Soooo disappointed. I was supposed to be, I don't know? Charmed by language? Swayed by gotic-ish ambiance? Won by occasional magic? Well, not really. Soooo disappointed. I was supposed to be, I don't know? Charmed by language? Swayed by gotic-ish ambiance? Won by occasional magic? Well, not really. The story was boring and predictable, the main character boring and without any story arc or character building, her actions and abilities given without context or explanation other that "Oh because I'm my grandmother's granddaughter".
Still suffering from a major cringe whenever someone is trying to use Slavic names and mixes them up with made up Slavic names, but still a very pleasStill suffering from a major cringe whenever someone is trying to use Slavic names and mixes them up with made up Slavic names, but still a very pleasant read. Actually 3,5 stars, but I'm feeling generous today....more
So. I love Meyer and I love retellings, I was so happy to accidentally find this book and then three stars? What the hell happened?
First, the pacing oSo. I love Meyer and I love retellings, I was so happy to accidentally find this book and then three stars? What the hell happened?
First, the pacing of the novel is off. You have moments when you are really captivated - if you don’t mind retellings, playing with them and mixing them - and moments when you just skip to the end through fillers. Meyer tried to populate her novel with a vast world of characters, which is admirable, buuuuut most of the characters are just boring and waste of paper, sorry, pixels. This book should be MUCH shorter.
Second, she mixes up a few fairytales and sometimes it feels artificial, something I never had with Meyer’s novels. I would be happier with less tales, more plot, thank you.
Third, the personal arc of the main character is quite chaotic, she feels pushed from “one side of the map to the other” and at some point it gets annoying.
Don’t get me wrong, I stayed up VERY late to finish it, I still liked it etc. I just expected more from Meyer. ...more
Meh. The characters were so one dimensional that at some point as a reader I just wanted to bang my head against the table. And it's worse - they wereMeh. The characters were so one dimensional that at some point as a reader I just wanted to bang my head against the table. And it's worse - they were described. You barely ever get a chance to actually recreate them in your head from dialogues and actions, it's all given to you by the author. MEH.
The good things? Social workers showed as competent, authorities as someone you contact when needed, and therapy as something that works. Props for that, no sarcasm.
And FFS, Nikita is a male name. MALE. Not everything that ends with an A in Russian is female. Ugh....more
Ahahahaha. So, if I was measuring just the fun I had while reading, this would totally be getting four stars. But it remains my personal rule not to gAhahahaha. So, if I was measuring just the fun I had while reading, this would totally be getting four stars. But it remains my personal rule not to give four stars to actually bad books.
I can only blame @Agata for finding this silly little thing - I saw her reading the fourth installment and I kind of trust her taste in books.
So - this reverse harem weirdness is stupid, pointless, not-so-well-written, with barely existing world building.
And you know what? I don't really care. I laughed, I snorted and generally had the time of my summer. Off to buy the next part. ...more
Zatem sprawa wyglada tak ze przez prace spałam trzy godziny, i miałam odespać w ciągu dnia, ale zamiast spać kupiłam tę szatańską książkę, i jest pierZatem sprawa wyglada tak ze przez prace spałam trzy godziny, i miałam odespać w ciągu dnia, ale zamiast spać kupiłam tę szatańską książkę, i jest pierwsza w nocy i piszę Wam jak było super. To chyba wystarczy za recenzję. ...more