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A review by hann_cant_read
A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to love this book, and there were some really great pro's!
The writing itself was pretty and the different settings were described beautifully, even if I felt the story itself was a little lackluster.
1. To start, the pacing was rough. It started so slow, and then by the end it felt like we were rushing to get a conclusion before the book ended. The only time anything happened was in the Fairyland, but we barely spent any time there. So much of the time was just filler until they went back, and I still don't understand what the castle by the gate and the magic creature there had to do with any of the plot.
2. The random celtic (I think) words could have added to the story, but she used them so much and then never explained what she was talking about. It was tricky to get into a story when I have to keep stop and looking up words to know what is even going on. It felt like I was trying to read an entire story in a different language instead of pulling in cultural elements. It was also extremely info dumpy at times, especially in the beginning, that I felt like I wasn't even retaining any of the information that they wanted me to.
3. Our MC was just so dumb. But then also randomly just understood things out of nowhere. She was so easily manipulated by everyone around her. She never learned. She talks so much about how she was forged into a weapon but we never actually see her be successful at it, except that she can dive into a frozen lake and survive I guess. She just has no critical thinking skills even when it's so so clear she's being lied to. How she randomly discovered how to save the day at the end I'll never know. I can forgive her not realizing her mom was manipulating her because she was just so desperate to be loved. But her sister? From the story Rogan told about her, to every single conversation Fia had with her it was clear she was trying to manipulate.
4. The romances. So bland. I understand the initial falling for the prince, because he was the one person who showed her kindness growing up. But man he's so spineless and his only trait is having the hots for her. I even understand her succumbing to his "charms" because of her attachment. But that's genuinely all he had going for him. He was there, and he wasn't mean to her. But his attachment to her was just as shallow. There was nothing holding them together so why it took them so long to end it is beyond me. And once they ended it that was just kind of it? There was no aftermath or addition to the plot. We just moved on to the point that if they had just been friends the whole time the story would have been the same.
The other romance was at least more interesting if not any deeper. It still seemed like that love also happened as a matter of convenience though due to the lack of time they actually spent together. She was there and his skin didn't burn her so he fell in love. For how much of the book was focused on the romance instead of plot, we still barely got to explore actual depth to their relationship.
5. What happened to the random dude that she owes a kiss to?
6. The ending was abrupt. She suddenly knows how to save him, and her, and the world. Clearly there are things left unresolved for us to discover in the next one, but it just felt so convenient that she found the perfect solution with no real build up / quality foreshadowing to her thought process.
I really wanted to love this book, and there were some really great pro's!
The writing itself was pretty and the different settings were described beautifully, even if I felt the story itself was a little lackluster.
1. To start, the pacing was rough. It started so slow, and then by the end it felt like we were rushing to get a conclusion before the book ended. The only time anything happened was in the Fairyland, but we barely spent any time there. So much of the time was just filler until they went back, and I still don't understand what the castle by the gate and the magic creature there had to do with any of the plot.
2. The random celtic (I think) words could have added to the story, but she used them so much and then never explained what she was talking about. It was tricky to get into a story when I have to keep stop and looking up words to know what is even going on. It felt like I was trying to read an entire story in a different language instead of pulling in cultural elements. It was also extremely info dumpy at times, especially in the beginning, that I felt like I wasn't even retaining any of the information that they wanted me to.
3. Our MC was just so dumb. But then also randomly just understood things out of nowhere. She was so easily manipulated by everyone around her. She never learned. She talks so much about how she was forged into a weapon but we never actually see her be successful at it, except that she can dive into a frozen lake and survive I guess. She just has no critical thinking skills even when it's so so clear she's being lied to. How she randomly discovered how to save the day at the end I'll never know. I can forgive her not realizing her mom was manipulating her because she was just so desperate to be loved. But her sister? From the story Rogan told about her, to every single conversation Fia had with her it was clear she was trying to manipulate.
4. The romances. So bland. I understand the initial falling for the prince, because he was the one person who showed her kindness growing up. But man he's so spineless and his only trait is having the hots for her. I even understand her succumbing to his "charms" because of her attachment. But that's genuinely all he had going for him. He was there, and he wasn't mean to her. But his attachment to her was just as shallow. There was nothing holding them together so why it took them so long to end it is beyond me. And once they ended it that was just kind of it? There was no aftermath or addition to the plot. We just moved on to the point that if they had just been friends the whole time the story would have been the same.
The other romance was at least more interesting if not any deeper. It still seemed like that love also happened as a matter of convenience though due to the lack of time they actually spent together. She was there and his skin didn't burn her so he fell in love. For how much of the book was focused on the romance instead of plot, we still barely got to explore actual depth to their relationship.
5. What happened to the random dude that she owes a kiss to?
6. The ending was abrupt. She suddenly knows how to save him, and her, and the world. Clearly there are things left unresolved for us to discover in the next one, but it just felt so convenient that she found the perfect solution with no real build up / quality foreshadowing to her thought process.