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caitybell's reviews
529 reviews
Defiance by C.J. Redwine
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
3.0
Firstly, I just want to note how much I love this book's cover. I have the hardback and it's luminescent and so very pretty. It's also been on my shelf since 2012 and I had started it then but didn't get far. Well, now, I finished it and I will say I believe I only did so because I was doing the audiobook.
Defiance is a Dystopian Fantasy book, set in our world after great drake creatures surfaced and burned our world as we know it. Now the survivors live in walled cities governed by ruthless men. There are two POVs we get, Rachel, a strong-willed girl, and Logan, the smart apprentice to Rachel's courier father. When Rachel's father doesn't return from his latest delivery, he is pronounced dead and she is put into the care of Logan. Logan: the boy who broke her heart and didn't return her affections years ago. But Rachel doesn't think her father is dead and she plans to do the impossible, venture out of the safety of her city, and find him herself.
Defiance, for me, ran into the issue that some Dystopians do, in that the political structure is so unbelievable that I found it hard to not be frustrated the entire book. My biggest qualms with the book were the way women were treated. It is illegal for them to walk without an assigned "protector", they are paraded at seventeen and handed to any man who would want them for a wife, they are not allowed to be educated except in the arts of "womanly ways" such as cooking, sewing, etc.. Now, sure, this is simply to add more complexities to the plot and more hardships to Rachel along the way. However, while I would believe these kinds of things in a fantasy world, I do not for a minute believe our modern world would devolve into a disgustingly archaic system such as that so soon after some dragons appeared.
Then there was the shock-value killing and violence. I don't know, perhaps the book just didn't sit well with me from the start and that made me question the validity of everything else. Perhaps if this wasn't another case of "I'm not like other girls" or I would have been more forgiving. Or, at the least, I would have liked characters that didn't constantly make bad decisions or were flat in general.
This is all my bitter opinion, though. And honestly, it isn't fair to Redwine. She is a damn good author! Her writing is always so clear and she's an instant buy author for me. But I simply shouldn't read Dystopian, I don't think I have ever liked a single one. Alas, I'm glad I did read it overall, even if I won't be continuing the series.
Defiance is a Dystopian Fantasy book, set in our world after great drake creatures surfaced and burned our world as we know it. Now the survivors live in walled cities governed by ruthless men. There are two POVs we get, Rachel, a strong-willed girl, and Logan, the smart apprentice to Rachel's courier father. When Rachel's father doesn't return from his latest delivery, he is pronounced dead and she is put into the care of Logan. Logan: the boy who broke her heart and didn't return her affections years ago. But Rachel doesn't think her father is dead and she plans to do the impossible, venture out of the safety of her city, and find him herself.
Defiance, for me, ran into the issue that some Dystopians do, in that the political structure is so unbelievable that I found it hard to not be frustrated the entire book. My biggest qualms with the book were the way women were treated. It is illegal for them to walk without an assigned "protector", they are paraded at seventeen and handed to any man who would want them for a wife, they are not allowed to be educated except in the arts of "womanly ways" such as cooking, sewing, etc.. Now, sure, this is simply to add more complexities to the plot and more hardships to Rachel along the way. However, while I would believe these kinds of things in a fantasy world, I do not for a minute believe our modern world would devolve into a disgustingly archaic system such as that so soon after some dragons appeared.
Then there was the shock-value killing and violence.
Spoiler
At one point the villain of the story, the governing man of the city, kills a guard beside Rachel to scare her and prove a point. This was an absurd moment for me--if you go around killing your guards, they aren't going to guard you anymore. There are more of them than you . . .Spoiler
"let's elect the children to lead us"This is all my bitter opinion, though. And honestly, it isn't fair to Redwine. She is a damn good author! Her writing is always so clear and she's an instant buy author for me. But I simply shouldn't read Dystopian, I don't think I have ever liked a single one. Alas, I'm glad I did read it overall, even if I won't be continuing the series.
Stolen Heir by Sophie Lark
3.0
I'm sure I am not the only one that gets adds for Kindle Unlimited books on Instagram. They are always eye-catching, offering me all the things I love in a book. That's how I stumbled across Stolen Heir. An add on Instagram--so yes, advertising really does work. Unfortunately, everything promised to me via the add, and the synopsis was not delivered.
Now look, I knew it was the second book in a series, but I also was told it was a stand-alone, and yes, you can read these books out of order but things are spoiled. According to this synopsis, I was about to read a steamy Mafia Romance, enemies to lovers, kidnapping, Beauty and the Beast retelling. Hell-to-the-yes!
And yet . . . this book is full of pulled punches. Sometimes I come across an author who is afraid to actually go through with the Mafia Romance tropes simply because they fear the backlash or they themselves aren't wholly invested in the genre. For me, I read Mafia Romance because I like something a little darker sometimes, something deliciously violent, but full of emotion. Lots of drama and tension, with badass, dangerous men being brought to their knees by a woman. I LIVE for it. The characters are going to be morally gray, they will do terrible things, the romance will be twisted and tangled--but everyone knows that who reads MR!
With Stolen Heir, Lark pulls her punches on almost every trope. Setting up for a dark execution, but at the last moment completely going against realistic and consistent character development that feels like a way to avoid the "this is toxic" concern. The men in this series are wishy-washy, the romance was instant after only two interactions, the character development was jarring. And the smut I have to say felt bland and had no spark, possibly because the two MCs themselves never really sold their lust for me. The book turned out to be a sweet, soft romance, with some darker moments that I wish had been explored upon further.
Overall, I didn't really enjoy reading this one as much as I wished too, but the writing was solid from an analytical standpoint and I even feel like I might read book three when it comes out. Its synopsis also boasts a fun time, but now that I know to expect little that is initially promised, I think I may enjoy it more! I think I was simply looking for a dark MR. Really, this is all my fault! I do so love an easy escape book and MR books are always good at that, whether considered bad or not, I usually always finish them and never regret reading them.
Stolen Heir might not have been what I wanted, but it would make a good starting book for a reader who hasn't read any MR because, while it has all the tropes and themes any MR book has, it's softer and more polite in the end.
Now look, I knew it was the second book in a series, but I also was told it was a stand-alone, and yes, you can read these books out of order but things are spoiled. According to this synopsis, I was about to read a steamy Mafia Romance, enemies to lovers, kidnapping, Beauty and the Beast retelling. Hell-to-the-yes!
And yet . . . this book is full of pulled punches. Sometimes I come across an author who is afraid to actually go through with the Mafia Romance tropes simply because they fear the backlash or they themselves aren't wholly invested in the genre. For me, I read Mafia Romance because I like something a little darker sometimes, something deliciously violent, but full of emotion. Lots of drama and tension, with badass, dangerous men being brought to their knees by a woman. I LIVE for it. The characters are going to be morally gray, they will do terrible things, the romance will be twisted and tangled--but everyone knows that who reads MR!
With Stolen Heir, Lark pulls her punches on almost every trope. Setting up for a dark execution, but at the last moment completely going against realistic and consistent character development that feels like a way to avoid the "this is toxic" concern. The men in this series are wishy-washy, the romance was instant after only two interactions, the character development was jarring. And the smut I have to say felt bland and had no spark, possibly because the two MCs themselves never really sold their lust for me. The book turned out to be a sweet, soft romance, with some darker moments that I wish had been explored upon further.
Overall, I didn't really enjoy reading this one as much as I wished too, but the writing was solid from an analytical standpoint and I even feel like I might read book three when it comes out. Its synopsis also boasts a fun time, but now that I know to expect little that is initially promised, I think I may enjoy it more! I think I was simply looking for a dark MR. Really, this is all my fault! I do so love an easy escape book and MR books are always good at that, whether considered bad or not, I usually always finish them and never regret reading them.
Stolen Heir might not have been what I wanted, but it would make a good starting book for a reader who hasn't read any MR because, while it has all the tropes and themes any MR book has, it's softer and more polite in the end.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
4.0
I just want to say for the record, I saw these plot twists but was still surprised she went through with them!
This book is lovely and rich in story, a familiar plot but a different twist in every chapter.
There are four major plot twists so be prepared to read in one sitting. It's also very bloody, which is fantastic. Aveyard is not at all afraid to kill EVERYONE. And I respect her for that. I got a Game of Thrones vibe from this (minus the over sexuality) and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I wasn't very strongly connected to any character. No one really stood out a great deal to me, but at the same time every character is very well developed and I couldn't stop reading so that is a clear acknowledgment of Aveyard's writing skills if I wanted to keep reading but wasn't in complete love with any one character.
Everyone is flawed, and terrible choices and hard decisions with drastic consequences are made. This is a true struggle for power and "anyone could betray anyone."
This book is lovely and rich in story, a familiar plot but a different twist in every chapter.
There are four major plot twists so be prepared to read in one sitting. It's also very bloody, which is fantastic. Aveyard is not at all afraid to kill EVERYONE. And I respect her for that. I got a Game of Thrones vibe from this (minus the over sexuality) and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I wasn't very strongly connected to any character. No one really stood out a great deal to me, but at the same time every character is very well developed and I couldn't stop reading so that is a clear acknowledgment of Aveyard's writing skills if I wanted to keep reading but wasn't in complete love with any one character.
Everyone is flawed, and terrible choices and hard decisions with drastic consequences are made. This is a true struggle for power and "anyone could betray anyone."