I have words with this one…
So I’m just going to start at the beginning.
My major problem with this book was the feminism. I’m all for a kick-butt female heroine who isn’t afraid to defy society and be herself. But when a) it’s taken to the opposite extreme (I’ll explain more later) and/or b) when it’s pushed, I can’t handle it. And that’s how this book starts off.
Our heroine, Celine Rousseau, has a strong spirit, a secret she’ll do anything to hide, and a plethora of other characteristics that make her “unpleasant” and not normal by society’s standards. She has a darkness in her soul and is compared to the goddess of darkness MANY, and I mean many, times. The first time she formally meets her love interest, the devilish Bastien, it’s… weird. She pushes her nose into Bastien’s business in a way that feels awkward and forced by the writer; it was like Ahdieh was trying to make Celine out as the “uncommon” unsubmissive female defying stereotypes. This is the first time I noticed the issue being pushed.
Then I really started noticing. Every little thing that happened, Celine had some snide comment or internal dialogue piece to share about how society was unfair to her because she was not a man, or something along those lines. It was not developed, it was just forced.
Then, there’s a) - that Ahdieh took Celine to the opposite extreme in order to prove her point. To prove her individuality, Celine did not have to do the opposite of everything every male figure said. She did not have to be the “queen of darkness” in order to prove she was different than the “submissive female” accepted in society. She did not have to be power-hungry or murderous or any of those things. It felt so forced, like the reason she was that way was so Ahdieh can convey her message of feminism and girl power.
Quickly adding on to all that, the historical aspect did not come through at all, except for - you guessed it - the feminism part. Well, and maybe the fashion?? And the etiquette? The setting felt more modern than anything; based on my previous observations, I’m guessing she made it during that time so she could have that feminist message and it not sound forced. The irony.
I need to move on from this topic, but just keep in mind this was a huge issue for me reading this.
NOOWWWW. I’m going to talk about the other characters, starting with Bastien.
Kudos to Ahdieh for crafting a “dark” love interest I actually like. Why do I like him? I’m not really sure… Because he does do some pretty evil stuff for the sake of hurting people and asserting his dominance. However, his romance with Celine was definitely a highlight for me, and with her - he fluttered my heart. And I think their romance is an area where Ahdieh could’ve gotten away with pushing feminism, you know, “he underSTANDs me” (please read that in a girly voice lol). The moments they had with that didn’t feel nearly as forced.
The other characters didn’t feel very fleshed out. To be honest, the story itself didn’t feel much deeper than surface level?? I don’t know why. Maybe, actually, it was just me since I was so preoccupied with the other parts that were annoying me haha.
Now for the real kicker - that ending was magnificent! I am literally stunned.
Wait, let me back up. Yes, I’m going back to the feminist-ness, just give me a second. In the last fourth of the book was when it got better, and you know why I think that is? I think that’s when the issue finally stopped feeling pushed. And that makes me think that that is where Ahdieh should have really revealed Celine’s character development. You know? Or maybe you don’t and this kind of rant review didn’t make a lot of sense. Either way, the book started getting better because there weren’t other issues preoccupying my brain while reading.
Ok fast forward again. The ending pulled my rating up that half a star. The plot twists, cliffhangers, the action scenes, the tension of forbidden love, all of it was so well-written. It was like she came into her area of expertise and the earlier part of the book was her trying something new and not doing a very good job of it. I was flipping out, let me tell you. And I cannot wait for the second one. So ultimately, the book pulled through.
I know this review sounded bad. And I did get pretty heated at points, especially in the first 3/4s of the book. But overall, it wasn’t… baddd? All in all, I’m definitely looking forward to the second one!
Oh, and if you enjoyed this review, be sure to follow me here on Goodreads or follow me on my bookstagram @ashton_reads ! Thank ya!
So I’m just going to start at the beginning.
My major problem with this book was the feminism. I’m all for a kick-butt female heroine who isn’t afraid to defy society and be herself. But when a) it’s taken to the opposite extreme (I’ll explain more later) and/or b) when it’s pushed, I can’t handle it. And that’s how this book starts off.
Our heroine, Celine Rousseau, has a strong spirit, a secret she’ll do anything to hide, and a plethora of other characteristics that make her “unpleasant” and not normal by society’s standards. She has a darkness in her soul and is compared to the goddess of darkness MANY, and I mean many, times. The first time she formally meets her love interest, the devilish Bastien, it’s… weird. She pushes her nose into Bastien’s business in a way that feels awkward and forced by the writer; it was like Ahdieh was trying to make Celine out as the “uncommon” unsubmissive female defying stereotypes. This is the first time I noticed the issue being pushed.
Then I really started noticing. Every little thing that happened, Celine had some snide comment or internal dialogue piece to share about how society was unfair to her because she was not a man, or something along those lines. It was not developed, it was just forced.
Then, there’s a) - that Ahdieh took Celine to the opposite extreme in order to prove her point. To prove her individuality, Celine did not have to do the opposite of everything every male figure said. She did not have to be the “queen of darkness” in order to prove she was different than the “submissive female” accepted in society. She did not have to be power-hungry or murderous or any of those things. It felt so forced, like the reason she was that way was so Ahdieh can convey her message of feminism and girl power.
Quickly adding on to all that, the historical aspect did not come through at all, except for - you guessed it - the feminism part. Well, and maybe the fashion?? And the etiquette? The setting felt more modern than anything; based on my previous observations, I’m guessing she made it during that time so she could have that feminist message and it not sound forced. The irony.
I need to move on from this topic, but just keep in mind this was a huge issue for me reading this.
NOOWWWW. I’m going to talk about the other characters, starting with Bastien.
Kudos to Ahdieh for crafting a “dark” love interest I actually like. Why do I like him? I’m not really sure… Because he does do some pretty evil stuff for the sake of hurting people and asserting his dominance. However, his romance with Celine was definitely a highlight for me, and with her - he fluttered my heart. And I think their romance is an area where Ahdieh could’ve gotten away with pushing feminism, you know, “he underSTANDs me” (please read that in a girly voice lol). The moments they had with that didn’t feel nearly as forced.
The other characters didn’t feel very fleshed out. To be honest, the story itself didn’t feel much deeper than surface level?? I don’t know why. Maybe, actually, it was just me since I was so preoccupied with the other parts that were annoying me haha.
Now for the real kicker - that ending was magnificent! I am literally stunned.
Wait, let me back up. Yes, I’m going back to the feminist-ness, just give me a second. In the last fourth of the book was when it got better, and you know why I think that is? I think that’s when the issue finally stopped feeling pushed. And that makes me think that that is where Ahdieh should have really revealed Celine’s character development. You know? Or maybe you don’t and this kind of rant review didn’t make a lot of sense. Either way, the book started getting better because there weren’t other issues preoccupying my brain while reading.
Ok fast forward again. The ending pulled my rating up that half a star. The plot twists, cliffhangers, the action scenes, the tension of forbidden love, all of it was so well-written. It was like she came into her area of expertise and the earlier part of the book was her trying something new and not doing a very good job of it. I was flipping out, let me tell you. And I cannot wait for the second one. So ultimately, the book pulled through.
I know this review sounded bad. And I did get pretty heated at points, especially in the first 3/4s of the book. But overall, it wasn’t… baddd? All in all, I’m definitely looking forward to the second one!
Oh, and if you enjoyed this review, be sure to follow me here on Goodreads or follow me on my bookstagram @ashton_reads ! Thank ya!