Well, this book actually impressed me. And I surprised by that, in a good way, of course. There's a bunch of negative reviews running all over Goodreads, a lot of them biased because of Cinder. I haven't read Cinder yet, I've been debating for awhile whether to read it or not, so I don't know how it compares. However, I don't think that they're too similar. Others disliked it for the focus it put on the making of the machines. That was actually one of my favorite parts, but I'll come back to that in a bit.
Part of the problem was the writing style. It was very similar, but showed a faint glimmer of actual talent. (There I go, damning with faint praise.) If I had read this book during middle school (the target audience, I believe? I don't know; I checked it out online rather than at the library. Sue me.) I would have adored it. I would have torn it to pieces and reread it too many times.
Now? Well, my biggest problem with reading the book was the action. I got super confused by how thing were happening, and what events had triggered them, or made them possible. This almost made me put it down at a few points. I was really thrown for a loop when her step family found out about her inventions. She was so careful about it, but they still found out? I understand why it had to happen, but I wish it had been explained in a more plausible manner. I kept trying to go back and figure it out, but I couldn't always find an explanation. And even when it was there, it wasn't always the clearest, which was a disappointment. I think that the reason why this happened was because Cornwell was focusing too much on Nicolette's story about herself, and less on the people around her who are helping shape her life. It just seemed to be thrown in almost as an afterthought, which really bugged me. This is a crucial point in Nick's character development, and needs to be fleshed out more.
The world building almost called up a four stars from me. I am such a sucker for world building. I loved it so, so much. The magic (though it needs a system), and the peoples. It was created in a way that made it almost believable that it happened in our world. Almost. If there had been a little more effort in explaining certain things, I would have given it four stars. It might have verged on info-dumping, though, so this might have actually been a benefit. We'll never know. I personally think it would have been better, but that may just be because I love the concept of the faerie and the current history of this world. Wonderful little twist there.
All the side (or evil) characters were very flat. I didn't feel that they had any characterization. It's like when someone is trying to describe someone's personality to you, and you think you understand them, but the real person is very different. I hate poorly built villains on so many different levels. If the villains aren't built well, then our MC has no real challenges to face. They all seem trivial if they are poorly written, or not fleshed out properly. I really wanted to know why the 'Steps' (Can we take a moment to realize how dumb that name is? It kept bringing me back to reality when I read it.) bullied her, and pushed her around. It couldn't just have been that they didn't what a part Fey to be a servant, but then Piety and Chastity would have helped out, right? They just hate Nick for no reason?
And then Nick's stepmother actually loved her father ... and abused his daughter? What?! Was she afraid of something that she knew about Nick that Nick herself didn't know? She acts like she's afraid of something that Nick can do. I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. I want to know about what drives these villains. I also didn't care for how religion was portrayed. I find that religion of any sort in fantasy is usually portrayed in either a negative, or neutral light. Some religions are like this, but I'd love to see religion seen more positively in SFF; fanatic religious organizations are really a cliche trope at this point.
Nick describes her stepsisters constantly as "vague," "empty," and other things to that effect. I would have loved to find out that they're actually extremely smart behind that stance. Alas, that was not the case. I want a Cinderella retelling where her stepsisters actually pose a threat. Not just the stepmother. Frankly, I was bored to death by Piety and Chastity. I've seen them too many times with different names. If anyone knows of a Cinderella retelling which has this, please let me know! I would love to read it.
I loved the descriptions. Of the smells, the food ... I could see the world easily, but the characters were harder to see. I could tell that the author didn't know much about actual machines, and made very well woven excuses for why she wouldn't describe Nick building anything. I did love Nick's passion for her work. It reminded me of my own passion for writing and reading, which I believe was the author's intent: To have Nick's passion translate over into the reader's passion, whatever that may be.
I was mad at how Nick treated books, though! That may just be silly of me, but writing in the margins of a book ... Sacrilege! Folding the pages of a book ... *shudders* You can tell when a book is most dearly loved when it's just faintly battered, smells wonderfully old, but is still in excellent condition. Not when it's SCARRED FOR LIFE. This just really bugged me, but I think that was just me. XP
I did enjoy the book though, despite the heavy flaws. I don't know if I'll pick up the next book or not. It'll probably depend on my library, but I think I will be looking for it. I recommend it. It's worth a shot at reading. It may not work for you, but I still encourage you to try it!
I will now be posting twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays. Next week I will be releasing a poll, because I need more information about what you want to see, and when. Thank you so much for the support, guys!
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