really didn't like her. I did at first, but that fell away REAL quick. After the first chapter, she turns into a stubborn, childish, petulant brat. She's just plain annoying with all the whining she does. She's a masked vigilante for christ sake! Everyone (especially her family and cadre) treats it like oh it's just Isolde being Isolde, whaddya gonna do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ like no fuck off she's an adult. She was unlikable and unremarkable and I knew nothing about her, past the fact that she's apparently vain, good at archery, and hates slavery (as one should). Don't even get me started on the Liam thing. That was just weird. Maybe take this one with a grain of salt bcs I stopped right after he was introduced but like, the fact that their relationship dynamic and its implied impact on the plot made me actively want to stop reading isn't a good sign.
Malakai. I see what the author is going for with his relationship with Isolde but it comes off exhausting. She does a dumb thing bcs iM tHE hOoD aNd I cAN dO whAt I wAnT and he gets mad but acquiesces (as does the rest of the cadre), then goes along with it. And broods. And growls. Oh also he does death glares a lot. It's the same shit over again and I was done with it by the time I got a quarter of the way thru.
Random gripe but this line: "A faint pulse pushed out from her skin, and her scent coated his." What the literal fuck does this even mean? It's like the author is just putting together fantasy romance buzzwords and phrases in any order they'll fit (I FUCKING SEE YOU "LIKE CALLS TO LIKE" TRYNA BE SARAH J MAAS DUPE BITCH).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
cndillon17's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, Gore, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Rape, Murder, and Sexual assault
Minor: Animal death
kayceeisbookish's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Violence, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Murder, Slavery, Blood, Death, Cursing, Trafficking, and Sexual assault
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