Martha
Started & couldn't finish. No, I didn't reach the trigger-warning section. Yes, I knew it was there and was planning to skip it. Yes, I was interested in the rest of the book. Yes, the writing is good. Yes, I liked most of the characters.
Well, then, you ask, why couldn't I finish it? It was too dark in general for my comfort level. That's all. If you like dark fantasy, give it a try.
You might also be asking why I gave it two stars if the writing is good. That's because I look back at my own ratings when I'm looking for a book to reread, and two stars tells me not to reread it. (Sorry, Laurie.)
Spoilers
This is supposed to be a romance, but I refuse to count it as such.
I found Morgan to be very shallow, under disguise of having everlasting love. Let me paraphrase (no, these aren't actual quotes):
“I love Cam. I've always loved Cam. He's my best friend & the best boyfriend ever. He's hot, but really I love him because I know everything about him & I've been with him since the day we were both born. Nothing will ever make me stop loving him.”
“Cam is a fairy changeling?!?! And Pip is his parents' true son?!? But Pip is such a dork and Cam is so hot–and is my true love, of course.”
“Cam would want me to help Pip fit in more. But I still love Cam. Hmm, after my makeover, Pip is starting to be more of a babe magnet. And the fairy magic is making Cam look less hot & more like a fairy. Good thing I love Cam no matter what.”
“Cam is still losing weight & height, and his wings are growing bigger. Pip is getting hot. Why am I dreaming about kissing Pip? I love Cam!”
“It must be fairy magic making me attracted to Pip, because really I love Cam. Oh, you say I'm immune to fairy magic (for some totally unexplained reason)? How strange... because really, I will love Cam forever, no matter what.”
“Our plan to send Pip back to Fairyland instead of Cam is creating conflict in my heart (and my visions say it doesn't succeed, and they're never wrong). And Cam has lost his football skills & his confidence & his hotness... Good thing I will love him forever, no matter what.”
“It is time for Pip to take Cam's place & go back to Fairyland. Wait! No, I love Pip!! He can't go!! (But I will still love Cam forever...) Oh, Cam says that the only reason he wouldn't want to go to Fairyland is to make me happy, so if I'm happy with Pip, he'll go ahead and go. How conveniently that solves all my problems! I can have Pip stay with me (because he's hot, and I love him), and Cam can go be the Fairy King and marry a fairy who is incapable of love, and I will still love him forever, and I promise I won't forget him even though the fairy magic says I will, because we already established that I'm immune to fairy magic (for some still unexplained reason). Cool. Perfect ending!”
Need I say that I didn't think it was the perfect ending?
As much as I love Chima's writing and characters, I DNFed this book and am giving up on the series. I am so TIRED of reading about teenagers who decide to have an intimate relationship after a very short acquaintance. Also, I want to get back to the main story, and 100+ pages in, that still hasn't happened.
It has the attitude of a Russian fairy-tale, with its easy assumption of magic everywhere and its casual cruelty, written with a slow, dreamy, layered style that reminds me of Patricia McKillip.
The plot wasn't as good as the first book, but the wild sense of humor continued up until the “action-packed climax,” at which point it died away for a while.
Speculative fiction/first contact handled in a very realistic manner. Loved the mix of messy real life, sci fi/fantasy, and warm family relationships.
I find it interesting that I read this one very shortly after Black Sheep, since they have some noticeably similiarities in characters. Both books have an older (than 25) spinster who is trying to help a younger girl (niece or random stranger) with a marriage problem (one is in love with an inappropriate fortune-hunter, one not in love with her family's choice for husband). Both books have a gentleman guardian of the younger girl who shows less interest in being a guardian than the spinster believes he ought to, and who has a somewhat scandalous past and behaves outrageously & rudely (according to the strict dictates of society). The endings, however, were different and amusing in different ways (Black Sheep being the more unusual).
It started off wonderfully, then about halfway through, it tanked & never recovered.
The “I'm snarky because stupid people can't tell me what to do” MC became rude. The friendships dropped nearly out of the picture. His desire to see the world turned into an obsession with mermaids (and such a letdown when he found one). His attempts to make the diplomatic corp once again as important as the warriors turned into “I'm coming along just because I think you're incompetent.” His friend's double-track enrollment died to “I'm really a warrior,” without any decent explanation. The hilarious dialogue & writing became flat and/or vicious.
The MG/YA rating jumped to adult. His charming devotion to his intended girlfriend turned into “I'm bisexual & will sleep with anyone” (without prior hints, mind you). His admirable goal of world peace dropped to a sexfest.
I haven't covered everything, but you get the idea. It was a huge disappointment.
“Stephen King meets Stephen Hawking,” but it should add “meets improv comedy.” For a book about myriad nasty ways to die, it is hilarious. My children kept asking me why I was laughing. I also want to find a use for my new knowledge of the insect-bite-pain and motion-sickness scales, other than experiencing the related problems.
My biggest complaint: why did a whole room full of math & science whizzes never point out the mistake in their odds? 2 of 200 is 1 WHOLE percent, not one-half.
Miles loves plainness, abhors figures of speech, and delights in taking things the wrong way in order to confuse Abigail. He's direct, funny, determined, devoid of family feeling, and absolutely outrageous. Abby is convinced she's an old maid & is determined to save her niece from a fortune-hunter as her contribution to family. When Miles won't help her scare off his nephew, she has to look for other methods. It's hard to concentrate, though, with Miles distracting her....
Yay for “too early for love!” (Although she did get there pretty quickly after.) Yay for brothers who hand over their brothers in an emergency! Yay for a loving family (his, not hers)! Yay for a princess who can't do everything, cuz duh, she's a pampered princess. (But she's going to fix that...) Yay for a realistically sad ending, but with hope left over.
Boo for the sequels not being written yet!
