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syl_val15's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 out of 5 stars.
There are two kinds of books that'll leave you feeling confused:
1) Complicated things will happen in the story without any explanation that the reader will have no other choice but to dnf it.
2) The writer gives you puzzle pieces about the storylines and us/the readers have to put them together, which makes it more fun.
This book falls under the latter's category.
There are two kinds of books that'll leave you feeling confused:
1) Complicated things will happen in the story without any explanation that the reader will have no other choice but to dnf it.
2) The writer gives you puzzle pieces about the storylines and us/the readers have to put them together, which makes it more fun.
This book falls under the latter's category.
arayofreading's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
I almost gave this five stars because I was absolutely obsessed with the romance. The pining and angst were top notch, and was basically what kept me wanting to read more.
On a story level, I think some aspects were lacking. Perhaps because this was marketed as a Phantom of the Opera inspired story, I was expecting a bit more exploration of the "phantom" character in the book. We got a hint at his character and how he emotionally and psychologically affected the protagonist, but I think there was potential for a much deeper interrogation of his character and influence. I furthermore thought that the magical competition that is the impetus of the plot could have been developed better; we rarely, if at all, see other contestants, and in general there is not really a feeling of stakes since we are so limited in perspective. Like I said before, however, I thought the romantic tension was developed beautifully and it honestly distracted me initially from these other aspects.
I almost gave this five stars because I was absolutely obsessed with the romance. The pining and angst were top notch, and was basically what kept me wanting to read more.
On a story level, I think some aspects were lacking. Perhaps because this was marketed as a Phantom of the Opera inspired story, I was expecting a bit more exploration of the "phantom" character in the book. We got a hint at his character and how he emotionally and psychologically affected the protagonist, but I think there was potential for a much deeper interrogation of his character and influence. I furthermore thought that the magical competition that is the impetus of the plot could have been developed better; we rarely, if at all, see other contestants, and in general there is not really a feeling of stakes since we are so limited in perspective. Like I said before, however, I thought the romantic tension was developed beautifully and it honestly distracted me initially from these other aspects.
hopeglow's review against another edition
3.0
probably around 3.5-3.75 if we wanna be accurate accurate
shyreads_books's review against another edition
3.0
Hmmmm. Okay first off this was recommended by a lot of people who said it’s like the night circus. No. No it’s not. The night circus had an actual plot and great visualizations. Where these dreams descend was absolutely slow. It took me a month to finish because I couldn’t get into it. And even then it was boring. People went missing. The tournament started going. There was a little romance but I felt like there wasn’t really a big climatic event. Like things happened but they weren’t like oh wow. Ya know. Even the ending confused me and I’m not sure quite what happened I’m going to have to look it up lol. It does have a lot of mystery and atmospheric vibes so I think that was done great but even the world building was minimal.
oreowild's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kdap94's review against another edition
3.0
Reminded me a lot of The Night Circus, but didn’t feel quite as fun and charming. It was a good read but I’m annoyed by how long it was and how little it revealed. I’ll probably read the next one but I don’t really want to do it yet.
bellatap's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
I barely finished this book. I was so bored.
thewrittenadventure's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you Wednesday Books for providing this ebook in exchange for my honest review!
DNF’d at 50%, while the premise was interesting, I wasn’t invested in the story. I felt like there could have been SO MUCH done with Jack and it just wasn’t building that tension that I was looking for. I also felt like the author was keeping secrets from the reader for no other reason than to make the main character’s backstory a ~mystery~ when we could have definitely learned more about her and still kept some of the mystery. Overall, a little disappointing from what could have been a really good story.
DNF’d at 50%, while the premise was interesting, I wasn’t invested in the story. I felt like there could have been SO MUCH done with Jack and it just wasn’t building that tension that I was looking for. I also felt like the author was keeping secrets from the reader for no other reason than to make the main character’s backstory a ~mystery~ when we could have definitely learned more about her and still kept some of the mystery. Overall, a little disappointing from what could have been a really good story.
ash_kat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0