Torrie

so imaginative

Revisado: 04-24-25

as sequels normally go, this one wasnt quite the fun adventure of the first. but overall it was entertaining and creative enough to be enchanting. i will def read the next one.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

so creative and gripping

Revisado: 04-06-25

i read this because of how much i loved Sabriel. And although i didn't enjoy it nearly as much, i still thing it's fantastic. A great introduction to a world that is mesmerizing and original. i can't wait to read the next one!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

sorry. this book is a slog.

Revisado: 10-08-24

i never really leave bad reviews. mostly because i never finish books that i don't like after the first few pages, and it doesn't feel fair to review a book i didn't finish. life is too short. i generally put it down and pick another.

but that's what is so frustrating for me about this book. The author does a fantastic job building the world and making you care about the characters. sometimes the descriptions get a bit long, but often that is enjoyable and in this case the author really paints a beautiful picture of the world.

halfway through the book, i was so tired of the main character's complaining i almost stopped listening entirely. but, after reading that some reviewers thought the ending was worth it (and a very real curiosity as to what happened to these people and fairies i've grown to like) i kept going.

i honestly wish i wouldn't have.

by the end, not only did i find myself often yelling "GET ON WITH IT!" or simply "UUGGHHHHHH" when the protagonist would spend soooo much time feeling sorry for herself, but i also found myself desperately wanting to read a book with a strong, intelligent female main character to, sort of, cleanse my brain of the whining and RIDICULOUSLY stupid choices the lead was making.

thank god audible has a feature where you can speed up the audio. otherwise i would have never made it.

the author is clearly talented. i can only guess that the editor failed her. i can't tell you how many times the phrase "my bowels turned to water" was used but it was five times too many. and the ending has plot points that range from silly (but maybe ok because of the fairytale nature of the book) to outright ridiculous (an answer to a riddle had me rolling my eyes so far back in my head i felt like i could watch brain cells dying as i got stupider from reading this).

i know im in the minority and that people seem to love this book. and that's awesome. i just wanted to save some of you who are like me some time if you are doing what i did and checking the reviews to see if its worth it to keep reading...

in my opinion
it's not.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

great ride with incredible voice talent

Revisado: 08-13-24

quite frankly, as fun and empowering as this wild, witchy adventure is... the voice talent is worth the listen on its own. The reader is fantastic and i will be now looking up audio books specifically to listen to them.

But overall, the story is super fun and full of delicious humor and (even if the slightest bit preachy a couple times) fantastic feminist ideals and woman-power.

I loved it and was sad when it was over.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

hoodwinked into romance

Revisado: 07-14-24

story:
I thought the first book was great! A strong female protagonist, fun adventure, wonderful world building. All of those things are probably why I was able to slog through this sequel, even though it was peppered with sluggish corny romance that didn't serve the story. So many cringey moments that had me rolling my eyes. But worse, Elsie seemed to lose strength and intelligence as her romantic relationship blossomed and that was disappointing in many situations in the book. It's an ok wrap up to the small series i suppose, but I can't help but feel disappointed that Elsie, who had so much promise as a strong character fighting not only villains but classism and sexism, would then seem to fade away to walk on the beach and be a rich plantation owners wife. Perhaps I'll wait for a new sequel where she remembers who she is :)

performance:
both voice actors were fantastic! This was a huge improvement from the first book, but still had me wondering why we needed a male reader at all. It seemed very unnecessary and sometimes was extremely confusing since each actor had a slightly different take on certain characters. especially in ensemble scenes, I often just had to push through regardless of knowing who was who.
Also, it seemed at times that the production value of the male voice actor was lacking. Something didn't sound quite right. He has a beautiful voice and the recording quality didn't seem to do him justice.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

hang in there... she does most of the narration

Revisado: 07-03-24

i almost stopped listening to this because of the male narrator. he's very talented but completely and utterly wrong for this book. (there is actually no need for two narrators and i'm still confused as to why they chose to do it this way... and sad to see that the sequel also has two voice actors).

nevertheless, the story is fantastic and engaging (especially after you get through the first section if learning the world and characters)
i love the writing and adventurous storytelling and strong female protagonist. It's a fantastic and original journey.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

a fantastic adventure

Revisado: 05-09-24

I thought this book was great! The author totally grabs the Gothic vibe and runs with it and more directions than I was expecting… A few cliché, moments of writing, but even those couldn't dull the luscious dark luster of this Beautifully thought out story.
I wish the voice actor would have been directed differently so that the "sing song quality "delivery of every single sentence get so monotonous. However, the characters were fully realized and fantastic.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña