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A review by narteest
Dead of Winter by Kresley Cole
4.0
Saw this on shelves today, can't believe it's out and so, without thinking twice, bought it.
It was after I bought did I face palm....>.> I thought I was supposed to be on a book buying ban >.<.
UPDATE
This one read a little slower than the last two but the gore and intense need to survive and save on Evie's part is still the same.
Plus this series is one of few that actually knows how to do a love triangle right! Jack might be an ass and Aric might be twice the ass but they have their good points too
More review later.
U P D A T E
It's been a few days since I read this, and just like before, I still love it.
On the whole, I will say there are many negative things I can definitely attribute to the series. I mean...seriously, two asshole chauvinistic guys as the love interests that make me wonder if the world has gone backwards, yet these are totally the kind of guys you see in romances and considered attractive in their own bad boy way.
But this series has a lot of attractions too. I mean, it has one of the most unique worlds I've experienced in my line of reading, and not to mention that it is really action packed (which wins me over more than anything), and also, there's the basic human feelings. I like that not everyone loves each other in this series. I like the high level of distrust that doesn't feel half done. I like how the characters grow to like each other or have reasons to join in on alliances without sounding half assed. There are so many books that come across as half assed and it gets irritating. But Kresley Cole doesn't do that. She goes all the way and she never takes a beat the wrong way.
You can definitely see the work of a seasoned writer in this, and no matter the cons, there are the pros that make it work.
This book, like it's previous sequel, is pretty straightforward and doesn't have the same effect as the first book. The first book was Evie telling her story of what had happened and how discovered her true nature. In Endless Knight, she unravels a bit more about her past. And in this one, she faces choices while sticking to wanting to end the game.
There is nothing too special about the plot, it was mostly predictable, though there was one reveal which I have half guessed but only felt really disgusted and shocked (not that it stopped me reading, in a way the surprise just added to the intensity of the book) when the twist was revealed. From the beginning of the book to the end, you already knew what the whole point of it was. Defeating the Lovers. How to defeat them though, was the question.
The Lovers, oh my gawd, how do I describe the interpretations of the Lovers in this book? It's just so....perverse.
And honestly, that's kinda one of the good things about this series. It's really kind of twisted. There are some really gory scenes, and even though it is a little gross, it isn't underdone for the world that Kresley Cole has created here. Cole doesn't go easy. She goes hard. And she's not kind to her characters either.
As for characters, I find myself liking each one whereas there are a lot of times when I just shrug my shoulders and couldn't care less about a character in a book. But in Dead of Winter I grew to like each and every character. My favourite of all is Matt--the Fool--he's a really great character, and I liked him the most. I also think it's funny that Evie doesn't get it when he says, 'Tredici'. But then again, I only think it's funny because I learnt a bit of italian in school and recognised it immediately for what it meant, whereas Evie didn't. So until 'Tredici' appeared she didn't know, even though it's so obvious...yay for knowing the numbers in other languages!
Selena, the Moon, also surprisingly grew on me in this one. Though Jack and Aric did not--I still like them as characters, and I also think they're both assholes who totally make poor love interests if they weren't crafted so well and convincingly and absolutely made for the book series and Evie. But really, Jack is STILL a jackass in my mind, specially in this one, even though he has his sweet moments, but yeah, a guy like that in real life, steer me away. Same with Aric, he definitely has his negatives, and while yeah the feelings are there, in real life, he would be a creep! Thank god these guys are just book characters, this way I can feel less guilty about cheering Evie and Jack on. As well as the love triangle, which I admit again, is one of the few I've seen that are done properly.
Love triangles that involve feelings other that "OMG HE"S HOT" are ACTUALLY love triangles with meaning and deserve to be written. But otherwise, nearly all love triangles in YA can swim around my toilet for all I care. And same with most YA relationships, specially the ones that are built on lust and not love even though they call it love. The ones that actually develop get my vote, the others can suck it.
The Tower, the World, Judgment also feature in this book as allies. The High Priestess makes an appearance, which was exciting! Though seeing Tess (the World) use her powers was awesome. And the Emperor, oh the mighty Emperor...
And of course, the Lovers. I bring them up again because they were positively a highlight as villains. Grotesque in creation and bloody in delivery. So perverse in their love....
Lastly, I look forward to seeing the remaining cards in action, and again I now how to wait a whole bloody year for the next installment!!! With another crazy cliffhanger that had my heart going ___________________________
Overall, if you want an awesome take on the Arcana and Tarot Cards, totally give this a go.
It was after I bought did I face palm....>.> I thought I was supposed to be on a book buying ban >.<.
UPDATE
This one read a little slower than the last two but the gore and intense need to survive and save on Evie's part is still the same.
Plus this series is one of few that actually knows how to do a love triangle right! Jack might be an ass and Aric might be twice the ass but they have their good points too
More review later.
U P D A T E
It's been a few days since I read this, and just like before, I still love it.
On the whole, I will say there are many negative things I can definitely attribute to the series. I mean...seriously, two asshole chauvinistic guys as the love interests that make me wonder if the world has gone backwards, yet these are totally the kind of guys you see in romances and considered attractive in their own bad boy way.
But this series has a lot of attractions too. I mean, it has one of the most unique worlds I've experienced in my line of reading, and not to mention that it is really action packed (which wins me over more than anything), and also, there's the basic human feelings. I like that not everyone loves each other in this series. I like the high level of distrust that doesn't feel half done. I like how the characters grow to like each other or have reasons to join in on alliances without sounding half assed. There are so many books that come across as half assed and it gets irritating. But Kresley Cole doesn't do that. She goes all the way and she never takes a beat the wrong way.
You can definitely see the work of a seasoned writer in this, and no matter the cons, there are the pros that make it work.
This book, like it's previous sequel, is pretty straightforward and doesn't have the same effect as the first book. The first book was Evie telling her story of what had happened and how discovered her true nature. In Endless Knight, she unravels a bit more about her past. And in this one, she faces choices while sticking to wanting to end the game.
There is nothing too special about the plot, it was mostly predictable, though there was one reveal which I have half guessed but only felt really disgusted and shocked (not that it stopped me reading, in a way the surprise just added to the intensity of the book) when the twist was revealed. From the beginning of the book to the end, you already knew what the whole point of it was. Defeating the Lovers. How to defeat them though, was the question.
The Lovers, oh my gawd, how do I describe the interpretations of the Lovers in this book? It's just so....perverse.
And honestly, that's kinda one of the good things about this series. It's really kind of twisted. There are some really gory scenes, and even though it is a little gross, it isn't underdone for the world that Kresley Cole has created here. Cole doesn't go easy. She goes hard. And she's not kind to her characters either.
As for characters, I find myself liking each one whereas there are a lot of times when I just shrug my shoulders and couldn't care less about a character in a book. But in Dead of Winter I grew to like each and every character. My favourite of all is Matt--the Fool--he's a really great character, and I liked him the most. I also think it's funny that Evie doesn't get it when he says, 'Tredici'. But then again, I only think it's funny because I learnt a bit of italian in school and recognised it immediately for what it meant, whereas Evie didn't. So until 'Tredici' appeared she didn't know, even though it's so obvious...yay for knowing the numbers in other languages!
Selena, the Moon, also surprisingly grew on me in this one. Though Jack and Aric did not--I still like them as characters, and I also think they're both assholes who totally make poor love interests if they weren't crafted so well and convincingly and absolutely made for the book series and Evie. But really, Jack is STILL a jackass in my mind, specially in this one, even though he has his sweet moments, but yeah, a guy like that in real life, steer me away. Same with Aric, he definitely has his negatives, and while yeah the feelings are there, in real life, he would be a creep! Thank god these guys are just book characters, this way I can feel less guilty about cheering Evie and Jack on. As well as the love triangle, which I admit again, is one of the few I've seen that are done properly.
Love triangles that involve feelings other that "OMG HE"S HOT" are ACTUALLY love triangles with meaning and deserve to be written. But otherwise, nearly all love triangles in YA can swim around my toilet for all I care. And same with most YA relationships, specially the ones that are built on lust and not love even though they call it love. The ones that actually develop get my vote, the others can suck it.
The Tower, the World, Judgment also feature in this book as allies. The High Priestess makes an appearance, which was exciting! Though seeing Tess (the World) use her powers was awesome. And the Emperor, oh the mighty Emperor...
And of course, the Lovers. I bring them up again because they were positively a highlight as villains. Grotesque in creation and bloody in delivery. So perverse in their love....
Lastly, I look forward to seeing the remaining cards in action, and again I now how to wait a whole bloody year for the next installment!!! With another crazy cliffhanger that had my heart going ___________________________
Overall, if you want an awesome take on the Arcana and Tarot Cards, totally give this a go.