I have never watched Dawson’s Creek, but the premise of this book is essentially FMC and MMC get transported to a knock-off DC. Then, hijinks ensue.
BrI have never watched Dawson’s Creek, but the premise of this book is essentially FMC and MMC get transported to a knock-off DC. Then, hijinks ensue.
Brynn is a disillusioned woman, whose belief in happily ever after was dashed when her former husband decided to divorce her. He claimed he still loved her, but he was no longer in love with her. I call bs. Fortunately, we never had to see him grace our pages. All me got of him were mentions of his and Brynn’s past.
Josh is a charming bartender who is used to disappointment. He is Brynn’s roommate, and the two truly don’t have much interaction until about the start of the book.
Yet when they forced to live in the world of Carson’s Cove they find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another. Which proves to be an issue because in the world of CC they aren’t themselves, they’re characters. And the mysterious fellow responsible for their transmigration is determined to keep them apart.
If you’ve been any rom-com you can guess what happens next. Nevertheless, despite the predictability, I still had fun reading this overall.
Huge thank you to Dial Press and Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own....more
Once more, while I enjoy reading romance and watching rom-coms, I was not at all surprised bRating ~2.5
A rather typical and overall familiar romance.
Once more, while I enjoy reading romance and watching rom-coms, I was not at all surprised by this book. Everything felt very formulaic.
We are hit with a case of insta-lust/maybe love? Basically, the two main leads are instantly drawn to each other. And I mean that's fine, since they are both apparently very attractive, super friendly people, that happens I suppose. But then after all this build-up and rather entertaining foreplay, we get only a fade to black sex scene. Like, excuse me? All that build-up and I don't even get a steamy hookup scene? Boo!
The ending also felt terribly rushed. Crammed into the last few chapters were: the appearance of Sara's ex (whose appearance honestly did not last more than a page), a misunderstanding between our main leads that result in Luis' walking out and leaving Sara in tears, Luis making amends with his brother Enrique and finally a tearful airport/makeup scene between the main leads.
Anyways, if you're looking for an easy beach read then I say plow right ahead with this one. It's pleasant enough. But if you're looking for a romance that really knocks your socks off, maybe go looking elsewhere....more
These people. Their power. The good they could do with it, and the evil they chose instead.
This book is dark. Not simply beautifully, poetically da These people. Their power. The good they could do with it, and the evil they chose instead.
This book is dark. Not simply beautifully, poetically dark, no, it is the sort of unpleasant darkness people want to turn away from. This book shines a light on some of the worst aspects of human nature. The things we all know exists, but so many people refuse to see. And for that, it is amazing.
When it comes to YA fiction, people seem to throw around the word dark whenever there is death or betrayal involved. Well, I will say to those people this book takes it to another level.
Be warned this is not your typical YA Fantasy.
The Cast: Abi has always tried to do what right, but also what was expected of her. Previously, she never thought to challenge the status quo. But with her brother condemned for a crime he did not commit, her parents shipped off to Millmoor and her little sister beyond her reach at Kyneston, Abi steps up to the plate to right the wrongs the Equals have inflicted on her family and so many others.
Luke goes from an uncover rebel to a condemned criminal. But no matter what horrors he is forced to face, Luke refuses to let it break him. He fights as hard as he can to ensure he never gives into the basest aspects of human nature, to make sure he never become the monster Crovan, his torturer, says he will ultimately become.
Silyen continues to be the mysterious, ambitious, powerful young man whose actions constantly have to you questioning where his loyalties lie - if he has any at all.
Gavar goes from the spoiled heir, complicit in his families actions, to a young man who starts to question the very society to which he belongs. He starts to think of how things could be better, for his daughter, for everyone, if only Equals were willing to change.
Bouda is a girl who continues to do whatever, and whoever, it takes to claw her way to top. She is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with the Equals society.
The Relationships *All discussion will be put in the spoiler tag because I do not trust myself to talk about them without spoiling anything* (view spoiler)[ Abi & Jenner? That shit got thrown out the window and I will not miss it.
I was indifferent to them in book one, but I could tell pretty early in book Jenner was too weak a character to be able to resist the shine of power. He was not better than his family because he was a better person. He was a previously a better person because he was not yet embraced by his family. Jenner is the sort of person who wants people to like him. Now that his family has seemed to accept him he thinks he is on top of the world.
Abi & Luke - Poor siblings barely got to be reunited for one chapter before they were torn apart again! But fear not with each of them now with a Jardine it's only a matter of time before they reunite.
Luke & Coira - I wanted these two together so bad. I still think it is going to happen, but now that's Luke escaped and Coira stayed behind to the others, it is going to be a long road back for them.
Silyen & Luke - What is going on here? Like seriously, what is the weird bond they have going on? How are they linked? What is the weird King nonsense? I do not understand!
Bouda & Faiers - I kind of hate Bouda. I like a girl with ambition, but she the way she treats people, commons, is ghastly and I hope she gets what is coming to her. As for Faiers? I do not trust this man at all. He seems so shady. They only thing they have going for them is that they're kind of hot together. So maybe we can enjoy a little of that before they get their heads chopped off.
Gavar & Daisy - She remains the only one besides his daughter with whom he is entirely comfortable. And for a young child, she is incredibly perceptive. She understands what he is thinking without him having to say. Little Daisy sees the good in him before anyone else does. If it weren't for the fact that she is 10 and he is 25 I would think that meant something romantic, but given the age gap let's hope this is not the case.
Gavar & Abi - She always thought him an entitled boor, but with that twist at the end - him saving her life and presumably taking her to see Daisy - I think their dynamic is about to change for the better. I am interested to see where this unlikely relationship is going to go. Allies? Friends? Something more? Who knows! (hide spoiler)]
Character Rankings: Abi = Luke > Gavar > Silyen >>>>>> Bouda Some of you might be thinking, wait, Gavar before Silyen? I know. I know. If you had asked me my rankings at the very start of the book I do believe my answer would be different. But with Gavar finally showing some humanity and backbone, and Silyen still being confusing as heck, I think Gavar wins by a narrow margin.
One thing I think that set this book apart from others is that we get the PoV of not only our protagonists but also our antagonists. So not only do we get to see the struggles our heroes go through, we also get to see how life is on the other side. Which I personally enjoyed, since it helped flesh out the characters a bit, but I can understand how so many PoV may overwhelm some people.
This is a story rooted in politics. With some individuals and families striving for power and glory, others fighting for justice, for freedom, for change, and then there are those simply looking for answers. With so many deaths, twist and turns, betrayals and questionable motives this book keeps you guessing and questioning everything up to the very last page.
This book is a breath of fresh air in the realm YA fantasy where the usual formulas and tropes are used on repeat. And I would definitely recommend it for fans of darker YA Fantasy. But as I said before, be warned, when I say it is dark I mean it. (view spoiler)[ I am talking about death, murder, emotional and psychological torture, mention of rape and sexual assault, public execution etc. (hide spoiler)]
The book ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
I received a free copy of this book via Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ First to Reads in exchange for an honest review. A huge thank you Del Rey Books for this opportunity, and to the author, Vic James, for this stunning book. ________________________ Possible Alternative Titles for this Book: A Labyrinth of Twists and Turns Death and Betrayal Ambition Above All Else The Crazy World of Equals How many characters can we kill off and still retain shock value?...more
"I may not have been born in the sea, but I was born to rule it."
As was to be expected, this book was a roaring good time. It also got me out of my "I may not have been born in the sea, but I was born to rule it."
As was to be expected, this book was a roaring good time. It also got me out of my mini reading slump.
We are reunited with our fabulous cast of female pirates, our favorite first mate, Riden, and we finally get to meet Alosa infamous mother. And, as to be expected, nothing about Alosa's family is what she believed.
Just like its predecessor, this book is a fast-paced, fun, action-packed pirate adventure. Traveling to the Pirate King's, across the seas and straight into the lair of sirens our crew takes on more than any sane person would ever dare to. But for their freedom and each other, they risk it all.
In terms of romance, while there is still plenty of sexual tension and romantic moments, I do feel like we lost some of the clever banter between our dear captain and our newly captured Riden. Fortunately, the conversations and further development of our side characters filled some of this void. This time around there was no true obstacle standing in the way of our favorite ship, except for their trust issues. Alosa struggles to fully let Riden in for fear of making herself weak, vulnerable. While Riden refuses to do things in half measures and will not be with Alosa if he cannot have all of her.
The writing was solid, and while I liked the fast pacing overall, there were moments I wish it would have taken a little more time. Like I do wish we could have spent more time at the Pirate King's hideout, and I wish we could have seen a bit more of the interactions between Alosa and her father. But ultimately I think the book did a good job of engaging the reader with its quick pacing and it answered pretty much all of the important questions we had.
I had a lot of fun reading this and I am sure any fellow privateering fan will as well.
I received an ARC through a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ giveaway. A huge thank you to the publishers and Fierce Reads. ...more
*I received a free ARC from Harper Teen, through Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ first to read program, in exchange for an honest review*
Okay I kind of loved this...
To sta*I received a free ARC from Harper Teen, through Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ first to read program, in exchange for an honest review*
Okay I kind of loved this...
To start off, it is important to note that in order to thoroughly enjoy this book you may require some suspension of disbelief. That or you can be a really young, naive pre-teen/teen who thinks that a secret government agency would actually use a freshmen college student as a spy in a top secret undercover mission. You know, whatever works for you.
Secondly, you have to be okay with a character consistently breaking the fourth wall. Honestly though, sometimes Paige felt less like a character and more like a socially awkward friend, who often goes off on tangents, trying to tell the story of what she did last summer.
Third, be ready for a lot of old-school and modern day pop culture references. Like seriously, there were so many mentions of books and movies I have never seen and I was googling a lot. But you know maybe I'm just you not as cultured as Paige, who also happens to speak five languages and be a kick-ass martial artist.
So, as long as you can accept those things I mentioned above I think you can truly enjoy this book. It is full of fun, awkward situations, friendship, romance, action, adventure, espionage and plenty of bits of culture. Overall, it was just a fun and easy read which really got me back into the reading mood. --- I thought this was going to be a series, but I guess I was wrong. Such a shame, since I thought this was a promising start. ...more
*I received a free ARC from Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ first to read program*
Rating 2.5
What can I say? I like historical romances, and I like mystery. So this should *I received a free ARC from Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ first to read program*
Rating 2.5
What can I say? I like historical romances, and I like mystery. So this should have been perfect for me. But alas while I liked it enough I did not adore it the way I thought I would.
I did enjoy the characters as a whole, but I felt the plot moved much too slow for my liking. Perhaps, this story would sit better with someone with more patience. But regrettably I cannot say that is one of my virtues.
That being said the story itself was quite interesting, but again due my only caring for the main plot points I skipped about during the second half.
June, Jack, Lindie, Cassie, Nick, Tate and Elda all brought something interesting to the table. Their lives forever intertwined by an unfulfilled love, family secrets, betrayal, personal sacrifice and death.
For those who have more patience than me, who enjoy slow, steadier tales this would be absolutely lovely. But for me it was mainly just okay. ...more
To start off, I HUGE thanks to Goodread First to Read Program and Katie Cross for sending me this book!
My true rating would probably be 4.5 stars becTo start off, I HUGE thanks to Goodread First to Read Program and Katie Cross for sending me this book!
My true rating would probably be 4.5 stars because I don't believe any book can be truly perfect (but hey 4.5 is pretty darn close lol). Anyways, I received this book through a giveaway a little over a month ago. I was reading other books at the time so I didn't start this book right away. But once I got into it I absolutely loved it! It's well written and I quickly grew to love the characters more and more as the book went on (well except for Evelyn and May but that's to be expected). I liked the inclusion of characters letters in the story because it gave them more of a voice in their own tale. The underlying theme of this book was also a truly wonderful one because it rings true in all societies, the constant struggle between the haves and the have nots. Mildred truly was a brilliant character because she was so truly human. She was not born with natural talent, nor was she blessed with wealth. She had times of doubt, but always stood by her convictions. A strong-hearted character who put the needs of her people above herself.
The one regret I had toward the end of this book was realizing that poor Milly and Marten were not going to end up together. I mean yes they're forever together as friends and will love each other forever, but they'll never truly be together. It is sad that neither is willing to break the tradition, all for the sake of their Network. Nonetheless, I understand their decision and am glad they'll always have each other even if they can have truly be a couple.
Oddly, enough I originally thought this book was the third book in a series, so originally started off trying to read Miss Mabel's school for girls. But I did not really get that into it. Then I realized this was a prequel and decided to just read this book first. Honestly this one was such a pleasant read, thus I finished it pretty quickly. So I think I'll go back and give the series another go.
Cindy ✩☽�
>
Books:
first-reads
(11)
Loading...
