Scan barcode
mynameismarines's reviews
1076 reviews
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
2.0
Bride fell flat for me, leaving me often underwhelmed and occasionally frustrated. While I can see how it might appeal to readers new to paranormal romance or those looking for a light, quirky introduction to the genre, it didn’t deliver the romance, worldbuilding, or character work I look for in a paranormal romance.
All of the paranormal elements in Bride seemed to exist only to support the romance leaving them feeling unmoored and distracting. While that kind of shallow world building might work in a book with an amazing romance, here the result was a weak fantasy premise paired with a lackluster love story. The plot itself, involving a hacker vampire heroine and her entanglement with a mysterious werewolf, spun its wheels and felt both simplistic and meandering. Even moments of potential intrigue, like a missing person or interspecies dynamics, failed to generate any excitment or interest.
The characters didn’t fare much better. Misery, the protagonist, is framed as a hyper-competent vampire hacker, but her actions often undercut that narrative. She’s oblivious to glaringly obvious plot points, fails to connect even the simplest dots, and makes decisions I genuinely could not understand. Her obliviousness also becomes the crux of the romance—she’s so dense about her love interest’s feelings that the story relies entirely on misunderstandings and miscommunication. This isn’t inherently a dealbreaker for me, but here it felt forced and frustrating. The male lead, Low, is largely forgettable, reduced to a one-note “I love her so much” narrative that we mostly see through epigraphs. He felt so removed from the story that you could replace him with a block of wood in the story and little would change.
Hazelwood’s signature humor grated on me here. Misery’s inner monologue was filled with cringeworthy moments that crossed the line from charming to mortifying. One scene in particular—where Misery confesses she doesn’t use a washcloth, while Low does—will be burned into my memory for all the wrong reasons and feels really indicative of Hazelwood's bizarre humor.
I can imagine a reader who enjoys lighthearted, trope-heavy romances or who is new to paranormal romance might find some enjoyment here. However, for me, the combination of weak storytelling, unmemorable characters, and a lack of compelling worldbuilding made Bride a chore to get through.
All of the paranormal elements in Bride seemed to exist only to support the romance leaving them feeling unmoored and distracting. While that kind of shallow world building might work in a book with an amazing romance, here the result was a weak fantasy premise paired with a lackluster love story. The plot itself, involving a hacker vampire heroine and her entanglement with a mysterious werewolf, spun its wheels and felt both simplistic and meandering. Even moments of potential intrigue, like a missing person or interspecies dynamics, failed to generate any excitment or interest.
The characters didn’t fare much better. Misery, the protagonist, is framed as a hyper-competent vampire hacker, but her actions often undercut that narrative. She’s oblivious to glaringly obvious plot points, fails to connect even the simplest dots, and makes decisions I genuinely could not understand. Her obliviousness also becomes the crux of the romance—she’s so dense about her love interest’s feelings that the story relies entirely on misunderstandings and miscommunication. This isn’t inherently a dealbreaker for me, but here it felt forced and frustrating. The male lead, Low, is largely forgettable, reduced to a one-note “I love her so much” narrative that we mostly see through epigraphs. He felt so removed from the story that you could replace him with a block of wood in the story and little would change.
Hazelwood’s signature humor grated on me here. Misery’s inner monologue was filled with cringeworthy moments that crossed the line from charming to mortifying. One scene in particular—where Misery confesses she doesn’t use a washcloth, while Low does—will be burned into my memory for all the wrong reasons and feels really indicative of Hazelwood's bizarre humor.
I can imagine a reader who enjoys lighthearted, trope-heavy romances or who is new to paranormal romance might find some enjoyment here. However, for me, the combination of weak storytelling, unmemorable characters, and a lack of compelling worldbuilding made Bride a chore to get through.