kaetheluise_nckl's review
2.0
I was sent a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I know what it feels like to put a lot of work into a book and then put it out there for people to judge it, and that is why I was very sad to discover that against my expectations, I found this book was "just okay" and that I did not like it enough to rate it three stars.
I respect all the authors and the work they've put into the stories of the characters, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to give this book a try.
I, unfortunately, found myself thinking that I missed or accidentally skipped parts of the book, because in parts of it (in multiple storylines), it felt like the storytelling was choppy. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of, and I often had to go back to the beginning of a chapter to catch up on what I forgot about after having put down the book for a night.
I saw someone calling this book an anthology in the reviews, and I don't feel like this book really qualifies as an anthology because the characters come together at the end, and I feel like the cooperation between the authors was aiming at a cohesive storyline that was just told from multiple POVs - however, if that was actually the aim, in my opinion, it didn't really work out.
It got a little tiresome to read about nine different characters and the historian in between, and when they came together in the last couple of chapters, the storyline read in a very rushed way, and it was lacking an ending that told me, as the reader, that the story was told now and that the book had come to an end. It felt incomplete. I think it would have been quite nice to close the plot with an epilogue written from the historian's point of view.
Something that also bothered me, was the several names used for the Devil, especially because I discovered towards the end that Satan was an entirely different character - or maybe he isn't, after all, and I got confused by it.
I, again, feel like one could have made use of the historian a little better to explain the many names of the Devil.
Something that also confused me, was how the book dabbled in different religions. Especially because the world tree Yggdrasil was mentioned in the beginning, and then never again. It confused me, because I, as a nordic pagan, do not believe in the concept of the devil (or Satan, because neither the concept of the person/creature nor the concept of hell as it exists in Christianity, for example, exist in the religion and the beliefs that I follow), and the mentioning of this key symbol of Norse mythology in connection to a rather "Christian" concept angered me to a certain point.
I was never sure if what I was seeing was a Christian or a pagan approach to this concept, because it felt like both and neither at the same time, even though pagan witchcraft (and satanism) could have been an interesting concept to work into the story as visible key element, especially because magick was also used as a concept in some of the storylines. The mix of fantasy and reality in that aspect was one that needs a little more work to be less confusing and more coherent and cohesive.
I also cannot really say that I found myself to be able to relate to any of the debutants as characters. They were all quite static in my opinion.
HOWEVER, I generally enjoyed reading about Nina and Veritaea and I was hoping the book would carry on with the slightly spooky storylines because that was what I was expecting from the book after reading the pitch.
I also liked the historian, but he could have been utilized more for storytelling and maybe some fourth-wall-breaking as well, which would really lend itself to his character.
All in all, I was quite disappointed by the overall execution of this book, but I found that I was still able to enjoy some of the characters' storylines.
Unfortunately, this book was not what I was expecting, and so, even though I really respect these authors for all their hard work, I find myself unable to rate it above a two-star.
I know what it feels like to put a lot of work into a book and then put it out there for people to judge it, and that is why I was very sad to discover that against my expectations, I found this book was "just okay" and that I did not like it enough to rate it three stars.
I respect all the authors and the work they've put into the stories of the characters, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to give this book a try.
I, unfortunately, found myself thinking that I missed or accidentally skipped parts of the book, because in parts of it (in multiple storylines), it felt like the storytelling was choppy. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of, and I often had to go back to the beginning of a chapter to catch up on what I forgot about after having put down the book for a night.
I saw someone calling this book an anthology in the reviews, and I don't feel like this book really qualifies as an anthology because the characters come together at the end, and I feel like the cooperation between the authors was aiming at a cohesive storyline that was just told from multiple POVs - however, if that was actually the aim, in my opinion, it didn't really work out.
It got a little tiresome to read about nine different characters and the historian in between, and when they came together in the last couple of chapters, the storyline read in a very rushed way, and it was lacking an ending that told me, as the reader, that the story was told now and that the book had come to an end. It felt incomplete. I think it would have been quite nice to close the plot with an epilogue written from the historian's point of view.
Something that also bothered me, was the several names used for the Devil, especially because I discovered towards the end that Satan was an entirely different character - or maybe he isn't, after all, and I got confused by it.
I, again, feel like one could have made use of the historian a little better to explain the many names of the Devil.
Something that also confused me, was how the book dabbled in different religions. Especially because the world tree Yggdrasil was mentioned in the beginning, and then never again. It confused me, because I, as a nordic pagan, do not believe in the concept of the devil (or Satan, because neither the concept of the person/creature nor the concept of hell as it exists in Christianity, for example, exist in the religion and the beliefs that I follow), and the mentioning of this key symbol of Norse mythology in connection to a rather "Christian" concept angered me to a certain point.
I was never sure if what I was seeing was a Christian or a pagan approach to this concept, because it felt like both and neither at the same time, even though pagan witchcraft (and satanism) could have been an interesting concept to work into the story as visible key element, especially because magick was also used as a concept in some of the storylines. The mix of fantasy and reality in that aspect was one that needs a little more work to be less confusing and more coherent and cohesive.
I also cannot really say that I found myself to be able to relate to any of the debutants as characters. They were all quite static in my opinion.
HOWEVER, I generally enjoyed reading about Nina and Veritaea and I was hoping the book would carry on with the slightly spooky storylines because that was what I was expecting from the book after reading the pitch.
I also liked the historian, but he could have been utilized more for storytelling and maybe some fourth-wall-breaking as well, which would really lend itself to his character.
All in all, I was quite disappointed by the overall execution of this book, but I found that I was still able to enjoy some of the characters' storylines.
Unfortunately, this book was not what I was expecting, and so, even though I really respect these authors for all their hard work, I find myself unable to rate it above a two-star.
linathebookaddict's review
3.0
Okay, let me start with the fact that I love this cover!! I was at once attracted to it!! It really is promising but alas, the book wasn't what I expected. What I value in a book the most, are its memorable characters. So, I was very let down when I realized, that sadly, none of the heroines were relatable to me. This is labelled an anthology but I feel it is...not? Kinda?
I felt that the writing wasn't compelling enough for me. And in books like this, in a collection of stories, the writing needs to make an impact.
The characters seemed superficial and some aspects of the writing seemed rushed. Even though, I have to admit I liked the premise. The execution though fell flat. Writing a book is like sharing a part of your self and while I think the authors tried really hard, I ended up trying hard to concentrate when reading this.
Still, this was an interesting concept of the Devil and his daughters. It wasn't for me, maybe it is for you.
⭐⭐⭐ STARS.
I felt that the writing wasn't compelling enough for me. And in books like this, in a collection of stories, the writing needs to make an impact.
The characters seemed superficial and some aspects of the writing seemed rushed. Even though, I have to admit I liked the premise. The execution though fell flat. Writing a book is like sharing a part of your self and while I think the authors tried really hard, I ended up trying hard to concentrate when reading this.
Still, this was an interesting concept of the Devil and his daughters. It wasn't for me, maybe it is for you.
⭐⭐⭐ STARS.
aeculley's review
4.0
This is a fun read comprised of interwoven stories about nine daughters of Lucifer that comes together in a surprising way at the end. It’s an interesting look at nature vs nurture vs self determination. While I liked all the characters, even Lucifer (surprisingly), Vi and Fay were my favorites. The story wrapped up nicely, but I wanted more just because I liked them all so much.
More...