Lenka S. reviewed Girls of Storm and Shadow (Girls of Paper and Fire, Bk 2) on + 832 more book reviews
I'm really disappointed about this book as is humanly possible. And I actually REALLY wanted to like the book, to begin with. I did hope the story would transition into something interesting, or at least get intricate subplots. It didn't. Next to nothing actually even happened in this installment beyond journey chapters, training sequences, inappropriately timed jokes and banter (some of which felt so modern for such a distinctly historical-ish/fantasy story), and a few reveals that might have been surprising had I not clocked them through some poor attempt at being sneaky with foreshadowing.
I also got a story with a lesbian "love" in it. I put LOVE in quotation marks because love does not come to mind when I see the two women interact. Their relationship isn't strong enough to carry the book. They interact as if they have been having a grueling meh of a marriage for 50 years, and even in the beginning they were not too thrilled to be matched... My disappointment comes from the lack of passion between the women. I can't identify or connect with the characters. You know how much I LOVE? I burn up inside with quiet steady BLAZE. But in a novel like this a reader wants to see BOOOM! Something that has power, and soul, something almost transcending... well I didn't see even the quiet burn. It seems to me that these characters DONT even like each other anymore? They just lust after each other and call it love. Sigh. So disappointing.
I found the writing well executed but tiresome. The plot was like MUD! OH MY G**D to so much thick mud to get through! It is filled with bloated cast of unlikable, unmemorable characters with names that I lose track of. And while one of the few things in this book that won me over was the IDEA of lesbian romance... I feel the cracks that have begun to show in book 1, are worse here in this second book, where the politics are poorly defined, but take the bulk of the book, and make the whole book feel heavy, and and full of plot holes like Swiss cheese.
All that sounds harsh, considering the effort that went into writing the book, but apart of the amazing cover art, and the premise of the story, there is nothing in this book that is worth my time.
I also got a story with a lesbian "love" in it. I put LOVE in quotation marks because love does not come to mind when I see the two women interact. Their relationship isn't strong enough to carry the book. They interact as if they have been having a grueling meh of a marriage for 50 years, and even in the beginning they were not too thrilled to be matched... My disappointment comes from the lack of passion between the women. I can't identify or connect with the characters. You know how much I LOVE? I burn up inside with quiet steady BLAZE. But in a novel like this a reader wants to see BOOOM! Something that has power, and soul, something almost transcending... well I didn't see even the quiet burn. It seems to me that these characters DONT even like each other anymore? They just lust after each other and call it love. Sigh. So disappointing.
I found the writing well executed but tiresome. The plot was like MUD! OH MY G**D to so much thick mud to get through! It is filled with bloated cast of unlikable, unmemorable characters with names that I lose track of. And while one of the few things in this book that won me over was the IDEA of lesbian romance... I feel the cracks that have begun to show in book 1, are worse here in this second book, where the politics are poorly defined, but take the bulk of the book, and make the whole book feel heavy, and and full of plot holes like Swiss cheese.
All that sounds harsh, considering the effort that went into writing the book, but apart of the amazing cover art, and the premise of the story, there is nothing in this book that is worth my time.
