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bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
Not my thing. In general, I don't much care for books about the land of faery and its denizens, but that wasn't my only quibble with this book.
The vast bulk of it felt like a prologue to me, and I found it hard to become very invested in it. I kept wishing I would have been vaulted into the story right away rather than subjected to all this exposition.
Avery made absolutely no sense to me--until he did. But the problem with that was, I could not even fathom why Aliera found him remotely attractive. It's not just that he's eccentric, he has some downright creepy tendencies and says some things that any thinking person should find alarming. I don't know if the book was going for the dangerous bad boy trope, but whatever the case, it just didn't work.
I won't be back for volume two, because as I said, the subject matter doesn't interest me. That's a shame, because there are some interesting things about this book, such as Aliera being color blind and how that affects how her introduction to the otherworldly manifests.
The vast bulk of it felt like a prologue to me, and I found it hard to become very invested in it. I kept wishing I would have been vaulted into the story right away rather than subjected to all this exposition.
Avery made absolutely no sense to me--until he did. But the problem with that was, I could not even fathom why Aliera found him remotely attractive. It's not just that he's eccentric, he has some downright creepy tendencies and says some things that any thinking person should find alarming. I don't know if the book was going for the dangerous bad boy trope, but whatever the case, it just didn't work.
I won't be back for volume two, because as I said, the subject matter doesn't interest me. That's a shame, because there are some interesting things about this book, such as Aliera being color blind and how that affects how her introduction to the otherworldly manifests.
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I give this three stars purely for potential, and that I know there's a sequel (or more) that may get better. On its own, I'd say this was a two star book.
murderousscottishgremlin's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I thought this would be more Tillie Walden-esque and/or have more fencing in it but it didn’t, and now I’m disappointed. I’m an angsty teenager but this had a bit too much teenage angst, even for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
wrentheblurry's review against another edition
3.0
The 'activity' here from my shelves is fencing, as the title suggests. Foiled makes an abrupt change after the 5th chapter from a high school-drama-I-really-like-this-boy-a-lot-but-I-am-having-lots-of-issues-right-now focus to a fantasy-oriented tale. The reason for me only giving this title three stars likes there; I strongly liked the first five chapters, and the main characters inner turmoil and pining over the hot new guy at school. The writing is solid, the storyline was appropriate, and the art is very well done. The addition of fencing as a theme is not something I see much of, if at all. Here, it really works, as both an exploration of the protagonist and a metaphor for her romantic life. I even learned a bit about the sport, although my knowledge was quite minimal beforehand.
I don't want to spoil the second part of the book any more than I may already have, so I won't talk about the storyline from that point. I will say that my 10-year-old son kind of liked the switch, but I didn't really expect him to be that interested in a high school romance story. Maybe Foiled is trying to appeal to too wide of an audience? Still, the selective coloring used in the latter half (the artwork in the first were muted greys/greens/blues...like a dark sepia tone) is very well done.
I don't want to spoil the second part of the book any more than I may already have, so I won't talk about the storyline from that point. I will say that my 10-year-old son kind of liked the switch, but I didn't really expect him to be that interested in a high school romance story. Maybe Foiled is trying to appeal to too wide of an audience? Still, the selective coloring used in the latter half (the artwork in the first were muted greys/greens/blues...like a dark sepia tone) is very well done.
jennymock's review against another edition
3.0
I give it 3.5. The story changes pretty drastically at the end. I think the series has a lot of potential though.
ponckumari's review against another edition
2.0
Loved the art and the protagonist - especially the fencing part. Maybe a little too boy-centred at times but then the final reveal provided the reason for it. But not too sure if I will recommend to my daughter. There are other better Jane Yolen books i do like.
ogreart's review against another edition
4.0
Good story. I really liked the way the artwork played into the storytelling. Questions I had about it at the beginning became clear as I continued reading. I enjoyed the way it slowly developed and deepened. It took its time and opened up a little at a time. It was well done. Considering the author, that is surprise.
liketheday's review against another edition
2.0
It's really pretty! And I can sort of draw some meaning from the story, like that people aren't always what they seem. But I'm still confused about this book. Maybe someone can explain it to me?
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cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
Very good; I love this blend of high school and fairy land--most authors give this kind of story too much high school stuff, and I've never really given a darn about high school (there's nothing like not having gone to breed disinterest), except perhaps briefly when I was young enough to think being a teenager was glamorous (and of all the things I've ever been wrong about, that may be the wrongest). And of course, I like protagonists who don't do cliques, never having been any other kind of person myself. And I love cute high school boys who turn out to be ugly monsters. It would explain an awful lot about the average teenage male if they all were.