authorbaileyday's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sonham's review against another edition
3.0
Zu manchen Büchern gibt es gar nicht viel zu sagen, denn sie tun genau das, was man sich von ihnen erhofft – sie bieten gute Unterhaltung.
Zu diesen gehört auch „Palast der Finsternis“: böse Schurken, wahre Helden, ein bisschen Fantasy, ein bisschen Horror und ganz viel Abenteuer.
Die Idee ist gut und von der ersten Seite an mitreißend.
Es liest sich angenehm flüssig und auch wenn die Charaktere nicht sehr komplex sind, so macht es dennoch Spaß, sie auf ihrer gefährlichen Flucht durch den unterirdischen Palast zu begleiten.
Ein Buch nicht nur für Jugendliche, das sich bei einem Preis von 18 Euro gut als Geschenk eignet, um das Taschengeld ein wenig zu schonen
Zu diesen gehört auch „Palast der Finsternis“: böse Schurken, wahre Helden, ein bisschen Fantasy, ein bisschen Horror und ganz viel Abenteuer.
Die Idee ist gut und von der ersten Seite an mitreißend.
Es liest sich angenehm flüssig und auch wenn die Charaktere nicht sehr komplex sind, so macht es dennoch Spaß, sie auf ihrer gefährlichen Flucht durch den unterirdischen Palast zu begleiten.
Ein Buch nicht nur für Jugendliche, das sich bei einem Preis von 18 Euro gut als Geschenk eignet, um das Taschengeld ein wenig zu schonen
mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. What did I just read?
Sure, the blurb is pretty much spot on with what is happening in this book, however it was still a big brainscrew and wth is going on. There was just so much going on, and it felt like a conspiracy's fan's wet dream. If you thought one thing happened, then POOF another thing would happen, and then POOF another thing. And then magically it would all connect into one big thing. And then that ending (which I saw coming from the earlier chapters). Though the ending.... Urgh!
The book also switches between the now (with our teens) and the past (with Aurelie and her family and the threat and how stuff started). I have to say that out of the two times I preferred the past part. Mostly because Aurelie wasn't that annoying, instead she was brave, strong, and I was really interested in reading her story.
Because yes, sorry, but Anouk (and I read/pronounced it the way we Dutch people do it, not Ahhhhhhhhhh NUKE, but Ah/Aa nook, I am really not sure where the author got the AHHHHHHH NUKE from), was an annoying, meh, horrible girl who frustrated me to no end. She kept whining, crying and doing stupid things.
But yes, I kept reading the book even though Anouk was frustrating and I hated her cold attitude of just hating on everything and anything.
We later find out why Anouk is like this, but I just couldn't find any sympathy by the time we got to that point (near the end).
I liked the other girl in this book (sorry, I forgot your name even though you were so sweet, awesome and kick-ass). I wouldn't have minded if the POV was totally from her. It would have made the book slightly better.
The 3 other guys. Urgh, just urgh. :|
The ending just frustrated me a bit. I can't really go into details, because that would go into spoiler territory but I felt it was done a bit too easy. I also didn't like that it just ended with how it ended. I wouldn't have minded an extra chapter.
And yes, I still loved the book, even though it was a big mash-up of everything, and at times it was just highly silly. That no one ever noticed. That no one ever raised an alarm.
The monsters in this book are creepy and gave me goosebumps all over.
All in all, it was a pretty so-so book, but I had hoped for more.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Sure, the blurb is pretty much spot on with what is happening in this book, however it was still a big brainscrew and wth is going on. There was just so much going on, and it felt like a conspiracy's fan's wet dream. If you thought one thing happened, then POOF another thing would happen, and then POOF another thing. And then magically it would all connect into one big thing. And then that ending (which I saw coming from the earlier chapters). Though the ending.... Urgh!
The book also switches between the now (with our teens) and the past (with Aurelie and her family and the threat and how stuff started). I have to say that out of the two times I preferred the past part. Mostly because Aurelie wasn't that annoying, instead she was brave, strong, and I was really interested in reading her story.
Because yes, sorry, but Anouk (and I read/pronounced it the way we Dutch people do it, not Ahhhhhhhhhh NUKE, but Ah/Aa nook, I am really not sure where the author got the AHHHHHHH NUKE from), was an annoying, meh, horrible girl who frustrated me to no end. She kept whining, crying and doing stupid things.
But yes, I kept reading the book even though Anouk was frustrating and I hated her cold attitude of just hating on everything and anything.
We later find out why Anouk is like this, but I just couldn't find any sympathy by the time we got to that point (near the end).
I liked the other girl in this book (sorry, I forgot your name even though you were so sweet, awesome and kick-ass). I wouldn't have minded if the POV was totally from her. It would have made the book slightly better.
The 3 other guys. Urgh, just urgh. :|
The ending just frustrated me a bit. I can't really go into details, because that would go into spoiler territory but I felt it was done a bit too easy. I also didn't like that it just ended with how it ended. I wouldn't have minded an extra chapter.
And yes, I still loved the book, even though it was a big mash-up of everything, and at times it was just highly silly. That no one ever noticed. That no one ever raised an alarm.
The monsters in this book are creepy and gave me goosebumps all over.
All in all, it was a pretty so-so book, but I had hoped for more.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
thesarahstory's review against another edition
4.0
Diese Geschichte hat mich nicht vollends vom Hocker gerissen, aber dennoch gut unterhalten. Ich empfand den Schreibstil als gut und locker und frech, sowie modern. Die Charaktere fand ich zwar wirklich sehr vielseitig, allerdings dann doch irgendwie Mainstream. Es gibt etliche Filme mit Teenies und immer sind sie völlig unterschiedlich: Ein Nerd, ein Gothic, ein Hippie, ein hochnäsiger Fatzke, ein Punk und ein 'Normalo'. So ungefähr ist es eben auch hier und das hat mich irgendwie an etwas erinnert, was ich schon tausendmal so oder so ähnlich gesehen oder gelesen habe.
Letztendlich war die gruselige und spannende Atmosphäre im Buch aber weitaus wichtiger und alles, was darin geschah, war wirklich gut erzählt. Es ist wirklich eine mysteriöse, spannende Geschichte, bei der man sich abends im Bett auch schon einmal fürchten könnte. Mir hat das Setting insgesamt sehr gefallen und die Auflösung empfand ich nicht so prickelnd, was die Geschichte aber nicht zerstört hat. Ich war nur nicht so angetan, wie ich es mir gewünscht hätte. Irgendwie dachte ich mir einiges davon auch bereits während dem Lesen.
Trotzdem lesenswert für alle die, die gern mal etwas Schauriges, Spannendes, Mystisches und vielleicht auch Magisches lesen, je nachdem, wie man es interpretieren möchte. Auf jeden Fall eine Empfehlung, auch wenn für mich nicht immer jede Passage total mitreißend war.
Letztendlich war die gruselige und spannende Atmosphäre im Buch aber weitaus wichtiger und alles, was darin geschah, war wirklich gut erzählt. Es ist wirklich eine mysteriöse, spannende Geschichte, bei der man sich abends im Bett auch schon einmal fürchten könnte. Mir hat das Setting insgesamt sehr gefallen und die Auflösung empfand ich nicht so prickelnd, was die Geschichte aber nicht zerstört hat. Ich war nur nicht so angetan, wie ich es mir gewünscht hätte. Irgendwie dachte ich mir einiges davon auch bereits während dem Lesen.
Trotzdem lesenswert für alle die, die gern mal etwas Schauriges, Spannendes, Mystisches und vielleicht auch Magisches lesen, je nachdem, wie man es interpretieren möchte. Auf jeden Fall eine Empfehlung, auch wenn für mich nicht immer jede Passage total mitreißend war.
bituinthepages's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
rike125's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
sometimes_iread's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Before I begin, let me just put it out there that I am not a fan of this genre. I think I’ve watched one such movie and read absolutely no books belonging to this genre. Thus, I’m probably not the best person to review this book, so take whatever I say with a massive pinch of salt.
A Drop of Night by Stefan Bachmann gives us two story threads, one set during the French Revolution and one in the modern day. In the 1780s, the Duke Bessancourt built a palace to rival Versailles underground to hide his family from the revolt. In true French court fashion, one cannot just hide, one must do it in style, thus the hidden palace is simply dripping in luxury. Centuries later, the powerful and elusive Sapani family has found a mysterious cavern under their property and suspect that this is the rumored Butterfly Palace. They launch an archeological expedition and invite five teenagers to assist as part of their talent grooming program.
Now that last line was pinging my baloney radar like crazy but it obviously didn’t because we have a story. Immense lapses in judgment aside, I did enjoy the lead up to the slashing part of the story. Bachmann has a way with building tension and it was very effective in making me want to get to the bottom of it all. Sadly, my attention waned when the slashing started. It felt as if a quota of near-death experiences had to be met before the book could qualify as part of the genre, so we were just dragged along till the plot line could be picked up again.
I have to say though, Anouk, our protagonist made for a very compelling narrator. Despite her intelligence, she’s not above the difficulties plaguing those of her age, what with the inward focus and self-flagellation, though that might stem more from her upbringing. I think her voice helped make the whole read a lot more palatable, that and the fact that I really enjoy strong female characters and we have them a plenty here, final girl trope or not.
Something else I did not enjoy was the nonsensical ending. I don’t wish to reveal any spoilers, but suffice to say that motivations were murky and I almost wish we had just stopped at the sci-fi components. That final showdown was lackluster and frankly, pretty illogical to me. If anyone’s read this, please explain this to me? Because I’m really not convinced!
Diversity meter:
Strong female characters
sheffner07's review against another edition
5.0
Holy crap, I loved this book. Could we have a better MC than Anouk? She was smart and snarky and fought throughout all of it, instead of just sitting around moping.
The action got started right away and from there it was just a page turner. I loved the different rooms, the descriptions, the history behind the palace.
There were good creepy moments too-- All the characters were amazing, whether you hated or loved them--Lily is my new hero.
And I even cried at the end.
Finally, how awesome of a movie would this make?
The action got started right away and from there it was just a page turner. I loved the different rooms, the descriptions, the history behind the palace.
There were good creepy moments too--
Spoiler
The woman with the red dress made me think of Anna Dressed in BloodAnd I even cried at the end.
Spoiler
The last chapter with Jacques? Just twist the knife further into my heart, why dontcha.Finally, how awesome of a movie would this make?
onegirlreads's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars, pretty good. It had some flaws but I found the story interesting enough to read it pretty quickly.