I'm not really sure how to start this... Bardugo's books always sound like something I'm going to love. Her characters sound like the type of characteI'm not really sure how to start this... Bardugo's books always sound like something I'm going to love. Her characters sound like the type of characters I'm going to adore. However, in the past, I started two of her books, and I do not believe I did get past chapter three in either of those.
And then this book came, I fell love in with the cover. The blurb seemed fantastic. Reviews came, and it seemed so twisted, I book I would love. Then I noticed that the friends' average rating was way lower than the global one, and I was unsure. Should I read it or not?
Thankfully, Alex being the hero she is offered me a buddy read. So, I finally had a reason to read the book. And you know, it was time to know for good. To finish Bardugo's book. Either to fall in love with her work or to finally accept that her books are not for me.
So, I was finally able to pick up this book. And, now I'm unsure how to write this review. I keep going back, thinking that something is missing. But this is what it is.
I felt like CinemaSins (or BookSins?) every time I thought "hmm, narration." There was so much narration, description of unnecessary things and a lot of it felt like it was just told instead of shown. I got bored, really, really fast. I was reading very slowly, and I was not really interested in the story right from the beginning, which probably was not the best thing. And then Alex DNFed on me and I wondered if I should as well. But I had a goal, to finish a Bardugo book.
I started skimming certain parts which were dragging which helped a lot.
I cannot really say that there is really a moment where the story picks up. It always felt like there was something coming, some tension, some revelation and then the next chapter crashed down, and I was sad that for a moment I thought it would get more interesting.
There was so much said about this book being "adult" and how to expect gruesome things etc. Which were there... but somehow did not leave any impression. This connects to the main feeling I got from this book "plastic" and "flat". It should have been horrible, but it was sort of... just there? (view spoiler)[Even the moment when the guy ate from the toilet. Which feels super yucky just writing down had no effect on my while reading. (hide spoiler)]
If you read the spoiler, you saw that I referred to that person as that guy... which is because I had a terrible time trying to remember the names of the majority of characters. Sometimes after several chapters, a character was mentioned, and I was unsure which one was it, and I had to go back to see who they were and what they did.
Darlington... What can I say? Even people who disliked this book seemed to love Darlington. And you know what? I did not. For a character (view spoiler)[which actually was not in the story, only in the strange flashbacks from his POV (hide spoiler)] I really disliked him. I just could not get to like him. He was annoying, and I wished Alex would punch him. I was glad that he was gone (view spoiler)[I just wish his POV would have stopped soon and he would remain lost. (hide spoiler)] I have no idea how to describe him. On one side he has a bit of Hermione Granger feel to him. And on the other, he feels a bit like the usual bad/mysterious boy which he really was not. And the mix did not really work.
As for the villain. Well, I got two suspects. One became suspect to me the moment they appeared on the page. Because they just behaved suspiciously and the character was otherwise really out of the place even if others were put around to make it like there is a reason for this person to be in focus. It just seemed rather obvious. Then I got a second character I started to distrust. Because they just tried to keep everything way too hush hush. (view spoiler)[What a surprise that there were two villains who were not connected to each other and I guessed both of them. However, I have to say that I also had a moment of stupidity there. The moment Daisy was mentioned, I thought: "That's funny, the author got two characters named after the same flower only in different languages. I wonder if she did that on purpose or it is a coincidence." (hide spoiler)]...more
I am very pleasantly surprised here! For a debut? It is pretty damn good!
And also the fabulous buddy-read with Mary helped me to enjoy this book even I am very pleasantly surprised here! For a debut? It is pretty damn good!
And also the fabulous buddy-read with Mary helped me to enjoy this book even more!
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- This was me while reading all the time! Since we were reading only 5 or 6 chapters per day (okay except for the last but one when we read 12 but WE NEEDED ANSWERS!)
- Mary had to suffer through numerous of my conspiracy theories and since I had so much time to think about those theories. Some of them were crazily correct! I have to say; my theory game was on point with this one!
- When I first found out about this book, it really reminded me about Three Dark Crowns. With the title, with the cover (I know it's blue, now but my screen colour is always so much down that it seemed black). And I even thought that this was the last book in that series. And now I just hope that people won't mistake it for TDC because this is worth reading!
- You get action from the first page! Somethings happening all the time and you're trying to connect all those dots, and then you find out that you completely overlooked something. (Or you did not think that it was important!)
- I like Kera! She's snarky, rude and resourceful! She's fun, and I really liked her, it was a long time since I liked the main female character that much!
- This book made me laugh at the most inappropriate moments!
"To be safe, she emptied half the bottle."
“So no to breaking into the palace, but yes to stealing more clothes?”
- Varin is cute and everything... but I'm not here for the cute!
“Go, you stupid Eonist!”
- Talking about Eonists, I could not imagine living in Eonia! That Quadrant freaked me out! (view spoiler)[ The moment you're born they determine when you'll die. But not determine, they set the date! Like finding that you have an illness, but you will be fine for the next 20 years, so they give you the 20 years and then set your death date because you would be a burden on the society! Or if you fail at your job, they can move the death date closer! (hide spoiler)]
- And Mackiel? That's what I'm here for! I loved his character! Loved to watch his plans!
- The timeline of the story was a killer!
- Romance: (view spoiler)[Not a fan of it. Kera is going to eat Varyn alive! I still don't get it how they got "in love". (hide spoiler)]
- And obviously the one thing I did not question (but messed every my theory) came to bite me!
- This book made me slightly paranoid!
- And huge thanks to the author that she made this a stand-alone! Because most would try to make a trilogy out of this, but thankfully this was not the case. Instead, we got actioned packed one book which is totally worth it!
But, you know me, I have to point out some things that I did not like. Four quadrants and the kingdom (or should I say queendom?) is called Quadara? A bit originality, please! (view spoiler)[ The end is a bit too happy for me! I know, three Queens are dead, but it's written in such a way that you know that the things will move towards the better. That the one Queen will unite the Quadara and will be Queen for everyone! She will try to remove the death date for Eonist and stuff like that! Kera's father is healed; she will reunite with them, they will love her again. And she'll live happily ever after with Varin... (hide spoiler)] --> This would be minus 0,5 ⭐....more
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