King and queen on the page, king and queen of my heart. I love Jude & Cardan and I love that this book finally broke down the barriers betwee4.5 stars
King and queen on the page, king and queen of my heart. I love Jude & Cardan and I love that this book finally broke down the barriers between them. Jude continued to be a complex and smart character and I really enjoyed watching her scheme to do the best for the elf world, and the moments when she noticed her weaknesses were really powerful.
Although this book was fast and interesting, it just lacked a wow factor for me. For a finale, it wasn't super climactic. It seemed like the villain surrendered far too easily and it left me confused. It wasn't exactly predictable, but it felt dry because every problem in this book had an easy and fast solution rather than a complicated one. Which I guess is good for happy endings, but I wasn't overly invested in this book or emotional because of it.
I still think this is one of the most interesting YA series and I do highly recommend it. Even though half this book I read Cardan's dialogue in John Mulaney's voice because of how often he said THAT'S MY WIFE...more
This was running at a four stars for me the entire book because it was precious and supportive and the art was great.... but then the climax hit and IThis was running at a four stars for me the entire book because it was precious and supportive and the art was great.... but then the climax hit and I immediately bumped it up a star. This book was SO great and was the perfect balance of simplistic while also hitting such important topics like being gender fluid and acceptance thereof. I devoured this in less than an hour and cannot wait to buy a copy for my shelf, since this was a library copy! Definitely highly recommend for any reader of any age. I wish this book was a series and I could get a million volumes of Sebastian and Frances's adventures....more
This book, I swear to God, could've been (could be?) the next big thing in YA if there were a different (*cough* better) cover and if there c4.5 stars
This book, I swear to God, could've been (could be?) the next big thing in YA if there were a different (*cough* better) cover and if there could be ~100 more pages of description and character development. The bones for an amazing story are here, and as is, it's a great book. But the concept of this and the characters and the moral dilemma were all SO good that for this book to be less than 300 pages seems like such a wasted opportunity to really draw out the story.
I LOVED the main character Cas and the love interest. I mean, I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers anyway, but I think there was actually such a complex and realistic reason for them to be linked to one another, and the eventuality of them developing feelings was so plausible and angst-ridden. I wish the author could've slowed down to show that slow evolution of their relationship over the few months they interacted because it did end up feeling like they became friendly pretty quick. One thing that I did like, though, is that both characters' sexualities were stated up front and there was never a part of this book that slowed down and was like "omg I wonder if she's straight or if she would never like me back." It was always assumed that both girls were interested in other girls, so it cut any angsty discussion of questioning their sexualities and just jumped straight to the sexual tension, which I thought normalized their sapphic relationship really well.
The sci-fi and dystopian elements of this were so innovative and original. I'm really not a fan of sci-fi OR pirate books, but this world and story building completely sold me and I found myself never skim reading or getting bored with the scientific world building because it was genuinely fun and easy to read. I could totally see this being translated to a movie, and I think it would be so interesting.
I really can't locate anything else I wasn't a fan of in this book, just that I wish it had delved more into everything. It feels like there was an opportunity to stretch out the angst and explore more of the moral dilemma that Cas has to confront: stay loyal to her parents' operation that kills pirates, or switch allegiances to the pirates who try and kill innocents? Her fluctuations between these sides and her eventual choice felt underdeveloped and I wish we could've seen more of her thinking and maybe even had a scene of her debating the consequences of her actions on that front.
Still, this is one of the strongest books I've read this year and I cannot wait to read the sequel! Definitely look into this if you're looking for an original plot with a sapphic enemies to lovers romance....more
I loved this book so much that I feel like my tears should speak for themselves and I don't even need to review it. At the same time, I want to shout I loved this book so much that I feel like my tears should speak for themselves and I don't even need to review it. At the same time, I want to shout from the rooftops about how good this book is. So here I am.
This book is the perfect mix of dark brooding mystery with a wistful romance and a melancholy, bookish main character. There's so many elements that are effortlessly held afloat by the gorgeous, melodic, and yet digestible writing. I tabbed the everloving sunshine out of this book because there's so many astute and haunting lines; Zafón is truly a talented writer who I certainly see myself reading more from.
My only issue throughout the book was the way the mystery unfolded, but it was more of a user error because I took so long to read this book that between sittings, I would forget all the details about which character is who. Also, the perspective jumping from character to character could be a bit startling, but by the end of this book when I spent the last 50 pages sobbing and hugging my cat as I read on, I couldn't give a single damn about this minor storytelling blip.
Very few books earn the title of a masterpiece from me, but this is one of them. It takes you on a complete journey with characters so lifelike and human, eccentric and lovely, twisted and vile. I foresee this being a book that, when I pass it in a book shop, I will stroke its spine lovingly and remember the hours I spent cuddled with it, lost in its alternating gloomy and hopeful moods....more
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