Okay, to start, I requested an ARC of this because the cover caught my eye and the synopsis sold me. Whether I was chosen to receive a copy, or not, I was so excited to read this. I'm going to do this review a little different than I normally do.
PROS:
- The writing is smooth, not choppy. It flows off the page, it doesn't stutter and leave you wanting more.
- Keralie was a really interesting character. She was a new take on an old trope, "bad girl goes good." I really appreciated the depth that she had. She was more than a pretty, tough girl. She was a girl who'd been through things and felt lost, but refused to give up.
- The big reveal and the ending were really, really satisfying. Everything tied up, not completely perfect, but perfect enough and happy enough that I wasn't left wanting more.
CONS:
- The pacing felt slightly off. Not horribly off, by any means. But to me it felt like it went from 0 to 100, without really taking much time for lead up. Ultimately, that's not a horrible problem to have, just something I felt I should mention.
- I wanted a bit more clarification on if two people (who I won't name, for spoilers sake) ended up together, or not. There was a hint, but nothing that was super clear. This is a very personal complaint, I suspect many people will either enjoy it as it is, or even be happy that it wasn't made into a big deal, so this is one I wanted to mention just for myself. I don't think it's a big deal at all.
TLDR: This was a really enjoyable read. I would've read it faster, but personal things got in the way. Even though this falls just over the 400-page mark, it still felt like a quick, exciting read. Ultimately, I think this was a great book, and if it catches your eye, I think you should give it a shot.
PROS:
- The writing is smooth, not choppy. It flows off the page, it doesn't stutter and leave you wanting more.
- Keralie was a really interesting character. She was a new take on an old trope, "bad girl goes good." I really appreciated the depth that she had. She was more than a pretty, tough girl. She was a girl who'd been through things and felt lost, but refused to give up.
- The big reveal and the ending were really, really satisfying. Everything tied up, not completely perfect, but perfect enough and happy enough that I wasn't left wanting more.
CONS:
- The pacing felt slightly off. Not horribly off, by any means. But to me it felt like it went from 0 to 100, without really taking much time for lead up. Ultimately, that's not a horrible problem to have, just something I felt I should mention.
- I wanted a bit more clarification on if two people (who I won't name, for spoilers sake) ended up together, or not. There was a hint, but nothing that was super clear. This is a very personal complaint, I suspect many people will either enjoy it as it is, or even be happy that it wasn't made into a big deal, so this is one I wanted to mention just for myself. I don't think it's a big deal at all.
TLDR: This was a really enjoyable read. I would've read it faster, but personal things got in the way. Even though this falls just over the 400-page mark, it still felt like a quick, exciting read. Ultimately, I think this was a great book, and if it catches your eye, I think you should give it a shot.