Evelyn SkyeRecensioni
Autore di The Crown's Game
Recensioni
Separate but interconnected stories show the teens meeting this goal in different ways. A diverse cast, a
masquerade ball, and a touch of magic enhance this sweet story.
Trigger warnings: Death of girlfriends in the past by burning and physical illness, murder, grief and loss depiction, pregnancy and childbirth, divorce mentioned, infertility, near-death experience, fire, explosions, military violence and war themes, World War II, shipwreck, colonisation, car crash
Score: Five points out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Oh, look, a Romeo and Juliet retelling. A person I knew picked this one up and tried to read it. Unfortunately for her, it quickly disinterested her so she gave up after a few pages. However, The Hundred Loves of Juliet intrigued me, so I picked it up and read it. When I finished The Hundred Loves of Juliet, it disappointed me. It could be better, but alas, it didn't meet my expectations (I should lower them in the first place considering the low ratings and reviews.)
It starts with the first character I see, Helene, whose last name remains undisclosed, moving to Alaska to write a novel. She wants to write a romance involving two people, when suddenly, she meets another person: Sebastien, who came right off Helene's pages. Here's the catch: Once Sebastien starts a relationship with Helene, he tells her he is immortal but every time he tries to fall in love with a Juliet incarnation, she dies. The Hundred Loves of Juliet has such an intriguing premise, but the former squanders the latter by fumbling the characters, my biggest gripe. Sebastien and Helene talk like two cheesy philosophers, making me groan inside. I've had enough of people who talk like that, because it's unrealistic, and after reading another story with that type of dialogue, I didn't want to see it again.
The Hundred Loves of Juliet's flow was hard to follow at best and chaotic at worst. The narrative can jump back a few years sometimes to show the previous versions of Romeo and Juliet where the former survives but the latter meets her demise, but that quickly got repetitive. I also noticed the lack of diversity and saw that the author missed some opportunities to add more types of characters. One member of the couple that existed during the colonisation of America could've been Native American. The twosome in the Sahara could've been Black, and the one in World War Two era Japan could've been Japanese. You get the idea. I couldn't connect or relate to them in the first place.
The conclusion is a high note, as Sebastien and Helene break the curse as the former hacked some computers so that nothing could go wrong (Why?) and the latter had her first child. The Hundred Loves of Juliet mentioned divorce, but the author quickly glossed it over, which I disliked. It was apparent that in Evelyn Skye used YA writing which didn't translate well in her debut in adult fiction. To summarise, The Hundred Loves of Juliet was a promising Romeo and Juliet retelling, but the negatives outweighed the positives, disenchanting me.
This had all the ingredients for a tasty pizza (cheese, flour, tomato sauce, toppings if you get down like that, etc), but it was never put into the writing oven. So, we were left with an undercooked goopy mess. I could not connect to the storytelling style. It relied heavily on “telling” things about the characters that it could’ve have shown. Dialogue/banter was unseasoned.
Circle of Shadows’ story is plot-driven. There are some big themes: a cult; two armies of ninjas (taiga and ryuu); a brother and sister estranged due to their ideologies; animal-based magical abilities; a male lead realizing his feelings for his best friend; female lead consumed with revenge; dead sister; did I mention multiple BLOOD SACRAFICES?
The dark angle with the prince and princess’ fallout was interesting. The graphic violence and the cult made a sharp, almost whiplike effect, contrast against the otherwise light story. The humor was lighthearted as well as the previously mentioned unseasoned banter.
Even the most cliché story can thrive with a cast of fun characters, but I didn’t care for this crew. Early in the story Sora decides to take her taiga training skills seriously in hopes to move up in the army/elite fighting force. She was supposed to be this goofy prankster, but it felt like she never really was. She threw one “prank” which was just overdoing a performance for the princess and a mention of making laxative brownies for a bully. Despite getting serious, you would think she would retain this supposedly goofy personality.
Daemon, which is way too close to demon lol, was dull. He was grappling with his feelings for Sora and his identity. He was abandoned as a baby and never knew his parents. With some work, this could have been a fun or compelling character. The rest of the side characters had quirky name-conventions/codenames, which I didn’t mind, but none really stood out either. There was a petite, flirty chick and a guy who basically worked in the file cabinet/administration. But they needed more to be likable.
The magic system not being more fleshed out was a huge letdown. I needed to know more of its limitations. Being a Taiga comes with animal power-ups, by chanting an animal characteristic (think: teeth of a shark!) will grant the user that ability. However, it’s not clear how long they last. At first, the abilities were shown to wear off, but in another instance the effect lasted even with the user unconscious.
Another example is that Daemon is basically Rock Lee (Naruto) here as he sucks at casting spells/using magic. Is magic innate or genetics-based? Can you be gifted it? I know the gods specifically select the taiga, but why would they select a magicless baby?
It’s very unfortunate I didn’t mesh with the story. Because I love stories about ninjas + magic abilities + a sweet first love. And a guy raised by wolves! Come on, those are some of my favorite things. Personally, I don’t need the most elaborate worldbuilding or robust magic system if I enjoy the characters or the story. I’ve liked worse, less than critically acclaimed stories before. Truly I wanted to like this story, but it’s not for me.
This Halloween celebrated the four-hundred-year anniversary of the town’s founding. Local legends said that on every hundred-year anniversary, magic woke up in Moon Ridge and all things became possible, which made the midnight gala the perfect opportunity to use her lola’s spell.
Three Kisses, One Midnight is three short connected stories told by three different authors about high school students who find love on Halloween night. The town legend tells of a young couple that fell in love but their parents forbade them from getting married, so they decide to run away together. But the girl fell sick before they could go and died at midnight on Halloween, becoming the “Lady of Moon Ridge”. While her beloved was alive, her ghost and him meet in the woods every Halloween, spending the day together and when he died, he joined her in the stars and the two stars in the sky became known as the Lovers of Moon Ridge. Now, every four hundred years, the Lady of Moon Ridge helps lovers find their way.
Onny wasn’t so much a witch as she was “witchy adjacent.” She didn’t want to wield magic so much as know that it was there.
The story starts with Apollonia “ Onny” Diamante and her finally looking at the “grimoire” her grandmother, who died six months ago, left her. Inside she finds a love potion and thinks what better time than to try it on the Lady of Moon Ridge four hundred anniversary. Onny has had a crush on Alexander for awhile and plans on having him drink the potion with her (there's relaying that everyone using the love potion will tell the other and the potion only brings out love that is already there to stop any lack of consent) but on the night of her parents' Halloween gala, her enemy, Byron, accidentally drinks the potion. He agrees to help her source out the ingredients to make another but as they work to remake the potion, Onny starts to see things about Byron she was too busy crushing on Alexander to see.
This first installment was young adult cute and did a good job laying out the setting and characters. We're introduced to The Coven, Onny with her two other bestfriends Ash and True, and the mission of true love Onny has set-up for them on this legendary night. It was obvious that there were feelings from Byron and I enjoyed as they had to spend the night together to recreate the potion and Onny got to see a different side to him. This had a lot of fun facts incorporated in it, I had thoughts at times that they were speaking in a way that didn't quite feel right for teenagers (some of the references felt like they fit more for an older generation), but overall the romance was pretty cute.
Maybe it was time to put himself in the game. Maybe that’s why the Lady of Moon Ridge had shown herself to him.
The next story was about Ash and his unrequited love for his neighbor Cassidy. For years he's wanted to work up the courage to talk to her but she's a popular star athlete and he's a nerdy artist guy. When Cassidy tries dunking on her basketball hoop and crashes through their fence, Ash finally is forced to get over his shyness and talk with her.
This also had the cuteness factor with Ash being shy and Cassidy obviously having some feelings of her own. There was a little bit of heaviness with previous health issues that Cassidy had experienced but it's not dwelt on and her sunshine personality is the main focus. They end up having to go to a scary, could be haunted house to retrieve Cassidy's Halloween mask her little brother hid and have an almost kiss. Some quick third act breakup with Ash overhearing something but then a secret Cassidy had is revealed and a happily ever after for the two. This had the young adult vibes, some purple prose, felt a smidgen slow in the latter second half, but continued the sweet tone.
If you asked True Tandon, love was a giant scam.
The last story is with True and she's been broken up with her first and only boyfriend of five months for a year. It turned into a miserable experience and she now doesn't believe in love. She's a major science lover and introvert, so when she shows up to Onny's Halloween gala, she has no plans to stay long. When Orion, a boy from another school starts talking with her, she can start to feel the attraction building and that scares her. She's wanting to go but her teacher gives her the responsibility to watch over Wicked Wyonna, a mannequin that supposedly grants your wishes when you whisper them in her ear. Her ex-boyfriend steals the doll and Orion helps her search for them the rest of the night.
Even though all three see the ghostly Lady of Moon Ridge, she makes most of her appearance in this story and along with a Ouija board scene, this one probably is the most spooky but still in a YA fiction realm. This was another cute couple, True felt a little forced at the end with her “I can't lose myself in a relationship again”, but what is highschool without some angsty angst. Orion was probably the character I felt like we got to know the least but he was sufficient as just about too good to be true highschool love interest. This finally had a reference that I felt fit more with the characters' ages (saying someone looked like a Disney show actor) and wrapped up the Lady of Moon Ridge night nicely.
The ending gives us an epilogue where the three friends unite and share their coupled up happiness to each other before going off into the night with their new loves. This had great Halloween vibes atmosphere, definite YA toned (but with some character speak that didn't always feel teenager), young love, and ghostly fun. If you're looking for a book to join in the Halloween fun but want less scary and more light spookiness, this filled with YA cute romance with a few kisses, story could be a fun one to pick up.
After the first couple of vignettes, I started to feel disappointed as more and more were revealed. I felt most of these short stories were unnecessary and broke the continuity of Sebastien and Helene’s own story. Because of this, I didn’t feel the developing deep connection and unending love I wanted to feel from them.
The evil ex-husband part added interest. And the Author’s note was poignant and beautiful. 3/5 Stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballentine for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a light and enjoyable read. I loved the spin Evelyn Skye took on the Romeo and Juliet; it is very original.
Helene is a young woman, who has just left a dead-end marriage and job. To reinvent herself and give herself a fresh start, she packs up from California and heads to Alaska. The first day she gets there, while at a restaurant, she sees a man, that she knows well. She knows him well because she invented him, and he has been her companion since she was a teenager. His mannerisms, smile, and face are the one she has made stories around all these years. She approaches him, and rather than being intrigued, he is brusque and abrasive. Confused she walks away, figuring she came on too strong. Of course, she doesn't drop it. Shortly into the story, she has to go to his place to drop off a book, and she gets snow in there. While there, she finds out that Sebastien has secrets of his own, and he is trying to push her away to protect her. Shakespear got the story wrong, both Romeo and Juliet didn't die, only Juliet. Romeo was cursed to love over and over again, only to lose his true love. She soon realizes that the stories she's made up over the years are actually the stories of past Juliet's, who really are all Juliet, Romeo's one love, just different in how they met Romeo and when.
This is a good read. Enjoy.
Premise/plot: Gen (aka Genevieve) is a foster kid with a gift of detecting. The book opens with eleven good detective traits. (I don't know that they are so much traits as tips or guidelines.) She's on a case in the opening chapter. Soon after she makes her appearance, she's followed by two strangers...do they wish her harm? These two end up changing her life....and the course of this book.
In case you didn't guess it, Gen is a lost princess. She's in the foster care system, true, but that's only because her QUEEN grandmother didn't know she'd survived the car crash that killed her parents. Gen had no idea she was royalty. Now that she's been "found" will her detective work be finished?
My thoughts: I have so many thoughts about this one. I loved the opening chapters. Loved. But once Gen is swept up and away to her kingdom, well, the book stopped working for me personally. It went from a fun and delightful light mystery for elementary readers to a super-cheese-full Disney movie from several decades ago. There are only so many small made-up tiny countries with royalty stories that one can tolerate or like. And when this one transitioned from real world to fantasy world, it lost something. The world-building was less than ideal. The characterization, well, it felt flat and one-dimensional. It had so much potential at the start. The plot of this one is just a groaner. Maybe it wouldn't be if you were a kid?
Because it is a movie adaptation instead of the other way around, Damsel is not a complicated story. At its core, it is a simple young adult action story. The damsel in distress saves herself and the kingdom while discovering the big bad dragon is not as bad as misunderstood. It is a basic story formula that always works when done well.
What I particularly enjoy about Damsel is that it tackles the trolley problem, albeit with dragons and princesses instead of trolley cars and pedestrians. It is a difficult conundrum that most adults struggle to answer. I like that it is part of the story, but I am not certain Ms. Skye truly answers the question. Instead, she finds a clever workaround to obtain the required happily-ever-after ending. Rarely does real life have such options, but then again, it is a story that involves dragons. We left real life a long time ago.
If Ms. Skye’s version of Damsel is true to the movie, I look forward to watching the movie. Elodie is fierce, unrelenting, and loyal, and I know Millie Bobby Brown excels at those roles. I’m excited to see how they depict the dragon and its warren of caves. Even with its twist on the trolley problem, Damsel is pure entertainment that should work well on the screen.
Elodie is to marry the prince of Aurea. In return her country Inophe will be gifted enough wealth to help the drought stricken kingdom to survive. Of course she says yes. It helps that the prince is handsome and kind.
Wined and dined, made welcome, she truly has been welcomed by her new countrymen.
But after the wedding a different fate awaits.
A fantasy telling of Theseus and the Minotaur, with no ball of string but generations of “brides” leaving messages and signs for those who would come after, and the minotaur being replaced by a dragon. Elodie is in for the fight of her life—literally.
Captivating in some parts and decidedly clunky in others this felt more like a YA novel that resolved itself too quickly after the caves exploits, and the many twists.
There’s some commentary on justice and the actions of the actions of the Aureans, what would you do sort of thing, but all in all, I found the ending fell short of the action in the middle of the book.
A Random House - Ballantine ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
i just wish this story had a better direction and wasn't being stretched in as many ways as it was: will nikolai come back? who will vika choose? will pasha become tsar? how will russians feel about magic? is pasha a bastard? it's too many questions and this book isn't long enough to explore them all fully- evidenced by the ending of "well we love each other so everything is going to be fine and everything is forgiven even though we've repeatedly tried to murder each other and delegitimize the reign/tsardom as a whole." like i guess????? honestly i can't even be mad because i was just so glad for it to be over. and i will say that most every question brought up was answered.
WITH THE LONE EXCEPTION OF THE ONLY QUESTION I HAD AN INVESTED INTEREST IN GETTING ANSWERED:
WHERE
IS
BABA
YAGA???????
like intellectually i understand that these different myths were brought up to express how much more magic was getting thrown around but like................that was by far the most interesting part of this entire book and it sucks that it didn't get explored more fully. i Do Not Want any more of these books because i'll feel obligated to read them but i DO need to know how they solve vodyanoy drowning people in the river and baba yaga's hut just stomping around. can i get like a 100 page novella, evelyn?
idk overall i feel like i have more questions than there are answers and that's one of my biggest pet peeves in books which i realize is a personal issue and whatever but STILL.
in CONCLUSION- this book is fine. this story is fine. if you're into standard political fantasy go for it. but don't expect anything spectacular or.....................revolutionary B) B) B) B) B) B) B) B)
while i wish the magic system had been slightly more fleshed out as well (why can there be only one enchanter per country? yeah it makes them slightly weaker but isn't two decent enchanters still stronger than a regular person? why do they have to be kept a secret if every country has one? maybe only russia and morocco have magic since they were the only two countries mentioned? that would be weird but who knows.
OVERALL it was a pretty okay read, it was really slow and i spent most of it wondering when the actual game was going to start but the end DID drag me in and made me thankful i already had the second book on hand. i'm curious to see if all the loose ends left in this one are wrapped in the sequel.
When I picked this one up, I didn't realize that it was a collection of three, individual tales. The first one concerns Onny, the creator of the love potion from her grandmother's recipe, and the other two center around her best friends, one a guy and one a girl, as they use their portion of the potion to find the loves of their lives. It's set in a high school setting, but, obviously, branches to each individual's surroundings. They are sweet, each one taking a slightly different direction, and each one with its very own plot and atmosphere.
From all of the tales, the first one is the one that won me over. I was a little disappointed to find that this swung into three separate tales and, I think, because of that, I had trouble sinking into the second two. Plus, the Onny's tale is what sets the background, one with plenty of heart, and gives her a depth the other two simply can't reach. Plus, the first one is a enemies to lovers situation, something I prefer over the standard, tropes. Still, even these were well done, and it'd be wrong to say they weren't enjoyable.
Fans of romance, high school drama, true friendship, and all of that with a tinsy-dab of magic are going to enjoy this one quite a bit. I received an ARC through Netgalley and enjoyed the short reads.
I will probably still recommend it to the teens who have read all the Selection/ Red Queen/ Dystopian titles and scrounging around for more.
advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.
The "romance" is very PG, so I would think this suitable for even young teens, and I bet those who haven't read the Night Circus will love it.
Also, my ship was brutally attacked and I'm not happy about it. Daemon's emotions didn't seem adequately resolved, so it left a bitter taste in my mouth even though my ship was never actually official.
Anyway, other than those couple of qualms I really enjoyed this book, and I'm excited to read the sequel once I've had some time to get over how those relationships worked out.
Questo sito utilizza i cookies per fornire i nostri servizi, per migliorare le prestazioni, per analisi, e (per gli utenti che accedono senza fare login) per la pubblicità. Usando LibraryThing confermi di aver letto e capito le nostre condizioni di servizio e la politica sulla privacy. Il tuo uso del sito e dei servizi è soggetto a tali politiche e condizioni.
A few nights ago, I watched Netflix’s recent film “Damsel”, starring Millie Bobby Brown, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett, Nick Robinson, Brooke Carter, and of course the incredible Shohreh Aghdashloo who voices the dragon.
With the film and my thoughts of it fresh in my mind, I decided to read this. I love retellings and I love dragons so I knew I would enjoy it. As a young adult book, therefore aimed at teenagers, it was a great little read, rather quick, expanding on existing scenes and building depth through new scenes. I feel that, much like the film, if I had been younger I would have loved it even more. It was reasonably similar so I could tell exactly what point we were at in relation to the film, and of course had quotes straight from the film that was nice to see.
This book answered a lot of the questions I had from watching the film but unfortunately it also created questions. I understood the changes that were made, but I preferred the film's ending to the book’s.