ARC kindly provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
If I had to give one reason why I liked this book so much, I would have to go for ARC kindly provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
If I had to give one reason why I liked this book so much, I would have to go for originality. I've read lots of fantasy YAs and I'm sure there are people who have read much more than I have, but I think this book manages to surprise and be a breath of fresh air in a genre that is almost saturated. Degenerates -possessed people- isn't something you easily come across in YAs, or at least I know I haven't. TSNR is a very well-developed book. I found the whole concept quite disturbing, and I imagined the degenerates look and move like really fast zombies or that girl from the Grudge.
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Creepy! See what I mean?
But I don't have to give only one reason for liking the book. I loved the countless twists. The story took all kinds of unexpected turns I never saw coming.
For once, we have a heroine that is not the strongest creature on this planet. She has her share of special abilities, of course, but she's not better than everybody else. In fact, she's quite flawed (and I love flawed characters), but nice and relatable at the same time.
Throw in a cute (and quite unique I have to say) love interest and there you have it! A very, very good mix. In all honesty, I wasn't wowed by the romance, nice as it was -it all happened a bit too fast for me- but it's not what this book is about anyway.
It's been a while since I read this book. Letting weeks pass between reading and reviewing a book is always a bad idea, but I'm going through a very hard period in my life - and I can't help but feel that this influences my ratings.
In any case, this is highly recommended! If you're a fan of the genre, you are definitely going to enjoy this. :)
Copy courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book frustrated me to no end! It wasn't even the love triangle bec Copy courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book frustrated me to no end! It wasn't even the love triangle because I disagree that there is one. It is pretty clear who America wants. The only reason she clings to Aspen, IMO, is that he's safe, he's familiar, he's what she's known all her life. If not for the responsibilities that come along with a princess's job description, I feel that America wouldn't spare Aspen a second thought. That may be just me though or wishful thinking (though I doubt it).
No, it was the misunderstandings, the costant back-and-forths. The moment things started going well something always happened and we were back to point zero. And thus my frustration grew and grew.
It was the immaturity of the characters. I have to remind myself they're teenagers and it's normal. But still, ughhhh!
Aspen is still, IMO, very much a flat character. He's there to provide inner conflict for the heroine and little more. I can't get a grasp of his personality and his spewing words against Maxon to make him look bad in America's eyes didn't help me like him any more. Otherwise, he's not bad, just too uninteresting.
Maxon, I love you but I did want to cause you physical damage after a specific (or rather several specific) incidents. I can't deny it.
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Still, if somebody asked me if I recommend this book, depending of course on who asked and what that person liked to read, I would probably tell them yes. It is an indisputable fact that I couldn't put it down.
America
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Maxon
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Aspen
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I'm actually looking forward to the next book. I hope there's less drama and more sweet moments. I still love Maxon, no matter what....more
I have been debating whether I should read this book or not for a long time. I loved the blurb and the cover, but I do hate love triangles mo3.5 stars
I have been debating whether I should read this book or not for a long time. I loved the blurb and the cover, but I do hate love triangles more than anything in the world. I'm glad I gave it a try. It was a really nice book.
Yes, the world building was not as complex as in other YA dystopian books, the story not as unique or captivating and I would have liked a bit more round and well-developed secondary characters because it seemed like their only purpose was to carry the plot forward. They didn't feel real enough.
But this book is a modern fairytale and as such it really worked for me. I really enjoyed it and it helped that I was in the right mood to read it.
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I found some parts of the book a bit tiring, especially the descriptions about the dresses, the palace and the backstabbing between the girls.
On the other hand, I was mostly satisfied with the way the love triangle was handled. I will never like a love triangle, don't get me wrong, but this one here didn't bother me that much. America was in love with Aspen, but felt disappointed in him and that she had lost him for good. It was only natural she developed feelings for Maxon seeing how he is such a kind person and a responsible ruler. These feelings didn't bloom right away but it took time. He became her closest friend before she started having any romantic feelings towards him. But she couldn't forget Aspen at the snap of a finger when she had loved him deeply for years. All in all, I was okay with this particular love triangle because it felt real and not like it was about a silly teenage girl who couldn't decide what she wants.
Maxon was an intriguing character. He was clever, but sometimes I felt like he's been living in his own little world and doesn't know how to properly interact with people. I loved this aspect of his personality. <3
I'm very satisfied with this first installment in the series and I expect even greater things from the second book. As long as America's indecisiveness as to who she truly wants doesn't carry on for too long, I'll be a happy reader! :)
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P.S.: Team Maxon all the way! Aspen can disappear for all I care. Likeable as he was, he didn't feel interesting enough to be the one that gets the girl.
This book is not without its merits and I am not oblivious to them. So I will start with what I liked about it.
This book offers a very realistic depicThis book is not without its merits and I am not oblivious to them. So I will start with what I liked about it.
This book offers a very realistic depiction of teenage life. I've always thought that teenagers can feel as strongly as adults, but without an adult's inhibitions and understanding of the consequences of their actions. As a result, teenagers can be both cruel and clueless, a dangerous combination. I'm surprised that a 17-year old wrote this book. Her narrative voice sounded much more mature, but I guess only a teenager can truly get how teenagers think and behave.
Wesley and I got off on the wrong foot. I found his calling Bianca the Duff in her face pretty cruel and it was hard to like him, but I appreciated his outgoing, teasing personality and the fact that he seemed like a very dependable person, for the people he cared about at least, and the more I read the more I liked him.
For those who have read the book, I loved a particular letter so much I was tempted to give a whole star just for it.
I also liked that Wesley and Bianca accepted each other just the way they were. I didn't feel anybody had to change or compromise in this relationship.
I loved Bianca's friends. They have been true friends to Bianca and it's not something that can be easily found in a YA.
I think what I appreciated the most is the message this book tried to convey. Women are not whores for sleeping around while men are just men. It is bad for both and it probably hints at some issues in the background. Nor is it okay for people to make judgements about others without thinking that sometimes they may be behaving exactly the same way.
What I didn't like
90% of it has to do with Bianca and since she's the narrator, I couldn't easily get past that. Bianca is too cynical for a 17-year-old. I like a healthy dose of cynicism in people but it was OTT here. Bianca came off as bitchy, whiny and bitter and I have no idea why since she seemed to be a popular enough kid at school, intelligent and with great friends. She wasn't bullied and nobody made fun of her.
I didn't like the friends-with-benefits arrangement she had with Wesley, made particularly disturbing by the fact that this is a YA book. This is one of my least favourite tropes and maybe it is my fault for picking up this book when I knew what it was about. This arrangement, however, only got worse because Bianca did it as a form of distraction from her problems. I don't think that people should go sleeping around whenever they have a problem. I found Bianca manipulative and I seriously doubt she knows how to have a functional relationship with any human being, be it a lover, a friend or her parents. She withholds the truth all the time and she can't trust anybody. She was an awful friend for the most part and she couldn't even understand why her friends were hurt by her behaviour.
Bianca was judgemental of everybody when she was probably the most flawed character in the book. Wesley was supposed to be the womanizer, but she was the one that couldn't decide what she wanted and I just hated how casual she was about sex and her using it to get away from her problems. In the end, she came off as much more slutty than Wesley, reputation and everything.
If not for Wesley's persistence, I doubt these two would ever be together as the only thing Bianca knew how to do well was run away from her problems and stick her head in the sand.
At the end of the day, it's hard to give a high rating to a book when you hate almost everything about the main character. Bianca completely ruined this for me, but with so many positive ratings and reviews, I can only assume that
It's time so say goodbye to this most-beloved series. Now I have only to wait for some companion short stories I'm ho*Update after finishing the book.
It's time so say goodbye to this most-beloved series. Now I have only to wait for some companion short stories I'm hoping Marie Rutkoski will write about Arin and Kestrel. (Please say this is a possibility!)
Review to follow...
I can't believe I got an ARC for this! I literally am in shock!
Pre-reading reaction What month in 2016? Tell me it's January!
Marie Rutkoski, why don't you just peel off my skin and throw me in boiling water? It would still hurt less than this ending!
*Re-read on March 27, 2016, and it's just as good the second time
I have no idea what to say about this book. I want to write so many things, but at t*Re-read on March 27, 2016, and it's just as good the second time
I have no idea what to say about this book. I want to write so many things, but at the same time I don't want to speak about any of the plot points.
So I'll talk about the writing instead. Marie Rutkoski is the more mature voice I have ever, ever, ever come across in a YA novel. She makes the characters come alive, like they will jump out of the pages. The force of their feelings is described in such a way that will make you feel exactly what they feel, like you're in the same room with them and experience what they do.
Secrets, political intrigues, machinations -all unfold before the reader's eyes through some of the most witty and clever dialogue and heartwrenching descriptions I've ever read.
This book is devastating. It is downright cruel. It will toy with your head and leave you heartbroken. It will torture you. The moment you think that things are going to be all right, the book will slap you in the face with all the force of Marie Rutkoski's words.
For me, this is the ultimate love story. I feel like Arin and Kestrel can't breathe when they're not together, like they're suffocating and their whole existence is craving and yearning for the one person they love beyond anything. I feel like they're crying out to each other in silence and their voice can't be heard.
I feel like Arin and Kestrel are completely helpless and alone. It reminds me of those nightmares I have sometimes, when I want to run and my legs won't obey me. When I want to scream, but my voice won't come out.
So yes, this book was torture. Yes, this book made me feel profoundly sad and all I can think about right now is when book #3 will come out. Yes, this book ripped my heart out and then stepped on it.
And no, this doesn't make it any less of a masterpiece.
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I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
Penelope's quite different from what I usually read so it's hard to review. I know it's been mentioned in otherActually a little more than four stars.
Penelope's quite different from what I usually read so it's hard to review. I know it's been mentioned in other reviews, but reading this book feels very much like watching a romantic comedy. The protagonists always get involved in the most unbelievable, unlikely situations. Strangely, while it is not realistic at all and I admit I value works that are believable (not that I mind fantasy, but I want the reactions of the heroes to be believable)I higly enjoyed this one. Even though the characters more than once behaved in a way that made me think "there is no way somebody would do/say that in real life", my congratulations to the author for turning this into a non-problem. But, above anything this book was totally hilarious. The situations the heroes found themselves into were at times so ridiculous that it was actually funny. And I mean very funny! I love how this light romance can make you laugh and how it can make your day with all the characters' mishaps, especially Penelope's.
Penelope was truly a great heroine. She was also the definition of clumsiness. I was actually crying out "Not again" throughout the whole novel. I couldn't believe how awkward, clumsy, unlucky and naive she was. She was always making a mess of everything without even realising how she did it. The duke was a little stiff and serious all the time. I was a little annoyed that he formed a bad opinion of Penelope without having a good reason and sticked to that for a long time. He warmed up to her eventually, but it took him more than I would have liked it to. All in all, however, he was a great hero, protective and caring of both Penelope and his sister, Anne.
Guest starring the goat There were actually times when I wanted to cook the walking piece of mutton and I love animals. I really do! More than half the mishaps in the book would not have happened if it were not for the goat. However, in the end I decided Lady Bathseba (yes, that is the goat's name) was the best secondary characther. And very, very, very funny.
Penelope is a clean romance and while I don't mind as long as the story is good, there are people who cannot read a novel if it has any sex scenes and those who can't if it hasn't. In this case, the story was interesting enough for me so as not to need such scenes to enjoy it. Don't be afraid to try this very entertaining book. It's higly recommended.
**I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review**...more