The first book of 2020 and... I liked it? Even if this review may focus a bit more on the things, I did not like (why is it so much easier to write a The first book of 2020 and... I liked it? Even if this review may focus a bit more on the things, I did not like (why is it so much easier to write a review pointing out the things I did not enjoy that those I did?). However, I have to say that this review is very far from perfect, I had a tough time writing it, and I'm not 100% happy with the result. And in the end, I had to cut parts of it because I've run out of characters.
Okay, I liked it a lot, I enjoyed reading it, and while it's not perfect and I'll have a lot to talk about, I still consider it a very good book. And I cannot wait to read the next one. So, when is that one coming out?
In terms of a retelling, this is more of "inspired by" and very loosely. Anastacya is clearly Anastasia; however, she only has a brother and no other siblings. Cyrilia is inspired by Russia, same with language (more on that later), then you get bits of Russian Civil War with Red Cloaks vs White Cloaks, but that will probably play a bigger role in next books. But otherwise, the author took these things and set them into a fantasy setting.
The writing was really good, and I have a hard time believing that this is a debut! Well done and I sincerely hope that we will get more books from this author beyond this trilogy. The thing that was sometimes dragging it down was an overuse of cliché sentences which were unnecessary to the story especially since it feels like the author has the means to write the story well without relying on those. But I'm really happy that the story started with action and it did not seem that the action really ever stopped. All the time something was going on, and I do not think I ever felt like something was there just to *fill* space.
The flow of the story was great; I was always eager to turn the next page to see where this is heading. But, I cannot say that this was an unpredictable book; in many instances, it seemed very predictable. But, since it was so well-written, I did not mind that. What I did mind (sometimes) were unnecessary flash-backs. Some of them were fine, but when they came in a middle of (view spoiler)[torture (hide spoiler)], it was torture for me to have to read a flash-back which I was not interested in to know what's currently happening. I felt like the author did a great job at building up the characters; I did not feel like she needed all of those flash-backs to do so. (Yes, some were necessary but not all.)
So, then the characters. I liked Ana. She is the "lost" princess who was accused of murdering her father. It's been a year since she fled the palace, and it surprised me how naive she still was about the reality of her Empire. She's clearly seen how those with Affinity are treated there, but she needed Ramson to drag her through it to finally understand. It was interesting to see her slowly grasp the whole horror of the situation, and while she had a pretty bad time with her Affinity(view spoiler)[ her father gave her to a guy to poison her and basically torture in hopes to heal her from the Affinity. (hide spoiler)], Ana was still not ready to accept that her Empire was rotten. I had my issues with Ana, mainly that I had no idea how any of her plans could end up any other way than with a failure. That's the naivety once again. But I have high hopes for her in the future, and I sincerely hope the author does not turn her into an invincible superhero.
“Don’t die,” he said. “Don’t get kidnapped,” she replied.
Ramson. I also liked him, but for a wicked con man, he did not seem like one. For someone who spends months in jail, he was surprisingly fit. He also had some hilarious banter with everyone which works as a bit of lightening up the mood. But he could ease up on the "darlings", I did not feel like that suited his character.
You focused on the battle and lost sight of the war.
Then little May, she’s hands down the fiercest character in this book. I thought she would tear Ramson to bite-sized pieces. (view spoiler)[And I hope that Ana will manage to find her mother. (hide spoiler)]
Plus I sincerely hope that we will see more of Linn, she seemed like a fun character!
I honestly did not feel much of a romantic vibe between Ana and Ramson, and thankfully, it was very much on the background of the story, and it’s not distracting. However, the couple I’m shipping the most is Linn and the Yaeger she fought against at the end of the book. There is no romance between them, but I want it. (view spoiler)[However, I sincerely hope that there will be no love triangle between Ana, Ramson and Yuri. I cannot stand any more love triangles. Plus Yuri feels like every "childhood friend" who will suddenly show love interest and will be threatened by the girl thinking about someone else. So, please, do not do that! (hide spoiler)]
Those with Affinity in Cyrilia are hated for it, pushed aside, seen as less than human. More like machines sold to work. Other nations mentioned in the book do not see them in the same way, but Cyrilia does. The criminals even try to lure Affinites from other countries to Cyrilia and then force them to sign a working "contract" where they are then treated basically as slaves.
There are different types of Affinity. Some can make fire; others can control earth and grow flowers or chuck huge stones on their enemies; others can fly. And then there are the more complicated. (view spoiler)[Ana is Blood Affinite and can control people by their blood; she can bleed them to death or use their blood to "push" them. Then there are flesh ones which can control people's mind or provoke fear. And then there are Yaeger which can control other's Affinity. (hide spoiler)]There are many types of Affinity from what I can say. It actually reminds me a bit of Shatter Me series. However, so far, I lack some explanation to why some have Affinity, and other's don't. Ana seems (so far) to be the only one in her family with Affinity. I sincerely hope that the author is going to address this in the second or third book. I do not mind that there is no explanation for Affinity in this book, but I would be disappointed that there were none in the whole series.
Also for Ana's Affinity, she first learned that she had it when she was rather young (view spoiler)[ I believe around 8? And by accident, she killed a bunch of people (hide spoiler)], and she was conditioned to view herself as a monster which she continues to do so even during this book, and a change comes only at the end of the book. I'm very curious to see what she'll be able to do when she trains.
The main villain. Who is it even? There are at least two villains who (view spoiler)[seemingly work together even if their goals seemed to complete opposites. I just don’t think that Kerlan would just stop his “trade” with Affinites just because of a deal with Morganya. That’s a lot of money he would be losing. I can certainly see some backstabbing between those two. As for Morganya. I’m really confused by her. She wants to destroy anyone who treated Affinites as less, but in doing so, she does not hesitate to destroy Affinites in her way or ally with those who traffic them? Not gonna work plus me think that lady is hypocritical. Back to Kerlan. I know it’s wrong and that he won’t have a redeeming arc. But I certainly enjoy this guy on-page. (hide spoiler)]
I have to say that my favourite moment appeared almost at the end of the book. I thought "oh, that ended well" only to be slapped in my face. What was I thinking! Of course, that's not how it's going to end.
As I mentioned above the inspiration by Russia is clear. Even the “language” or the way some things are called are clearly inspired by Russian. But even before this book was published, I had an issue that in Russian Ana would be MikhailovA, not Mikhailov. And I kept wondering this was disregarded by the author who did not know or she simply decided to do it differently. But since Anastasia was rewritten to Anastacya, I decided to believe that all that was done on purpose by the author. And despite the clear influence of Russian, I won’t use the author-butchering-foreign-language shelf I would normally use. The only reason why I decided against it is the fact that this is clearly fantasy fiction. It does not call the country Russia, the map is not remotely similar to Russia, and it’s neighbours. I’m going to view it as a pure fiction with some inspiration drawn from Russia and the Russian language.
*note: I did not want to make this review about the whole drama; it should be about the book itself. So, here is just this short statement what I think about it after reading the book. I purposedly left the whole "rant" as a separate review because I do not feel like the drama was caused by this book but rather by someone with malicious intentions.* As to the controversy, I still find it completely unfounded; however, when it was announced that there was another round of editing after the drama, I was a bit anxious whether I should or should not read it. It felt like the author was forced into self-censorship. Then I realised that I would be the biggest hypocrite if I did not read it since I had so much to say when the book was attacked. Someone already wrote to me that they will be doing a comparison review which I cannot wait to read. And if anyone else is writing one as well, please, let me know! I suspected that certain things were changed while reading and after looking at some of the first reviews for the "first" edition, it seems that I was right. And I'm not sure how I feel about that....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
Ehm, I really really want Mello to point his gun at me. And I know that that's not a healthy obsession.
If it were Mello vs Kira for the win, I would Ehm, I really really want Mello to point his gun at me. And I know that that's not a healthy obsession.
If it were Mello vs Kira for the win, I would be supporting Mello! And can I just say that his new look is awesome? The scar is the bomb!
I don't like Near, he is boring very childlike, and he reminds me of a monkey. I sort of expect him to scratch his head with his toes — not a fan. ...more
You know what? It does not matter what you read, what genre or if it's a manga. The only important thing is if you like the story.
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And I can teYou know what? It does not matter what you read, what genre or if it's a manga. The only important thing is if you like the story.
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And I can tell you that I like Death Note very much to the point where I can say it makes me feel physically good. I feel myself smiling and relaxing; I'm excited to turn the page.
I need more of this in my life.
And what else can I say? I'm so happy that Misa is finally on the scene. I love her chaoticness and childish glee. And do I need to mention that she is my namesake?...more
Okay, this is so amazing! I literally freaked out because I cannot take it how amazing it is. And this is my second time reading it!)
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Team Kira Okay, this is so amazing! I literally freaked out because I cannot take it how amazing it is. And this is my second time reading it!)
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Team Kira all the way and I feel no shame at all! And I want Ryuk! I would give him all of our apples! Btw, can I say that detective Raye Penber deserved what he got? I seriously disliked the way he talked to his fiancée, Naomi....more
I feel a bit ashamed that the only part I've remembered is this scene:
“I'm sure you're wondering why I've brought you here." I moved to the center of I feel a bit ashamed that the only part I've remembered is this scene:
“I'm sure you're wondering why I've brought you here." I moved to the center of the room, my strappy sandals clacking on the marble floor. "I'm assuming this is where the punishment part comes in," I said. "So do I need to clean all these mirrors, or do I have to, like, stare at myself until I feel shamed or something?" Surprisingly, Dad gave a tiny smile. "No, nothing quite that abstract. I want you to break one of the mirrors." "Excuse me?" Dad leaned back against the now-drapeless window and folded his arms over his chest. "Break a mirror, Sophie." "What what, my head? Because I'm pretty sure that'd be corporal punishment, and Mom would not be cool with that." "With your powers." Ugh. I took in the dozens of mirrors and muttered, "I think I'd rather use my head.”
Which is still my favourite, :D I cannot help, I love Sophie's humour, and I love that her father has it as well. I sort of felt like reading it for the first time because I just wanted to scream "what!"
The first book is slightly better, but it was still awesome.
I love Nick and Daisy; they are so cute together! I want more of them. And Archer is awesome as well. But Cal is getting a bit on my nerves as well as Jenna is....more
Oh! Full circle. So, this book was the reason why I started using NetGalley and while I almost stopped. (Yup, got declined).
Anyway, now, two years laOh! Full circle. So, this book was the reason why I started using NetGalley and while I almost stopped. (Yup, got declined).
Anyway, now, two years later, I'm using NetGalley pretty often, and I decided to finally read this book. (Just checked my e-mail, I received the declining e-mail on 17/8/2018. Why did I read this so fast? It could have been a fun anniversary.)
So, what did I think? (I mean, you already know based on my rating but still...)
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In all honesty, this would be a 4,5* from me, but since I enjoyed it reading so much, I'll round it up to five!
Not gonna lie, I love fashion as much as the next girl. So, this topic basically won me over before I knew anything about the book.
And as much as many of you know, I love the villains in most stories or the anti-heroes. Anya is just that, this story is told from the POV of the villain of the story. Or is she? Maybe all of them are villains?
Anyway, Anya is crazy, to say the least. And she wants to be Sarah's BFF, so, she fakes her way into the fashion magazine La Vie. (Ehm, Dan Humphrey much?)
"Fashion people never let you forget that you don't belong."
But being in is not enough. When Anya and Sarah start competing for a promotion, things go south, I mean, Sarah cannot be a BFF with her employee, right?
However, Sarah is not the only competition, no, no, no, there are interns who pity Anya, who want to be Sarah's BFF, Sarah's current BFF who is digging in Anya's past. So many people are standing in Anya's way.
"You know what they say—if you can't join them, beat them."
I did not expect this book to turn so... gruesome in a way. For some reason, I expected it to be more comedic without the bodies piling up. ¨
Everyone started at Anya like this:
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And Anya went:
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And trust me, she knew how to you them.
Some of the things I did not necessarily like or I just wanted to point them out: - Huge thank you to the author for making this a standalone! - Also, can we get another book from Amina? She needs to write another book. - It was quite easy to guess the outcome. (view spoiler)[ Not sure if "guess" is the right word but I just kept screaming "frame her! frame Sarah." (hide spoiler)] - The thing with Doctor M. became obvious quite fast. - Sometimes I felt like some things were mentioned for no apparent reason. Like when someone spilt coffee on Anya during Fashion Week. (view spoiler)[Did it really happen? (hide spoiler)] - (view spoiler)[ Also, I wish that some things that happened had some impact. Like Anya giving Sarah a necklace from her victim's hair. Or even the nails of a victim being found inside Sarah's desk. Or the teddy bear? (hide spoiler)] - (view spoiler)[Since Anya was not all there, I keep wondering what really happened and was just her imagination. With the doctor, it was easy, but later on, it was becoming a bit of a guessing game which is a pity. (hide spoiler)] - Can we talk about Jack? He's 'totes' cute! - I totally get why some people may not enjoy this book and that it contains a lot of things which may be triggering to some....more
“There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay “There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.”
Ray Bradbury did it. He presented a world where the population is completely controlled. And it was such a simple decision. Burn! The most frightening thing is that I could see glimpses of our society in Fahrenheit 451. And I thought about it. Are we slowly inching towards Bradbury's world? I was left breathless by this little novel. Reaching always for another page. Feeling strange pain in my heart for those characters completely swallowed by the simple entertainment. This novel is full of quotes I want to share and never to forget and for everyone to hear them.
“But you can't make people listen. They have to come round in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up around them. It can't last.”
“We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?”
“Oh God, the terrible tyranny of the majority. We all have our harps to play. And it's up to you to know with which ear you'll listen.”
“And when he died, I suddenly realized I wasn’t crying for him at all, but for the things he did. I cried because he would never do them again, he would never carve another piece of wood or help us raise doves and pigeons in the backyard or play the violin the way he did, or tell us jokes the way he did. He was part of us and when he died, all the actions stopped dead and there was no one to do them the way he did. He was individual. He was an important man. I’ve never gotten over his death. Often I think what wonderful carvings never came to birth because he died. How many jokes are missing from the world, and how many homing pigeons untouched by his hands? He shaped the world. He did things to the world. The world was bankrupted of ten million fine actions the night he passed on.” ...more
Okay, after seeing a bazillion of raving reviews for this one (and the sequel) I caved.
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This would be an easy answer. The more complicated and Okay, after seeing a bazillion of raving reviews for this one (and the sequel) I caved.
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This would be an easy answer. The more complicated and the true one is that I like it BUT.
So, let's have a look at the but. (No typo here 😊) And a fair warning might be a bit spoilerish.
- The first thing I have to say is that this might be a bit of my fault because through seeing a bazillion of reviews I did not manage to hide from some spoilers. So, I knew a bit what to expect.
- A thing I was dying to say: their school/lessons/lectures/whateveryouwanttocallit make no sense! Hear me out. It is for the Gentry children, but Jude and Taryn get to go as well. Supposedly Vivi should be there as well. And here is the first thing, is it mandatory? Or is it not? Because it seems like no one really cares if the kids are there. Vivi does not go. Taryn skipped classes once. Jude skipped them as well. Valerian skipped them. The teachers do not really pay attention to what's happening in their classes. They even change the topic of the classes when a Prince does not like it. Come on, I would guess that the King was the one who formed this "school" and the teachers should answer to him and not to the whims of his youngest son. I don't have a problem with the bullying (being in the book not that I think it's a normal thing. It's not). But I have a huge problem with the fact that it once took place in a class where the teacher clearly saw it and did nothing. Probably beside leaving. Like, what the...? All the kids in these class are somehow important. Their parents clearly are. And even if a Prince were to truly hurt a Generals daughter, there would be consequences. Maybe not for said Prince but I would bet that the tutor would be the one to face the consequences. It makes no sense! If they did all of it out of classes then okay but like this? Do not tell me that none of the kids talked about what they did to the General's daughter. And that none of their parents thought: "The young Prince has NO power, but the General is connected to the future King! Well, there is something to gain in telling him that his daughter is being mistreated."
- Am I the only one who got a massive City of Bones feel at the beginning? You know the whole (view spoiler)[ Jude's mum, and Jocelyn both faked their death by setting their houses on fire and then hid away for years. With their husband's child. Until said husband found them. (hide spoiler)]
- So, of course, I have to talk about the HYPE. Do I think it deserves the hype? Maybe. Did I succumb to the hype? Not yet. Not yet? Yes. And here's why. The beginning of the Cruel Prince was a bit slow. Somehow cliché. Only around the half, it started to really move. However, if the second book will follow in the same manner as the second half of the Cruel Prince than you can bet that I will sign on the dotted line for the Hype.
So, enough for the but and let's move on.
- And of course, I have to talk about Cardan's tail! 🐩 I'm sorry, I cannot help myself. I have so many questions. Like does he wiggle his tail when he's happy? When he kisses someone? Sleeps with someone? And when he's afraid does he tuck his tail between his leg? (No double meaning here! 🤣) I'm so sorry, but I just need to know more about his tail!
- I'm sort of conflicted about Jude. I like her. Like half of her. I like the bloodthirsty side of her, the one that wants revenge and wants power and is very good at scheming! The Slytherin part of her. 🐍 However, I do not like that part of her that is impulsive good-doer.
I am an idiot. An impulsive idiot. 🦁
- I do not like Taryn. Not because she is a (view spoiler)[backstabber who thinks only about herself (hide spoiler)] But because she is no good at it. Because she will get herself hurt very bad with this approach and then she is going to blame others for it. But I'm willing to bet on one thing; she will have a moment before this book ends: (view spoiler)[She held the crown, she had the power. If she went and gave the crown to Balekin, she could have possible gain something. However, she let Jude take it from her and Jude is still angry so Taryn will be getting nothing. Taryn will be angry; she will believe she deserves a reward and then she'll do something stupid to backstab Jude. (hide spoiler)]
- And since I went down the road, talking about both twins. Now is the time to have a look at Locke. And you may be surprised what I'm going to tell you. I liked him. I want more of him. I'm not mad at him for what he did. Because no matter what for that particular play, he needed someone to dance with him. He had no obligation to anyone. No one should have expected better of him. And honestly, he even gave a fair warning at the beginning! He likes drama; if there is none he will create it! But all of it was based only on one thing. Taryn's silence. I hope there will be more of his schemes in the next books. And honestly? He might be a fabulous member of the Court of Shadows.
- And when I'm talking about twins who are not at the best terms together I have to wonder. The Ghost mistook them for each other. I say that he is a terrible spy! Come one, he knows about the fact that Jude has a twin. He saw Jude previously. He knows what she's wearing. Don't tell me that that it was a stressful situation! He should have been aware of the fact that it was Taryn and not Jude! However, that brings me to the next thing. Are we going to see one of the twins pretending to be the other? Will Taryn get her revenge by pretending that she's Jude?
“You’re scheming.” I am so tired of her suspicion, so very tired. “You always think that,” I say. “It’s just that for once you’re right.” Leaving her to worry what that might mean.
- I knew it was not all. I'm actually surprised that Jude was able to best Madoc. (view spoiler)[I would expect that King's General would be taking poisons to built up his resistance. But it seems that he did not do it, otherwise he would consider Jude and Taryn doing the same if it would give them a fighting chance. But I'm still surprised that a General would not be trying his best to be resistant to anything and everything! (hide spoiler)]
What I liked the most is the fact that the book is full of pain. There is no holding back. There is torture. They try to kill Jude. Jude purposely hurts herself to make herself stronger. It is full of stabbing, killing, murder, torture, more backstabbing and treason. There is murder by treason, and there is treason by murder. This book is a very Slytherin kind of a book. And I really hope that it won't change in the next book. I need more Slytherin books! I love stabbity stab kind of books!
EDIT (17/12/2018): I officially need to stop learning new languages! A couple of months ago I started with Italian, and it managed to destroy a book fEDIT (17/12/2018): I officially need to stop learning new languages! A couple of months ago I started with Italian, and it managed to destroy a book for me, already! Okay, the thing is, Melody is Italian, and several times she or another character speak Italian. The author several times said that she had it multiple times checked to make sure those sentences are correct. But I can say that she did not! I can see those mistakes. And I love this book or even the whole series. But honestly, I'm just angry with another series because the author butchered Russian there. And it is not fair to give this book a free pass just because I like it. I can recognise that the other author managed to butcher the language in a couple of words. McAvoy is failing on longer sentences. However, I'm telling you, it is better to have no Italian (or any language you do not know) than butcher the language. Also, because I read this book several times, I know it, and with every re-read, I see more and more typos, nonsense sentences and switches in the scenes. Like Mel wearing a dress, suddenly it's a t-shirt, and on the next page, it's a dress once again. I love McAvoy and her books because the characters are just so ruthless. However, she needs a better editor! And a native Italian.
In regards to me a little revelation, I need to lower the rating. But I can honestly say that if it was my first read, I saw the bad Italian I would be angrier. However, since I already have a little connection to the story, I'm going to be a bit nicer. (4/5 ⭐)
EDIT: I had to change the rating because this one is my favourite in the series. (5/5 ⭐)
ORIGINAL: This just randomly appeared in my Goodreads Updates Feed, and I knew I had to read it. So, I put it in my To Read shelf and move one. But some little devil was sitting on my shoulder and screaming to read it right away. And I did. (4/5 ⭐)
Love this because they are really bad guys and openly evil. And they own it. There is no good vs evil. This is about who's the biggest evil of them all! Finally! I waited so long for a book where the characters would just own that they are not good or pretend there is some higher good they do evil things for.
I don't say this very often. But I loved the main heroine. Melody was everything. Rude. Smart. Wicked. Evil. Cold. And much more. But mainly - She was a boss from start to finish. I love how at their first meeting she came on top. Knowing more then the Callahans did. (view spoiler)[ And honestly? I loved that she was so violent. Like actually firing at him! (hide spoiler)]
Liam was an idiot. But amazing idiot! I loved that his little "man-only" word was turned around.
What I really liked about this was the dynamics. Usually in books like this book you got an evil man and weeping flower. Or if she is some sort of leader, she, thanks to her love for the man, realises that she doesn't want to be like that and hands him all the power. No, they were a match set in hell.
Also, Fedel is sooo damn cute! I want to see more of him.
And I have to have some negatives. - (view spoiler)[ Really, getting pregnant? That fast? I thought she was using a pill or something? But okay when she got pregnant, I knew something would happen to the baby. (hide spoiler)] - The Liam's little play to make sure (view spoiler)[ she loves him real and forever (hide spoiler)] was a bit theatrical. But okay. - Was this a Twilight fan fiction? Because I got a bit of that vibe. Especially with the characters in the family. Even the Melody/Olivia hate was sort of Bella/Rosalie... But maybe I am seeing things that do not exist. :D - Olivia needs a good death. And quickly. She's getting on my nerves. - Some typos - not a grammar nazi. I know that I have a lot of typos and grammar mistakes, and usually I just do not realise it. But when even I see them in a book? That's not good....more
Asi jsem ještě nikdy 600 stránek nepřečetla takhle rychle, fakt mě to nechtělo pustit! Přiznávám, moc jsem od toho nečekala, trochu jsem se bála, že jAsi jsem ještě nikdy 600 stránek nepřečetla takhle rychle, fakt mě to nechtělo pustit! Přiznávám, moc jsem od toho nečekala, trochu jsem se bála, že je tolik lidí nadšených. A taky protože nejsem zrovna fanda "vesmírných" story.
Párkrát jsem měla pocit, že se nic moc neděje a že všechno je pořád dokolečka a začínala jsem se nudit. Pak ovšem přišla taková bomba, že nuda byla hned zapomenuta. A ten konec jsem fakt nečekala i když nevím, co přesně si o něm pořád myslím.
Pár věcí bylo trošku nerealistických: (view spoiler)[Chtěla bych vidět ten úprk skoro 700 lidí přes celou loď. Nějak to nepůsobí zrovna přesvědčivě. Zvlášť, když všichni prchají k jednomu hangáru. (hide spoiler)] Takže až na počáteční zmatek, kdy si prohodil Ezra a Kady loď, tak to za to fakt stálo....more
You gotta stop them at the beginning. Like they shoulda stopped Hitler at Munich, they should never let him get away with that, they were just asking You gotta stop them at the beginning. Like they shoulda stopped Hitler at Munich, they should never let him get away with that, they were just asking for big trouble when they let him get away with that.
You know that you are a Czech person when this is your favourite quote/sentence(s) from the whole book.
I expected many things from this book because let's face it this book is a phenomenon! But, I didn't know what I will get because I never saw the movies and never read anything about the book. Also, this book has impressive power; it took me so long to read it because every time I opened in public someone started to talk to me about it. A policeman at the Prague castle that was searching my bag and watched as I went through the metal detector, at least three workers at the Prague airport, an English gentleman that sat next to on the flight to Istanbul, numerous people in metro...
So, I started. I was flooded with so many characters that I had no idea where my head was. I loved some; I hated some, I wanted to know about many. I thought that some of them deserved their fate or even worse than they were getting. I could not stand Johnny Fontana, he got everything, and he appreciated nothing. I was surprised to actually like Jules Segal; he was surprisingly refreshing.
I looked at some reviews and was actually surprised at how many people complain about the women and their role in the story. And I want to ask, what did they expect? A strong heroine that would put battle with the men? Italians, mafia, taking place after World War Two, being published at the time... That is not a set up for a strong heroine. No, it is a recipe for a housewife, mother, wife or daughter. Anything else and you can bet that the character won't be portrait positively or as a strong character. I don't think this should be judged by today's standards. (view spoiler)[Yeah, Lucy's operation scene was pretty creepy. Even I have to say that. (hide spoiler)]
I won't go into detail much because there is so much a could talk about.
This is a masterpiece!
But I need to say that I don't like Kay. I don't think she and Michael could function together. She is too progressive for a role of a wife that asks nothing, sees nothing and does as she is told. I actually liked Apollonia. Yes, she liked the little powers that Michael gave her, as teaching her how to drive. I actually think that they were more suited for each other. This brings me to the question, did Kay ever learn about Apollonia? And, in the beginning, I believe Michael liked Kay's progressiveness, but I wonder how he saw it after the time with Apollonia.
And, there is only one man named Clemenza for me. And that is Clemenza Caserta from Hell's Kitchen! I saw him playing Clemenza, and I could not unsee that.
I really did not want to finish this book because that would mean that it's over. Again. It certainly did not disappoint. Loved it so much! Riordan crI really did not want to finish this book because that would mean that it's over. Again. It certainly did not disappoint. Loved it so much! Riordan created a fantastic world which I do not want to leave. Ever. And he also created characters I wish were my friends! I would love to get more scenes between the characters without any fight and worries. Just hanging out and having fun.
After reading Checking In I just had to re-read The Bad Ones. And I still love this book so much. Love how wicked and insane they arUpdate 29/06/2018:
After reading Checking In I just had to re-read The Bad Ones. And I still love this book so much. Love how wicked and insane they are.
Original review: What did I just read? :o
Perfection!
This is the kind of story I was looking for for ages. I believe that books have no limits - you can imagine anything. You can bring the most amazing villains to life for readers to fall in love with them.
This is sick, sinister, twisted and beyond wrong. And absolutely perfect. Dulcie and Constantine could be pretty normal even boring. ALONE. But together they are bringing up something in them. They are daring each other to be as bad as possible.
Usually, if you read a story about someone bad you'll be getting a long list of excuses for what they are doing. Then they gonna regret everything and change.
Not in this one. They're bad because they want to be. They are aware that what they're doing is wrong. And they want more.
“ When do we get to be bad again?” She smiled big. “Baby, I thought you'd never ask.”
I hope they'll be bad again - soon. Because this story just found it's way into my TOP 10. I just cannot resist the wicked characters, I guess.
EDIT (12/4/2017): Got so much to do. And all I do is re-reading....more
It reminds me of the Mara Dyer series. You don't know what's going on because the main character/narrator cannot be trusted/don't know what's going onIt reminds me of the Mara Dyer series. You don't know what's going on because the main character/narrator cannot be trusted/don't know what's going on either. I think this is the kind of book you love, or you hate, nothing in between.
I went through many reviews of this novel. There were several things that were driving the readers crazy. My point? I loved them. But I also understand why you may have hated this book.
1) The writing is sometimes... not that usual.
I plunge down, down to rocky rocky bottom, and I can see the base of Beechwood Island and my arms and legs feel numb but my fingers are cold. Slices of seaweed go past as I fall. And then I am up again, and breathing. I’m okay, my head is okay, no one needs to cry for me or worry about me. I am fine, I am alive. I swim to shore.
More like a poem than a novel. And I understand, it is not for everyone.
2) The way she's describing her feelings. I admit it's sort of confusing, for a while and then it's just beautiful. “Then he pulled out a handgun and shot me in the chest. I was standing on the lawn and I fell. The bullet hole opened wide and my heart rolled out of my rib cage and down into a flower bed. Blood gushed rhythmically from my open wound, then from my eyes, my ears, my mouth. It tasted like salt and failure. The bright red shame of being unloved soaked the grass in front of our house, the bricks of the path, the steps of the porch. My heart spasmed among the peonies like a trout.”
Hey! At first, I thought that he really shot her! I was like, wait, why is he not in prison?
Also, she uses colours and a lot of strange adjectives to describe feelings/situation etc. It's different, and I love it! And again, it is not for everyone.
3) There is a lot of weird "pictures" that as well describe the situation. A witch has been standing there behind me for some time, waiting for a moment of weakness. She holds an ivory statue of a goose. It is intricately carved. I turn and admire it only for a moment before she swings it with shocking force. It connects, crushing a hole in my forehead. I can feel my bone come loose. The witch swings the statue again and hits above my right ear, smashing my skull. Blow after blow she lands, until tiny flakes of bone litter the bed and mingle with chipped bits of her once-beautiful goose.
It might be weird and strange, but I again loved it. She didn't just state that she had an awful migraine she draws it. Is it called a metaphor in this case? Or is it a personification of her migraine?
+) I think that some people were bored with the "fairy tales" she used to describe her situation differently. And again it worked for me. It was easier to imagine, to see.
This book is not perfect; characters are imperfect. They may be spoiled, racist, self-righteous, cold, manipulative... They were human. Imperfect ones, pretending to be perfect.
And the ending? It was amazing, sad and amazing again. It was a shock but not a surprise. You slowly get a feeling that this is maybe what is going on.
So, if you are one of the people who hated this book, I want to tell you, I understand why. If you are someone who loved it, I'm here, absolutely excited and I want to talk to you about the book!...more
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