(1) Alright, I have been warned about, again, a horny adult fantasy book being marketed and sold to teenagers as YA fantasy by the 1 to 2 stars reviews...Personally, I skipped all those NC-17 scenes because life is too short for this BS...*sighs* ......and....What is this book doing in the Young Adult corner of the public library anyway!?
(2) My problem with the story so far: Emilia gets to marry the Devil and become the Queen of Hell/Queen of the Wickeds, with barely any drawback! Does it sound like much of a hardship to you? A heroine who doesn't go through hardship to get their HEA is so boring!
(3) As for the question about the death of Emilia's twin and the curse of the First Witch.......I am at page 12, so far I still cannot see there is much development with these issues. Haven't we been dealing with the same two issues for two whole books already?
(4) The world-building in this book is the most boring and unimaginative thing I have seen in recent years.
(5) So there is barely anything going on between Emilia and Wrath in this book, no conflict and issue for the couple to overcome, no misunderstanding or miscommunication to resolve, zero effort in building any understanding and meaningful relationship which isn't related to their ridiculous sex drive and fuckings. Don't get me wrong, a healthy sex life is good for any romantic relationship, but shouldn't they have more things going on in said relationship than just mind-blowing sex!?
(4) Then...the conflict...or THE TOTAL LACK OF IT: The curse is dealt with rather easily because clues just dropped onto Emilia's lap whenever she opened her mouth and asked some questions! Everyone just handed the answers to her willingly! The conflict between the witches and the demons is still there but in front of Emilia and Wrath's all-mighty power and tru luv the witches just don't stand a chance! Emilia seemingly gave up nothing to get her man and a HEA! I am so pissed.
(5) The thing with (view spoiler)[ Emilia's twin, (hide spoiler)] again it becomes a non-issue by the end of this book. Supposedly this character should be raining down revenge and mayhem on both the demons and the witches but in the end she did barely a thing!
(6) And the witches........don't make me laugh, I can't even believe such useless creatures have been going toe-to-toe with the demons in their supernatural battles.
(7) The demons are not any better than the witches because as a bunch of supposedly ageless, merciless demonic nobles, I barely see any of them doing anything remotely scary, wicked and heartless. And their demonic kingdom so goddamn boring, 3 books went by and it still hasn't improved!
(8) Some of the demonic princes are actually halfway interesting but as a whole, they are too mild I cannot believe these are a group of immortal creatures with tons of knowledge, experience, and power to do evil.
(9) Some of the plot twists aren't bad at all, in fact those twists can be quite impressive and clever if only the author could have managed and delivered them better.
(10) To sum up, one HELL of a disappointment!...more
The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurPre-review:
The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.
I am curious but is that part sounding like the relationship between the humanoid Fatimas (mostly female) and the Headliners (or the cavalier, mostly male) from Mamoru Nagano's , who have to co-pilot giant robots known as the Mortar Heads?
I know, not many people had heard of The Five Star Stories these days, still...
Plus the main characters are called Zetian (the heroine) and Li Shimin (the male lead, or at least one of them, I guess)? Well, aren't it quite a dead giveaway that these characters are copy and paste....based on famous historical figures such as and ?
Honestly, it isn't the first time something like this happens (I am looking straight at you, Ken Liu and your 'The Grace of Kings' book) but I'm still shocked. Can't people just come up with original names for their own supposedly-original-characters in their supposedly-original-Sci-Fi-series?!
As to the name of the country Huaxia. Holy shit, in Chinese it is , the most overused alternative name for China. A bit of originality won't hurt anyone, right?
Edited@13/01/2022: after reading some 2-3 stars reviews, here are my finding about the story and its plots:
(1) The heroine's sister was intentionally murdered by her co-pilot out of the blue, but there is zero explanation for why the guy did that. (2) Instead of the heroine killing a few dudes, turns out she killed just one single male pilot and then her power is recognized by everyone and made into a big deal in a society that goes out of its way to suppress women. (3) Said heroine lusts after her sister's murderer. (4) Said heroine killed a bunch of other people with no remorse and self-doubt. (5) They are fighting against some random aliens, again zero explanation.
If you wanted to read books about the one and only, ass-kicking female emperor in the history of China, the infamous Empress Wu Zetian, here are a few good choices:
Pre-review: To read or not to read? Okay.......I don't want to read anything from someone who is a darling on the freaking tiktok.
Plus a lot of stuff Pre-review: To read or not to read? Okay.......I don't want to read anything from someone who is a darling on the freaking tiktok.
Plus a lot of stuff in the story is just lifted from the actual WWII history (mostly the Second Sino-Japan War)? Thank you very much but I don't want to read another The Grace of King.
Just this morning I told a fellow GR friend "I don't want to bring down the wrath of Lu's fangirls on myself yet", but now..........I changed my mind:Just this morning I told a fellow GR friend "I don't want to bring down the wrath of Lu's fangirls on myself yet", but now..........I changed my mind:
I am so pissed off just by looking at the book's cover. This is not my Batman.
Before you say anything about how and why I shouldn't rate a book before it even comes out, hear me out: I'd read the novel this graphic novel is supposed to be based on, and to be honest, that novel is a piece of garbage.
Okay, it looks like Marie Lu is gonna do the artwork for this graphic novel herself since I can't find any illustrator being listed as a co-author, and to be fair, Lu's illustration is indeed lovely. However, given this graphic novel's shitty source-material, I can only give this...thing 1 star.
Trust me, you can't wrap a piece of crap with beautiful wrapping and then convince me it suddenly isn't crap any more.
I had said it once and I will say it here again: if you wanted better written Batman's stories, try Frank Miller, Jeph Loeb, Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, Scott Snyder etc. The list of good Batman authors go on and on and on, and Marie Lu is definitely not among that list....more
I have never read this novel and never planned to, 1 star on the ground of plagiarism and ripping off other people's creations should never be rewardeI have never read this novel and never planned to, 1 star on the ground of plagiarism and ripping off other people's creations should never be rewarded with money, fame, a TV drama adaptation and an English translation. ...more
In a Dark, Dark Wood is my second book by Ruth Ware, sadly it doesn't outshine the first book w[image] (link: )
In a Dark, Dark Wood is my second book by Ruth Ware, sadly it doesn't outshine the first book which I'd read, The Woman In Cabin 10. (my review of this book can be found here: /review/show...)
Plus...for the love of goodness, please don't compare Ruth Ware with Agatha Christie, Ware doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with the Queen of Murder.
So...what is wrong? Let's do a checklist:
(1) unlikable, pathetic heroine:
*sighs* I just have no respect toward a 26 years old woman who is still moaning and bitching about an old boyfriend she had when she was 16 years old, to a point she is unable to form long term relationship with someone else, for 10 long years. It is not some cheesy cheap romance, for crying out loud.
I know, she supposedly has a reason to always think about said boyfriend, but it takes me to another point: how pathetic can she (I don't care she was only 16 when it happened) get when (view spoiler)[she allowed herself to be dumped through text messages instead of woman-up and confronting the boy who accidentally got her pregnant, face to face?! (hide spoiler)] What kind of spineless, pathetic lowlife would allow this shit to fall on her!?
I am also surprised to learn this MC is supposed to be a crime novelist, she doesn't act like she knows any shit about crime investigation or some basic know-hows when she and her friends are at risk.
(2) the same old, same old 'unreliable female narrator' trick again:
*yawns* you know what? This setup about an 'unreliable female narrator' who conveniently lost her memory and can't remember the key details of a murder is getting so damn old!
(3) the identity of the murderer is *ways* too obvious:
I don't want to sound smug, but the identity of the murderer is really easy to guess when one certain character acts so obviously like a manipulative asshole *and* a textbook case of a fake-friend who I can totally see backstabbing other people with a smile, then I know who is the murderer.
In the end, I am correct--even after one or two characters being thrown in by the author in order to act as suspects to throw us off her track, it still doesn't work. Therefore, as a murder mystery, this book totally fails.
(4) the murderer...is killing people for *that reason*!?
Well, I'm not saying his/her motive is entirely impossible, but who on earth cares about (view spoiler)[your boyfriend is going to dump you before the wedding? Who cares that you aren't the perfect girl you always pretend to be? (hide spoiler)] Why must the murderer turn out such a goddamn drama queen!?
Anyway, I think I just have problem with the murderer is killing people just because he/she is crazy/selfish/evil/mentally ill. This is totally one dimensional.
(5) in the end I just don't care anymore:
The characters? They feel like a bunch of pawns to be moved around for the sake of plot convenience. The heroine is a pathetic weakling who barely ever stand up for herself, her relationship with her old friends and her old boyfriend are so fucking boring, even the cops (who show up in the last half of the book) are boring too.
In the end, I'm so damn disappointed. That's all you can dish out, Ms. Ware!? Well, this time I can list out 20 Japanese crime novelists who can do a better job than this book. Even Kanae Minato, a female novelist whom I think is grossly overrated, can write better story than this....more
Rating: 1 stars on principle of 'I don't think too highly on people passing their fanfics rip-offs as published novels/their own orDNF-ed at page 340.
Rating: 1 stars on principle of 'I don't think too highly on people passing their fanfics rip-offs as published novels/their own original creations'
Random Thoughts when reading the book: The opening scene does remind me of , and the Biographies of the Assassins.
Actual review starts here:
What I think should be the real title of this book: Chu-Han Contention, the Fanfic Rip-Off.
Edited@09/03/2021But wait, to think about it more carefully, calling this book 'fanfic' would be an insult to all the fanfics out there because with fanfics, at least the writers wouldn't go so far as borrowing all the canon characters and plots which aren't their own, renaming those characters, publishing their fanfics and at the same time pretending these are their original novels, just like Ken Liu had done.
Just in case you are not familiar with Chinese history and you have no idea what the hell is the Chu-Han Contention, here is some basic information:
It is so, so sad that so far I can only find a few reviewers like this, and that one who have ever mentioned the total lack of originality on Ken Liu's part.
At this point, I can pretty much hear Ken Liu laughing all the way to the bank and he does have every reason to laugh: because what can be more convenient than writing a fanfic ripping someone else's material off then still have people paying to read your fanfic rip-off whilst giving you praises for your so-called originality and what not?
Let me repeat again what is the main problem: the novel is basically a copy-and-paste fanfic rip-off based on historical events and figures from ancient China, and I personally just can't take people passing fanfics rip-offs off as published novels seriously.
So, exactly how bad is the problem? As so as I read through the first 100 pages of the book, I found I have a bone to pick with Ken Liu:
'Hi Mr. Liu, I'm reading your book The Grace of Kings but I don't think you deserve full credit for the creation of this story---I mean, let's face it, at least 80% (if not 90%) of this story and its characters are ripoff lifted from the events in Chinese history and actually existed historical figures from ancient China.'
Perhaps I'm too quick to judge. Still, to be honest around 20 pages into the novel, I started to suspect the storyline of this supposedly 'Asian influenced' fantasy epic is a copy-and-paste of and the two rebellious Main Characters are repeating between and , two legendary historical figures from that era.
Plus, isn't this Xana Empire and its Emperor in the novel are basically the Qin Empire and the First Emperor, , going by with other names?
Therefore, a huge amount of credits should have gone to...
(1) : the famed historian from around 130 B.C. who penned Records of the Grand Historian, who recorded and immortalized the deeds of the First Emperor, Lau Bang, Xiang Yu and many others.
Good for Ken Liu that Sima Qian is a long dead historian so Sima just cannot sue. At this point, I would just recommend people to read the 'Records of the Grand Historian' instead, especially the 'Biographies of the Assassins' part if court intrigue and assassination plots are your things. The Chu-Han Contention part from the Records of the Grand Historian basically has the same crew of characters, the same story from start to end, without the fantasy elements but with some terrifying writing...at least I like the writing when I read it in Chinese. I can tell you 'Records of the Grand Historian' is not just some dry history book but a worthy literature all on its own.
(2) The countless other historians, script writers, story-tellers, novelists, play writers who rewrote and retold the epic tales about the Fall of the Qin Empire and the Rise of the Han Dynasty and kept these legendary events alive through millenniums.
So, why is there a problem? Let's do a checklist:
(1) It isn't just the First Emperor, Lau Bang and Xiang Yu being lifted from historical texts, even the supporting characters, the secondary characters and the third-ranking characters in The Grace of Kings can all find their actually-existed historical counterparts in the history books.
(2) To add insult to injury, Mr. Liu didn't even bother to change much of anything out of the source materials (perhaps expects of the airships, we can't find these in ancient China, right?): so there were in the history of China? Good, Mr. Liu has Seven States in his fictional world too. So according to Sima Qian, there was a failed attempt at the First Emperor's life when the guy was having a grand tour across his Empire? Good, this dramatic scene is covered in the very first chapter of this novel. So both Lau Bang and Xiang Yu got a glimpse of the First Emperor when the latter traveled across cities? Good, Kuni and Mata from the novel would do just the same. So there was ? Good, this famous tragic love story gets a repeat in the story of Mata Zyndu the Hegemon and Lady Mira in the novel as well.
Examples like these are endless.
(3) Last but not least, many poems by famous Chinese poets, many songs, many slang and quite a number of teaching from ancient Chinese sages, also mysteriously found their ways into the fictional world of Xana Empire, into the mouths of many fictional characters too...
(4) My point is, it seems to me that before Ken Liu even sat himself down and started penning this novel, most of the hard labor a novelist must have gone through when creating his/her novel: researching, dramatization of the events, characterization and even the characters' setting had already been done by Sima Qian and the other historians and novelists, etc. How convenient.
(5) My point is, it's okay to base your stories on real history and historical figures, after all these historical figures and events are no copyrighted items, right? But would you please don't be so obvious, please?
And here is something I have for readers who are still wondering: 'what is the problem here?' Let me ask you one thing: can you take a 'epic high fantasy novel' seriously after you discover said 'high fantasy epic' is actually the author lifting the entire period of World War II from history textbook then placing it on a supposed fantasy landscape, then renaming famous historical figures such as Hitler and Churchill into some other names else, renaming the locations, adding a few magical elements into the story, and then call it a day.
Can you really tolerate this kind of 'novel-writing'?
I can understand authors getting inspired by Chinese history or basing their stories and characters on said history, but a copy-and-paste rip-off from the actual Chinese history ---so far, all Mr. Liu had seemingly done for this story is to draw up a map for some fantasy landscapes, changed a bit of the details, created eight gods/goddesses, renaming historical figures---is not really okay in my book.
I know, Ken Liu has make no secret where his inspiration came from, but copying the historical events in Chinese history, translating them into English, then puts them in a high fantasy backdrop and sells it to English speaking audience, still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It feels like Mr. Liu believes his audience is too ignorant, too uninformed, too innocent to discover what he is up to.
It might sound like I hate this book, but actually I don't. It's enjoyable to read, Mr. Liu does has his elegant way of writing, a fine touch with constructing details for his fictional world, and many good and beautiful use of metaphors (although not many of them are truly original but I can live with it) and the plot is so easy to follow because most of them are already familiar to me and my reading progress is the same like people keep finding Easter Eggs in MCU movies ('Look! I'd read about this or that scene, or this or that characters from history book before! ') . Let's wait and see how the rest of the book will turn out.
PS: if you are interested in reading martial art historical and/or fantasy novels with a lick more of originality, do try the novels by Liang Yusheng, or . These are the Big Three in the field of the martial art novels anyway.
PSS: I've just found out this book was translated to Chinese and published by a publisher from mainland China. On a popular internet platform, many readers from mainland China are just as disappointed by Ken Liu's copying and pasting Chinese history and pretending he wrote his own story as I am:
If you want to read those comments above translated into English, check this link....more
1.5 stars. I never meant to give this series such low rating, the writing alone is far more decent than many other YA books out there to say the least1.5 stars. I never meant to give this series such low rating, the writing alone is far more decent than many other YA books out there to say the least. But damn! There is no lying to myself. Due to the following points, The Midnight Star is not a good YA fantasy novel:
(1) The political contexts in the story have gone from poorly construed to down right ridiculous:
If anyone told you The Young Elites series shares anything remotely similar with A Game of Thrones or Mistborn, they are freaking lying.
For example, two newly ascended young rulers, (view spoiler)[ Adelina and Maeve (hide spoiler)] are free to leave their kingdoms behind FOR MONTHS and no one has ever tried to overthrow them!
[image]
(2) It really is something when the author admits at the Acknowledgement that the Main Character, Adelina, is actually herself:
I. Have. No. Freaking. Word!
...and being an Angst Sue isn't even the worst of Adelina's problems, I promise you.
I can't stress this point enough: Adelina is not a realistic villain, nor is she a capable ruler, she isn't even smart enough to rule anything, not for long anyway. How she had managed to (view spoiler)[ become queen and hold onto her power (hide spoiler)] is completely beyond me. She is selfish, she is angry with her life, she is angry with everyone and with the Daggers' so-called 'betrayal', she wants to take her pain and bitterness out on everyone; all of the above only make her a butthurt loser, not a villain.
To say the least, I hate losers like her.
(3) The lack of conflicts:
Where the hell is the conflict? I had expected the Elites to fight among themselves but (view spoiler)[this never happens (hide spoiler)]. Everyone just be friendly with each other and (view spoiler)[goes on a quest to save the world (hide spoiler)], no hard feeling whatsoever. There isn't even a final showdown.
(4) The wasteful and meaningless characters' death:
I have expected important characters to die, but I hate how those characters' deaths are delivered: (view spoiler)[Enzo died in the most uneventful way (I feel that Ms. Lu just didn't want Enzo in the story anymore so she just killed him off without much planning), Teren got killed by some random monsters and he didn't even try to take Adelina and a few other Elites down with him before he died?
Don't even get me started with how Adelina suddenly becomes a saint and sacrifices her life in exchange for her sister Violetta's! This part is just freaking awful! (hide spoiler)]
(5) The romance/the hints of romance:
For the love of Hell, would Ms. Lu just please stop trying to pair her characters up and write romantic interaction among them!? Her 'romance scenes' are always as emotional and touching as a piece of rock.
LGTB couples (mainly Maeve/Lucent and Raffaele/Enzo) are thrown into the story to show OMG this series is SO INCLUSIVE! But in this book, NOTHING has been done about these couples! So, what is the point anyway?
On the side note, I am not convicted by the sisterly love between Adelina and Violetta neither. Adelina is an awful sister anyway and Violetta is so filled with goodness that she is no better than a Mary Sue.
(6) The story feels rushed:
A lot of details and background information have simply been ignored or glossed over throughout the story, the mythology jumps in and out of the story at random, I have a feeling that Ms. Lu had simply become bored and uninterested with her story when she penned this final book.
(7) The ending:
I mean, how unrealistic and ridiculous can this ending get!? (view spoiler)[as a queen Adelina had treated at least half of her subjects like craps but in the end those same people simply accept Adelina's sister (who is now without any superhuman power) as their new queen? (hide spoiler)]
[image] (Link: )
Plus Natalie's review reminds me the epilogue of this book hints that (view spoiler)[Adelina isn't dead for real, she somehow manages to become a midnight star and meets Magiano again (hide spoiler)]! What kind of half-hearted bullshit ending is that!?
The Final Words: Marie Lu claims in the Acknowledgement part this series is the hardest thing she has ever written, my reaction to it is still to LOL. I am sorry, Ms. Lu, you can't fool me. I can barely see enough effort in this story of yours to justify your claim.
Six YA books came and went, I'd thought: maybe, just maybe, Marie Lu would have matured as an author, but judging from how The Midnight Star has turned out, it's silly for me to think she would improve.
1.5 stars. I so desperately want to like this book, I want so desperately for the story to improve, but what I get from Caitlin Kittredge is a big fat1.5 stars. I so desperately want to like this book, I want so desperately for the story to improve, but what I get from Caitlin Kittredge is a big fat 'Screw You!' and a middle finger.
How sad, how frustrating.
Oh, I'm always willing to give any Lovecraftian novels/movies/anime/manga the benefit of doubt, I'm more than willing to be patient with any Lovecraft-related material, but sometime, enough is enough.
[image]
Note: I read the Chinese translation of this book, so I don't know how good/how bad the original writing is, things can get lost in translation and I would be none the wiser.
The Good:
(1) the Lovecraftian references: but there are fewer and fewer of them in the narration of the story.
(2) the idea that a girl with super awesome power for destruction, and she uses it for her own reason, and (for most parts) not feeling guilty about it.
(3) the adventure: not among the best, but it's agreeable.
The Bad:
(1) The romance: glad to know the love triangle is now broken off, but the main couple..........they are just...........meh at best, annoying and shallow at worst.
(2) The poorly written characters: the only emotion they can show seems to be anger, said emotion being expressed through yelling at each other, being impatient to one and other, characters losing their temper at the drop of a hat, etc.
(3) The poorly written heroine:
(i) Throughout two books, mysterious figures show up here and there and tell her to do this thing and that thing, and she just listens to what those mysterious figures/creatures says and does what they want her to do anyway?
(ii) Did I mention the heroine has awesome destructive power and she uses it? So did I also mention she used it with all the wrong and poorly constructed reasons? (view spoiler)[e.g. a fae told her to open the Gate between human world and the world of faes! She did it, and at least half of a city had been destructed! A mysterious figure in her dream told her to look for a Nightmare Clock, she looked for it and as a result she released the Older Ones, enabling them to return and fuck up both the human world and world of faes some more.
She lets the Older Ones in to fuck up the worlds, just in order to get her mother back.
What a selfish cow.
I mean, I don't mind a heroine who sets out to destroy the world, but I want her to have a better, more thoughtfully constructed reason to do this!
I have a strong feeling she will do something equally senseless and foolish in exchange for her dead boyfriend to come back to life, in the third book. (hide spoiler)]
(4) Lovecraftian monsters and evil deities and the myths of fae don't really merge together well.
I am getting sick of all these faes in the story, I want more Lovecraftian monsters and evil deities, who won't bother reason with humans or play games but only drop right in TO DESTROY YOUR SOULS AND SANITY AND THE WORLD.
(5) The few new characters: I don't care for any of them.
I could have gone on, but I've decided this book doesn't worth my effort.
Will I read the third book? Sadly, yes. Just to see how the ending will turn out.
(1) The final battle is the only thing that saves this book from being a one star disaster.Review for book 2: /review/show...
(1) The final battle is the only thing that saves this book from being a one star disaster.
(2) Though the final battle is decent, still the ending is rather on the piss poor side.
(3) To my outrage, nothing...nothing about the angel's society, how said society works, whether there are female angels or not and why they are invading Earth NOW is ever explained.
(4) Mark my words, those angels in this book are just a bunch of self-righteous bullies with wings and fearsome power. Plus they are just so fucking stupid, (view spoiler)[Their former leader Gabriel was killed under suspicious consequence! None of them knows why they are invading Earth now! Still no one is asking question! (hide spoiler)] To be frank, for a race of ageless angelic warriors, these angels have no deeper thoughts, no deeper motivation nor insight beneath their handsome appearance. No nothing.
(5) Young Penryn, why must you go from a survivor with her common sense intact to a love-sick little girl? Now you aren't must better than Bella Swan.
(6) And of course Young Penryn has to be Too Stupid To Live when facing an evil angel who has every reason to want harming her.
(7) Yes, I keep calling the heroine 'Young Penryn' because since she is an Asian character, then that's exactly how her name is pronounced. Deal with it.
(8) Young Penryn's mother and younger sister are the only characters whom I care about. The rest of them, I don't care if they live or die. Strangely enough, in this book I know more about Belial (one of the arch villains), his backstory and his reason more than I know about anyone else's.
(9) Young Penryn *finally* shows some awareness on responsibility and teamwork by the end of this book, but all has came too little, too late for me.
(10) I cannot forgive Young Penryn for molesting Raffe *in his sleep*. Listen up, folks: I don't want a guy to touch me in my sleep, therefore I won't forgive a girl for molesting a guy when he is out cold.
(11) Of course, Young Penryn's mother, despite her coolness, is never dignified by being given a name in the story (or at least I don't remember ever learning her name). Plus her seemingly psychic ability is never explained.
(12) In book 2, Young Penryn's mother is blaming Young Penryn for not keeping Paige safe and condemning her for being 'demon's bride', but in this book she shows concern over Young Penryn's safety, out of the blue? And we are all expected to accept her change because 'she is crazy and unpredictable'?
(13) Mother. Fucking. Romance. Angst. Happens. When. Young Penryn. And. Rafee. Are. On. The. Run. And. The. World. Is. Falling. Apart. Around. Them.
(14) After suffering an angel's invasion and the entire world turned into a war zone, Young Penryn still has the time and strength to go angst about not being able to be with Raffe? I had thought after seeing all the suffering, she would have been cool with accepting both she and Raffe have their own different responsibilities and have to do the necessaries!
(15) God, you fucking asshole! How can you throw your own angels to Hell and let them suffer just because those angels got married with humans?! (view spoiler)[ But does God really ever exist in this fictional world? (hide spoiler)] Again, it is unexplained!
(16) I am more than willing to admit Susan Ee has creative, nontraditional ideas for her story, but damn..........she sucks so much at excising these ideas and doing some planning for her books.
(17) Due to the lack of planning, explanation and world building in this series, now I think it's reasonable to believe Susan Ee had never thought about how her story should go after finishing Angelfall.
(18) To be honest, I manged to read to the end after I stopped caring about logic and explanation of many things (e.g. how the final battle is prepared and the twin's many outlandish actions and decisions).
(19) Last but not least, to put insult to injuries, (view spoiler)[Raffe gets his wing fixed and Paige is miraculously cured out of the blue (hide spoiler)], here Susan Ee is just down right insulting her readers.
The Final Words: I am not going to read any more book by Susan Ee, blacklisted.
PS: Ferdy's review listed out all the things which I found off-putting/stupid/ridiculous in this book....more
My thoughts after reading The Retribution of Mara Dyer@06/12/2016:
Fxxk you, Mara Dyer. Fxxk your special snowflake romance with this jerk Noah andMy thoughts after reading The Retribution of Mara Dyer@06/12/2016:
Fxxk you, Mara Dyer. Fxxk your special snowflake romance with this jerk Noah and your bullshit story. Fxxk you for bullshiting me throughout three whole books and wasting my time.
Michelle Hodkin, for the sake of literature and saving some innocent trees from dying to provide paper to print your ridiculous books, I hope you will never get published again.
This trilogy has so much potential, but all is lost because of the poorly written romance, the Mary Sue heroine and the confusing story lines. At this point I'm beyond being polite and respectful toward this trilogy and its creator.
Rating: one of the worst books I've ever read in my life 20 negative stars.
Theoretically, the Mara Dyer trilogy comes with a nice package which I'd usually adore and praise to no end, such as:
(1) Psychological thriller.
(2) Spooky events and happenings.
(3) People dying left and right, with hardly any reason.
(4) A heroine with destructive power to harm and kill people, and she uses it.
(5) Shadowy, evil scientists and human experiments!
(6) The heroine mentioned above at the verge of losing her sanity, and she keeps seeing crazy delusion of all sorts.
Seriously, for a person who loves to read dark fantasy and other crazy stuff as much as I do, what is not to love here?
Newsflashes: I'm wrong, I am so wrong; and Ms. Hodkin has done absolutely nothing to change my view throughout three whole books.
Let's do a breakdown:
The good stuff: Mara's escape with Jamie and Stella, and the scenes with them together.
And Noah is nowhere in sight in those Mara/Jamie/Stella scenes!
The bad stuff:
(1) Mara Dyer is a Mary Sue
Well....when Mara is with Jaime and Stella, she really isn't so bad........but I swear I did throw up a little in my mouth when Ms. Hodkin spends the last 30 or so pages to praise Mara, through the mouths of Noah, his daddy and Mara's grandmother, for being a super special snowflake that she is!
Well.........one of the biggest sign of her being a Mary Sue is that she has done bad things, killed or harmed people, but as readers, we are not supposed to blame her for what had happened, because (view spoiler)[it is the human experiment which is responsible for what she had become (hide spoiler)], oh really?
To be fair, in this book Mara does show tiny signs of her owning up to her action, but her attempts still look more on the 'woe is me' side.
Mara wants you to believe she is a badass, unapologetic heroine; but the sad thing is, she isn't. At the end of the day, she is only a boy-crazed teenage girl.
(2) The awful YA romance
A flawed character or a Mary Sue, that much I can deal with, but a romance as awful as Mara and Noah's, that I can't tolerate.
Other reviewers had pointed out how selfish they are in their love, like (view spoiler)[how Noah can heal people and do other great good, but he gives it all up to be with Mara anyway. (hide spoiler)] I also want to point out, Mara doesn't seem to have much purpose or desire outside of Noah......okay, the girl cares for her family too, but outside of Noah and her family, she doesn't seem to have anything in her mind. Even Jamie and Stella do not look like they have much importance to her, and from time to time she doesn't seem all that interest in finding out the truth about her and her friends' ordeals, or the truth of her power.
(3) The total lack of logic and realism in the story
So, Mara and Co. escaped from the mysterious group which kept them as prisoners, lied to their parents and did horrible experiments on them! The teenagers are now on the run and Mara tells us there are people chasing them! So you think you are going to see some action scenes or breathtaking chasing scenes? Well, you are wrong!
Throughout the whole book, we see the total of three villains (there are some nameless, faceless guards here and there, but they play little to no role in the story), and I have a hard time believing such a massive evil scheme that needs so much manpower and wealth to support would only involve so little people!
Also, by the end of the story, we have two corpses in the room and one teenager being soaked with blood also in the same room, but the next thing we know the cops just let said teenager go!? What the actual fuck?
And in the end the super evil bad guy (view spoiler)[Noah's daddy (hide spoiler)] just disappears into the thin air and everyone is off enjoying their happy ever after. No kidding, that really is what happens in the ending part. I swear, I was going to give this book 2 stars because the opening part isn't all that bad, but the last 20 or so pages of this book totally ruin everything for me.
(4) The Most Ridiculous Sex Scene Ever, by the end of the story
Please don't get me started with this, just don't. Basically it is just super special Mara and super special Noah having their super special first time sex. ARGH!
[image] (Link: )
The Final Words: This trilogy is so full of bullshits, so it is only logical for me to blacklist its author, end of the story.
Heir of Fire, I can't, I just can't ever. I won't even write a proper review for this piece of crap.
(1) The MC spent too much time on feeling sorry foHeir of Fire, I can't, I just can't ever. I won't even write a proper review for this piece of crap.
(1) The MC spent too much time on feeling sorry for herself. I mean, (view spoiler)[her best friend's dying wish is for her to stand up and fight for the people but for most of the book she hasn't done this! (hide spoiler)]
(2) The MC's reason for going into hiding and abandoning the long suffering people to face the Evil King alone is fucking pathetic. (view spoiler)[ Her wet nurse died protecting her, so she is worse than those killing and torturing soldiers who killed her wet nurse and her whole fucking family and countless other citizens. And oh, she isn't worthy! (hide spoiler)]
(3) The book spends most of the screen time on training, training and more training.
(4) Woman on woman hating! Only the MC's mom is a good woman, all the other older women in the story are bitches! (view spoiler)[And the powerful Faerie Queen is of course evil! (hide spoiler)]
(5) And everyone just has to be beautiful! If you aren't beautiful you must be evil or insignificant!
(6) Some of the ideas and plot points are good, but they are too few and their sparkles too dim.
(7) Manon the Witch and her crew is the only reason I finished reading this book.
(8) The male characters: don't care about them, I know they are in the story and they do stuffs but I have no interest in what they are doing. I feel like they are only in the story to move the plots onward, that's it.
(9) You just can't escape from Mary Sue. Seriously, you just can't.
(10) Isn't the MC supposed to assassin a certain someone? (view spoiler)[It doesn't even happen! (hide spoiler)]
Final Words: no need to read further into this series....more
Pre-review: In the second book of the series, the main couple is 'tragically parted' and is suffering with the heartbreak...Okay...are you sure this iPre-review: In the second book of the series, the main couple is 'tragically parted' and is suffering with the heartbreak...Okay...are you sure this isn't a rerun of Tiger's Quest? Is the heroine going to date three different guys at once in order to forget her tru luvvvvv?...more
So you are telling me Stephenie Meyer tried to write Sci-Fi thriller again? Oh please, would she just leaves the realm of Sci-Fi alone after her very So you are telling me Stephenie Meyer tried to write Sci-Fi thriller again? Oh please, would she just leaves the realm of Sci-Fi alone after her very laughable attempt, namely The Host?
And the book title is The Chemist, very original and inspiring. Very inspiring indeed!
For starter, now I can confidentially say I've finally encountered a book which can make Cassandra Cla20 'one of the worst books ever' Negative-Stars.
For starter, now I can confidentially say I've finally encountered a book which can make Cassandra Clare's, Stephenie Meyer and Marie Lu's novels look like decent literature, and this book is My Blood Approves, by Amanda Hocking.
So you ask what has gone wrong in this book...? Oh let's me think about it.......just where should I begin?
Warning: F-words here and there, don't like don't read.
(1) The story is a Twilight's doppelganger
Plain Jane main girl meets mysterious handsome boy who saves her from danger? Checks. Endless details of the boring daily life of the Plain Jane main girl? Checks. Vampire boy finds the girl irresistible because her blood is 'special'? Checks. Vampire boy has a rich adoptive family of attractive older vampires? Checks. All of the vampires in the boy's family are sexy and hot-as-fuck? Checks. Plain Jane main girl eagerly wants to ditch being human and embrace vampirism without a backward glance at her mortal family? Checks.
Need I go on?
(2) Meets Alice, an irredeemable spoiled brat and a Mary Sue who can put Bella Swan into total shame
Before I started reading this book, I just couldn't believe how irritating and hateful our Plain Jane main girl, namely Alice, can get. Now it's official: comparing with Alice, Bella Swan from Twilight suddenly looks like a decent and thoughtful character. Plus only Clarissa Fray from City of Bones can outdo Alice at being a completely hateful spoiled brat. Oh boy, how sad.
For example, Alice and her younger brother Milo are raised by a single mother. Said mother has been working 12 hours per-day, 70-plus hours per-week to make ends meet,but has the 17 years old Alice ever thought about getting a part time job to help her family? No. Never. The thought has never crossed her mind.
Plus, instead of looking after her 14 years old younger brother Milo when their mother is absent, Alice allows Milo to take charge of housekeeping duties. So Milo has to cook and wash FOR BOTH OF THEM whilst Alice is out wandering around streets and clubs at night, hanging out with her BFF and hooking up the hot guy Jack, whom she had just met.
To make things even better, Alice doesn't care about her own education, she refuses to do homework even when her brother Milo has to step in to remind her. Look, see. Alice even thinks (view spoiler)[immortality and being a vampire is far more important than continuing her education. (hide spoiler)]
*sighs* Because we all understand making out with your hot, perfect undead boyfriend is far more important than learning and going to school. Totally makes sense.
By the end of the book, Alice's mother is mad with her for being away from home *all night* without even one phone call, and instead of apologizing Alice runs away from home and goes stay with her rich, hot vampire boyfriend.
Not to mention, Alice is...to be frank, stupid. Even though I fully understand we can't expect every single 17 years old kid to be mature and smart, still how stupid must you be to step into the car of a total stranger in the middle of the night, especially right after you had just narrowly escaped being harmed/gang-raped? How stupid must you be to trust a guy who messed with your phone when you passed out? How stupid and thoughtless must you be to throw perfectly fine vegetables away just because you accidentally cut your finger (especially when your family isn't so well-off)? Just how stupid must you be to remain entirely carefree when hanging out with...blood-drinking VAMPIRES who are struggling not to eat you for dinner? I truly have no word.
(3) Creepy relationships gets disguised as romance, creepy guys get disguised as sexy love interests
Since the story is a photocopy of Twilight, so I am not the one bit surprised that Jack, the vampire, is attracted to Alice because her blood is special and irresistible. 'I want you, I love you because you smell so good I want to EAT you!' How romantic.
Trust me, I'm a huge vampire fan but all the talks about the vampire guys get excited by the sound of the girl's pulsing and the smell of her blood is just so fucking goddamn creepy, and gross. If a guy talked like this to me I swear I will tear him apart.
Plus, Jack also inserted his own phone number into Alice's cell *without consent* while the girl passed out. I have no word.
As to love interest number 2, we get Peter, who is a even bigger creeper than Jack, his 'younger brother' (alright, alright, so instead of a werewolf as the third wheel, we get a vampire one). I don't have many things to say about him aside from the fact he toys with Alice in a 'hot and cold' way, like a cat would toy with a mice it is about to kill. And at the very end the guy finally (view spoiler)[drinks Alice half to death (hide spoiler)], but Alice still lusts after him anyway! Again, just how fucking romantic.
(4) Alice is the most annoying narrator ever.
It is not easy to hear the thoughts of a 17 years old kid for an entire book, it is nearly unbearable to hear Alice's monologues (which make her sound like a dull eight years old) and her endless complaints about...well, everything and everyone.
(5) Many things in the story are just ridiculous.
Jack is a 20-something man who is jobless and out of school, he also lives off his older brother, but he is still considered by everyone (especially Alice) as a dreamboat.
Everyone--- and I do mean everyone, wants to jump Jack's bones. Alice wants him, her brother Milo wants him, their mother wants to push him to the floor and do him then and there. To tell the truth it really is embarrassing.
[image] (Link: )
Just as embarrassing is the fact that 100 pages into the story, we get two hot male vampires interest with our Plain Jane main girl Alice already.
Since this book is a photocopy of Twilight, therefore all of the vampires that show up have to be unbelievably hot and attractive.
The story and the writing itself is so immature that it reminds me of an eight years old little girl playing Princess Game with her Barbie dolls while daydreaming about hot undead boyfriends. And you are telling me books like this get printed and people actually pay to read them? How sad.
(6)Where is the plot? Where is the story?
200 pages into the story, I realize this book is one big fat fucking piece of NOTHINGNESS. Things happens but there is barely a story, there is no development, no character's growth, no revelation, no plot twist, no moral lesson, no climax, NOTHING. All we get is a Mary Sue drooling over hot guys.
Reading this book felt like a fucking chore, I nearly gave up for many times before I crawled my way to the ending...which mocks me and laughs at me right in my face with its absolute POINTLESSNESS. So here is the final insult: I'd wasted my time for NOTHING.
Final words: with this fucking piece of crap (which I decline to call it a 'novel'), Amanda Hocking successfully wins the honor of being a worse author than Stephenie Meyer and Cassandra Clare. Good job, Ms. Hocking. Good job.
Pre-review below:
09/07/2016: Today I found sitting in the library's shelf. So, free book! Free badly written romance! Free jokes! Here I go!
PS: and I honestly have no idea whether this simplified Chinese translation got any permission from the original publisher or not...
Edited@17/07/2016:
70 pages into the story, I am told that everyone loves the male lead, namely Jack, and I do mean everyone: the Main Girl Alice loves him, her younger brother has a crush on him, their mother wants to jump the guy's bones since the first time she meets him.
That is getting ridiculous, and embarrassing.
Edited@24/07/2016: Thoughts before finish reading the whole book:
I've read 150+ pages into My Blood Approves but absolutely nothing has happened, all I've gotten so far is the Plain Jane main girl Alice's monologues which bored me into tear (who wants to read a teenager girl's monologues when the thoughts in her mind makes her sound like a dull 8 years old?) and the long, useless description of the irresistible male vampires and their irresistible perfection.
So far I can tell you this book is even worse than the infamous Twilight, but I shouldn't be so surprised because bad writing like this can also be found in the Trylle series by the same author. The story and the writing is so immature that it reminds me of an 8 years old girl playing Princess Game with her Barbie dolls while day-dreaming about a handful of hot guys drooling over her.
And you are telling me books like this got printed and people have been actually paying their hard earned money to read them? How sad.
This review and this particular paragraph concludes my feeling to this book so beautifully:
This book is annoyingly TOO similar to Twilight, it could be it's awful cousin Martin. Where Twilight sucked, this one sucked even WORSE. At least Twilight was an original idea (with Bella and Edward's undying [pathetic] romance and the sparkling, and etc, etc, etc) but My Blood Approves was just...no. I see why the author self-published the book, because she knew she sucked so bad that no publishing company would allow such crap (although her Troll series, or whatever it's called, is getting published, but I didn't read those yet and it's beside the point).
Note: the only reason I read this book is I've kept seeing it popping up everywhere on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.com for over a year. So when I saw it on the library'Note: the only reason I read this book is I've kept seeing it popping up everywhere on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.com for over a year. So when I saw it on the library's bookshelf, I picked it up and borrowed it, I read it with zero expectation, I can see potentials in the story but in the end, I'm underwhelmed.
I'm utterly underwhelmed.
What I like:
(1) the author's willingness to expose readers to violence and the harsh reality of a Rome-inspired slaves-and-masters society. Rape? Murder? Raid? lower casted citizens being suppressed and mercilessly crushed down by their overlords? The author mentioned them all.
(2) the world building isn't so bad. I mean, it is far from being good, but at least it isn't eye-poppingly bad.
(3) the story is okay-ish enough and entirely readable for me to read to the end in a relatively short time.
(4) the idea of masked deadly warriors is kind of good.
What I don't like: (1) the story as a whole is a big fat case of 'been there, done before' to me.
Some other reviewers pointed out the all too familiar sister-saving-her-sibling scenario, teenagers-being-ordered-to-fight-to-the-death, boarding school setting, the Main Characters' fates being tied to some foretelling (You are the Chosen One, blah blah blah), rebellion and the suppressing society, and the all too familiar The Hunger Games vibe. To tell the truth I'm not so bothered by these similarities, but honestly An Ember in the Ashes brings nothing new to the table.
(2) the all evil teenage love-square.
Come on! There's an rebellion and a deadly contest going on! Ain't nobody got time for teenage romance angst!
[image]
(3) the wooden characters
Now, here is the real deal-breaker.
Elias: our male lead is a supposedly awesomely skilled young masked warrior who had been set to join a deadly contest in order to win the position of Emperor. But for most of the time, I can only see him moaning and ranting about his mommy issues and his love troubles.
Plus Elias is an asshole to his best friend, and it bothers me Elias didn't act, think and talk like someone who had been through hard training and had to be on guard for nearly his entire life.
Laia: a young girl who lost her entire family to the Empire and its soldiers. In order to save her brother, she accepted a mission to go to the training school for the Empire's masked warriors (who killed her family) and spied on the most dangerous person in the Empire. You think Laia would take her mission seriously, use her wit and pretend to be an obedient slave to get her mission done? You had guessed wrongly!
Despite of the dangerous situation she was in, Laia still managed to act out in front of her overlords, she just opened her mouth and talked without caring about whether there might be spies among the slaves, she snaked out to meet with the rebels without seemingly cared about being followed, she danced with a stranger and enjoyed a Festival when a slave supposedly shouldn't take part in said Festival. She makes her mission looks like it is a cakewalk. Even a rebel told her: "You don't know the first thing about spying."
Good grief, how true.
I don't like heroines who have special power which they did nothing to earn, but a useless heroine like Laia is no better; for too long she just kept telling herself she is weak and useless, and I'm like: "Girl, get over it already! Tough up! Your life and your brother's life depend on it!"
Last but not lest, for most of the book Laia's life mostly revolves around saving her brother and Elias, the hot guy.
Helene: probably the only female character whom I like to a degree, but sadly her existence still revolves around Elias.
(4) women can only be victims, obedient bystanders or evil bitches in this world.
Although I'm actually glad that the author didn't shy away from mentioning rape and rape in slavery, but in this case rape has been repeatedly mentioned for too many times and somehow Laia, our heroine is saved from the threat of it, because Elias swung in and saved her from being raped.
I don't know about you, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
(5) Talking about evil bitches, the only woman in this book who is in power is an abusive evil bitch.
And it is nothing new. Because in the realm of YA, if you were a woman and you also happened to want power and/or in the position of having power, then you must be a bad woman. (6) the characters talk like they live in the modern America.
I'm not kidding, the characters talk like they are citizens of the modern United States of America, not some Rome-inspired fantasy world. (7) the world building is thin and far in between. After reading this 400+ book, I still don't know much about this fictional Empire and why said Empire became what it now is.
(8) (view spoiler)[the rebels turn out not the good guys (hide spoiler)] It looks like the same-old, same-old The Hunger Games cliche.
(9) the ending is quite stupid.
To be fair, it is not the worst ending ever, but I rolled my eyes at how convenient many things had turned out.
I'd forgotten to mention, I also can't take the idea that people would just select four teenagers and let them fight to the death in a contest so the winner would become the new Emperor seriously.
It may sound like I hate this book, I don't. This book just sort of bored me. Still, I'm going to read the sequel if I could get it for free....more
Note: I am fully aware of the fact that Harry Potter is NOT the first ever YA fantasy series with 'a boy goes to a magical school' setting in it, but Note: I am fully aware of the fact that Harry Potter is NOT the first ever YA fantasy series with 'a boy goes to a magical school' setting in it, but The Iron Trial is still a Harry Potter ripoff. It's clear as day.
And no, I'm not a Harry Potter fan, so kindly put your 'angry Harry Potter fangirl' comments on hold.
Ms. Holly Black, I'm so disappointed in you, I know you can do better than messing about with the likes of Cassandra Clare.
And believe me...being a Harry Potter ripoff is not even the worst problem of this book.
What I don't like about this book, a simple checklist:
(1) Really obvious Harry Potter ripoff
I know, authors need to pay rent too, but can they be a bit less lazy and working on their own ideas instead of ripping J K. Rowling off?
Here're the details:
5 pages into the story, we are treated with a bunch of people being murdered by the Enemy of Death and a little boy is the only survivor...his mother also died protecting him...
Hello, The Boy Who Lives?
Plus, like Harry this little boy just also has to be so very famous, he is known among his peers, even the mayor knows who he is, even the teachers from the magical school know who he is, even the bad guys are aware of him. Ugh huh, I have no comment here.
There's more...three kids, two boys and one girl (an outstandingly smart girl, mind you) working as a team for the school year and they also has a mentor who seems to know more about the boy's identity and the secrets from the past than he let on...again, no comment.
Just look at the book cover and the name 'The Enemy of Death'...are you really going to tell me these fail to remind you of a certain You Know Who?
And don't even get me started with how (view spoiler)[the Arch Villain's soul is inside the little boy's body! (hide spoiler)] I mean, if you must rip J K. Rowling off, couldn't you have done it in a little bit more subtle way!?
For too many times the main characters said things which are supposed to be smart and humorous, but they always fall flat.
Sounding familiar, isn't it? It reminds me of all those supposedly 'brave, sassy, funny and strong' characters from Clare's Shadowhunters books which are actually unlikable brats and assholes.
Not to mention, the smart girl in the crew is an unlikable Know-It-All, whilst one of the MCs turns out to be a walking stereotype for a Golden Boy. Plus two of those MCs gave another MC silent treatment for three weeks after he messed up in practice. How charming.
Guess what? At least in Harry Potter, the kids used to behave in a somewhat likable and reasonable way, and they protected their friends when said friends got into trouble with their teachers. Sadly I hadn't seen the kids in The Iron Trial did the same.
I know, at least this book actually includes POC (people of colors) as the main characters, this much I can appreciate, but still.
(3) the Mages-teachers who are stupid and horrible educators
In this book, the mages in this magical school are terrible as educators and these mages also suck totally at fighting the evil Chaos-ridden too. I wonder why after so many years the bad guys still haven't managed to defeat those stupid mages.
Here're a few examples:
At the very beginning, these mages are wrenching a 12 years old boy from his father and they were going to keep the boy *without his father's consent*, and you are telling me those mages are supposed to be the good guys!? And it's supposed to happen in the alternative modern America (which is supposed to be quite similar with our world)!?
Also, students are requested to try moving the sand with their will power for five whole weeks (or five months, can't recall which), and I suppose nothing else can motivate 12 years old kids to learn about magic than this?
Also, those mages have lied to the kids and their parents when they lured them to their magical school with fake invitation letters which were supposedly sent by ballet schools and other schools of talents! Many of the kids' parents have not the slightest idea that they are sending their kids off to apply for a magical school which is going to train them to be magical warriors of some sort and also to fight with some deadly and evil Chaos-ridden, aka monsters and murderers! What The Hell!?
I told you, those mages are terrible people.
(view spoiler)[Alright, then those mages found their precious Maker--their only chance to defeat the Enemy of Death! So let's tell everyone this great discovery! Because the Enemy would NEVER dream of snaking into the magical school and kill the young Maker before he/she comes of age! (hide spoiler)]
(4) The most boring and senseless magical school and magic training ever
Fire wants to burn Water wants to flow Air wants to raise Earth wants to bind Chaos wants to devour
These must be one of the most unimaginative and unmagical description I've ever heard about magic.
However, I would admit the idea of mages and their counterweights is a decent one, but it isn't like we have never seen this idea coming into play before.
(5) the world building...or the lack of it
In the world of The Iron Trial, for some reasons mages are allowed to war against each other on a regular basis, but why? Isn't this story taken place in the freaking MODERN WORLD? Why would the government allow this?
Plus, why must the existence of mages and magic be hidden in secret when the mages must live among humans and there are also untrained 'gifted' children walking among the general public unintentionally summoning/using their magical power? I mean, there have been freaking wars among the mages and the rest of the world is still in the dark! Why aren't these mages running the governments and running businesses *since they have power that normal people don't have?* How freaking believable!
And I'd already informed you those mages can keep a 12 years old boy despite the lack of parental consent. Again, I have no word.
Am I going to read the next book in the future? I am not even sure....more
Did I mention that many of Kresley Cole's PNR books can be viewed as rape fantasy?
This time I think she went too far with that rape fantasy thingy. ThDid I mention that many of Kresley Cole's PNR books can be viewed as rape fantasy?
This time I think she went too far with that rape fantasy thingy. This time...the male lead is a fucking rapist, because what else would you call a guy who tears a woman's clothes off her body and has his way with her when she is unconscious?
Believe me, the male lead did more than just these...
And here's my reaction to this asshole:
[image] (Link: )
In my past reviews for other Cole's books, I stated for at least a few times that I want to kick her male leads' balls into next week...this time, I change it into I want to cut out his balls, once and for all.
Still...the story itself is a lot of fun and eventful, and one of my favorite characters shows up in the book too.
Thoughts After Reading:
I have to be crazy to root for this couple.
But I'm not crazy so I hate the romance in the book with all my heart, what I like is Emma's interaction with her supernatural family and how she grows a backbone in the end, the mention of the other Lorekinds and their stories, I'm not much of a fan of the ending either....more
There is one word I think is the most suitable for this supposed Alice in Wonderland retelling, and this word is ridiculous.
(1) Calling this book an Alice-retelling is equated to lying. All of the Alice-references are so poorly done and senseless (a bunch of teenagers throwing a regular beer-and-disco-music party is equated to the Mad Tea Party, great isn't it?) it feels more like an insult to the original text than a respectful homage.
(2) This book is more about stupid teenage high school drama and over-the-top love triangles than Alice. I'm not kidding.
(3) The heroine Alice (aka Ali) spends a lot of time drooling over the masculine bad boy love interest Cole and fantasizing about making out with him (again I'm not kidding) than grieving over her dead family and worrying about the crisis of zombies going around eating people for dinner.
[image] (Link: )
(4) As to the zombies....they only have spiritual forms and they are 'eating' the goodness in people then in turn making them zombies too. Why would they do this? Because they are evil. Not because they are hungry or need human flesh to keep their bodies functional.
Zombies with no physical forms? Zombies who eat people because they are evil!? Then why would those creatures be zombies at all? Why don't call those creatures 'phantoms' or 'wraiths' instead? Is the author so eager to ride the success of the recent zombie hyper, e.g. The Walking Dead and all those zombie movies out there?
(5) All the bullshit about Christianity and God and Good vs. Evil
I know, the heroine and her family are Christians, but must she keep talking nonsense about God so very often? I mean, do real-life Christians talk like this? It's so annoying.
To make thing worse, even Christian rock bands get mentions here and there. *facepalms*
And the nonsense about how the war between zombies and people who can 'see' them is the epic Good vs. Evil battle is also annoying as hell.
(6) The basic concepts about man-eating monsters and people who fought them could have worked out just fine if the author actually has some basic writing skill and style to save her life. But she doesn't, so the entire story turns out to be very flat, toneless and fake. The heroine lost her entire family? Monsters stalking her and wanting to eat people? I never felt worry about her and her friends, the writing is just that bad.
(7) Last but not least, the heroine's dear dead mother taught her teenage daughter that her virginity is a gift when the good woman was alive.
Okay, I'm alright with the 'don't do it when you are not ready and certain' message, but what the actual fuck about this 'virginity is a gift/valuable' BS? It's just downright backward and sexist. Have you ever heard a guy's virginity is a gift before? No? Like never? Now can you see what I mean?...more
The world setting and some of the ideas about magic and demons in this book are somewhat decent and interesting (that's the only reason I finished reaThe world setting and some of the ideas about magic and demons in this book are somewhat decent and interesting (that's the only reason I finished reading the book), however I really can't stand the Mary Sue Special Snowflake Heroine (barely a chapter can go by without the author telling me how beautiful and special the heroine is) and the love triangle.
Plus, despite having supernatural powers, the heroine is goddamn useless, she needs her love interests to pull her out of danger *for an entire freaking book*.
Last but not least, the heroine's parents did nothing to prepare her to fight demons or at least protect herself even though *it is what their family has always been doing for generations*; and the heroine's cousin Harry (view spoiler)[never explained to her he isn't her cousin/the real Harry but a friend who took the real Harry's place after the latter's death, in order to protect her (hide spoiler)], why wouldn't he do that? Because of REASONS!
Somehow this book reads like a bad mixture of Twilight and Hush, Hush. *groans* ...more
Loading...
