I was really entertained and amazed by the world Clayton created. I just really wish that the pacing was a bit faster. There were large sections where I didn’t really know what was going on. The world was so unique, but it didn't feel well developed and hour glasses and balloon mail were the only thing that kept it from being a contemporary dystopian. There was clearly a mystery vibe, but I didn’t know enough about what was going on to even make a guess about what was happening, so I was either bored or confused for most of the book.
That all completely changed in the last third of the book. Once certain plot events happened, the hints and foreshadowing began to make sense and the anticipation of where the story could go was immense. The characters were all really well developed (though I’d argue that there are almost too many characters at times), and there were some characters that were so easy to love, especially by the end. This is definitely a solid read. The themes on beauty and vanity were explored in a way that was fresh and thought-provoking.
If you’ve read this book and Shadow & Bone - Is it just me or is the idea of the Belles heavily borrowed from the Grisha in Shadow & Bone who use flower petal colors and “science” to freshen peoples’ appearances?
That all completely changed in the last third of the book. Once certain plot events happened, the hints and foreshadowing began to make sense and the anticipation of where the story could go was immense. The characters were all really well developed (though I’d argue that there are almost too many characters at times), and there were some characters that were so easy to love, especially by the end. This is definitely a solid read. The themes on beauty and vanity were explored in a way that was fresh and thought-provoking.
If you’ve read this book and Shadow & Bone - Is it just me or is the idea of the Belles heavily borrowed from the Grisha in Shadow & Bone who use flower petal colors and “science” to freshen peoples’ appearances?