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fallingwings's review against another edition
2.0
2 stars.
I wanted to like this one so much. I've had this on my TBR list since before it even had an official cover. The premise gripped me and I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into this. Unfortunately, if I have to stop and consider if I should keep reading a book or not, that is when I know I need to put it aside. My main problem, my biggest pet peeve for books, is when they take way too long to actually kick off. My second pet peeve is when almost all of the characters fall flat. This book accomplished both of these things within the first seven chapters. Not. Good.
Cons:
-MC who is special and/or has special power that is unique opposed to everyone else's power. W hY?? All of the powers sounded amazing to me, so why was our MC's so special? Why is she one of the "last of her kind"? This trope has been used and beaten into the ground so much it's a shame we can't grow a rainforest from it.
-Cue people hating/disliking our dear precious super special MC because of her power and/or past except for her love interest(s), who trust and adore her. Gag me. Gag me now.
-Info dumps. Everywhere. There were so many. Keep in mind, I only made it to chapter 7. They can be seen as early as the prologue. There were also times I found details or described events to be unnecessary because they never contributed anything to the story or our characters beyond what we already knew. Felt like they were there just to take up space.
-The beginning is difficult to get into. Seven chapters in and the most interesting thing, to me, had been the prologue. Things start to pick up after chapter 8 from what I skimmed, but I'm a firm believer that's a little too late to have your story kick off and get action packed or intriguing, especially when the chapters aren't short. Idk, there's a difference between having a slow start and a start the author drags out. I could easily see this being a 300 page book instead of a 500 one if you cut out all the unnecessary info dumps and details.
-Characters felt...flat to me overall. This was a huge problem for me because we see that the author uses the first eight chapters to try and build on the relationship between the MC and Dez and show us how much they're in love, therefore making what happens later "heartbreaking". Unfortunately, I didn't feel jack. I didn't need that many chapters dedicated to a relationship between characters who were 2 dimensional. The other characters don't feel much better. They're cutbaord cutouts of tropes we all see in these types of books: revenge seekers/rebels, hates the MC because of what she is, wants to use the MC because she super special, or...or... yeah. I got nothing. Seriously, the prince (and Celeste) were the only ones who felt like they had any real depth to them. It is not a good thing for me when I feel like someone else (aka Celeste or the prince) would have made for a better MC to follow the story on instead of the MC herself.
-So, Dez mentions the only way to change the past is with something called the Knife of Memory, but Ren explains to us that it cuts away whole swaths of memory. Meaning, it doesn't change the past. It's literally just a weaponized, more powerful version of her own power.
Neutral:
-Listen, I love and adore rebels and rebellions, I will probably never get tired of them. But I am starting to get tired of how they're always portrayed in many stories. Bad/evil king and his army who needs to be overthrown by this small group of rebels. MC and her few allies are the only ones who can do it or care enough to do it. I wish people would put a new spin on it. They're are so many things that can be done with this and authors choose to go down the same route as every other author before them. So I love the fact this is a story with rebellion, but I'm not fond of how it's handled just like every other rebellion story before it.
Pros:
-I love how dark the prologue was, especially that ending.
-Lots on interesting ideas are put into what I did read.
-The cover is amazing.
-The magic system was intriguing. And it was great to learn there were actually repercussions for using magic.
I think if you're someone who isn't burned out on seeing the same rebellion story and you're okay with things like info dumps, you'll probably enjoy this. For me, it just didn't hit the mark.
I wanted to like this one so much. I've had this on my TBR list since before it even had an official cover. The premise gripped me and I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into this. Unfortunately, if I have to stop and consider if I should keep reading a book or not, that is when I know I need to put it aside. My main problem, my biggest pet peeve for books, is when they take way too long to actually kick off. My second pet peeve is when almost all of the characters fall flat. This book accomplished both of these things within the first seven chapters. Not. Good.
Cons:
-MC who is special and/or has special power that is unique opposed to everyone else's power. W hY?? All of the powers sounded amazing to me, so why was our MC's so special? Why is she one of the "last of her kind"? This trope has been used and beaten into the ground so much it's a shame we can't grow a rainforest from it.
-Cue people hating/disliking our dear precious super special MC because of her power and/or past except for her love interest(s), who trust and adore her. Gag me. Gag me now.
-Info dumps. Everywhere. There were so many. Keep in mind, I only made it to chapter 7. They can be seen as early as the prologue. There were also times I found details or described events to be unnecessary because they never contributed anything to the story or our characters beyond what we already knew. Felt like they were there just to take up space.
-The beginning is difficult to get into. Seven chapters in and the most interesting thing, to me, had been the prologue. Things start to pick up after chapter 8 from what I skimmed, but I'm a firm believer that's a little too late to have your story kick off and get action packed or intriguing, especially when the chapters aren't short. Idk, there's a difference between having a slow start and a start the author drags out. I could easily see this being a 300 page book instead of a 500 one if you cut out all the unnecessary info dumps and details.
-Characters felt...flat to me overall. This was a huge problem for me because we see that the author uses the first eight chapters to try and build on the relationship between the MC and Dez and show us how much they're in love, therefore making what happens later "heartbreaking". Unfortunately, I didn't feel jack. I didn't need that many chapters dedicated to a relationship between characters who were 2 dimensional. The other characters don't feel much better. They're cutbaord cutouts of tropes we all see in these types of books: revenge seekers/rebels, hates the MC because of what she is, wants to use the MC because she super special, or...or... yeah. I got nothing. Seriously, the prince (and Celeste
Spoiler
who was old and dies in the prologue-So, Dez mentions the only way to change the past is with something called the Knife of Memory, but Ren explains to us that it cuts away whole swaths of memory. Meaning, it doesn't change the past. It's literally just a weaponized, more powerful version of her own power.
Neutral:
-Listen, I love and adore rebels and rebellions, I will probably never get tired of them. But I am starting to get tired of how they're always portrayed in many stories. Bad/evil king and his army who needs to be overthrown by this small group of rebels. MC and her few allies are the only ones who can do it or care enough to do it. I wish people would put a new spin on it. They're are so many things that can be done with this and authors choose to go down the same route as every other author before them. So I love the fact this is a story with rebellion, but I'm not fond of how it's handled just like every other rebellion story before it.
Pros:
-I love how dark the prologue was, especially that ending.
-Lots on interesting ideas are put into what I did read.
-The cover is amazing.
-The magic system was intriguing. And it was great to learn there were actually repercussions for using magic.
I think if you're someone who isn't burned out on seeing the same rebellion story and you're okay with things like info dumps, you'll probably enjoy this. For me, it just didn't hit the mark.
shes_book_obsessed's review against another edition
4.0
Incendiary
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The world building was amazing! But I was so bored reading this, probably because I expected more romance and there was...very little of that. I might pick up the next book, only because I’m interested in Castian and Dez.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The world building was amazing! But I was so bored reading this, probably because I expected more romance and there was...very little of that. I might pick up the next book, only because I’m interested in Castian and Dez.
priya_amrev's review against another edition
2.0
This book was medium. The story was okay and the writing wasn’t bad. It definitely did get more interesting towards the end but unfortunately I wasn’t invested enough to go read the next book. Maybe if the end had been more ahead in the book...
maddly_peculiar's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
issianne's review against another edition
4.0
4.5. Okay so... I need a sequel and someone to talk to. Were there flaws? Of course. Was the beginning slow and unsatisfying? Sure. Did the last 150 pages completely save it and make me devour it? Abso-freaking-lutely.
ginggrr's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A truly spectacular read. I dropped everything to finish this book. The plot is extremely well planned and executed, the characters’ roles in the plot are believable, and the characters are complex. It explores questions of identity and belonging, and of living in between worlds. My favorite reads last year were Elizabeth Lim’s Six Crimson Cranes series; I just may have already found my favorite this year! Cannot wait for more!
qkat's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. I loved how it took place during the time of the Spanish Inquisition and the concept of a memory thief was fascinating. I am looking forward to the sequel of this book. Very entertaining.