Scan barcode
secretdearest's review against another edition
4.0
3.75/5
Finally finished this, after literally a whole month.
The sun is balancing on the horizon, a flame bobbing above the silver arrow-tops of the forested hills in Lord Conkliin's fiefdom.
I loved this sentence, really poetic. One of the reasons I read is to find gems like this in a book. However, let's carry on to the next quote.
"When he was a colt, he didn't have much contact with people, so he needs time to trust others. Know what I mean?"
How are we not supposed to understand? That's very straightforward. Yes, we do know what you mean.
Ok, so being honest, the book was a good read, it didn't however, have that wow what am I reading factor for me, and it has to have that in order for me to give a book the fullest mark.
It honestly wasn't that exciting, being honest. After the first half, it got kind of boring.
However, I will gladly read the next book in the series.
Finally finished this, after literally a whole month.
The sun is balancing on the horizon, a flame bobbing above the silver arrow-tops of the forested hills in Lord Conkliin's fiefdom.
I loved this sentence, really poetic. One of the reasons I read is to find gems like this in a book. However, let's carry on to the next quote.
"When he was a colt, he didn't have much contact with people, so he needs time to trust others. Know what I mean?"
How are we not supposed to understand? That's very straightforward. Yes, we do know what you mean.
Ok, so being honest, the book was a good read, it didn't however, have that wow what am I reading factor for me, and it has to have that in order for me to give a book the fullest mark.
It honestly wasn't that exciting, being honest. After the first half, it got kind of boring.
However, I will gladly read the next book in the series.
rode0's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
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
4.5
lockesolarian's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This one was rough. The plot was predictable, the characters were flat, and the prose verged on purple. The romance was skin deep, there was literally nothing to like about the love interest except that he was hot and smelled good. By the end I disliked him because of how patronizing he was.
It would’ve been nice if the MC used her bow even once instead of getting kidnapped or passing out constantly. Her powers were boring too.
I liked the premise though, and some of the worldbuilding was fun, though by the end we still didn’t know much about the world.
It would’ve been nice if the MC used her bow even once instead of getting kidnapped or passing out constantly. Her powers were boring too.
I liked the premise though, and some of the worldbuilding was fun, though by the end we still didn’t know much about the world.
lizferon's review against another edition
The book hinted at things but didn’t explain them in order to create tension, but dragged it on too far, creating a “miscommunication” that should have been dealt with but wasn’t because “plot.” I didn’t feel like continuing down that road to see what happened.
ashurq's review against another edition
2.0
I honestly can't even with this book. The characters were SO BORING. Think of the most generic special snowflake female protagonist = the protagonist of this book. Think of the most generic super good-looking male love interest = the love interest of this book. The premise of the book sounded so interesting too! There was going to be conflict because her ex-best friend who she's had a crush on forever is suspected of having murdered her father and she's the only one who can find him! In reality, the book was just "I'm on a horse. Oh, I found the guy. Oh, I can tell when people are lying and so I know he didn't kill my dad. Oh, he's so handsome and still smells good even though we've been riding a horse for 50 days in a row. Oh, I need to save the kingdom now that I know I'm a special snowflake. Oh, but he really is handsome and really does smell good." That was basically the whole story so now you don't have to read it. You're welcome. In the grand scheme of things, the romance/relationship should have taken a backseat to the rest of the plot. Instead, it's shoved in our faces at every turn. Not a fan. I'm honestly surprised I didn't DNF it.
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
amybethcj's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
kingabee's review against another edition
3.0
What can I tell you? This is a classic YA fantasy tale with a lot of angst thrown in. A special girl who doesn’t know she is special (or beautiful) learns that she is special (and beautiful).
There of course is a boy (there is always a boy), and when there is a boy, there is a ton of angst. There is little world-building, but who has the time for that when there is just so much teenage angst to fit in. And still, I somehow felt very little.
Our special girl is, of course, an orphan. I found that it is a very convenient plot device, as parental figures can often talk sense to the character and stop them from acting idiotically, therefore wrap the whole book up in one chapter.
Honestly, it’s a book you have probably read before if you’ve read any recent YA fantasy, but hey, we all love the songs we’ve heard before so if that’s your jam, knock yourself out.
The love interest in the story (Cohen) has that most annoying trait that is everywhere in YA books and for some reason people find it romantic – he constantly tells our heroine what to do, and repeatedly withholds vital information from her ‘for her own good’. I can’t even begin to tell how toxic this shit is and I wish YA authors came up with some different ways of moving the plot along and retired this old bullshit.
One thing I should mention on the positive side, though, was a clever use of the stupid prejudices people hold that are fed to them for political reasons by people with specific agendas. That hits close to home (our general Planet Earth home, I guess).
And the actual premise and the whole mystery is actually quite interesting but totally underdeveloped, while too much time is spent on how nice Cohen smelled.
There of course is a boy (there is always a boy), and when there is a boy, there is a ton of angst. There is little world-building, but who has the time for that when there is just so much teenage angst to fit in. And still, I somehow felt very little.
Our special girl is, of course, an orphan. I found that it is a very convenient plot device, as parental figures can often talk sense to the character and stop them from acting idiotically, therefore wrap the whole book up in one chapter.
Honestly, it’s a book you have probably read before if you’ve read any recent YA fantasy, but hey, we all love the songs we’ve heard before so if that’s your jam, knock yourself out.
The love interest in the story (Cohen) has that most annoying trait that is everywhere in YA books and for some reason people find it romantic – he constantly tells our heroine what to do, and repeatedly withholds vital information from her ‘for her own good’. I can’t even begin to tell how toxic this shit is and I wish YA authors came up with some different ways of moving the plot along and retired this old bullshit.
One thing I should mention on the positive side, though, was a clever use of the stupid prejudices people hold that are fed to them for political reasons by people with specific agendas. That hits close to home (our general Planet Earth home, I guess).
And the actual premise and the whole mystery is actually quite interesting but totally underdeveloped, while too much time is spent on how nice Cohen smelled.
dalinarsreads's review against another edition
1.0
Awh man.... I really wanted to like this book, really did but um... wtf was that??? First off, the writing was... not good. It was bland, boring and I've met paper more interesting than the MC and her 'love interest'
readingmissfroggy's review against another edition
2.0
I keep going back and forth between a 2.5 and a 2.75 star rating...
Let's start with what I loved:
First of all, unless you are blind, you must have seen this gorgeous cover. And the inside is really pretty too, every chapter starts with this arch around the chapter number and little details... Very very pretty!
Another thing that I liked is the world. It seems like such an interesting place! They are almost at war, one worships magic users while the other hunts and kills them... Very cool! There are also a ton of other minor differences such as language, clothing and general looks like hair colour and such.
The last thing that I enjoyed was the mystery. Britta's dad has been killed and she is hunting down Cohen, the boy that she loves, while not really understanding what happened.
Now what I didn't like:
Our characters randomly find pieces of information that they put together immediately (and sometimes unrealistically or without thinking) that changes the whole perspective but you still don't have enough to even have a hint of what happened and why. The reader never really gets a chance to solve the mystery. I find that somewhat important with a mystery because it makes me feel more connected to the story. It feels as if I'm part of the team, part of the group of people who are trying to solve this case. Another reason why this never really happened is because:
Britta is such an IDIOT! Seriously... She is a complete idiot! I see her making decisions and argumentative stuff that makes my toes curl in awkwardness and frustration. She is such an idiot and I really don't like such main characters. The only reason why she survives is because:
Of Cohen. And let me tell you right now: I dislike Cohen even more. His MO is to protect Britta. And when I say protect, I mean protect from every little mean thing and danger in the world. The girl has been trained by her father alongside him, her father the bounty hunter, but still Cohen seems to think she is made out of glass and surrounded by elephants any time something happens. It's ridiculous! And talking about ridiculous:
The romance... OH MY GOSH THE ROMANCE! Obviously... I can't support this romance between a female character that is such an idiot and a male that is crazy protective that, if it had been me, I would have knocked him unconscious and run away (and possibly let myself be admitted at a psych ward because we need to figure out why I ever liked him back). But the characters aren't the only reason why I disliked the romance. There are some more... First of all they always seem to make out or confess their feelings at times and places that are just not appropriate! When you need to be silent and quick that is no place to hug someone from behind, scare them into screaming, and then cuddle some more. NO, THAT IS NOT THE PLACE OR THE TIME! And when it turns out that Cohen is even more of an arse that I already thought it turns out he did some other stuff and is still forgiven because gosh he is not wearing a shirt and my gosh he is ripped and oh my he is really sorry. No, that is not a healthy romance.
Lastly, I felt like the first couple of chapters could have used some extra lines. At one point our main character mentions that the shadows of her horse are disappearing in the night and the next line mentions the sun burning on her shoulders??? HOW??? There were multiple things like that and yes, I get that time has passed between line 1 and line 2 but it still pulls me out of my reading.
So there you have it... I'm really not sure if I want to continue with the series. There was potential and maybe the character will be better in the sequel. But my experience is that this more often than not doesn't happen (aka: I have never seen it happen). We will see...
Let's start with what I loved:
First of all, unless you are blind, you must have seen this gorgeous cover. And the inside is really pretty too, every chapter starts with this arch around the chapter number and little details... Very very pretty!
Another thing that I liked is the world. It seems like such an interesting place! They are almost at war, one worships magic users while the other hunts and kills them... Very cool! There are also a ton of other minor differences such as language, clothing and general looks like hair colour and such.
The last thing that I enjoyed was the mystery. Britta's dad has been killed and she is hunting down Cohen, the boy that she loves, while not really understanding what happened.
Now what I didn't like:
Our characters randomly find pieces of information that they put together immediately (and sometimes unrealistically or without thinking) that changes the whole perspective but you still don't have enough to even have a hint of what happened and why. The reader never really gets a chance to solve the mystery. I find that somewhat important with a mystery because it makes me feel more connected to the story. It feels as if I'm part of the team, part of the group of people who are trying to solve this case. Another reason why this never really happened is because:
Britta is such an IDIOT! Seriously... She is a complete idiot! I see her making decisions and argumentative stuff that makes my toes curl in awkwardness and frustration. She is such an idiot and I really don't like such main characters. The only reason why she survives is because:
Of Cohen. And let me tell you right now: I dislike Cohen even more. His MO is to protect Britta. And when I say protect, I mean protect from every little mean thing and danger in the world. The girl has been trained by her father alongside him, her father the bounty hunter, but still Cohen seems to think she is made out of glass and surrounded by elephants any time something happens. It's ridiculous! And talking about ridiculous:
The romance... OH MY GOSH THE ROMANCE! Obviously... I can't support this romance between a female character that is such an idiot and a male that is crazy protective that, if it had been me, I would have knocked him unconscious and run away (and possibly let myself be admitted at a psych ward because we need to figure out why I ever liked him back). But the characters aren't the only reason why I disliked the romance. There are some more... First of all they always seem to make out or confess their feelings at times and places that are just not appropriate! When you need to be silent and quick that is no place to hug someone from behind, scare them into screaming, and then cuddle some more. NO, THAT IS NOT THE PLACE OR THE TIME! And when it turns out that Cohen is even more of an arse that I already thought it turns out he did some other stuff and is still forgiven because gosh he is not wearing a shirt and my gosh he is ripped and oh my he is really sorry. No, that is not a healthy romance.
Lastly, I felt like the first couple of chapters could have used some extra lines. At one point our main character mentions that the shadows of her horse are disappearing in the night and the next line mentions the sun burning on her shoulders??? HOW??? There were multiple things like that and yes, I get that time has passed between line 1 and line 2 but it still pulls me out of my reading.
So there you have it... I'm really not sure if I want to continue with the series. There was potential and maybe the character will be better in the sequel. But my experience is that this more often than not doesn't happen (aka: I have never seen it happen). We will see...