poegostick's reviews
171 reviews

Just read the book. Go in blind and enjoy the way it reveals itself to you.

I haven't been so thoroughly entertained by a book in a while! There is nothing remotely mind blowing about this book, but it was just so entirely solid. Memorable characters, exciting action, tension and careful plot building. I cannot wait to jump into the second book of this series. It reminded me of the fun I used to have reading when I was younger, and I felt almost nostalgic after finishing it. It really was a great book to bring me out of a reading slump.

The main character might have been 13 for the level of immaturity that was happening on each page. I only got a few chapters in before I couldn't stand the dialogue anymore. With under 100 pages in, there were countless references to how "small" the MC was. Hardly anything else was notable about her.

On top of the recent developments of the author just generally being an ignorant person regarding the language she tried to adapt for her books, it's safe to say I will not be revisiting this book or the series.

Kind of like vanilla ice cream. If someone gives it to you, are you going to say no? But, I wouldn't pick it when presented with more exciting flavors.

It was just..juvenile. The book had a strong start but quickly got boring. I found myself tuning out sometimes. A light read if you're looking for something easy, digestible, and low-stakes.

This book was a big hot mess, and it got worse the further I went on. There was potential here, and the writing isn't awful, but it does feel a bit like someone's first fan fiction.

My biggest gripe is that there was not nearly enough plot or character development to justify the over 400 pages of content. If you had edited down the repetition of the main character's inner dialogue, and the amount of over-explanation, you would have been left with about a solid 100 pages of content.

I've heard others feel like this felt like a prologue that went on for far too long, and I have to agree. I simply started skimming at about the 70% point because what was the actual point of this book? I'm sticking around to the second one, simply because I hear it is much better, but I don't think I will force myself to finish it.

There is the concerning nature of "torture porn" that seems to take up the final third of the book. Much of the violence and rape seemed unnecessary. We do not need further explanation that the things that these 'saddles' go through are awful. I have a usually high tolerance for these things, and even I was uncomfortable with how it was happening.

I'm not a big fan of pushing through a book for the sequel, but because it was easy enough I could read chapters in between doing other things.

Also, please check for basic formatting before publishing a book! In the middle, the font changed sizes for a few pages before going back to the normal font. It made everything feel unfinished and unprofessional.

This book was such a fresh breath of air after stumbling through some rough reads. This book did a wonderful job of using beautiful language without being pretentious. Written in a series of letters to Dracula himself, uses the second person in a way that could be off-putting if it were not done correctly. The author shows her mastery of the language in this way by making it a seamless way to tell the story. I could have easily enjoyed 500 pages of such a story, and perhaps some of its weaknesses are in its shortness.

The ending felt rushed, and I would have liked to spend more time with the other brides. Still, the fizzled-out ending could not take away from what was a beautiful story. This book has earned its place on my favorites shelf.

My biggest complaint is that this was far too short!