Jessica
I'm not done with this book yet but I just had to record this for posterity (or myself, but whatever).
I started laughing so hard when I read the part where Jos started crying about how her father had supposedly gone insane, after reading this letter.
EDIT: 3.5
Since I have finished reading the book and crying over it, I believe I am coherent enough to write a review.
First of all, WHAT WAS THAT?! THAT ENDING! WHAT IS THIS?!
I have many complaints to address. No offense Rebecca Ethington. I'm just super pissed right now. I like happy endings! Okay, so I guess I should point out that the first 50% without action was kind of lame. It was incredibly obvious magic was at work and stuff, what with Jos' father's letter, and the way people around her act. It just took forever for that to be confirmed and for the new magical terms to be introduced.
Second of all, it kind of pissed me off how weak and cowardly Jos is. Now, I understand that insecurity stemmed from her father leaving her over the mark, but seriously. It gets old. She couldn't have developed more guts to at least fight back against all the female dogs (I'm keeping this review clean)? It's also really annoying how she just kept REPEATING EVERYTHING SOMEONE SAID. One memorable part was when she was being introduced to formerly said magical terms. She just KEPT ON REITERATING THE NOUN IN THE LAST SENTENCE. And she didn't even realize it or point it out, like other heroines in similar situations.
And then third of all, which partly relates to my second complaint, is that she was so...what's the correct term? Weak? I know she wasn't weak; she had a major amount of power that she just didn't know how to control. Even so, I guess I'm just irritated with the fact that Ethington didn't make the heroine more...what's the term? Trying to keep this clean...ah freck it; kick-ass. Why didn't the author make Jos more kick-ass? I guess it'd be a nice lead-in into the second book (magical training, learning how to blow stuff up, whee). But seriously, it was annoying. I hate looking down on main characters. Ethington even made a point in showing how pitiful Jos' fighting skills were during the battle at the mansion. I don't like it .-. . So I guess that's just my personal taste.
So really, the first 50% was probably my most favorite part of the book. Life was looking up. Andddd then it suddenly came crashing down. Sue me for wanting a happier ending. I ship Ryland and Jos. Hard. I was it badly. So badly I will rant until I get that happy ending (ranting in progress).
And one more thing; WHERE'S THE WIT? Where's the funny? Where're the LOL moments? I need my funny. It's what keeps everything upbeat, even in a...how would you describe it? Dreary? Dooming? Grave? Grave! Yes, even in a grave book, everyone needs some comic relief-they're what help keep my crazy-person persona whenever I laugh out loud in public over something I read. GIVE ME MY FUNNY!
COME ON! GIVE ME MY HAPPY ENDING! And I swear, if Ilyan and Jos get together...if sparks fly...I might hit something. You have been warned.
What...WHAT?! That ENDING! What happened?! What in the world?! You can't just leave it like that! -sputters- But...that...this...what...?! Why? Why would you do this to me, to us, Carina Adams? My heart might've just broke for that someone in the last chapter. WHYYYYYYYYY?!!!!
On the other hand, it was obvious something bad was going to happen to force Neil and Lia, or whatever names you want to call them, apart. I was dreading this big fallout. It was obvious it was going to be UGLY with a capital...everything. But Adams weaved the story in a way that made the hurt...not hurt so much. She made it so one could keep going to the very end, even with that ginormous hurdle coming.
I also see that this book is part of a series, so that “epilogue” was a nice cliff-hanger, I suppose, to encourage/force/compel readers to get the next darn book.
All in all, not a bad book, I guess.
HA omg i don't think this could've been funnier. it wasn't just a whole bunch of sex scenes like i expected. there was actually some cool chill time between friends. comfortable with a little (or a lot i guess u could say) spice to jazz things up a little (yes i just used that phase-that's wat this book has done to me; it has broken my syntax. but that's okay cuz it was a wonderful and hilarious book!)
It isn't the author's fault this wasn't as good a book as it could be. This would've been such a good book IF:
1) it weren't so damn predictable; seriously, I can't be the only one that guessed that Cinder is Princess Selene. For one, it was stressed how important it was that Princess Selene was alive. There were only rumors that she was even alive. However, as we all know, if it's stated in the book, no matter how unimportant or unrealistic it may seem, it's always incredibly important to the plot and, as I like to call it, the “big unsurprising surprise.” There were way too many connections to make between Princess Selene and Cinder. Cinder doesn't remember anything from her childhood, which is highly suspicious. Gasp, ohmygosh, could she have gotten it from the fire Princess Selene was in? Not a long shot, considering she's the main character and all. Plus, this story's based on CINDERALLA. Of COURSE, she's going to be a princess or some other big-shot. But that isn't completely the author's fault. I guess I'm just annoyed she didn't get to this “big surprise” earlier in the story; it would've saved a whole bunch of time.
2) Kai and Cinder's relationship wasn't so aggravating. GAHHHHH there's so many things getting between them it makes me want to throw a lamp at someone. Their failing relationship can't be completely blamed on outside forces (AKA the bitchy stepmother, stepsister, Queen Levana). Kai and Cinder are driving a wedge between themselves, too. Seriously, buck up already Cinder. If Kai doesn't like you for being a cyborg or a Lunar or whatever, then just dump his sorry ass. Or, in this case, just ignore him. Your low self-esteem is killing me; I need more witty one-liners. I can't take all this looking-down-at-the-ground-omg-I-hope-he-doesn't-hate-me-for-yada-yada-yada. I'm dying here. And you, Kai, mister-prince-turned-emperor. Yeah, I'm calling you out. Could you BE any more of an IDIOT??? Yeah, she's a cyborg. So what? It's not like she threw herself into that fire when she was a baby. How do you THINK people get turned into cyborgs? I know you guys are going to end up together in the end anyways since I foresee a HEA at the end of the trilogy. But come on; move it along people! Get over your stupid disgust and prejudice against cyborgs. We've got bigger problems. And could you be denser? Of COURSE Cinder didn't tell you about being a cyborg and a Lunar. How could she? You're already looking at her in disdain.
So yeah, this was just me venting. The book wasn't all bad. It intrigued me enough to get the rest of the books in the series. However, I'm really hoping I'll like the second book better than the first. I'm also hoping Cinder will get her ass in gear enough to yell Kai, Adri, and everyone else that shunned her into shame. That would be quite pleasant. Sadly though, I'm predicting Cinder will just be wandering around, alone and lost, for a majority of the second book. Well, here's to hoping.
Wat in the WORLD?! y does chase keep getting incapacitated? First, he went into a coma from a spelled arrow. Then, he got pixied and that thing that was laughing and giggling does not count as chase. Might i also add that since he was pixied, he also got sent to a dark fae lab, presumably not to be heard of for a week? Then finally, the kicker, he's forced to become a dark fae and stay at their compound. I ask u, WHAT THE FUCK MAN?! (Soz jayne might be rubbing off on me a little). I swear if the author doesn't turn chase back into normal or if she kills him off... .-. I might just hurt someone. Yea, that's wat i'll do. I'm gonna animate jayne and i'm sure she'll agree to raid the dark fae compound with me to take chase back. CHARGEEEEEEE!!!!
i thought this book was surprisingly bad, considering sherrilyn kenyon was its author. i guess she had trouble with the first book for a series?
the heroine KEPT. CRYING. THE. WHOLE. TIME. wat useful thing did she do? in the beginning, it said she was trained in case she ever was kidnapped cuz her dad was such a big government figure
it was pretty redundant too. both nykyrian and kiara were so mercurial with their feelings for each other they were almost bipolar. nykyrian would go back and forth between thinking he can't live without her and telling himself he needs to distance himself from her to keep her safe. then kiara goes back and forth between saying she'll never hurt nykyrian and saying hurtful things to him and/or slapping him, among other things.
at least there was a happy ending. kudos for that. tho i'm kinda disturbed sherrilyn killed driana off so kiara and nykyrian could be one whole happy family without outsiders. and the way driana tried to kill aksel - she literally waited a few minutes with her gun pointed at him without actually shooting it. then she announces that she's going to kill him. like fr? she didn't think he would fight back? y didn't she just shoot him and be done with the piece of excrement? but i digress.
then there's the question of where rachol was for like the last half of the book. tho i guess maybe sherrilyn will put that in the next or another book in the series as a sort of cliffhanger for readers and to encourage them to continue the series.
hopefully the next book will be better
sorry to anyone reading this that thinks my review is preposterous. this is just wat i think and i'm just venting. plz don't try to get in an argument with me about this; if u respect my opinion, i'll respect urs
first, i wanna thank the author for giving me this book to ease my boredom in exchange for me possibly spreading the word about it if i liked it
and since i liked it, here's my slang-filled, unprofessional, review filled with my true opinions
this book was pretty darn awesome
never was i bored with the book, even tho the crew had to go through so many cons to get their money together to get back piper's sister
i'll be pretty darn sad if there's no second book. i need moreeeeeeee
