Picture your life without free will. No choice. No voice. No personal direction. For 17 years, it's the only path I've known. Always a follower, never in control, I am an afterthought, burying my impulses as I bend to the whims of another. I dream of someone taking notice-of falling in love and being kissed. But I probably never will. My name is Antares. I am a Shadow.Deep in a secluded canyon lies Talline, a metropolis of mirrors filled with forces called Pentrals that outline our very existence. Antares, Pentral Class Two, took an oath to act without influence—to echo without opinion. But in a cruel twist of fate, she must watch as Violet, her person, encounters a tragedy that will change both their lives forever. When Violet starts making careless choices, Antares can no longer remain a silent silhouette. She won’t allow lost friendships, broken hearts, or those mysterious menaces looking out from the glass to tear apart Violet’s very being. In doing so, Antares unknowingly crosses forbidden boundaries and ends up illuminating a darkness much deeper than her own.
Publishes in US: November 12th 2013 by Apologue Entertainment, LLC
Genre: YA fantasy
Source: Edelweiss
Series? Yes. The Pentrals
Buy it: Amazon Barnes & Noble ndieBound Book Depository
Author stalk away: ~site ~twitter
I wrote a post about negative reviews, and how I don't review if I don't finish, and a very wise blogger pointed out that knowing what a blogger doesn't like can be valuable to publishers and authors too. I think that it also helps my readers build trust that I am not just slapping good ratings on everything I read. I have a knack for picking what I will lack based on synopsis and reviews, but that even fails. Then another blogger mentioned she did a did not finish post and I thought it was a great idea. So, here we go:
The world building didn't work for me. And I didn't connect with Antares, understand her purpose or what exactly her role was. I liked that her and Violet were artists, but didn't really understand how that worked. I didn't know why shadows came to be.
I really enjoy the premise, I just didn't get into the narration.
Stopped at: 7%
That isn't to say that the writing is poor or the characters are poorly constructed, it's personal on my end.
I'd love to see if you have a great review of any of these books and what you loved about them.
That isn't to say that the writing is poor or the characters are poorly constructed, it's personal on my end.
I'd love to see if you have a great review of any of these books and what you loved about them.
Positive Reviews:
Yeah not for me either
ReplyDeleteSometimes stories just don't click with us, even if it is only for personal reasons. I often find myself thinking that there is nothing technically wrong with a book, but I still don't have any enthusiasm for it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Brandi!
ReplyDeleteI like hearing what doesn't work for people about books. Doesn't sound suitable for me either.
ReplyDeleteThis one is on my TBR. The fact that you DNF at 7% is a little discouraging. But I'll give it a try since you said it was a personal decision.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Kat :)
I think it is true about the negative reviews. There is a way to write them and I think you did an excellent job!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this one, but I did like learning that you started it-but it didn't grab you. A very fair review! I will be curious to read more reviews about this one.
ReplyDelete~Jess
I'm sorry it wasn't for you, at least you didn't read a lot of it.
ReplyDeleteSorry it didn't work for you,
ReplyDeleteGood job, Brandi. I completely understand not connecting with a character as well as the worldbuilding not working for you. But there's nothing wrong with writing a tactful review of a that didn't work for you. :)
ReplyDelete