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klsteel's reviews
400 reviews
Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It by Kerry Winfrey
4.0
I was wary when I first started. Jolie annoyed me a bit with her "Woe is me" attitude. But what really redeemed that were her two best friends, Evelyn and Derek. They straight up call her out on her bullshit. “You're right, I don't give a single bedazzled shit what anyone else thinks of the way I look, or act, or think, but that doesn't mean I'm not aware of it. You aren't the only one who lives with self-doubt, Jolie.” This was a very quick but fun read and as someone with jaw issues, although minor compared to Jolie's underbite, I could appreciate her struggles. My jaw is offset and my smile is off-kilter because of it. My parents said no to surgery though, so it's something I had to learn to deal with. Like Jolie, I'm fine the way I am, but I wouldn't have minded the surgery if it meant a straight smile and no more headaches. You go, Jolie!
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
2.0
“Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard’s sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king’s palace. Will her power save her or condemn her?
Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood–those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.
To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard–a growing Red rebellion–even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.”
-Goodreads10212034
I really wanted to like this book. Not only does it have a beautiful cover, the synopsis sounds intriguing. I’m all for a royal power struggles. But sadly, this book fell pretty flat for me. It starts out pretty slow and after the description of where Mare lives, I was asking myself if I was in District 12. (SO many similarities to the Hunger Games. Take Prim, I mean Gisa, for example.)
You’ve got your usual struggle between the more powerful class, species or whatever, and the one girl from the poorest corner who has the power to save them all. Except I don’t think that Mare does have that power. I didn’t particularly care for Mare as a person. At first I was all excited because the powers that Silvers have are X-Men-like and I was so pumped about it. I mean, the magnetrons? The name is absurd but HELLO MAGNETO.
I really wish we could have actually seen the relationship between Mare and Kilorn. I was getting the feeling that he was the BFF guy that we all hope ends up with Mare in the end. She keeps throwing herself into danger for him but I’m just sitting here like, who gives a crap? I don’t even know this person. Why should I care about him? Why?
The other girls in the palace are so stereotypically catty I wanted to scream. And for no freakin’ reason! They see Mare and instantly hate her guts. They don’t even know her secret so they have no dang reason to treat a complete stranger like that. It’s not like they are jealous for the crown because the main instigator is next in line for the damn throne!
So much back and forth between Mare and Cal. GOD. There’s zero chemistry between them but for some reason or another, Mare decides she might have feelings for him. Then she hates his guts. Then she loves his eyes. Now she’s terrified of him. I’m so confused.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Here’s a snippet of a review from Rabid Reads on Goodreads because I couldn’t have said this better myself:
“Fairly early in the book, Mare finds out that her favorite brother (of three) was executed as a deserter of this army.
She is understandably wrecked.
BUT. When the brother of her biggest rival is one of the Silvers marked for assassination, Mare observes the two clearly close siblings, and thinks:
“If all goes to plan, he’ll never hug his sister again.
Evangeline will have lost a brother, just like me. Even though I know that pain firsthand, I can’t bring myself to feel sorry for her. Especially not with the way she holds on the Cal.”
B/c JEALOUS.
But that’s nothing compared to when she wakes up in a prison cell with Cal after they’ve been wrongfully arrested for the murder of the king.
When it all goes to hell (as YA books are wont to do in that last 10-15%):
1. Cal learns that his evil stepmother the queen used her mind control power to make his mother kill herself.
2. His evil stepmother the queen uses her mind power to make Cal unsheathe his father’s own sword and use it to behead him. His father. Cal beheads him. Himself.
3. His brother (Maven) stands there and watches.
And Mare’s first thought?
Maven has betrayed me. No, he was never on my side at all.”
Maven seemed awesome. I honestly did not see that twist coming. So kudos for that, but it was not enough to redeem this story in my eyes. Mare’s awesome lightning powers were not enough. I really wish something outstanding was there to help this book, but nope.
Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood–those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.
To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard–a growing Red rebellion–even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.”
-Goodreads10212034
I really wanted to like this book. Not only does it have a beautiful cover, the synopsis sounds intriguing. I’m all for a royal power struggles. But sadly, this book fell pretty flat for me. It starts out pretty slow and after the description of where Mare lives, I was asking myself if I was in District 12. (SO many similarities to the Hunger Games. Take Prim, I mean Gisa, for example.)
You’ve got your usual struggle between the more powerful class, species or whatever, and the one girl from the poorest corner who has the power to save them all. Except I don’t think that Mare does have that power. I didn’t particularly care for Mare as a person. At first I was all excited because the powers that Silvers have are X-Men-like and I was so pumped about it. I mean, the magnetrons? The name is absurd but HELLO MAGNETO.
I really wish we could have actually seen the relationship between Mare and Kilorn. I was getting the feeling that he was the BFF guy that we all hope ends up with Mare in the end. She keeps throwing herself into danger for him but I’m just sitting here like, who gives a crap? I don’t even know this person. Why should I care about him? Why?
The other girls in the palace are so stereotypically catty I wanted to scream. And for no freakin’ reason! They see Mare and instantly hate her guts. They don’t even know her secret so they have no dang reason to treat a complete stranger like that. It’s not like they are jealous for the crown because the main instigator is next in line for the damn throne!
So much back and forth between Mare and Cal. GOD. There’s zero chemistry between them but for some reason or another, Mare decides she might have feelings for him. Then she hates his guts. Then she loves his eyes. Now she’s terrified of him. I’m so confused.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Here’s a snippet of a review from Rabid Reads on Goodreads because I couldn’t have said this better myself:
“Fairly early in the book, Mare finds out that her favorite brother (of three) was executed as a deserter of this army.
She is understandably wrecked.
BUT. When the brother of her biggest rival is one of the Silvers marked for assassination, Mare observes the two clearly close siblings, and thinks:
“If all goes to plan, he’ll never hug his sister again.
Evangeline will have lost a brother, just like me. Even though I know that pain firsthand, I can’t bring myself to feel sorry for her. Especially not with the way she holds on the Cal.”
B/c JEALOUS.
But that’s nothing compared to when she wakes up in a prison cell with Cal after they’ve been wrongfully arrested for the murder of the king.
When it all goes to hell (as YA books are wont to do in that last 10-15%):
1. Cal learns that his evil stepmother the queen used her mind control power to make his mother kill herself.
2. His evil stepmother the queen uses her mind power to make Cal unsheathe his father’s own sword and use it to behead him. His father. Cal beheads him. Himself.
3. His brother (Maven) stands there and watches.
And Mare’s first thought?
Maven has betrayed me. No, he was never on my side at all.”
Maven seemed awesome. I honestly did not see that twist coming. So kudos for that, but it was not enough to redeem this story in my eyes. Mare’s awesome lightning powers were not enough. I really wish something outstanding was there to help this book, but nope.