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radsadmadd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
alexamurabito's review against another edition
2.0
Was going to DNF but kept getting tik toks about how great this was so I had to finish it so I could confidently die on the hill I chose…
This? Is just a rip of off the hunger games with LITERAL typos and plot holes! Beginning of the book = boring snooze fest! I kept pushing because like I said if I was going to shit on this book I needed to be able to do so in confidence. There were a handful of redeeming moments which is why I am giving a generous 2 stars? Like I don’t hate the premise but the execution was not there for me. Also, the nickname “darling” gives me a MAJOR ick?
This? Is just a rip of off the hunger games with LITERAL typos and plot holes! Beginning of the book = boring snooze fest! I kept pushing because like I said if I was going to shit on this book I needed to be able to do so in confidence. There were a handful of redeeming moments which is why I am giving a generous 2 stars? Like I don’t hate the premise but the execution was not there for me. Also, the nickname “darling” gives me a MAJOR ick?
juders's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book is like if the Hunger Games and Red Queen had a baby. And not a great baby. It was a fun enough read but lacked depth, a lot was skimmed over and I didn't feel I emotionally connected to the characters. Nearly DNFed about 70% but stuck with it. Despite this I am sure I will read the rest of the series 👌🏻
xlisch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5
i read this book in just two days because i couldn’t put it down— it kept me completely captivated. while i enjoyed the overall storyline, the execution fell short of my expectations. there were too many repetitive elements, and a number of clichés, but it was still largely an enjoyable read.
i loved the concept of the trials; the first one was really well done, but unfortunately, the next two didn’t carry the same weight. they felt too brief and ended too abruptly. additionally, the resistance plotline seemed rushed toward the end and lacked sufficient development.
it also became somewhat tedious how often it was emphasized that kai was born a killer and is the enforcer— it started to feel overly dramatic and unnecessary. however, the conversations and tension between paeyden and kai compensated for the plot holes and some frustrating moments, allowing those issues to fade into the background.
despite these shortcomings, i still found the book to be an enjoyable and quick read, and i’m genuinely excited to see what the second part has in store.
i loved the concept of the trials; the first one was really well done, but unfortunately, the next two didn’t carry the same weight. they felt too brief and ended too abruptly. additionally, the resistance plotline seemed rushed toward the end and lacked sufficient development.
it also became somewhat tedious how often it was emphasized that kai was born a killer and is the enforcer— it started to feel overly dramatic and unnecessary. however, the conversations and tension between paeyden and kai compensated for the plot holes and some frustrating moments, allowing those issues to fade into the background.
despite these shortcomings, i still found the book to be an enjoyable and quick read, and i’m genuinely excited to see what the second part has in store.
eleanor_jane's review against another edition
3.0
ok hear me out, this book was written how like I would try to write a fanfic in middle school… with some extreme cliches in the phrasing (ex: this isn’t exactly how I thought i’d wake up this morning) and the author spelling every single thing out for us. I can assume if he thinks about doing something, starts to do it and then implies he does it, it was done. No need for an extra sentence saying such. HOWEVER… I read it in 2 days and was literally reading it drunk after the bar because it did deliciously scratch that fan fiction itch (maybe because it basically was a fan fiction of the hunger games and triwizard tournament ???).
So for how much I complained about the writing it should get a 1, for how quickly I read it and loved the “hot guy loves only her trope” it should get a 4, so here we’ve settled.
So for how much I complained about the writing it should get a 1, for how quickly I read it and loved the “hot guy loves only her trope” it should get a 4, so here we’ve settled.
alexiia_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
katieclinebell's review against another edition
3.0
Hunger Games meets medieval X-men. Plot was well conceived with quite a few twists. However, the narrative and narration were filled with the same internal dialogue and external situations happening repeatedly. Main characters were all rather likable and somewhat multifaceted.
Overall, the length of this book didn’t have enough of a pay off for me. This could have been 200 pages shorter. It’s definitely young adult so I’ll likely just be reading spoilers for the next books.
Overall, enjoyable read!
Overall, the length of this book didn’t have enough of a pay off for me. This could have been 200 pages shorter. It’s definitely young adult so I’ll likely just be reading spoilers for the next books.
Overall, enjoyable read!
elisa13's review against another edition
2.0
Fin dalle prime pagine di questa storia ho avuto questa bruttissima sensazione di dejavú che non mi ha lasciata fino all’ultima pagina.
Purtroppo non ho trovato molta originalità in questa storia e questo mi fa stupire del grande hype che ha riscontrato sul booktok. So che, arrivati a questo punto, molte storie sono semplicemente un richiamo spudorato ad altre, ma questo mi è risultato proprio una scopiazzata di testi come Hunger Games e Maze Runner.
I personaggi mancano di tridimensionalità e la presunta tensione tra i protagonisti la trovo basica e banale. L’inganno è scontato, così come l’accenno a un triangolo amoroso.
Kitt lo trovo ingenuo, attaccato alle aspettative del padre, incapace di avere un pensiero personale. Kai è il classico gray character della storia, iper dotato, super forte, molto intelligente, ma al contempo con un animo sensibile e un cuore buono, in continuo conflitto tra ciò che dovrebbe essere e chi vorrebbe essere. Paedyn, invece, è l’eroina con mille qualità, capace di sopravvivere in un mondo mille volte più pericoloso di lei, ma non si sa come lei vince sempre. Passato traumatico, vita difficile, bisognosa di affetto e di un punto fermo che troverà fidandosi ciecamente del primo che le da un accenno di speranza in qualcosa di diverso.
Lo stile di scrittura é ripetitivo, ci si perde in descrizioni dettagliate di vestiti e sale, ma ci si perde al contempo nella descrizione di scene di battaglie e scontri. Le prove sono allungate dalla descrizione dei sentimenti dei protagonisti, ma dal punti di vista vero e proprio della prova stessa pecca di fantasia, risolvendo il tutto in poche righe di lotta.
Purtroppo, per me, questo é il tipico esempio di saga iniziata male e di cui, sinceramente, non ho alcun interesse di proseguire con l’acquisto di un secondo volume.
Purtroppo non ho trovato molta originalità in questa storia e questo mi fa stupire del grande hype che ha riscontrato sul booktok. So che, arrivati a questo punto, molte storie sono semplicemente un richiamo spudorato ad altre, ma questo mi è risultato proprio una scopiazzata di testi come Hunger Games e Maze Runner.
I personaggi mancano di tridimensionalità e la presunta tensione tra i protagonisti la trovo basica e banale. L’inganno è scontato, così come l’accenno a un triangolo amoroso.
Kitt lo trovo ingenuo, attaccato alle aspettative del padre, incapace di avere un pensiero personale. Kai è il classico gray character della storia, iper dotato, super forte, molto intelligente, ma al contempo con un animo sensibile e un cuore buono, in continuo conflitto tra ciò che dovrebbe essere e chi vorrebbe essere. Paedyn, invece, è l’eroina con mille qualità, capace di sopravvivere in un mondo mille volte più pericoloso di lei, ma non si sa come lei vince sempre. Passato traumatico, vita difficile, bisognosa di affetto e di un punto fermo che troverà fidandosi ciecamente del primo che le da un accenno di speranza in qualcosa di diverso.
Lo stile di scrittura é ripetitivo, ci si perde in descrizioni dettagliate di vestiti e sale, ma ci si perde al contempo nella descrizione di scene di battaglie e scontri. Le prove sono allungate dalla descrizione dei sentimenti dei protagonisti, ma dal punti di vista vero e proprio della prova stessa pecca di fantasia, risolvendo il tutto in poche righe di lotta.
Purtroppo, per me, questo é il tipico esempio di saga iniziata male e di cui, sinceramente, non ho alcun interesse di proseguire con l’acquisto di un secondo volume.