I received this as a free ARC from Bookish First.
Let me just put it out there that I had an intense Twilight phase. I read the books, I read the books with friends, I made t-shirts saying "I [heart] Jacob" AND "I [heart] Edward", I attend events that didn't even have anything to do with a book release. I obsessed about vampires. That time faded, and I got sick of vampires. So when Ahdieh, who amazed me "The Wrath and the Dawn" and it's sequel came out with this, I wanted to read it much. Historical vampire romance YA set in New Orleans?!
But this was a let down in so many ways, and this review might be more of a 2.5 stars than a 3.
First, the good parts. I love the 1872 New Orleans stage. It feels real and rich and atmospheric, though I kind of wish he had more. It was such a big deal that Celine arrives during the carnival season, but we barely get a glimpse of the carnivals. Ahdieh's descriptions of the food, while delicious, also felt lackluster compared to what I read in TWATD. The characters were interesting and varied, and I actually enjoyed their "extra" little powers. And the story kept me interested. It only took me three days to read this.
But that's about it. While interesting, the character's lacked enough depth. Celine is constantly calling herself a monster, and saying she has a dark side, and that there is a "creature" inside of her, all for what seems like to real reason other than to attempt to make her conflicted. Her see-sawing was annoying and confusing because it didn't fit well with her character as a whole. Also, she has some Asiatic or Middle Eastern heritage that is mentioned when it's convenient for her to point out that she's not and she could suffer just as much as anyone, but it hasn't really affected her life AT ALL. This just feels like a way to say, "My MC isn't white, she's a mixed heritage minority." Actually, that happens with a few of the characters.
There is a pointless love triangle, insta-love that feels so forced and ridiculous (even for insta-love which I normally don't mind), and you barely get to see ANY vampires. This is lot more like a Sharlock Holmes love story set in New Orleans. The ending obviously sets this up for more supernatural stuff int he sequel, but I don't know if I care enough about the characters or the plot to really continue reading. And that "cliffhanger"? One of the most forced and ridiculous cliffhangers I've ever read.
After writing all this, this is definitely a 2.5 star book. Ahdieh is better than this. I don't know if it just wasn't as well researched or she wasn't as familiar with the source material, but this fell flat.
Let me just put it out there that I had an intense Twilight phase. I read the books, I read the books with friends, I made t-shirts saying "I [heart] Jacob" AND "I [heart] Edward", I attend events that didn't even have anything to do with a book release. I obsessed about vampires. That time faded, and I got sick of vampires. So when Ahdieh, who amazed me "The Wrath and the Dawn" and it's sequel came out with this, I wanted to read it much. Historical vampire romance YA set in New Orleans?!
But this was a let down in so many ways, and this review might be more of a 2.5 stars than a 3.
First, the good parts. I love the 1872 New Orleans stage. It feels real and rich and atmospheric, though I kind of wish he had more. It was such a big deal that Celine arrives during the carnival season, but we barely get a glimpse of the carnivals. Ahdieh's descriptions of the food, while delicious, also felt lackluster compared to what I read in TWATD. The characters were interesting and varied, and I actually enjoyed their "extra" little powers. And the story kept me interested. It only took me three days to read this.
But that's about it. While interesting, the character's lacked enough depth. Celine is constantly calling herself a monster, and saying she has a dark side, and that there is a "creature" inside of her, all for what seems like to real reason other than to attempt to make her conflicted. Her see-sawing was annoying and confusing because it didn't fit well with her character as a whole. Also, she has some Asiatic or Middle Eastern heritage that is mentioned when it's convenient for her to point out that she's not and she could suffer just as much as anyone, but it hasn't really affected her life AT ALL. This just feels like a way to say, "My MC isn't white, she's a mixed heritage minority." Actually, that happens with a few of the characters.
There is a pointless love triangle, insta-love that feels so forced and ridiculous (even for insta-love which I normally don't mind), and you barely get to see ANY vampires. This is lot more like a Sharlock Holmes love story set in New Orleans. The ending obviously sets this up for more supernatural stuff int he sequel, but I don't know if I care enough about the characters or the plot to really continue reading. And that "cliffhanger"? One of the most forced and ridiculous cliffhangers I've ever read.
After writing all this, this is definitely a 2.5 star book. Ahdieh is better than this. I don't know if it just wasn't as well researched or she wasn't as familiar with the source material, but this fell flat.