Reviews
I think this is more of a middle-of-the-road book. It's not unique by any means and is definitely clunky in some areas, but it's not the worst book I've ever read. There was an attempt at subverting common tropes, but failed to do so by making the trope true in the end (I'm being intentionally vague, but just when you think there's something interesting/new-ish being done it reverts back to classic ya fantasy). I also found the characterization of Trina very inconsistent. The middle chunk is the best part, with the beginning probably being the worst (I almost dnfed it but I kept to my fifty page rule). I know this seems like an overwhelmingly negative review, but with such an underwhelming book, the flaws are more visible.
I got over halfway through before I gave up on this book. It's not that there was anything awful about it, but there wasn't anything good about it either. The main characters couldn't capture my attention and the romance felt flat. Nothing stood out and made it interesting. Other people might like it better than I did, but it personally wasn't anything special to me.
3.5 It was fun, but I was super irritated by the characters. At one moment I love Kestra and I can relate to her but at another moment I want to smack her. That goes for Trina and Simon too. And the villain is your typical tyrant ruler who wants to conquer everything and has a knack for violence. I do like the plot even though it was obvious from the moment it was mentioned, and I am interested in how the next one is going to go.
I AM SO TORN HOW TO RATE THIS. On one hand, I absolutely LOVED it - the sass, the setting, the plot twists, the character arcs . . . they are all so masterful. But on the other hand . . . I'm so very disappointed. Lovely Things: - Can we just recognize the extreme SNARK levels?? I'm convinced that Jennifer Nielsen is the master of witty writing. I laugh SO MUCH every time I read her books because the sass levels are off the charts. And yet, despite how many snarky characters she creates, they all feel DIFFERENT. That is serious skill right there, to be able to uniquely craft wit to match a character's personality. - The character arcs. WHOA GOODNESS - I want to be able to craft character arcs like these! Kestra starts off as naive and spoiled, but her exterior shell crumbles as the book progresses to reveal a hurting, genuinely compassionate person who wears a mask of toughness to hide her desire to feel like she belongs. Truly a masterful character arc, in my opinion. It makes her a sympathetic character who is relatable but also incredibly deep. (Plus, you know . . . she's really snarky. *grins*) And Simon? He was another great character with a wonderful arc. Quieter and more even-tempered than Kestra generally, he has a heart that aches to help others. And like Kestra, he had a difficult past that often makes him put up barriers. Honestly, all the characters are really well fleshed-out, and they keep you guessing all. the. time. - The writing. I've seen a lot of reviews saying the writing is bad . . . but I don't see that at all?? I LOVE her writing style. It feels very organic and flows so well. Not to mention Jennifer Nielsen throws the best plot twists. Even if you occasionally see them coming, they somehow feel exciting and engaging. - The setting. AH YES - I have somewhat mixed feelings about this. I kind of like the darker, more mature feel of this book, but at the same time, it feels a little underdeveloped. I want to see MORE of this new world. (And I'm also not too sure if I like how dark it can get at times . . . ) Not-So-Lovely Things: - The romance. UGH WHY. I'm soooooo torn on this! I feel like it could have worked. It COULD have. But it didn't. Why? Well, for one: the fact that they go from hating each other to loving each other in the span of four days is completely ridiculous. I don't know how we're expected to believe this is actually love and that it's plausible. It's very attraction-based and honestly happens WAY too fast. Not a healthy relationship, in the slightest. Simon starts "falling for" Kestra the first night they travel together (and literally almost kisses her several hours after they meet - like no thanks :P). Another reason this doesn't work: there is next to nothing as far as communication is concerned. This romance is basically a trainwreck waiting to happen. The whole plot revolves around secrets and double-alliances and, well, tricking other people. Kestra and Simon both keep a lot of secrets and frankly don't know nearly enough about each other to start a relationship. A healthy relationship consists of communication, not just "chills" and "feeling a connection." No, that's called ATTRACTION. Not love. Although both characters change and are drawn to each other's personalities later-on (which could be the start of a good FRIENDSHIP), the romance feels very physically-based. (Though thankfully it never goes beyond kissing and thinking about kissing.) It could have worked, though, and I say this because I do feel like they could be a good match. However, in the context of this storyline, it's just kind of a disaster. I believe it would have been a good idea for them to become FRIENDS in this book and then perhaps later on a couple . . . but a romance in four days?? I CANNOT EVEN. *facepalm* - Honestly? It felt a little too "YA." Does that even make sense? I don't know. All I know is that it FELT more YA than all her other books. It was somehow darker and less unique than her other books. The romance was rushed and physical. It just . . . was kind of a disappointment. *sad face* CONTENT: A good deal of violence/torture that could be disturbing to some people but is never heavily described. Obviously, a lot of attraction between the MC's. Kissing (somewhat lengthily described), thoughts of kissing, touching of each other's faces, etc. One female character is searched for weapons by a man who gives her a thorough pat-down. (It's obviously uncomfortable for both parties, but it never really gets inappropriate.) Also, a male character apparently sees a little bit of when a female character is changing clothes (though she only strips down to a corset/shift). Probably recommended for teens about 14 or 15+. I have to say, this was an underwhelming read in many regards. Though I loved a lot of things about it, the romance was enough for me to round down my rating to three stars. I still loooove a lot of Jennifer Nielsen books, though, and as usual, the snark + characters were vastly entertaining! 3.5 stars
This is my favorite book. I'm sorry. My attachment to the characters was just so intense to my little 13 year old heart, I love the damn thing
3.6/5. I’ll be honest I’m pretty disappointed with this book, but it was alright I guess. I cringed too many times and the characters, oh my word. I literally only liked like 3 characters in this book. The rest, every time they opened their mouth, it boiled my blood, especially Trina. That girl, I can’t. I feel like Kestra was too whiny at some points and her actions were not it. Some of the times I was like okay girl, I support but the others I was like what are you even doing. I did love Simon though. The concept was good, I just feel like the story could have been delivered a little bit better.
Not a fan of the romance. It ruined it for me how unbelievable it all was. Like he hates her and likes her within an hour? It just doesn’t make sense. I've realized : I'm not into instant love or just unbelievable love. I have to hear banter, dialogue that shows they have chemistry. The storyline was okay but nothing that makes me want to continue the story
2/5. RTC.
hahahahaha NOPE! i can't do it anymore--DNF at 30% this was so heavy-handed, cliche, and overdramatic that it became truly ridiculous. it was instalove TO THE MAX (!!!) with a near kiss at approximately 20%! not only that, but kestra begins to question her life-long, ingrained beliefs about politics after one incredibly MINOR brush with a girl in the market who tries to steal food. further, kestra's always super smug about being "smart," but i swear to god, she's one of the most naive and flat-out senseless heroines i've ever read about. and don't get me started on simon, our second narrator, who supposedly "hates" kestra, but starts mooning over her literally the second he sees her! everything about this book made me groan...
Amazing! I absolutely loved this book. There is story in here and not just a romance building. A YA book without a real love triangle. Unbelievable.
3.5*
~⭐️4.40⭐️~ Aaaaaannnnddddd Jennifer Nielsen did it agaaainnn!!!!!!! *applause* Buddy reading with potato, it was rlly fun!!! ——————————————————————- So lemme tell u basically what the book was about: Darrow: Kestra NO! Kestra: Kestra YES! Simon: Kestra NO! Kestra: ...Kestra...YES! The whole universe: KESTRA NO! Kestra: Kestra YES! And also: Simon: Trust me, Kestra. Kestra: Awww *still lies to him* •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Now let’s talk about the romance. It was quite an insta love but that didn’t made me annoyed and if it went even slower then I would’ve freaked out. (I think there might be somewhat of a spoiler but not smth big, it’s up to u to decide if u wanna read it or not) *Simon and Kestra hating and insulting each other* Me: AAAAWWWWW SHIP IT SHIP IT SHIP IT SHIP ITT *Simon and Kestra almost kiss* Me: *squeak* EEEEKKKKK CMON CMON JUST A LIL MORE UUUGGHHH *Simon and Kestra ALMOST kiss for the fourth time(yes, I counted)* Me: *slams book shut* I’m done. *Simon and Kestra FINALLY kiss* Me: *freaking out* WELL ABOUT TIMEEE *crying, laughing and making strange sounds at the same time* *Simon and Kestra begin arguing again the very second after the kiss ends* Me: *slaps head* Well even tho those two where getting on my nerves, they’re one of my fav ships now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now, onto the characters... Kestra ”You won’t stop me” Darrow Simon ”I’m so done” Hatch Grey ”Bow to me or I’ll kill you” Tenger Sir ”You’re such a disgrace” Henry The ”Shut up or I’ll cut your tongue on myself” Trina Lord ”Murder is my hobby” Endrick Gabe ”I’m so handsome” Millen Darrow “The mysterious” I loved Kestra so much, she’s an idiot but fierce and determined. And sassy. Very. Simon is my bf now, he’s my bby, I can’t get enough of him aahhh. Also I LIVE for jealous Simon. **************************************** The plot was awesome, but what do u expect?! It’s Jennifer Nielsen after all. There where a lot of plot twists and stuff and that prologue...I...well...only Jen Nielsen could do that. I can’t wait to read the next book, it was awesome.
I got this book knowing the series isn’t fully written yet & now I’m kicking myself. I want more! Neil Son is so good at writing characters that are deeply flawed, exasperating, & still so fun you can’t help cheering. When I grow up, can I write like her?
3.5*
2.5⭐️
