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forthesanityof1's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Read this on a whim for October because I wanted something with a bit of horror/supernatural in it. This was like an alternate timeline Twilight but Twilight was better. I liked the inclusion of different supernatural beings, but I wish their differences and attitudes were more fleshed out. It feels like I only learned about vampires with no real emphasis on the others. Even the vampire stuff was uninteresting until the end when they were talking about hormones in animal blood versus human blood and how that affects sensitivity to sunlight. That was super interesting. More lore please.
I also have a gripe with several other aspects of this book. I know it's YA and geared towards teens, but there are ways to make stories like this marketable to your target audience without talking about Harry Styles and Dr. Pepper and emoji pants. Those very specific details added nothing. I already knew how young the MC was from the beginning and from other aspects of the narrative. I also disliked the over-usage of text talk, the word "like" and "very" and "really." It ruined the atmosphere the author was building in several scenes and would also lead to unnecessary detail or narration from the MC that added nothing to her character or the story. All it did was make me, as the reader, angry.
Additionally, I want to talk about the development of the relationship because it feels very internet psychology (I'm a therapist) and not necessarily in a positive way. The insta-love/lust/connection at the beginning was forged through curiosity, boundary violations, and some sense of shared trauma over a single moment undercut with lust. I found this to be unique but still not my personal type of story I would rush over to read if it was pitched as having some "deeper" connection between the MC and the love interest. I did appreciate the openness of a few of the conversation, but again, it felt like I was hearing the author speaking (probably from her own therapy experience) instead of the character. I also wonder who, exactly, Grace is? The book opens with her grief and trying to keep herself together. Somewhere along the way, that just...disappears. The source of her grief is never mentioned again until the last 70 or so pages when the author drops in a few very out-of-the-blue plot twists that had little to no lead up (i.e. I cannot trace back through the book and pinpoint subtle hints or clues) and destroyed the narrative quality she'd been creating. Genuinely have no clue where one in particular came from and the MC's reaction to it left a lot to be desired.
Despite all of this, I did have a relatively enjoyable time. I tried not to take it too seriously and over-analyze everything, but the bad parts really stood out as bad parts. I would point out the same things in any book, regardless of targeted age group. I'll probably read the rest of the series because it was easy and not super complicated on my very tired brain. I did enjoy some of the character interactions and I think aspects of it are genuinely interesting. WhenJaxon brought her a copy of Twilight, I started cackling like an idiot. I loved the self-awareness. . I do wonder how the future relationship will go because it feels like the author has affirmed a lot of insecurities from both characters that would normally be drawn out over the course of the series. We shall have to see.
I also have a gripe with several other aspects of this book. I know it's YA and geared towards teens, but there are ways to make stories like this marketable to your target audience without talking about Harry Styles and Dr. Pepper and emoji pants. Those very specific details added nothing. I already knew how young the MC was from the beginning and from other aspects of the narrative. I also disliked the over-usage of text talk, the word "like" and "very" and "really." It ruined the atmosphere the author was building in several scenes and would also lead to unnecessary detail or narration from the MC that added nothing to her character or the story. All it did was make me, as the reader, angry.
Additionally, I want to talk about the development of the relationship because it feels very internet psychology (I'm a therapist) and not necessarily in a positive way. The insta-love/lust/connection at the beginning was forged through curiosity, boundary violations, and some sense of shared trauma over a single moment undercut with lust. I found this to be unique but still not my personal type of story I would rush over to read if it was pitched as having some "deeper" connection between the MC and the love interest. I did appreciate the openness of a few of the conversation, but again, it felt like I was hearing the author speaking (probably from her own therapy experience) instead of the character. I also wonder who, exactly, Grace is? The book opens with her grief and trying to keep herself together. Somewhere along the way, that just...disappears. The source of her grief is never mentioned again until the last 70 or so pages when the author drops in a few very out-of-the-blue plot twists that had little to no lead up (i.e. I cannot trace back through the book and pinpoint subtle hints or clues) and destroyed the narrative quality she'd been creating. Genuinely have no clue where one in particular came from and the MC's reaction to it left a lot to be desired.
Despite all of this, I did have a relatively enjoyable time. I tried not to take it too seriously and over-analyze everything, but the bad parts really stood out as bad parts. I would point out the same things in any book, regardless of targeted age group. I'll probably read the rest of the series because it was easy and not super complicated on my very tired brain. I did enjoy some of the character interactions and I think aspects of it are genuinely interesting. When
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail