3.5 stars
*Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
This book was hard to get into to be honest. The first hundred or so pages are SO heavy with description that I felt like I didn't even know what I was reading half the time. Once I got used to the writing I found I was able to enjoy it more, but I still didn't feel like I was understanding the book as well as I could have. Also for a book so heavy on descriptions I found it really hard to picture where the characters were or what they were doing.
I appreciated the diversity across the group of main characters and how their individual struggles were dealt with. But I found it kind of hard to connect with the characters and their group dynamic. I just didn't believe some of their relationships with each other and I wish we could've seen them really connect with more than their individual potential love interests. Even their connections as love interests didn't make much sense to me and I couldn't really find reasons that they were brought together. The only friendship I really believed was between Laila and Zofia. Also I hated Hypnos' intrusion on the group. Nothing about that seemed believable to me, it happened WAY to quickly and with no real reason.
I thought the little puzzles in the book were fun and reminded me of something like Indiana Jones, and I did like seeing where the characters were lead by the mystery. However I thought the ending was kind of... cheap. Even though this did leave off on a cliff hanger I'm not sure I'll be reading the second book.
*Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
This book was hard to get into to be honest. The first hundred or so pages are SO heavy with description that I felt like I didn't even know what I was reading half the time. Once I got used to the writing I found I was able to enjoy it more, but I still didn't feel like I was understanding the book as well as I could have. Also for a book so heavy on descriptions I found it really hard to picture where the characters were or what they were doing.
I appreciated the diversity across the group of main characters and how their individual struggles were dealt with. But I found it kind of hard to connect with the characters and their group dynamic. I just didn't believe some of their relationships with each other and I wish we could've seen them really connect with more than their individual potential love interests. Even their connections as love interests didn't make much sense to me and I couldn't really find reasons that they were brought together. The only friendship I really believed was between Laila and Zofia. Also I hated Hypnos' intrusion on the group. Nothing about that seemed believable to me, it happened WAY to quickly and with no real reason.
I thought the little puzzles in the book were fun and reminded me of something like Indiana Jones, and I did like seeing where the characters were lead by the mystery. However I thought the ending was kind of... cheap. Even though this did leave off on a cliff hanger I'm not sure I'll be reading the second book.