The cover alone made me want to read this retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's work. I am once again able to read books comfortably that center around plagues and pandemics, and this one sounded very unique and intriguing.
Princess Imogen has been placed in a difficult situation as a child--kidnapped from her family at the start of a plague so horrible, it seems everyone dies when they contract the disease. I empathized with Seraphina (her birth name) and admired how she was able to impersonate a princess to keep the king happy and from completely going insane.
However, until Nico arrived at the castle (about half way through maybe), the pacing was slow and often dragged. Too much thinking and feeling inside of heads instead of action and showing to help me feel along with the characters.
Also, the addition of antisemitism seemed to be just tossed into this fantasy world, completely pulling me out of the world. I think a fictional religious group more in line with this fictional world would have been better.
A twist that I never saw coming I initially thought was classified as zombies then maybe vampires, then a cross between the two, just made for confusion and take-it-or-leave-it feelings for me.
The ending was as anticipated and anticlimactic, but overall, an entertaining read.
Princess Imogen has been placed in a difficult situation as a child--kidnapped from her family at the start of a plague so horrible, it seems everyone dies when they contract the disease. I empathized with Seraphina (her birth name) and admired how she was able to impersonate a princess to keep the king happy and from completely going insane.
However, until Nico arrived at the castle (about half way through maybe), the pacing was slow and often dragged. Too much thinking and feeling inside of heads instead of action and showing to help me feel along with the characters.
Also, the addition of antisemitism seemed to be just tossed into this fantasy world, completely pulling me out of the world. I think a fictional religious group more in line with this fictional world would have been better.
A twist that I never saw coming I initially thought was classified as zombies then maybe vampires, then a cross between the two, just made for confusion and take-it-or-leave-it feelings for me.
The ending was as anticipated and anticlimactic, but overall, an entertaining read.