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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
The plot for this book was orginial and hooked me. Sadly the execution of it, got lost in a lot of side stories that could be left untold.
Danica is a nobody living in the royal house while her mother schemes and plots her way onto the royal court. When they witness a crime commited by the King, her mother begins a lavish blackmail while Danica does everything to thwart it. When she discovers her father addicted to a drug she sees this as her way out of the royal house. Only problem is the person who is supplying her with the drug is also blackmailing her and the royal court too.
I also enjoyed how robots were around , like steampunk, but they lived as if it was the era of Marie Antoinette so this was a great backdrop to a very complicated story.
While i enjoyed the story regarding the drug smuggling the rest of the stories were tedious and pulled down a orginial story into reminding me of the tv show Reign.
Danica is a nobody living in the royal house while her mother schemes and plots her way onto the royal court. When they witness a crime commited by the King, her mother begins a lavish blackmail while Danica does everything to thwart it. When she discovers her father addicted to a drug she sees this as her way out of the royal house. Only problem is the person who is supplying her with the drug is also blackmailing her and the royal court too.
I also enjoyed how robots were around , like steampunk, but they lived as if it was the era of Marie Antoinette so this was a great backdrop to a very complicated story.
While i enjoyed the story regarding the drug smuggling the rest of the stories were tedious and pulled down a orginial story into reminding me of the tv show Reign.
I stopped caring so much as the story began, but I had a really hard time getting over the tacky use of a bunch of French words (some with perfectly common usage in English, honestly) in italicized letters. I mean, I get it, the motif is the court of the Sun King. You know when you go to a restaurant with someone and they insist on using the "correct" accent to pronounce everything? And it's cringey as hell? That's how the first three (and maybe a few more) chapters of this book felt.
Otherwise, I loved the story, I was okay with the romantic subplot, characters were okay... and I'm definitely reading the sequel, because it ends on a hell of a cliffhanger.
Otherwise, I loved the story, I was okay with the romantic subplot, characters were okay... and I'm definitely reading the sequel, because it ends on a hell of a cliffhanger.
This book has a very interesting premise and I wish I had enjoyed the story more. Dani, our anti-hero, was very lackluster and at times was outright boring to follow. Her mother forces her into an engagement to the 'King' and she's desperate to get out, which can only happen if she escapes Sonoman-Versailles. It takes her about a third of the story to devise her scheme to raise the money she needs to get out by selling drugged makeup to the court. Dani barely seems to care about drugging everyone around her with a highly addictive drug.
The romance in this story was also very rushed and under developed. Dani seems to fall in love with Saber because he's attractive; meanwhile, Saber seems to hate her through a majority of the story. Then suddenly they're madly in love and sneaking around the palace. Saber had almost no personality beyond being angry and moody.
The best part of the whole story was the twist at the end.
The romance in this story was also very rushed and under developed. Dani seems to fall in love with Saber because he's attractive; meanwhile, Saber seems to hate her through a majority of the story. Then suddenly they're madly in love and sneaking around the palace. Saber had almost no personality beyond being angry and moody.
The best part of the whole story was the twist at the end.
As intriguing as I thought the premise of this book was, I didn't know what to expect when I first started. This book is a dark ride from start to finish and actually, it was pretty damn good.
The world building is interesting and adds a touch of courtly life to a modern world. Though a little more could have been done to explain the past, the whole idea of technology covered in satin is just so appealing. There were issues with what some of the past brought to the present though and there should be more warnings about Dani and her corsets. What she was doing could have killed her and she should know that but there was no references to the possible injuries she could sustain so that kind of annoyed me throughout.
The characters in this are mostly despicable but that doesn't stop your enjoyment. No, I didn't like Dani or Saber or Aaron but there were always moments where I understood them. There were even moments where I felt a twinge for Justin before he went back to being himself and I hated him again. These characters all worked really well within the plot though as you can't like them for what they're doing. Affairs, drugs and murder are commonplace in this book but it's all told so wonderfully that even though you hate these events, you read on.
What I didn't really care about was the romance. For me it was just kind of dull so I'll leave it at that.
I enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the final book when it comes out.
The world building is interesting and adds a touch of courtly life to a modern world. Though a little more could have been done to explain the past, the whole idea of technology covered in satin is just so appealing. There were issues with what some of the past brought to the present though and there should be more warnings about Dani and her corsets. What she was doing could have killed her and she should know that but there was no references to the possible injuries she could sustain so that kind of annoyed me throughout.
The characters in this are mostly despicable but that doesn't stop your enjoyment. No, I didn't like Dani or Saber or Aaron but there were always moments where I understood them. There were even moments where I felt a twinge for Justin before he went back to being himself and I hated him again. These characters all worked really well within the plot though as you can't like them for what they're doing. Affairs, drugs and murder are commonplace in this book but it's all told so wonderfully that even though you hate these events, you read on.
What I didn't really care about was the romance. For me it was just kind of dull so I'll leave it at that.
I enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the final book when it comes out.
it was so hard for me to decide whether i liked this book or not. i couldn't read it as fast as i wanted to--but that's also because i was constantly distracted by the people around me.
but now that i've finished the book, i've decided it might be one of my favourites... and the most frustrating, as nothing is resolved in the end and i have no way to get my hands on book 2. (you can ask my grandfather. i let out a few choice worse when i finished it and realized it wasn't a real ending.)
but now that i've finished the book, i've decided it might be one of my favourites... and the most frustrating, as nothing is resolved in the end and i have no way to get my hands on book 2. (you can ask my grandfather. i let out a few choice worse when i finished it and realized it wasn't a real ending.)
The Palace of Versailles has many modern technological touches, but all of its inhabitants must pretend they are still in the eighteenth century. After Danica witnesses the king murdering a lover, her mother uses that knowledge to blackmail him into making Dani his queen. She has until her eighteenth birthday to discover a way out from the path her mother has planned. Dani thinks she knows a method; she wants to mix a little Glitter into make-up so that its users will be addicted to the drug without even knowing they are using it. If she can make enough money, she will be able to buy passage outside of the palace. Will she be able to keep this secret from the technology eyes everywhere? Is six months enough time to raise that kind of money?
Glitter is the first book in a new series with the same title. The mixture of historical Versailles and futuristic technology gives an interesting spin to the story. Dani has a mother that most readers will agree to dislike and even though we can safely assume none of us have been forced to marry a king, Pike creates these characters seamlessly so that readers will easily believe they are in the palace with Dani. A fun escape read that leaves readers wanting to know what happens next.
Glitter is the first book in a new series with the same title. The mixture of historical Versailles and futuristic technology gives an interesting spin to the story. Dani has a mother that most readers will agree to dislike and even though we can safely assume none of us have been forced to marry a king, Pike creates these characters seamlessly so that readers will easily believe they are in the palace with Dani. A fun escape read that leaves readers wanting to know what happens next.
Hot damn am I glad I decided to browse my library's shelves the other day because, if I hadn't, it's likely I would have never heard of this book and that would have been a damn shame.
Those who know me well know that I'm really fickle when it comes to sci-fi, cyberpunk, all that stuff. I usually prefer my sci-fi dipped in fantasy, like with The Lunar Chronicles, so if it's something that's sci-fi, no fantasy, just a little bit of cyberpunk, and I like it, that's quite the feat...which I guess means this book is a feat.
I just really liked the world building here. It was really fun and I enjoyed the cyberpunk style of mixing French baroque sensibilities with futuristic technology. Ladies can own land and have power in the government, but god forbid they be seen without their finery.
I thought the setup was really interesting, too, because I love moral grey-area shit like this. I really liked Saber (I hope that's how you spell his name) and wished there had been more of him in the book. The place where this book loses a fifth star for me comes down to Danica and how borderline ambivalent she was about everything. Dad's a drug addict? Oh darn. Witness a murder? Don't freak out or anything. Danica barely reacts to anything. The biggest reaction we get is when she finds out Saber is a slave. The setting and setup were both really well done, but when it came to execution, this book really struggled, especially in the emotional department.
I'll almost definitely read book two, but I'll be waiting for the audiobook on this one. Not really concerned about scrambling to buy a copy of the text just to find out what happens next here, but I am interested in eventually finding out what happens.
Those who know me well know that I'm really fickle when it comes to sci-fi, cyberpunk, all that stuff. I usually prefer my sci-fi dipped in fantasy, like with The Lunar Chronicles, so if it's something that's sci-fi, no fantasy, just a little bit of cyberpunk, and I like it, that's quite the feat...which I guess means this book is a feat.
I just really liked the world building here. It was really fun and I enjoyed the cyberpunk style of mixing French baroque sensibilities with futuristic technology. Ladies can own land and have power in the government, but god forbid they be seen without their finery.
I thought the setup was really interesting, too, because I love moral grey-area shit like this. I really liked Saber (I hope that's how you spell his name) and wished there had been more of him in the book. The place where this book loses a fifth star for me comes down to Danica and how borderline ambivalent she was about everything. Dad's a drug addict? Oh darn. Witness a murder? Don't freak out or anything. Danica barely reacts to anything. The biggest reaction we get is when she finds out Saber is a slave. The setting and setup were both really well done, but when it came to execution, this book really struggled, especially in the emotional department.
I'll almost definitely read book two, but I'll be waiting for the audiobook on this one. Not really concerned about scrambling to buy a copy of the text just to find out what happens next here, but I am interested in eventually finding out what happens.
GLITTER by Aprilynne Pike is one of the most unique and fascinating reads of 2016. It’s an incredible blend of French history and dystopian. It’s dark and captivating—almost as addictive as the substance Dani sells.
We follow Danica (Dani), who is being blackmailed by her mother into marrying the reprehensible King of Versailles. Her desperation to escape leads her to betray those closest to her. This is a fascinating examination of morality—how far is a person willing to go to do what they think is right?
Pike builds a beautiful and vivid future world. She nails the decadence of the French court, while highlighting what that world might look like in a highly advanced technological environment. Big brother, or in this case M.A.R.I.E., is always watching…
It took me a while to warm to some of the characters, but my love for them turned out to be a nice slow burn. By the end I was desperately rooting for Dani’s success, no matter the cost. The ending left my jaw on the floor.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
Note: I received a FREE ARC (advanced reader copy) from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
We follow Danica (Dani), who is being blackmailed by her mother into marrying the reprehensible King of Versailles. Her desperation to escape leads her to betray those closest to her. This is a fascinating examination of morality—how far is a person willing to go to do what they think is right?
Pike builds a beautiful and vivid future world. She nails the decadence of the French court, while highlighting what that world might look like in a highly advanced technological environment. Big brother, or in this case M.A.R.I.E., is always watching…
It took me a while to warm to some of the characters, but my love for them turned out to be a nice slow burn. By the end I was desperately rooting for Dani’s success, no matter the cost. The ending left my jaw on the floor.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
Note: I received a FREE ARC (advanced reader copy) from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
BOY WHERE DO I EVEN START WITH THIS BOOK
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I AM??????? WOW. JUST WOW.
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I AM??????? WOW. JUST WOW.