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jonezeemcgee's review against another edition
3.0
3.50
Let me preface this by saying that I enjoyed this book. I truly did consume it and had a hard time putting it down (or turning my Kindle off, if you will). The story had a bit of an original twist and I was pleasantly surprised it wasn't romance heavy, and definitely not just revolving around the paranormal aspects. It had an intellgence to it that drove the story a bit deeper.
With that said, in the beginning it suffered from some pretty awful quotes. Also, it did have a bit of a feeling like bits and pieces of different films and books were cut and pasted together to form the plot. Starting with a bit of Twilight, throwing in The Craft, a dash of The Virgin Suicides (which a nod is given to this in the story itself) and a little pinch of Practical Magic seem to be mixed together to form the recipe this story. But all those ingredients didn't translate in a cohesive dish. The end result was a story that felt a bit all over the place. I think where this book will fail for many is how it was marketed. It definitely doesn't deliver what I think it marketed.
Still, it left me excited enough to pick up the next book right away.
Let me preface this by saying that I enjoyed this book. I truly did consume it and had a hard time putting it down (or turning my Kindle off, if you will). The story had a bit of an original twist and I was pleasantly surprised it wasn't romance heavy, and definitely not just revolving around the paranormal aspects. It had an intellgence to it that drove the story a bit deeper.
With that said, in the beginning it suffered from some pretty awful quotes. Also, it did have a bit of a feeling like bits and pieces of different films and books were cut and pasted together to form the plot. Starting with a bit of Twilight, throwing in The Craft, a dash of The Virgin Suicides (which a nod is given to this in the story itself) and a little pinch of Practical Magic seem to be mixed together to form the recipe this story. But all those ingredients didn't translate in a cohesive dish. The end result was a story that felt a bit all over the place. I think where this book will fail for many is how it was marketed. It definitely doesn't deliver what I think it marketed.
Still, it left me excited enough to pick up the next book right away.
aglaeadubris's review
http://a-little-panda-monium.tumblr.com/post/152351189425/the-graces-laure-eve
marjshopes's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
emleemay's review against another edition
1.0
Every girl with eyes loved Fenrin. But I was not like those prattling, chattering things with their careful head tosses and thick, cloying lip gloss. Inside, buried down deep where no one could see it, was the core of me, burning endlessly, coal black and coal bright.
Oh sweet Jesus, get over yourself. Did that quote really come from a narrator we're supposed to take seriously? Of all the things I expected from this book, a super emo, extremely slow, [b:Twilight|41865|Twilight (Twilight, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1361039443s/41865.jpg|3212258]-esque story was not one of them.
I'm not just throwing the word "Twilight" around. For most of this novel, the obsession with the ethereal Graces reminded me of the obsession with the Cullens. The story is about the female narrator being the new kid in town and attending a school where everyone is obsessed with the gorgeous, weird Graces -
Okay, well firstly, it's boring. There is literally no plot for the vast majority of the novel and it all builds toward what I guess was supposed to be a twist... um, well, I saw that coming a mile away. The first 250-ish pages are made up of River going on and on about the Graces, especially her love for Fenrin and shallow friendship with Summer. There's also some chanting and "spellwork" that may or may not be real. Oooh.
You see, that's the real problem with this book and Anna already said it: there's no atmosphere. It tries to be so deep and meaningful with all the emo dialogue like:
“I can stop pretending when I’m alone.”
"The thing is, " he said softly, "we're all going to die."
"Yes."
"But the first time you really realize it... how do you get over that?"
But I just can't take it seriously. None of these characters, none of the plot, is deep and mysterious enough to warrant those conversations. It just made me roll my eyes. The author clearly wanted to write a dark, deep novel about three mysterious teenagers, but we've been left with a silly, predictable high school drama about a goth, a hippie and a hipster.
I neither liked nor was interested in River. Her disdain for other girls in the novel - she even refers to them as "things" - made my blood boil at times. It's all part of the package that is her character - someone who believes they're just so much deeper than everyone else. This is how she describes another girl:
She wore big, fake, gold hoop earrings and tiny skirts, and her voice had a rattling screech to it, like a magpie’s.
I foresee the "twist" being used to explain away a lot of things, but I'm not playing. Even forgetting how obvious it was, it didn't make up for the slowness and the annoying cast of characters. The novel gives very little up in an attempt to be mysterious so that the author can pull back the curtain to reveal... Muahaha. But the "suspense" is so forced that I was cringing.
Personally, this kind of book with flat, cliched characters, "oh, what is this universe?" dialogue and little-to-no plot does not work for me. But according to my arc, I'm in the minority, because this emo mush has already been translated into at least five other languages. Maybe girl-on-girl hate sounds classier in French?
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ashurq's review
3.0
This book was strange for so many reasons. First of all, let me just say that I quite liked the writing. I thought it was beautiful and gripping and I was drawn into the story from the very first chapter. The setting descriptions were also incredible. Even though we didn't get that much of a description of the town, I still feel like I can picture it. Then, when we get to the Graces' house and the rooms are described...seriously. AMAZING. The writing also did a good job of creating this kind of creepy/unsettling atmosphere. There's obviously something wrong. Something weird happened to River and her mom before they came to town, but we only get bits and pieces of what it was as the book progresses. The writing was kind of the book's one redeeming quality that kept it from being a 2/5 for me.
First of all, some of these characters definitely sound familiar (*cough* Twilight *cough*). But seriously! River's so obsessed with this unnaturally beautiful, confident, and alluring group of siblings and the parents are just as beautiful and the kids never really interact with any of their peers and they're so mysterious and BLAH BLAH BLAH. PLEASE. Spare me. I honestly would LOVE to read a book where the main character just completely sees through all of that BS. And don't even get me started on River drooling over Fenrin. But okay, I'll get into it. There comes a point where River is worried that Summer will think River only wanted to become friends with her to get close to Fenrin which she protests is not the case. But actually...that's exactly what happened! I mean, it's true that River wanted to be noticed by any of the Graces--she just wanted to be part of their group. But the whole time her main focus is completely on Fenrin. And he doesn't even sound that great! Aside from being a Grace and being extremely good-looking (allegedly) what does this guy have going for him? I'm sure he has other qualities, but the reader is not told about any of them. Every time River sees him she's just drooling over his good looks. That, my friends, is not what I want to read about.
River as a main character is not very likable, though I'm not sure that she's supposed to be. The Graces were fine if not very three-dimensional. I couldn't help but try to imagine the Graces as real teenagers in a real high school and, I'm sorry, I'm just not buying it. Maybe in Europe, but in the United States, NOBODY IS LIKE THAT. Then there's River's mom who is another unbelievable character. Talk about taking the absent parent bit to the max.
Plotwise...there wasn't really a plot. Like there kind of was...but not REALLY. Mainly we're just watching River try to make herself indispensable to the Graces the whole book. Then there are a couple of twists near the end, but I honestly saw them both coming. I wanted so badly for the book to take an UNEXPECTED turn, but I was to be disappointed. Then the book just kind of ends? But then there's going to be a sequel...I'll be honest, I was not expecting a sequel. I have no idea what could possibly happen in the next book and I'm not entirely sure that I care.
Overall, I think this author has a lot of potential. I would definitely read another book by her as long as there were different characters and a better plot, etc. Some people may end up really liking this book, but I just don't fall into that camp.
Overall Rating: 3
Language: Heavy
Violence: Mild
Smoking/Drinking: Heavy
Sexual Content: Moderate
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, some of these characters definitely sound familiar (*cough* Twilight *cough*). But seriously! River's so obsessed with this unnaturally beautiful, confident, and alluring group of siblings and the parents are just as beautiful and the kids never really interact with any of their peers and they're so mysterious and BLAH BLAH BLAH. PLEASE. Spare me. I honestly would LOVE to read a book where the main character just completely sees through all of that BS. And don't even get me started on River drooling over Fenrin. But okay, I'll get into it. There comes a point where River is worried that Summer will think River only wanted to become friends with her to get close to Fenrin which she protests is not the case. But actually...that's exactly what happened! I mean, it's true that River wanted to be noticed by any of the Graces--she just wanted to be part of their group. But the whole time her main focus is completely on Fenrin. And he doesn't even sound that great! Aside from being a Grace and being extremely good-looking (allegedly) what does this guy have going for him? I'm sure he has other qualities, but the reader is not told about any of them. Every time River sees him she's just drooling over his good looks. That, my friends, is not what I want to read about.
River as a main character is not very likable, though I'm not sure that she's supposed to be. The Graces were fine if not very three-dimensional. I couldn't help but try to imagine the Graces as real teenagers in a real high school and, I'm sorry, I'm just not buying it. Maybe in Europe, but in the United States, NOBODY IS LIKE THAT. Then there's River's mom who is another unbelievable character. Talk about taking the absent parent bit to the max.
Plotwise...there wasn't really a plot. Like there kind of was...but not REALLY. Mainly we're just watching River try to make herself indispensable to the Graces the whole book. Then there are a couple of twists near the end, but I honestly saw them both coming. I wanted so badly for the book to take an UNEXPECTED turn, but I was to be disappointed. Then the book just kind of ends? But then there's going to be a sequel...I'll be honest, I was not expecting a sequel. I have no idea what could possibly happen in the next book and I'm not entirely sure that I care.
Overall, I think this author has a lot of potential. I would definitely read another book by her as long as there were different characters and a better plot, etc. Some people may end up really liking this book, but I just don't fall into that camp.
Overall Rating: 3
Language: Heavy
Violence: Mild
Smoking/Drinking: Heavy
Sexual Content: Moderate
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
nadiatetra's review against another edition
2.0
Only chose this because of the meager options on BorrowBox. Wouldn’t recommend. Real “I’m not like every other girl” vibes. Only started getting good at the end.
lcallihan's review
2.0
The concept totally had me hooked-- magic, mystery, and a family shrouded in secrets. However, the plot didn't pull me in and I didn't feel compelled by the characters. There wasn't enough chemistry, between friends or love interests, to drive the story line forward. I wanted more a creepier, more suspenseful read and even the big "mystery" of the magic in the book wasn't some driving secret-- the big reveal seemed anticlimactic and out of place. I'll happily hand out to students wanting a fun, Halloween-ish read, but won't recommend to adult YA readers.