On Sale February 27, 2018
Well, I tried...
Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this early. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me. It wasn't bad, hence the 2.5 stars rounded up to 3, it was just very weird at times. Not exactly my cup of tea.
What I liked:
1. Tess - The main character was actually pretty unique for a YA. She has a darker past than I'm used to seeing. She's also spunky and drunky and somewhat badass. I really liked her and her backstory. Just didn't care too much about her future.
2. The mysterious backstory - The main reason that I had to keep reading on was to find out what happened to Tess' baby. Unfortunately, I accidentally ended up spoiling myself for that by looking at the reviews on here. Big mistake. Because after I found out what happened, I lost my will to read on.
What I didn't like:
1. Weird words - Sure, this is a fantasy. And yes, it is supposedly another language, but there were just so many made up nonsense words like houppelande and grandiloquently. It was distracting and took away from my enjoyment.
2. Slut shaming - In this world, women are treated pretty poorly. Both from men and from women. I didn't really like how Tess and the other women would just take it. I'd have to crack some skulls if I lived in this world.
3. Pathka - He/She was just so damn literal. It was annoying. Also, he/she kinda reminded me of a Ninja Turtle, so I couldn't take him/her seriously. When the story became Tess and Pathka, I lost all interest in continuing.
4. Slow pace - I have to be really in the mood for a book this slow for it to be worth it to me. I would have liked to see much more action in this book. I feel like if I wouldn't have DNF'd this book when I did, it probably would have taken me a few weeks to suffer through.
Overall, if you're hardcore into Fantasy, and looking for a slow read, you may enjoy this one much more than I did. I just wish that the rest of the book would have been as awesome as the first few chapters.