The Little Mermaid was my favorite fairytale when I was a kid, and also my favorite Disney movie, so imagine my joy when I discovered this book and the premise it comes with. It was honestly about time I found a retelling of The Little Mermaid that would sweep me off my feet the way this book did. It was dark, gritty, twisted and at the same time funny and sweet. Why only three stars you'd ask, then?
First of all, the pace is way too slow for a book like this. It could have been at least 100 pages shorter and it would have been great, anyway. Sometimes the most impactful scenes are the ones that last less, but in this book, the slow pace and the way the writer dragged some moments through multiple pages, was at times what washed away the shock factor.
Second comes the writing. Don't get me wrong on this one. Alexandra Christo's writing is something extraordinary, whimsical and completely enchanting. I think that, without a doubt, it's the best part of this story. AC is a pro at writing dialogues, though I must admit that all that bantering and sarcasm sounds a little forced after a while. Nobody is so fabulously witty all the time. Lira and Elian are okay, nothing out of this world, but still not bad either. I liked him more than her and that's kind of a paradox, considering the dual POV sounded almost the same for both of them. It's something that I absolutely care about when reading books with multiple POVs and I'm sad to say this time, I was a bit disappointed. I liked the side characters more than the main ones, and I truly loved the Sea Queen more than anyone else. She was a real bloody and cruel villain, with a really black soul and creepy tentacles. What's not to love, here? XD
Third and last (because I overall enjoyed it, after all), there's something about the plot that doesn't work with me. It started amazing (though it took its sweet time to properly get business done), but then it went downhill and a little dull before taking another U turn ten chapters before the end. Like I said before, a lot of scenes and lines could have been avoided in favor of a more simple and plot. The whole journey, the development of and between the MCs, it felt a little dragged on because of this. I would have given this book another star if my enthusiasm had stayed on the same level through all the book. Sadly, it didn't, but you won't find me complaining too much about it because the ending and the humor made up for it big time. I also like the romance. I obviously expected it to appear and develop at some point, and I'm pretty satisfied by the way it was handled. And what I mean by this is that no singing snitchy crabs were thanfully involved in the making of this enemies-to-allies-to-lovers tropey love story. The half star I gave TKAK is thanks to this omission.
Anyway, I'm glad I read this one and that I gave this super talented author a chance. Although Princess of Thorns remains my absolute favorite fairytale retelling, To Kill A Kingdom outstripped Hunted of its title and happily won the second place iin my very own personal chart.
"I'm okay," she said, through snot and tears, as she banged her head against the wall and, at the same time, pondered whether or not it was better to "I'm okay," she said, through snot and tears, as she banged her head against the wall and, at the same time, pondered whether or not it was better to have a breakdown then and there, or if it was more appropriate after a shower.
I lied. I'm dead. Gone. Forever. My ghost is writing this temporary review as Mister Sanderson plays ping pong with my poor, shattered heart. Adieu, moi. Rest in fucking pieces.
This book is insanely perfect, definitely one of the best pieces of literature I've ever held in my hands.
To be completely fair, I probably liked the idea of this book more than I did its execution. Didn't hate it, but I didn't love
“An eye for an eye.”
To be completely fair, I probably liked the idea of this book more than I did its execution. Didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. Although I liked it, overall, I also felt it was a bit too long and slow-paced for a book so full of action and super-powered characters. Speaking of characters, I couldn't connect much with them and felt like they were somehow underdeveloped. Don't get me wrong, I'm giving this book 3 stars despite the flaws because I enjoyed it for the most part. In fact, there were certain scenes that totally captured me with how intense they were (the prologue for example was so good it left me gasping for hair) and it's undeniable that Meyer's writing isn't mediocre at all, but I wasn't impressed by this book. Not as much as I thought I would, anyway.
◾this hashtag is something I self-indulgently created for fun when I decided to thin out my immense tbr list as a new years resolution starting from books I added on GR back in 2017/2018/2019, and since I can't seem to do anything quietly and I'm well known for being an overachiever, I had to go and turn it into an official thing. Feel free to check out the shelf with the same name if you don't mind keeping up with this insanely over-hyped adventure I got myself into. Take it as a chance to rediscover some books from a few years ago that might have accidentally flown under your radar, or to simply share with another fellow reader your very own reading experience. Happy reading and stay penguin-y!◾
I'm shamelessly and without any second thought giving this 5 very indulgent stars this book is a bomb and I loved every second of its tropey, trashy and mind-blowing entireness. And all those twists...Oh my God, how will I ever recover.
I'm also shamelessly getting the second book as I type this. Send help, I think I'm obsessed.
“Have I told you how hideous you look tonight?” Cardan asks, leaning back in the elaborately carved chair, the warmth of his words turning the ques
“Have I told you how hideous you look tonight?” Cardan asks, leaning back in the elaborately carved chair, the warmth of his words turning the question into something like a compliment. “No” I say, glad to be annoyed back into the present. “Tell me.” "I can't.”
august 2022 i hate this book and the power it has over me. 5 stars could never be enough for the magnificence that is this series. in case you're wondering, kiss with a fist by florence+the machine is the song i picked for jude/cardan in this book.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.──
“So I am to sit here and feed you information,” Cardan says, leaning against a hickory tree. “And you’re to go charm royalty? That seems entirely backward.” I fix him with a look. “I can be charming. I charmed you, didn’t I?” He rolls his eyes. “Do not expect others to share my depraved tastes.”
january 2022 ...and then I said, "fuck my tbr"
[image]
post-reread thoughts: spectacular as ever. actually bumping this up to 5 stars because I'm even more obsessed with it this time around.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.──
He's wrong about me. I am going to make my mayfly life count for something. I won't be afraid of him or of Prince Dain's censure. If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.
I look up at the stars hanging low in a sky that makes me think I'm seeing the infinite. But beneath their cold gaze, I feel small. All the beauty
I look up at the stars hanging low in a sky that makes me think I'm seeing the infinite. But beneath their cold gaze, I feel small. All the beauty of the stars means nothing when life here on earth is so ugly.
Okay, truth? I don't really know how I feel about this book. I liked it, I definitely did, but at the same time I could never get properly into it. I guess the main problem I had was with the pacing and repentine POV changes. It also took me 120+ pages to get marginally invested in what I was reading and almost the same amount for the real action to start.
[image]
I'm glad I was strong enough and endured, but at some point, it was almost an obligation to keep myself going. A note to all authors: sometimes a slow start kills all the mood, even if the rest of the story is a bomb. Please, make it short. You'll still have time and space to spill all infos -and all the juice- in the remaining chapters. On the other hand, I have absolutely nothing to say about the writing (clear and neat), and the setting was on its own special level in terms of world-building. I also liked the characters; some more than others and none of them was deep enough to be relatable, but they were still all kind of likeable. Helen is my favorite. I like how conflicted and rightful she is. I hope to read more of her in the future. Speaking of characters...I can't pinpoint what it is that makes Laia and Elias so uninteresting to me. Like, I liked reading about them, but sometimes I wished they weren't the one telling the story because they were both so undefined it gave me nerves. I can't concentrate on them when main characters are bit confused at the edges. I like my MCs to have a personality, especially even if it's an eccentric/morally ambiguous one, but I was slightly disappointed this time around. I didn't mind the romance but I could never really care about the characters' romantic lives without feeling a bit detached.
In short, I think this book is a good one, but. There's always this annoying little but that keeps poking me in the back of my brain. Maybe I'm being too picky, or maybe I wasn't in the right state of mind to read this one, but as much as I liked it, I also found myself with a handful of complaints about every single aspect and side of it. I think I'll form a better opinion once I read the second book. You know what? If I could -and I can because this is my review-, I'd like to split my rating in two, The first half of the book gets two stars while the second one takes four. Until then, I'll leave this in the middle, with three stars and a half, and the promise of seeing each other again.
[image]
Some hate us, think us outlaws to hang at the gallows. Some fear us, think demons to burn at the stake, Some worship us, think us children of the god
Some hate us, think us outlaws to hang at the gallows. Some fear us, think demons to burn at the stake, Some worship us, think us children of the gods. But all know us.
Kaz leaned back. "What's the easiest way to steal a man's wallet?" "Knife to the throat?" asked Inej. "Gun to the back?" said Jesper. "Poison in his c
Kaz leaned back. "What's the easiest way to steal a man's wallet?" "Knife to the throat?" asked Inej. "Gun to the back?" said Jesper. "Poison in his cup?" suggested Nina. "You're all horrible," said Matthias.”
october 2019 How is it that this book gets better and better every time I read it???
■□■□■□■□■□■
may 2019 guess who's re-reading what *blows vuvuzela*
This is still super awesome. Way too awesome for my clothes. I wonder if I'll be able to go on an entire year without rereading this for the 150th time. Who knows....more
astarion's bhaal babe (wingspan matters)
>
Books:
antiheroes-villains-outcasts
(70)
Loading...
