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fereshteh's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
vollidiot's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
dahana10's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? No
3.0
teastime's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I don't think I can express just how disappointed I was in this book.
I am usually one to love any and all retellings, queer ones especially, as I know how they end most of the time and that gives me great comfort, however this time I could not keep the frown off of my face as I read. This was filled with poor writing and poor characters, this had the chance to be good and I suppose that is what frustrates me the most about this, but from the very first line I could tell that this was going to be a poor read.
Now, I am usually all for shitty books, sometimes some mind numbing vampire porn or a series that was started in the 2000s that have clearly not stood the test of time, or, honestly, some mafia macho man bs really hits the spot. So at first I thought that is what this is going to be. Which is fine and all, not the first retelling I've read that makes my brain just fill with whitenoise. And then I got just the smallest bit past the first chapter.
It was very obvious from the get go that the main character, Jak, was supposed to be quite intelligent but maybe a tad bit sheltered due to his up bringing. Instead it came across as though everyone should be incredibly surprised that he made it this far in life. He was written like the author was trying too hard to make him come across as smart, which instead had the opposite effect.
The base idea of the story was good - though I disagree that it should be marketed as a retelling and instead it has more similarities with a work that would be inspired by - but I'm afraid that was all that was good.
The sex scenes were mid, using the same language far too much and somehow making vampire sex boring and skippable, and there was inconsistency after inconsistency in both plot points and in characters. I felt little to no connection between the characters and their romance felt rushed. All of the 'twists' and reveals were easily seen from miles away and probably should have taken more build up. Grammatical errors and sentences that simply didn't make sense butchered any impact that some scenes attempted to have. If this were maybe one or two hundred pages more and with a better author I probably would have rated this much higher.
Originally I was going to consider continuing with the series, as my love for retellings holds out above my own taste often times, but if this is the out come of the other books in the series I don't see my self reading any other book from this author. I found this author originally from booktok and I think that some people should just stay readers.
I am usually one to love any and all retellings, queer ones especially, as I know how they end most of the time and that gives me great comfort, however this time I could not keep the frown off of my face as I read. This was filled with poor writing and poor characters, this had the chance to be good and I suppose that is what frustrates me the most about this, but from the very first line I could tell that this was going to be a poor read.
Now, I am usually all for shitty books, sometimes some mind numbing vampire porn or a series that was started in the 2000s that have clearly not stood the test of time, or, honestly, some mafia macho man bs really hits the spot. So at first I thought that is what this is going to be. Which is fine and all, not the first retelling I've read that makes my brain just fill with whitenoise. And then I got just the smallest bit past the first chapter.
It was very obvious from the get go that the main character, Jak, was supposed to be quite intelligent but maybe a tad bit sheltered due to his up bringing. Instead it came across as though everyone should be incredibly surprised that he made it this far in life. He was written like the author was trying too hard to make him come across as smart, which instead had the opposite effect.
The base idea of the story was good - though I disagree that it should be marketed as a retelling and instead it has more similarities with a work that would be inspired by - but I'm afraid that was all that was good.
The sex scenes were mid, using the same language far too much and somehow making vampire sex boring and skippable, and there was inconsistency after inconsistency in both plot points and in characters. I felt little to no connection between the characters and their romance felt rushed. All of the 'twists' and reveals were easily seen from miles away and probably should have taken more build up. Grammatical errors and sentences that simply didn't make sense butchered any impact that some scenes attempted to have. If this were maybe one or two hundred pages more and with a better author I probably would have rated this much higher.
Originally I was going to consider continuing with the series, as my love for retellings holds out above my own taste often times, but if this is the out come of the other books in the series I don't see my self reading any other book from this author. I found this author originally from booktok and I think that some people should just stay readers.
rosesandproses's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Jak is what Bella Swan wishes she could be!!! All around lovely read with good narrative suspense, character development, and spice.
I loved the characterization throughout. Some plot points were a little predictable but eh it's a romance novel. And the way characters responded to events or new information was always on point.
I would call this a "nothing happens" novel because the first 70% is more character and relationship driven then action, but the action after that first 70% does not disappoint! (And no shade on "nothing happens" novels because that's my current WIP, too!)
Marius is excellent. Jak is excellent. I love their banter. Catherine and Victoria are excellent. I'd say they balance the "testosterone" well without falling into typical female supporting character tropes. The lore and world building are excellent. The audiobook narrator is excellent.
I loved the characterization throughout. Some plot points were a little predictable but eh it's a romance novel. And the way characters responded to events or new information was always on point.
I would call this a "nothing happens" novel because the first 70% is more character and relationship driven then action, but the action after that first 70% does not disappoint! (And no shade on "nothing happens" novels because that's my current WIP, too!)
Marius is excellent. Jak is excellent. I love their banter. Catherine and Victoria are excellent. I'd say they balance the "testosterone" well without falling into typical female supporting character tropes. The lore and world building are excellent. The audiobook narrator is excellent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Self harm and Suicide
It's a fantasy vampire novel... there's blood, violence, and death. But it's very well done and the major violent descriptions are not senseless.le_d_green30's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
garet's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
sara11_reads's review against another edition
2.0
DNF. I got 50% through it and decided I just don't care about these characters. The writing style is off-putting with lots of grammar mistakes. I don't usually care about grammar so for me to even notice means it's really bad. The characterization is inconsistent and the main character, Jak, just acts nonsensical. He says he spends every night eating a banquet (alone) instead of exploring the castle. Hours and hours of eating by himself? Supposedly he spent his childhood training for this time - training to do what? He just sort of wanders around using his magic when he shouldn't.
sophie63's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0