Helpful Score: 1
I found this book to be disappointing. I guess you can consider it a "typical" YA novel but I've read so many really good YA novels in the last year that this one negatively stood out. I think the main problem is just with the logistical execution of the concept-Russell ends up defining most of the houses (only a few get a real in-depth experience, which makes sense given the length of the novel) in broad stereotypes: Virgos are "anal-retentive" (yes this is an actual descriptor). Aries are "warlike" etc. Also because there are 12 houses, there ends up being a lot of overlap. For example, Capricorn, Libra, Sagittarius, and maybe a couple of others all have individual descriptors or qualities, but in practice end up being represented as "smart". Same with Pisces and Aquarius, the differences between which I can't really discern. I know this is the first book in a series and so each house will probably get more fleshed out as it goes, but being this unclear at the beginning doesn't bode well. The pacing of this novel is also kind of weird; it ended up being much longer than I was expecting as I read because there were these side trips and then the culminating side trip and THEN the actual confrontation with the villain (which, I know it's a series so you can't wrap things up in the first book, but cop-out much?). There's nothing plot-wise that I REALLY hated or anything, it was just kind of a strange reading experience looking back on it because of the pacing.
The writing style also needs a bit more polish-characters speak in a natural vernacular for most of the book but occasionally drop in a phrase like "I'm sorry for being so shady, my lady" that seems weirdly out of place; it also bugged me that Rho kept referring to Mathias and Hysan as "the guys". I know that seems nitpicky and it probably is, but there were some other examples like these that just didn't really fit with the writing style for the rest of the story and dialogue.
And finally the love triangle. Look, I read YA lit. I know going into these things there's a 90% chance of a love triangle. But Rho is SO CONSUMED with it for so much of the story and both of the guys are just SO BORING. Girl, you have MUCH BIGGER PROBLEMS than worrying about not telling a dude that some other dude kissed you.
This book isn't offensively awful. I'm not surprised that a lot of people really like it, and I know it's a first novel so I'm willing to cut the author some slack. I think it just bothers me because I really wanted to like this book based on the concept. I probably won't continue to read anything more from this series, but I'd give Russell the benefit of the doubt and check out something else she writes in the future.
The writing style also needs a bit more polish-characters speak in a natural vernacular for most of the book but occasionally drop in a phrase like "I'm sorry for being so shady, my lady" that seems weirdly out of place; it also bugged me that Rho kept referring to Mathias and Hysan as "the guys". I know that seems nitpicky and it probably is, but there were some other examples like these that just didn't really fit with the writing style for the rest of the story and dialogue.
And finally the love triangle. Look, I read YA lit. I know going into these things there's a 90% chance of a love triangle. But Rho is SO CONSUMED with it for so much of the story and both of the guys are just SO BORING. Girl, you have MUCH BIGGER PROBLEMS than worrying about not telling a dude that some other dude kissed you.
This book isn't offensively awful. I'm not surprised that a lot of people really like it, and I know it's a first novel so I'm willing to cut the author some slack. I think it just bothers me because I really wanted to like this book based on the concept. I probably won't continue to read anything more from this series, but I'd give Russell the benefit of the doubt and check out something else she writes in the future.
