Book 12 towards my goal of 240! 3/5 stars for this YA Fantasy read. Loved the cover! Loved the premise of the story, but felt like it was a bit long. Narration was good. Can't say I'd recommend it. Also don't think I'll continue with book 2.
This is the first book in the Grim Lovelies series by Shepherd. I got a copy of this to review through the Amazon Vine program. I believe this is a planned trilogy. This was a decent read; it presents a complex and interesting world but I had some issues engaging in the story.
Anouk is a Beastie; she was brought to life by Mada Vittora. Mada Vittora is a witch who helps run Paris. In this series all of the normal people are referred to as âPrettiesâ. The witches and Royals (fae-like magical being) control what the Pretties do. When Mada Vittora is murdered, Anouk finds herself on the run with Mada's other Beasties as they try to figure out how to survive.
The idea is an intriguing one but it felt somewhat half-finished throughout. Anouk is one of those passive heroines who ends up being influential mainly through her own stubbornness. Anouk is an interesting collection of contradictions but I had trouble relating to her. The other Beasties Anouk travels with are fairly stereotypical types of characters and I wish they had been filled out a bit better.
It didn't take me long to finish this book but the whole time I felt like something was missing. I am struggling to figure out exactly what. The story just didn't have enough to engage me, the characters not quite enough depth, and the world was a bit unfinished.
Overall this was an okay book built around an interesting concept. I struggled a bit to engage with it and didn't think it was Shepherd's strongest novel. I enjoyed Shepherd's Madman's Daughter series a lot more than this one.
Anouk is a Beastie; she was brought to life by Mada Vittora. Mada Vittora is a witch who helps run Paris. In this series all of the normal people are referred to as âPrettiesâ. The witches and Royals (fae-like magical being) control what the Pretties do. When Mada Vittora is murdered, Anouk finds herself on the run with Mada's other Beasties as they try to figure out how to survive.
The idea is an intriguing one but it felt somewhat half-finished throughout. Anouk is one of those passive heroines who ends up being influential mainly through her own stubbornness. Anouk is an interesting collection of contradictions but I had trouble relating to her. The other Beasties Anouk travels with are fairly stereotypical types of characters and I wish they had been filled out a bit better.
It didn't take me long to finish this book but the whole time I felt like something was missing. I am struggling to figure out exactly what. The story just didn't have enough to engage me, the characters not quite enough depth, and the world was a bit unfinished.
Overall this was an okay book built around an interesting concept. I struggled a bit to engage with it and didn't think it was Shepherd's strongest novel. I enjoyed Shepherd's Madman's Daughter series a lot more than this one.
