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alli's review
5.0
I don't give a lot of 5 star ratings to Young Adult fiction, despite (or possibly because) I read a lot of it. Here are my reasons for making this exception:
1. It is, without a doubt, one of the most well-written novels for young adults I've read in quite some time. Colt's use of description is astounding. I loved the way she described Adenine's need to clean herself at the beginning and it sucked me in. It's powerful stuff.
2. The main character Adenine, is not your ordinary YA heroine. For instance, she isn't a Mary Sue or a damsel in distress, but a well-rounded character with strengths and weaknesses that make sense for her character. From my reading, a lot of YA heroines go around claiming to "not need a man" despite getting rescued (sometimes over and over again) by the Primary Love Interest. Adenine also isn't good at everything she tries. She struggles, but she learns and grows throughout the novel.
3. The book tackles tough issues that, I think, most YA authors are afraid, hesitant, or uninterested in tackling. The issues are important, and it's a brave book for not shying away from the tough stuff.
4. Adenine does have a protector of sorts, but unlike in just about every YA novel ever, it's a woman. I love this. The woman has a unique backstory herself that explains why she fills this role.
5. Traditional YA romance is subverted so brilliantly in this novel. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with romance, but it's often so poorly done that this was wholly refreshing.
I should mention that I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It's definitely the sort of thing I would've picked up on my own. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA fantasy but is sick of the annoying tropes and sometimes mediocre writing that often goes along with it. I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the next one and I can't wait to see where Colt goes with this.
1. It is, without a doubt, one of the most well-written novels for young adults I've read in quite some time. Colt's use of description is astounding. I loved the way she described Adenine's need to clean herself at the beginning and it sucked me in. It's powerful stuff.
2. The main character Adenine, is not your ordinary YA heroine. For instance, she isn't a Mary Sue or a damsel in distress, but a well-rounded character with strengths and weaknesses that make sense for her character. From my reading, a lot of YA heroines go around claiming to "not need a man" despite getting rescued (sometimes over and over again) by the Primary Love Interest. Adenine also isn't good at everything she tries. She struggles, but she learns and grows throughout the novel.
3. The book tackles tough issues that, I think, most YA authors are afraid, hesitant, or uninterested in tackling. The issues are important, and it's a brave book for not shying away from the tough stuff.
4. Adenine does have a protector of sorts, but unlike in just about every YA novel ever, it's a woman. I love this. The woman has a unique backstory herself that explains why she fills this role.
5. Traditional YA romance is subverted so brilliantly in this novel. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with romance, but it's often so poorly done that this was wholly refreshing.
I should mention that I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It's definitely the sort of thing I would've picked up on my own. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA fantasy but is sick of the annoying tropes and sometimes mediocre writing that often goes along with it. I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the next one and I can't wait to see where Colt goes with this.
justasking27's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, especially the characters. I especially loved the ending, actually, where the main character decided to take on a quest. I was expecting that we'd find out she was somehow special, born to save the world. But instead, she decides on her own that she is going to make a choice to save her kingdom. It's a subtle thing, but I think it made a big difference in my decision to seek out the rest of the series!
bucketheadmary's review
2.0
Someone really, really needs to edit this. It drove me crazy when the author couldn't even keep her own money system consistent. Also, the whole "healer" concept is pretty repugnant.
valie's review
2.0
2 stars because the last third of the book got me wanting to know what will happen to Klawdia and see the city of Meligna and the other healers.
For the first two thirds I didn't much mind the story, but I positively hated Adenine. I get she had a rough childhood, suffered trauma and never got to learn how to relate to people and behave normally, but I just can't stand her... always moaning noone thinks about what she wants, that nobody loves her, and when someone does she's rude and always thinks its lies... Too much anger and hate towards everyone made me fear she'd willingly run away with the Healer out of spite for everyone who'd always only tried to protect her. It still makes me fear she might turn bad if she doesn't grow up very soon.
Still thinking if I'm gonna pick up volume 2.
For the first two thirds I didn't much mind the story, but I positively hated Adenine. I get she had a rough childhood, suffered trauma and never got to learn how to relate to people and behave normally, but I just can't stand her... always moaning noone thinks about what she wants, that nobody loves her, and when someone does she's rude and always thinks its lies... Too much anger and hate towards everyone made me fear she'd willingly run away with the Healer out of spite for everyone who'd always only tried to protect her. It still makes me fear she might turn bad if she doesn't grow up very soon.
Still thinking if I'm gonna pick up volume 2.
clairisa's review
4.0
I had a rollercoaster ride of mixed emotions about this book! First I was angry, annoyed with the main character and sad of what happened to 10 year Adenine. The story is told through Adenine and starts with her being confined to living in her own home. She can't go outside because she has the Death Plague and afraid that people might catch she listens to her parents and do what's she been told. Because why not, no child should not think her parents would lie to them right? The only other person besides than her parents who has contact with is her uncle Gerald who she loves dearly but he betrayed her and has left her emotionally scarred for life and distrusting of Adults and she becomes blind afterwards. There are themes of child abuse and psychological trauma throughout the book. So I dont know if its fit for yournger readers. The story and its characters actually grew on me even though I wanted to quit reading it but I hope things pick up in Book 2.
tenthdead's review
2.0
I tried my best to like this novel, truly. However, as I hit the 3/4 mark, I just could not finish it. As many other reviewers have pointed out, all of the characters are very flat and unoriginal. I found the entire concept of the book just shy of ridiculous. Adenine, our perpetual victim, is first convinced by her mother that she had been sick and the last carrier of the plague for the first ten years of her life. After nearly getting raped by her uncle as her "Golden Whore" powers begin to show via the color of her eyes ("like the sun dipped in honey"), her mother and father have her eyes sewn shut. Of course, her father then gets hung for murdering her uncle. After three years of Adenine wallowing in misery and despair, her mother stops coming up to her room to feed her. She finally ventures downstairs to find her mother paralyzed from the waist down and near death.
The book continues this way with Adenine, a Mary Sue in all but her terror for men, for quite some time. I reached the point of Klawdia whisking her away to her dead uncle's cabin before putting the book down. This is chapter twenty-seven, I believe. I just kept waiting for something to happen... and nothing shocking or intriguing ever did. You know how the story will go from the moment you hear about the whores.
Two stars only because Klawdia was somewhat interesting.
The book continues this way with Adenine, a Mary Sue in all but her terror for men, for quite some time. I reached the point of Klawdia whisking her away to her dead uncle's cabin before putting the book down. This is chapter twenty-seven, I believe. I just kept waiting for something to happen... and nothing shocking or intriguing ever did. You know how the story will go from the moment you hear about the whores.
Two stars only because Klawdia was somewhat interesting.
averyrose's review
2.0
I find this book fascinating in that I only enjoyed reading about half of it, but that was because of the talent of the author (a stranger sentence I'm sure I cannot recall having earnestly written). The book starts when the narrator is quite young, and the thoughts and feelings seem to genuinely be coming from a ten year old. That, of course, made it dull, teeth grittingly frustrating, and intriguing all at once.
I only truly enjoyed the story once the character began to grow and see the world with increasingly adult eyes, and as such it felt like I was a part of this character's journey out of her childhood innocence. I'd like to read the next books in the series to continue watching this transformation. Terrible things have happened to Adenide, I believe they will continue to do so, and as long as I can watch her utterly believable growth into adulthood in spite of and because of these things, I'll happily join her.
I only truly enjoyed the story once the character began to grow and see the world with increasingly adult eyes, and as such it felt like I was a part of this character's journey out of her childhood innocence. I'd like to read the next books in the series to continue watching this transformation. Terrible things have happened to Adenide, I believe they will continue to do so, and as long as I can watch her utterly believable growth into adulthood in spite of and because of these things, I'll happily join her.
tundragirl's review
2.0
This is ostensibly a fantasy novel, but really it's about a preteen/teen girl who almost gets raped a couple of times, is locked in a room for a few years after having her eyelids sewn shut, and then travels off to a new country. It's not great. Also no one in a fantasy world should ever be able to order French toast for breakfast.
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