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narteest's review against another edition
4.0
Saw this on shelves today, can't believe it's out and so, without thinking twice, bought it.
It was after I bought did I face palm....>.> I thought I was supposed to be on a book buying ban >.<.
UPDATE
This one read a little slower than the last two but the gore and intense need to survive and save on Evie's part is still the same.
Plus this series is one of few that actually knows how to do a love triangle right! Jack might be an ass and Aric might be twice the ass but they have their good points too
More review later.
U P D A T E
It's been a few days since I read this, and just like before, I still love it.
On the whole, I will say there are many negative things I can definitely attribute to the series. I mean...seriously, two asshole chauvinistic guys as the love interests that make me wonder if the world has gone backwards, yet these are totally the kind of guys you see in romances and considered attractive in their own bad boy way.
But this series has a lot of attractions too. I mean, it has one of the most unique worlds I've experienced in my line of reading, and not to mention that it is really action packed (which wins me over more than anything), and also, there's the basic human feelings. I like that not everyone loves each other in this series. I like the high level of distrust that doesn't feel half done. I like how the characters grow to like each other or have reasons to join in on alliances without sounding half assed. There are so many books that come across as half assed and it gets irritating. But Kresley Cole doesn't do that. She goes all the way and she never takes a beat the wrong way.
You can definitely see the work of a seasoned writer in this, and no matter the cons, there are the pros that make it work.
This book, like it's previous sequel, is pretty straightforward and doesn't have the same effect as the first book. The first book was Evie telling her story of what had happened and how discovered her true nature. In Endless Knight, she unravels a bit more about her past. And in this one, she faces choices while sticking to wanting to end the game.
There is nothing too special about the plot, it was mostly predictable, though there was one reveal which I have half guessed but only felt really disgusted and shocked (not that it stopped me reading, in a way the surprise just added to the intensity of the book) when the twist was revealed. From the beginning of the book to the end, you already knew what the whole point of it was. Defeating the Lovers. How to defeat them though, was the question.
The Lovers, oh my gawd, how do I describe the interpretations of the Lovers in this book? It's just so....perverse.
And honestly, that's kinda one of the good things about this series. It's really kind of twisted. There are some really gory scenes, and even though it is a little gross, it isn't underdone for the world that Kresley Cole has created here. Cole doesn't go easy. She goes hard. And she's not kind to her characters either.
As for characters, I find myself liking each one whereas there are a lot of times when I just shrug my shoulders and couldn't care less about a character in a book. But in Dead of Winter I grew to like each and every character. My favourite of all is Matt--the Fool--he's a really great character, and I liked him the most. I also think it's funny that Evie doesn't get it when he says, 'Tredici'. But then again, I only think it's funny because I learnt a bit of italian in school and recognised it immediately for what it meant, whereas Evie didn't. So until 'Tredici' appeared she didn't know, even though it's so obvious...yay for knowing the numbers in other languages!
Selena, the Moon, also surprisingly grew on me in this one. Though Jack and Aric did not--I still like them as characters, and I also think they're both assholes who totally make poor love interests if they weren't crafted so well and convincingly and absolutely made for the book series and Evie. But really, Jack is STILL a jackass in my mind, specially in this one, even though he has his sweet moments, but yeah, a guy like that in real life, steer me away. Same with Aric, he definitely has his negatives, and while yeah the feelings are there, in real life, he would be a creep! Thank god these guys are just book characters, this way I can feel less guilty about cheering Evie and Jack on. As well as the love triangle, which I admit again, is one of the few I've seen that are done properly.
Love triangles that involve feelings other that "OMG HE"S HOT" are ACTUALLY love triangles with meaning and deserve to be written. But otherwise, nearly all love triangles in YA can swim around my toilet for all I care. And same with most YA relationships, specially the ones that are built on lust and not love even though they call it love. The ones that actually develop get my vote, the others can suck it.
The Tower, the World, Judgment also feature in this book as allies. The High Priestess makes an appearance, which was exciting! Though seeing Tess (the World) use her powers was awesome. And the Emperor, oh the mighty Emperor...
And of course, the Lovers. I bring them up again because they were positively a highlight as villains. Grotesque in creation and bloody in delivery. So perverse in their love....
Lastly, I look forward to seeing the remaining cards in action, and again I now how to wait a whole bloody year for the next installment!!! With another crazy cliffhanger that had my heart going ___________________________
Overall, if you want an awesome take on the Arcana and Tarot Cards, totally give this a go.
It was after I bought did I face palm....>.> I thought I was supposed to be on a book buying ban >.<.
UPDATE
This one read a little slower than the last two but the gore and intense need to survive and save on Evie's part is still the same.
Plus this series is one of few that actually knows how to do a love triangle right! Jack might be an ass and Aric might be twice the ass but they have their good points too
More review later.
U P D A T E
It's been a few days since I read this, and just like before, I still love it.
On the whole, I will say there are many negative things I can definitely attribute to the series. I mean...seriously, two asshole chauvinistic guys as the love interests that make me wonder if the world has gone backwards, yet these are totally the kind of guys you see in romances and considered attractive in their own bad boy way.
But this series has a lot of attractions too. I mean, it has one of the most unique worlds I've experienced in my line of reading, and not to mention that it is really action packed (which wins me over more than anything), and also, there's the basic human feelings. I like that not everyone loves each other in this series. I like the high level of distrust that doesn't feel half done. I like how the characters grow to like each other or have reasons to join in on alliances without sounding half assed. There are so many books that come across as half assed and it gets irritating. But Kresley Cole doesn't do that. She goes all the way and she never takes a beat the wrong way.
You can definitely see the work of a seasoned writer in this, and no matter the cons, there are the pros that make it work.
This book, like it's previous sequel, is pretty straightforward and doesn't have the same effect as the first book. The first book was Evie telling her story of what had happened and how discovered her true nature. In Endless Knight, she unravels a bit more about her past. And in this one, she faces choices while sticking to wanting to end the game.
There is nothing too special about the plot, it was mostly predictable, though there was one reveal which I have half guessed but only felt really disgusted and shocked (not that it stopped me reading, in a way the surprise just added to the intensity of the book) when the twist was revealed. From the beginning of the book to the end, you already knew what the whole point of it was. Defeating the Lovers. How to defeat them though, was the question.
The Lovers, oh my gawd, how do I describe the interpretations of the Lovers in this book? It's just so....perverse.
And honestly, that's kinda one of the good things about this series. It's really kind of twisted. There are some really gory scenes, and even though it is a little gross, it isn't underdone for the world that Kresley Cole has created here. Cole doesn't go easy. She goes hard. And she's not kind to her characters either.
As for characters, I find myself liking each one whereas there are a lot of times when I just shrug my shoulders and couldn't care less about a character in a book. But in Dead of Winter I grew to like each and every character. My favourite of all is Matt--the Fool--he's a really great character, and I liked him the most. I also think it's funny that Evie doesn't get it when he says, 'Tredici'. But then again, I only think it's funny because I learnt a bit of italian in school and recognised it immediately for what it meant, whereas Evie didn't. So until 'Tredici' appeared she didn't know, even though it's so obvious...yay for knowing the numbers in other languages!
Selena, the Moon, also surprisingly grew on me in this one. Though Jack and Aric did not--I still like them as characters, and I also think they're both assholes who totally make poor love interests if they weren't crafted so well and convincingly and absolutely made for the book series and Evie. But really, Jack is STILL a jackass in my mind, specially in this one, even though he has his sweet moments, but yeah, a guy like that in real life, steer me away. Same with Aric, he definitely has his negatives, and while yeah the feelings are there, in real life, he would be a creep! Thank god these guys are just book characters, this way I can feel less guilty about cheering Evie and Jack on. As well as the love triangle, which I admit again, is one of the few I've seen that are done properly.
Love triangles that involve feelings other that "OMG HE"S HOT" are ACTUALLY love triangles with meaning and deserve to be written. But otherwise, nearly all love triangles in YA can swim around my toilet for all I care. And same with most YA relationships, specially the ones that are built on lust and not love even though they call it love. The ones that actually develop get my vote, the others can suck it.
The Tower, the World, Judgment also feature in this book as allies. The High Priestess makes an appearance, which was exciting! Though seeing Tess (the World) use her powers was awesome. And the Emperor, oh the mighty Emperor...
And of course, the Lovers. I bring them up again because they were positively a highlight as villains. Grotesque in creation and bloody in delivery. So perverse in their love....
Lastly, I look forward to seeing the remaining cards in action, and again I now how to wait a whole bloody year for the next installment!!! With another crazy cliffhanger that had my heart going ___________________________
Overall, if you want an awesome take on the Arcana and Tarot Cards, totally give this a go.
meagan27's review against another edition
5.0
..... well that was anticlimactic. It was Five stars until the last 3 pages.... we all have to live with our shitty decisions. If this series ends how I want it to I'll change my rating to 5 stars.
aleks1202's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
2.5
I really don’t like the love triangle. I don’t like that she can’t make up her mind. Not sure I will continue this series.
moonbebe722's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pumpkinspice89's review against another edition
5.0
This book was amazing. It was so descriptive and had me on the edge of my seat. I was able to visualize every detail almost like I was really there. It was great to also see the characters grow and come into there own on a major level specially Jack and Aric. I didn't know who to go for Jack or Aric because I loved them both so much. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
blurrypetals's review against another edition
3.0
This was much better than Endless Knight but still not quite as good as Poison Princess. I think the whole love triangle thing is really tired, and that's what most of this book is, so it was still a bit of a chore, but nowhere near as dead on its feet as Endless Knight was.
The constant cycle of Aric and Jack jumping up and down yelling, "Pick me, pick me, Evie!" became tiresome very quickly. The fact that each of them got long, drawn out scenes where they were alone and drinking with Evie, opening up about their feelings, almost getting intimate with her, as if Kresley Cole wanted me to go, "Oh hey, they both have their strengths!" was all really funny to me.
The action, however, was improved. It's clear Cole worked a lot on making sure the fight scenes, as fantastical as they got, all made sense and had their own logic to them. I particularly enjoyed the siege on the Milovnici camp near the beginning, the operation to rescue Jack from the twins and their torture, especially the introduction of time travel, the toll it took, and all that jazz. I also really enjoyed Jack's new leadership and the way it's affecting him as a character and I'm excited to see what happens as the weight of his new responsibilities start to settle down on his shoulders.
With all this said, I'm going to hit the pause button on this series. There are a few reasons why. The first is that this is the midway point of the series and it ended in a way that I feel comfortable waiting a little bit to see what happens next. The other reason is, I got these first three books for free from my local library, but the other two books aren't available there for me to rent, so it wouldn't be free for me if I want to get the next two books. The last reason, however, is that the final book in the series isn't even out yet; if the fifth book was the last book, I might buck up and buy the next two books, but as it stands right now, I'm very comfortable tabling this series until March 2019, when I can marathon the back half of this course, so that's what I'm going to do, at least for now. So, if you're looking forward to hearing my thoughts on Arcana Rising and The Dark Calling, you're going to have to wait a bit. If not, I'll catch you in the next review, fam. Peace!
The constant cycle of Aric and Jack jumping up and down yelling, "Pick me, pick me, Evie!" became tiresome very quickly. The fact that each of them got long, drawn out scenes where they were alone and drinking with Evie, opening up about their feelings, almost getting intimate with her, as if Kresley Cole wanted me to go, "Oh hey, they both have their strengths!" was all really funny to me.
The action, however, was improved. It's clear Cole worked a lot on making sure the fight scenes, as fantastical as they got, all made sense and had their own logic to them. I particularly enjoyed the siege on the Milovnici camp near the beginning, the operation to rescue Jack from the twins and their torture, especially the introduction of time travel, the toll it took, and all that jazz. I also really enjoyed Jack's new leadership and the way it's affecting him as a character and I'm excited to see what happens as the weight of his new responsibilities start to settle down on his shoulders.
Spoiler
Because, I mean, let's be real, he isn't dead.With all this said, I'm going to hit the pause button on this series. There are a few reasons why. The first is that this is the midway point of the series and it ended in a way that I feel comfortable waiting a little bit to see what happens next. The other reason is, I got these first three books for free from my local library, but the other two books aren't available there for me to rent, so it wouldn't be free for me if I want to get the next two books. The last reason, however, is that the final book in the series isn't even out yet; if the fifth book was the last book, I might buck up and buy the next two books, but as it stands right now, I'm very comfortable tabling this series until March 2019, when I can marathon the back half of this course, so that's what I'm going to do, at least for now. So, if you're looking forward to hearing my thoughts on Arcana Rising and The Dark Calling, you're going to have to wait a bit. If not, I'll catch you in the next review, fam. Peace!
yerawizard_kristen's review against another edition
5.0
A few things:
1) Evie is an idiot.
2) This was the best book so far. I couldn't put it down!
3) How long do I have to wait for the next one?
4) Evie is a god damn idiot.
1) Evie is an idiot.
2) This was the best book so far. I couldn't put it down!
3) How long do I have to wait for the next one?
4) Evie is a god damn idiot.
acrosspages's review against another edition
5.0
Me acabo de dar cuenta que no hice una review de uno de mis libros favoritos y casi muero de odio a mi misma (? así que aquí va: MALDITA SEAS EVIE POR NO ELEGUIR A ARIC.
Listo.
Pd: esté libro me volvió loca y creo que lo amo más que a mi vida.
Pd 2: Sorry por el spoiler .
Listo.
Pd: esté libro me volvió loca y creo que lo amo más que a mi vida.
Pd 2: Sorry por el spoiler .