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A review by gus_reads
The Blood Hours by Ann H. Fox
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review- thank you to NetGalley and Lake Country Press!
This book was not for me, but fans of young adult fantasy will probably LOVE it. I wouldn't describe this book as "adult": there are some +18 (violence and sex) scenes but apart from that the plot is VERY "teenagey".
I believe it's a good book for those looking for a The Hunger Games x Grishaverse kind of story. Plus, the author has adapted the YA fantasy tropes very well to the current times: queer rep, healthy (ish) relationships, both men and women in the "good" and "evil" sides...
The main focus is on the romance and the couple interactions are quite similar to a teenage relationship (despite them being 21-24): a lot of teasing, infatuation and not daring to show your feelings.
Which is fine, honestly. Many people like, I just don't. But there's too much of it, it could be a book on it's own. And there's WAY too much flirting for a story that is supposed to happen in a cruel, threatening and hopeless scenario. Of course two people can fall in love in the middle of a slaughter festival, but I don't expect them to roll their eyes and raise their eyebrows every two pages while others are literally dying next to them.
That took me out from the story a lot. Because the whole first part, when Ever and Sayer were together in the woods, I felt that they could have been camping, I didn't feel the fear that the Blood Hours are supposed to make you feel.
I think my main issue is that I was expecting more violence and cruelty. I loved the action/fighting scenes, and I was actually kind of rooting for the villains because their scenes were the most interesting ones for me.
The worldbuilding part of the book was ok, although for me the political and moral part of the plot was underdeveloped. I think the author would do (will do?) a great job if she had the opportunity to continue building and describing this world in sequels. I believe she has the potential to become a popular author in the young adult (new adult?) fantasy bookish community, I'll recommend her to my friends - but I will move to reading horror because based on my thoughts about this book, apparently that's what I'm looking for now
This book was not for me, but fans of young adult fantasy will probably LOVE it. I wouldn't describe this book as "adult": there are some +18 (violence and sex) scenes but apart from that the plot is VERY "teenagey".
I believe it's a good book for those looking for a The Hunger Games x Grishaverse kind of story. Plus, the author has adapted the YA fantasy tropes very well to the current times: queer rep, healthy (ish) relationships, both men and women in the "good" and "evil" sides...
The main focus is on the romance and the couple interactions are quite similar to a teenage relationship (despite them being 21-24): a lot of teasing, infatuation and not daring to show your feelings.
Which is fine, honestly. Many people like, I just don't. But there's too much of it, it could be a book on it's own. And there's WAY too much flirting for a story that is supposed to happen in a cruel, threatening and hopeless scenario. Of course two people can fall in love in the middle of a slaughter festival, but I don't expect them to roll their eyes and raise their eyebrows every two pages while others are literally dying next to them.
That took me out from the story a lot. Because the whole first part, when Ever and Sayer were together in the woods, I felt that they could have been camping, I didn't feel the fear that the Blood Hours are supposed to make you feel.
I think my main issue is that I was expecting more violence and cruelty. I loved the action/fighting scenes, and I was actually kind of rooting for the villains because their scenes were the most interesting ones for me.
The worldbuilding part of the book was ok, although for me the political and moral part of the plot was underdeveloped. I think the author would do (will do?) a great job if she had the opportunity to continue building and describing this world in sequels. I believe she has the potential to become a popular author in the young adult (new adult?) fantasy bookish community, I'll recommend her to my friends - but I will move to reading horror because based on my thoughts about this book, apparently that's what I'm looking for now
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence