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A review by isabeltavares
Given to the Sea by Mindy McGinnis
Did not finish book.
DNF 59%
I started reading this one and immediately checked the rating (3.2 average) and I was shocked. I was really enjoying the first few chapters and I could see this as a four-star read.
Why do I always do this to myself?
Basically, there is this kingdom (there are many kingdoms and you lose track of it all) where they have a Given, meaning a woman that is sacrificed to the sea. Well, she goes dancing to the sea.
Because it makes the story more poetic [sarcasm].
And it can't be just any woman. The Given is always the descendant of the first Given. So, that basically means that a child is born and raised to take her role of the sacrificial lamb but she can't be sacrificed until she has given birth to a daughter so that her daughter can be sacrificed years on out.
I thought the premise was interesting. I wanted this to be about Khosa fighting back against what her family has endured, against the patriarchy, the purpose she has to burden ever since she drew her first breath. And what I received in return was a pacified girl that CAN'T wait to go to the sea because it calls to her.
Besides Khosa, there is this whole cast of characters that are just there to form this romantic square. Since Vincent (the prince who doesn't want to be a prince) is into Khosa but also has eyes on Dara, and Dara likes Vincent but nothing can happen since he is a prince (OH BOY) and then Donil is attracted to Khosa but nothing can happen because he would never sacrifice his child to the sea AND LASTLY we have Khosa who likes Vincent and Donil (although she prefers Donil) and she needs a baby daddy ASAP (JOY).
And there is also Wit but nobody knows who the fork he is.
Special shout out to Vincent, the kind of character I never want to read about ever again. I will forever be disgusted by the fact that he wanted to bone Dara right after a massacre on his kingdom (in the forking bloodshed field AND IN FRONT OF HER BROTHER) and then indirectly told her she should become someone's mistress because she could never be someone's wife (she is the last of the Indiri and everyone hates her because she wasn't born white) (reader, I am screaming). And keep in mind the fact that Dara is his childhood best friend.
The moral of the story is that, sometimes, Goodreads' averages are right.
I started reading this one and immediately checked the rating (3.2 average) and I was shocked. I was really enjoying the first few chapters and I could see this as a four-star read.
Why do I always do this to myself?
Basically, there is this kingdom (there are many kingdoms and you lose track of it all) where they have a Given, meaning a woman that is sacrificed to the sea. Well, she goes dancing to the sea.
Because it makes the story more poetic [sarcasm].
And it can't be just any woman. The Given is always the descendant of the first Given. So, that basically means that a child is born and raised to take her role of the sacrificial lamb but she can't be sacrificed until she has given birth to a daughter so that her daughter can be sacrificed years on out.
I thought the premise was interesting. I wanted this to be about Khosa fighting back against what her family has endured, against the patriarchy, the purpose she has to burden ever since she drew her first breath. And what I received in return was a pacified girl that CAN'T wait to go to the sea because it calls to her.
Besides Khosa, there is this whole cast of characters that are just there to form this romantic square. Since Vincent (the prince who doesn't want to be a prince) is into Khosa but also has eyes on Dara, and Dara likes Vincent but nothing can happen since he is a prince (OH BOY) and then Donil is attracted to Khosa but nothing can happen because he would never sacrifice his child to the sea AND LASTLY we have Khosa who likes Vincent and Donil (although she prefers Donil) and she needs a baby daddy ASAP (JOY).
And there is also Wit but nobody knows who the fork he is.
Special shout out to Vincent, the kind of character I never want to read about ever again. I will forever be disgusted by the fact that he wanted to bone Dara right after a massacre on his kingdom (in the forking bloodshed field AND IN FRONT OF HER BROTHER) and then indirectly told her she should become someone's mistress because she could never be someone's wife (she is the last of the Indiri and everyone hates her because she wasn't born white) (reader, I am screaming). And keep in mind the fact that Dara is his childhood best friend.
The moral of the story is that, sometimes, Goodreads' averages are right.