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thebonekingdom's review against another edition
3.75
Despite having received mixed reviews, "Beyond the Ruby Veil" was in all honesty completely my cup of tea.
I live for mysteries, secrets, and evil rulers who keep their people in the dark, so the plot got me hooked really fast.
I loved making new gut-wrenching discoveries along with the characters, being stunned by how far the main character was willing to go to reach her goals and I truly enjoyed myself despite the anger I had towards the MC throughout the whole book.
The author wanted to write about "unlikeable female characters who ruin everything" and she went all out on this part.
The more I read about Emanuela, the more I despised her. She truly is an horrible person and you do wonder how much more damage it will take for her to realise what she's done. She craves for more and will crush anyone who tries to best her.
I have to admit that, before reaching the end, I wished she were less toxic and self-centered because I thought it wouldn't change a thing to do story if she just was confident but nice towards others. Now that I finished it, I completely see how her behaviour was a key point in the story : nothing would have happened that way if she wasn't like that.
Thus, if I do not like her as a character, I like how the author wrote her. She's not the morally grey character you might end up loving but the one you will hate with all your heart.
It clearly is not for everyone and many disliked the book because of her — I'll will add in the comments what make her unlikeable. I feel like you cannot read it if you expect your typical "disney" kind of villain. She's completly insane and I love the way the author portrayed her.
⚠️ The book also contains gore (murders, mutilation) and toxic behaviours so be aware.
•Why is the MC unlikeable?
The MC is full of herself and it's not really an issue for me as long as it doesn't impact everyone around her. Characters who are full of themselves can be quite fun actually, even if a little annoying.
What made me hate her is her superiority complex and accordingly her behaviour towards others.
Even when it comes to her Best friend, she don't hesitate to treat him as if he was nothing. Her actions towards him are toxic and controlling.
Her vision of what a friendship should look like is completely distorted. She constantly belittles him, thinks he is nothing without her and takes every opportunities she has to make him feel that way, but at the same time she doesn't seem to realise what is wrong with her actions because her vision of the world is only centered around herself. Even when he do speak up for himself, she feels like he will realise that he was wrong and they will go with their life as it usually was.
She think she's special, better than everyone and she's ready to kill to be sure to be the one to save her city and no one else.
I live for mysteries, secrets, and evil rulers who keep their people in the dark, so the plot got me hooked really fast.
I loved making new gut-wrenching discoveries along with the characters, being stunned by how far the main character was willing to go to reach her goals and I truly enjoyed myself despite the anger I had towards the MC throughout the whole book.
The author wanted to write about "unlikeable female characters who ruin everything" and she went all out on this part.
The more I read about Emanuela, the more I despised her. She truly is an horrible person and you do wonder how much more damage it will take for her to realise what she's done. She craves for more and will crush anyone who tries to best her.
I have to admit that, before reaching the end, I wished she were less toxic and self-centered because I thought it wouldn't change a thing to do story if she just was confident but nice towards others. Now that I finished it, I completely see how her behaviour was a key point in the story : nothing would have happened that way if she wasn't like that.
Thus, if I do not like her as a character, I like how the author wrote her. She's not the morally grey character you might end up loving but the one you will hate with all your heart.
It clearly is not for everyone and many disliked the book because of her — I'll will add in the comments what make her unlikeable. I feel like you cannot read it if you expect your typical "disney" kind of villain. She's completly insane and I love the way the author portrayed her.
⚠️ The book also contains gore (murders, mutilation) and toxic behaviours so be aware.
•Why is the MC unlikeable?
The MC is full of herself and it's not really an issue for me as long as it doesn't impact everyone around her. Characters who are full of themselves can be quite fun actually, even if a little annoying.
What made me hate her is her superiority complex and accordingly her behaviour towards others.
Even when it comes to her Best friend, she don't hesitate to treat him as if he was nothing. Her actions towards him are toxic and controlling.
Her vision of what a friendship should look like is completely distorted. She constantly belittles him, thinks he is nothing without her and takes every opportunities she has to make him feel that way, but at the same time she doesn't seem to realise what is wrong with her actions because her vision of the world is only centered around herself. Even when he do speak up for himself, she feels like he will realise that he was wrong and they will go with their life as it usually was.
She think she's special, better than everyone and she's ready to kill to be sure to be the one to save her city and no one else.
samsbookcase's review against another edition
2.0
Lesbian main character and gay best friend character. Enemies to... something?
I didn't really like this book. It started of alright, but I quickly realised that I couldn't really connect with the characters in it - this could be something entirely personal! I was really excited to be reading this book because I thought it would have a strong main character - but I found that she was just really rude sometimes, especially toward her best friend - whom she was engaged to. I genuinely did not like reading her say very nasty things toward him and then thinking that he should be following her and helping her right after that. It just felt very toxic to me and I couldn't really find myself liking this part of the book and it kind of ruined it for me.
I didn't really like this book. It started of alright, but I quickly realised that I couldn't really connect with the characters in it - this could be something entirely personal! I was really excited to be reading this book because I thought it would have a strong main character - but I found that she was just really rude sometimes, especially toward her best friend - whom she was engaged to. I genuinely did not like reading her say very nasty things toward him and then thinking that he should be following her and helping her right after that. It just felt very toxic to me and I couldn't really find myself liking this part of the book and it kind of ruined it for me.
wheredotheducksgo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Was this book necessarily well-written? No. Did I have a really fun time with it? Yes. I love you evil women <3
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, loved reading this book, and I need to read the sequel now!
dourelinor's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
vaporization's review against another edition
3.0
I don't think the book is very good but it was kind of enjoyable. It was a quick read.
eletricjb's review
3.0
Fast paced and compelling enough that I will inevitably read the followup(s), but definitely not enough to worm its way into my little YA fantasy heart.
adoraslibrarys's review against another edition
4.0
This book was not what I thought it was going to be, but I am not disappointed. It was actually scary how far the main character would go to get what she wants and I loved it. The entire book I was thinking "did she really just do that?" and the answer is always "yes she did." The last chapter and the epilogue were my favorite part of this book. I am so exited to see her story in the next book.
jolie_melusine's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I wish I could love this book. The style is not bad - on the contrary, it's pretty solid. And I have nothing against a villainous MC - I'm all for "be gay, do crimes", sure. But the MC here is just one of the most annoying, abusive, and self-serving characters I've read about. My hatred for her just grew stronger with every page and I have no need what-so-ever to read the sequel. I'm just going to pretend that she is dead, instead of (no longer?) imprisoned.
Poor Allesandro.
Poor Allesandro.