Jane
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was all set to rate this book a 3.5 as I read it.
1. Prose was good.
2. Pacing was good.
3. World building was not extraordinary but it was ok.
4. Characterization of the characters seemed good.
Then, starting at around Chapter 21, characterization fell apart. Let me explain.
1. Lorelei remained pretty consistent and when she did seem to change a bit it was still understandable given her past or her need to be pragmatic about the circumstances they found themselves in. However, the way she flipped flopped from admitting she loved Sylvia to selling her out was just weird. I tried to rationalize her actions given how she was essentially backed into a corner. But then she flipped flopped again when they reached the Vanishing Island. And yes, she felt guilty. But come on.
Another thing I found annoying was how some of Lorelei’s actions caused drama for drama’s sake. She’s a smart woman but would do small dumb things. Then she’d get in her feelings and pout. For months. Which all felt unnecessary and was just written to create filler.
2. My issue with Sylvia’s characterization was the opposite of my issue with Lorelei. She was too consistent. She didn’t change. Even after Lorelei sold her out to Adelheid, she was still professing how much she loved Lorelei.
She’s a beautiful and accomplished woman. For god’s sake, she’s a princess. Can’t she have some self-respect and standards?
I truly believe that Sylvia’s character, despite some sad background, was very one note. It felt like such a waste of a potentially great character.
3. The characterization of Wilhelm also did not sit well with me. He was congenial enough to be friends with the heirs of rival territories but those same people regard him as a person who will betray them at any moment.
That’s fine. He’s a king who’s trying to hold on to power. I understand how he can be viewed as opportunistic.
But then later on Lorelei was thinking that he was basically giving her a “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” when he was handing her letters from Sylvia. Would a power hungry monarch do that?
So why did I rate this as such?
While it might seem like I have a lot of notes for this, it’s really just one big issue for me. Characterization.
Other items are just minor issues such as:
1. The overuse of metaphors. But those metaphors didn’t take you out of the scene unlike in ‘Home Is Where the Bodies Are’.
2. Some creatures’ names are so close to each other that I got confused but I put the blame on me because for some parts of this book, I was listening to the audiobook version.
Editor Issue
I found a mistake at Chapter 3 - page 42:
- In all fairness, she had hidden on a balcony until Ludwig coaxed her into his carriage at the end of the night, but she would not concede he point.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was all set to rate this book a 3.5 as I read it.
1. Prose was good.
2. Pacing was good.
3. World building was not extraordinary but it was ok.
4. Characterization of the characters seemed good.
Then, starting at around Chapter 21, characterization fell apart. Let me explain.
1. Lorelei remained pretty consistent and when she did seem to change a bit it was still understandable given her past or her need to be pragmatic about the circumstances they found themselves in. However, the way she flipped flopped from admitting she loved Sylvia to selling her out was just weird. I tried to rationalize her actions given how she was essentially backed into a corner. But then she flipped flopped again when they reached the Vanishing Island. And yes, she felt guilty. But come on.
Another thing I found annoying was how some of Lorelei’s actions caused drama for drama’s sake. She’s a smart woman but would do small dumb things. Then she’d get in her feelings and pout. For months. Which all felt unnecessary and was just written to create filler.
2. My issue with Sylvia’s characterization was the opposite of my issue with Lorelei. She was too consistent. She didn’t change. Even after Lorelei sold her out to Adelheid, she was still professing how much she loved Lorelei.
She’s a beautiful and accomplished woman. For god’s sake, she’s a princess. Can’t she have some self-respect and standards?
I truly believe that Sylvia’s character, despite some sad background, was very one note. It felt like such a waste of a potentially great character.
3. The characterization of Wilhelm also did not sit well with me. He was congenial enough to be friends with the heirs of rival territories but those same people regard him as a person who will betray them at any moment.
That’s fine. He’s a king who’s trying to hold on to power. I understand how he can be viewed as opportunistic.
But then later on Lorelei was thinking that he was basically giving her a “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” when he was handing her letters from Sylvia. Would a power hungry monarch do that?
So why did I rate this as such?
While it might seem like I have a lot of notes for this, it’s really just one big issue for me. Characterization.
Other items are just minor issues such as:
1. The overuse of metaphors. But those metaphors didn’t take you out of the scene unlike in ‘Home Is Where the Bodies Are’.
2. Some creatures’ names are so close to each other that I got confused but I put the blame on me because for some parts of this book, I was listening to the audiobook version.
Editor Issue
I found a mistake at Chapter 3 - page 42:
- In all fairness, she had hidden on a balcony until Ludwig coaxed her into his carriage at the end of the night, but she would not concede he point.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was all set to rate this book a 3.5 as I read it.
1. Prose was good.
2. Pacing was good.
3. World building was not extraordinary but it was ok.
4. Characterization of the characters seemed good.
Then, starting at around Chapter 21, characterization fell apart. Let me explain.
1. Lorelei remained pretty consistent and when she did seem to change a bit it was still understandable given her past or her need to be pragmatic about the circumstances they found themselves in. However, the way she flipped flopped from admitting she loved Sylvia to selling her out was just weird. I tried to rationalize her actions given how she was essentially backed into a corner. But then she flipped flopped again when they reached the Vanishing Island. And yes, she felt guilty. But come on.
Another thing I found annoying was how some of Lorelei’s actions caused drama for drama’s sake. She’s a smart woman but would do small dumb things. Then she’d get in her feelings and pout. For months. Which all felt unnecessary and was just written to create filler.
2. My issue with Sylvia’s characterization was the opposite of my issue with Lorelei. She was too consistent. She didn’t change. Even after Lorelei sold her out to Adelheid, she was still professing how much she loved Lorelei.
She’s a beautiful and accomplished woman. For god’s sake, she’s a princess. Can’t she have some self-respect and standards?
I truly believe that Sylvia’s character, despite some sad background, was very one note. It felt like such a waste of a great character.
3. The characterization of Wilhelm also did not sit well with me. He was congenial enough to be friends with the heirs of rival territories but those same people regard him as a person who will betray them at any moment.
That’s fine. He’s a king who’s trying to hold on to power. I understand how he can be viewed as opportunistic.
But then later on Lorelei was thinking that he was basically giving her a “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” when he was handing her letters from Sylvia. Would a power hungry monarch do that?
So why did I rate this as such?
While it might seem like I have a lot of notes for this, it’s really just one big issue for me. Characterization.
Other items are just minor issues such as:
1. The overuse of metaphors. But those metaphors didn’t take you out of the scene unlike in ‘Home Is Where the Bodies Are’.
2. Some creatures’ names are so close to each other that I got confused but I put the blame on me because for some parts of this book, I was listening to the audiobook version.
Editor Issue
I found a mistake at Chapter 3 - page 42:
- In all fairness, she had hidden on a balcony until Ludwig coaxed her into his carriage at the end of the night, but she would not concede he point.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was all set to rate this book a 3.5 as I read it.
1. Prose was good.
2. Pacing was good.
3. World building was not extraordinary but it was ok.
4. Characterization of the characters seemed good.
Then, starting at around Chapter 21, characterization fell apart. Let me explain.
1. Lorelei remained pretty consistent and when she did seem to change a bit it was still understandable given her past or her need to be pragmatic about the circumstances they found themselves in. However, the way she flipped flopped from admitting she loved Sylvia to selling her out was just weird. I tried to rationalize her actions given how she was essentially backed into a corner. But then she flipped flopped again when they reached the Vanishing Island. And yes, she felt guilty. But come on.
Another thing I found annoying was how some of Lorelei’s actions caused drama for drama’s sake. She’s a smart woman but would do small dumb things. Then she’d get in her feelings and pout. For months. Which all felt unnecessary and was just written to create filler.
2. My issue with Sylvia’s characterization was the opposite of my issue with Lorelei. She was too consistent. She didn’t change. Even after Lorelei sold her out to Adelheid, she was still professing how much she loved Lorelei.
She’s a beautiful and accomplished woman. For god’s sake, she’s a princess. Can’t she have some self-respect and standards?
I truly believe that Sylvia’s character, despite some sad background, was very one note. It felt like such a waste of a great character.
3. The characterization of Wilhelm also did not sit well with me. He was congenial enough to be friends with the heirs of rival territories but those same people regard him as a person who will betray them at any moment.
That’s fine. He’s a king who’s trying to hold on to power. I understand how he can be viewed as opportunistic.
But then later on Lorelei was thinking that he was basically giving her a “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” when he was handing her letters from Sylvia. Would a power hungry monarch do that?
So why did I rate this as such?
While it might seem like I have a lot of notes for this, it’s really just one big issue for me. Characterization.
Other items are just minor issues such as:
1. The overuse of metaphors. But those metaphors didn’t take you out of the scene unlike in ‘Home Is Where the Bodies Are’.
2. Some creatures’ names are so close to each other that I got confused but I put the blame on me because for some parts of this book, I was listening to the audiobook version.
Editor Issue
I found a mistake at Chapter 3 - page 42:
- In all fairness, she had hidden on a balcony until Ludwig coaxed her into his carriage at the end of the night, but she would not concede he point.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As much as I don’t shy away from Celebrity Gossip, which should have made this right up my alley, I am not raving about this book. It’s a good book, don’t get me wrong. But it just wasn’t for me.
Why it wasn't for me?
For some reason, I felt no connection to the main characters. They were boring to me with the exception of their douche dad. We were given their sob story, which made me feel sorry for them, but I just could not get invested in them.
Maybe it’s because there was no clear goal in the story. To me, this was like having a friend who just wanted to rant but you thought they were asking for advice. So, for most of the time they’re talking, you’re wondering what exactly were they asking you to do. That’s basically how I felt when I was reading this.
Why did I give it this rating?
Well, as I said, this was still a good book.
1. The pacing was good.
2. The characters, though flawed, were not annoyingly contradictory which was something I’ve seen in the past books I’ve read (cough - Of Jade and Dragons - cough).
3. The party in the story really captured the 80’s vibe. The cocaine being offered around in serving trays was exactly what you’d picture you’d see in those kinds of shindigs.
Other notes
These aren’t bad for the story but if the story/characters were real, I’d be concerned.
1. As a person who struggled to buy their own place, reading the house burn down, messed me up. I know this fiction and plot wise, the house burning down was very symbolic of leaving your past behind, but it was so upsetting to me.
2. There were so many beautiful women in Malibu but Hud could only fall in love with his brother’s ex? Really? Did he not have eyes? Was he just that lazy in finding a partner?
3. Jay was, in some ways, becoming like his dad. His interest in women were fleeting. He didn’t even like his ex, Ashley (the woman Hud fell in love with) that much. He was just hurt she broke up with him. Then he’s pursuing this woman, Lara, who he didn’t really think was that attractive. He seemed to be pursuing her because she wasn’t throwing herself at him and was, therefore, a challenge.
4. Their mom, June, was selfish and a hypocrite. She had too much pride to go after their dad for child support but named the diner after him to make money from his name. She should have swallowed her pride and went after Mick. The child support would have spared the children hardship and Nina wouldn’t have had to drop out of school.
Maybe an Unpopular Opinion
Casey was an unnecessary addition to the story. There was no real purpose to her that I could see. She wasn’t even needed to give Nina an incognito car to the airport. Nina could have just taken any of the other cars left parked at their house since so many party guests got arrested.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As much as I don’t shy away from Celebrity Gossip, which should have made this right up my alley, I am not raving about this book. It’s a good book, don’t get me wrong. But it just wasn’t for me.
Why it wasn't for me?
For some reason, I felt no connection to the main characters. They were boring to me with the exception of their douche dad. We were given their sob story, which made me feel sorry for them, but I just could not get invested in them.
Maybe it’s because there was no clear goal in the story. To me, this was like having a friend who just wanted to rant but you thought they were asking for advice. So, for most of the time they’re talking, you’re wondering what exactly were they asking you to do. That’s basically how I felt when I was reading this.
Why did I give it this rating?
Well, as I said, this was still a good book.
1. The pacing was good.
2. The characters, though flawed, were not annoyingly contradictory which was something I’ve seen in the past books I’ve read (cough - Of Jade and Dragons - cough).
3. The party in the story really captured the 80’s vibe. The cocaine being offered around in serving trays was exactly what you’d picture you’d see in those kinds of shindigs.
Other notes
These aren’t bad for the story but if the story/characters were real, I’d be concerned.
1. As a person who struggled to buy their own place, reading the house burn down, messed me up. I know this fiction and plot wise, the house burning down was very symbolic of leaving your past behind, but it was so upsetting to me.
2. There were so many beautiful women in Malibu but Hud could only fall in love with his brother’s ex? Really? Did he not have eyes? Was he just that lazy in finding a partner?
3. Jay was, in some ways, becoming like his dad. His interest in women were fleeting. He didn’t even like his ex, Ashley (the woman Hud fell in love with) that much. He was just hurt she broke up with him. Then he’s pursuing this woman, Lara, who he didn’t really think was that attractive. He seemed to be pursuing her because she wasn’t throwing herself at him and was, therefore, a challenge.
4. Their mom, June, was selfish and a hypocrite. She had too much pride to go after their dad for child support but named the diner after him to make money from his name. She should have swallowed her pride and went after Mick. The child support would have spared the children hardship and Nina wouldn’t have had to drop out of school.
Maybe an Unpopular Opinion
Casey was an unnecessary addition to the story. There was no real purpose to her that I could see. She wasn’t even needed to give Nina an incognito car to the airport. Nina could have just taken any of the other cars left parked at their house since so many party guests got arrested.