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The Chess Raven Chronicles #1
The Girl Who Fell
The first book in a thrilling fantasy series about a girl who learns to embrace her inner power.
Chess Raven is a hacker who has grown up with nothing and no one. Her parents died when she was three and her foster care situation turned out badly – very badly. But on her sixteenth birthday, her life is turned upside down.
Chess learns her mother was Queen of the Fae and her father was a brilliant physicist. The unique blend of her mother’s fairy blood and her father’s humanity gives Chess – and Chess alone – the ability to unlock a mysterious vessel that will unleash unimagined powers – with devastating consequences. Thrown into a new world where nothing is at it seems, Chess must work out who to trust as vying forces race to control her. Or kill her.
Reunited with her childhood friend Tom Williams, an enigmatic shape-shifting unicorn, Chess discovers love for the first time and is prepared to risk her life for it. But first she must learn to overcome a fear of her own power and stop waiting for other people to save her. She is the one she's been waiting for.
Chess Raven is a hacker who has grown up with nothing and no one. Her parents died when she was three and her foster care situation turned out badly – very badly. But on her sixteenth birthday, her life is turned upside down.
Chess learns her mother was Queen of the Fae and her father was a brilliant physicist. The unique blend of her mother’s fairy blood and her father’s humanity gives Chess – and Chess alone – the ability to unlock a mysterious vessel that will unleash unimagined powers – with devastating consequences. Thrown into a new world where nothing is at it seems, Chess must work out who to trust as vying forces race to control her. Or kill her.
Reunited with her childhood friend Tom Williams, an enigmatic shape-shifting unicorn, Chess discovers love for the first time and is prepared to risk her life for it. But first she must learn to overcome a fear of her own power and stop waiting for other people to save her. She is the one she's been waiting for.
384 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2018
11 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Violet Grace
2 books15 followersViolet Grace is the pen name of wife-and-husband writing team Kasey Edwards and Christopher Scanlon. Kasey is an author and columnist and Christopher is an academic and social commentator. They live in Melbourne with their two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
October 13, 2018
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I am devastated that I am having to mark this book as a DNF for me when the concept just sounded so flipping amazing.
It’s been almost a month since I started and I cannot get past page 200. Trust me I’ve tried. Kicking and screaming - I’ve tried. It’s just nails down chalkboard though.
I just could not find anything interesting about the MC Chess.
I couldn’t really picture what was happening and I felt like I was being thrown from page to page with no idea what I’d just read.
I think it’s because I’ve read a lot of YA and Adult fantasy so I need an A+ in world and magic building.
Like I need to know who dies if you do the magic incorrectly (okay maybe not that harsh but you get where I’m going with this right? I mean.. where are you going to grow that 7th leg because you said the word potato wrong in magic speak?? Okay I’ll stop now). I think this might have been a little bit covered at some point. There might have been a mention of someone dying?? I dunno - it was a bit blasé.
Maybe it’ll be covered a bit more in depth later in the book but I won’t get there because the start wasn’t interesting enough to keep my eyes attached to the page.
I just wanted Chess to be more likeable. I’m all about those strong female characters but she felt like.. flour before you add the rest of the ingredients to make a delicious crepe cake (apparently I’m hungry tonight. First potatoes and now crepes).
Again. Probably a series where she grows exponentially into a badass woman but you still gotta have the interest factor to see it through to the end.
This is probably a great book for younger readers who might want to start expanding into fantasy though.
There are some great reviews already for this book and I’m sure there will be so many more that absolutely love it but sadly this one was not for me.
Maybe one day I’ll revisit.
I am devastated that I am having to mark this book as a DNF for me when the concept just sounded so flipping amazing.
It’s been almost a month since I started and I cannot get past page 200. Trust me I’ve tried. Kicking and screaming - I’ve tried. It’s just nails down chalkboard though.
I just could not find anything interesting about the MC Chess.
I couldn’t really picture what was happening and I felt like I was being thrown from page to page with no idea what I’d just read.
I think it’s because I’ve read a lot of YA and Adult fantasy so I need an A+ in world and magic building.
Like I need to know who dies if you do the magic incorrectly (okay maybe not that harsh but you get where I’m going with this right? I mean.. where are you going to grow that 7th leg because you said the word potato wrong in magic speak?? Okay I’ll stop now). I think this might have been a little bit covered at some point. There might have been a mention of someone dying?? I dunno - it was a bit blasé.
Maybe it’ll be covered a bit more in depth later in the book but I won’t get there because the start wasn’t interesting enough to keep my eyes attached to the page.
I just wanted Chess to be more likeable. I’m all about those strong female characters but she felt like.. flour before you add the rest of the ingredients to make a delicious crepe cake (apparently I’m hungry tonight. First potatoes and now crepes).
Again. Probably a series where she grows exponentially into a badass woman but you still gotta have the interest factor to see it through to the end.
This is probably a great book for younger readers who might want to start expanding into fantasy though.
There are some great reviews already for this book and I’m sure there will be so many more that absolutely love it but sadly this one was not for me.
Maybe one day I’ll revisit.
September 18, 2018
This book took me a few chapters to get into and even than I wasn’t completely enthralled in the story.
This story is set around Chess Raven who has an interesting personality. At the start of the book you find our main character with a bit of sass, moral rights and a defensive nature which remained throughout the story but I didn’t see any growth. Chess didn’t really develop as a character and I failed to find how extremely easy she could harness and handle herself being thrown into a new world with unlimited possibilities. I’m sorry but without ruining the overall story plot, I would expect the character to not handle the situation so smoothly and effortlessly without any training or courting? Pretty much a peasant cannot be a queen over night without getting training in eloquent. A character cannot discover magic abilities and know instantly how to use them. Get where I am going with this? See my point? I needed the character Chess to develop more with the course of the story.
I preferred some of the side characters in this story than the main, which doesn’t happen often and I think it comes down to the fact this was written in first person but lacked the details of describing the world and situation, I needed more depth from the descriptions.
Actually to sum it up I liked Tom, the love interest as a character. With raw emotion and more emotion than the other characters he was definitely a winner for me. I would have loved a bit more backstory on Tom and Chess and possibly in flashback version? I also was a fan on Tom’s relationship with his sister Abby, though I think more on their past would have been intriguing.
I found Damius, our resident bad-guy, a highlight of the whole book, I loved the dark element that he brought to the story. I would love to see more of this character and see if how he develops.
The world building was pretty good, the contrast between London, and the fae world was fantastic and I loved how simply they swapped between the two.
Though I wasn’t overly impressed with this book I am highly anticipating that the sequel will be more action packed and phenomenal and I can’t wait to see where this story goes.
This story is set around Chess Raven who has an interesting personality. At the start of the book you find our main character with a bit of sass, moral rights and a defensive nature which remained throughout the story but I didn’t see any growth. Chess didn’t really develop as a character and I failed to find how extremely easy she could harness and handle herself being thrown into a new world with unlimited possibilities. I’m sorry but without ruining the overall story plot, I would expect the character to not handle the situation so smoothly and effortlessly without any training or courting? Pretty much a peasant cannot be a queen over night without getting training in eloquent. A character cannot discover magic abilities and know instantly how to use them. Get where I am going with this? See my point? I needed the character Chess to develop more with the course of the story.
I preferred some of the side characters in this story than the main, which doesn’t happen often and I think it comes down to the fact this was written in first person but lacked the details of describing the world and situation, I needed more depth from the descriptions.
Actually to sum it up I liked Tom, the love interest as a character. With raw emotion and more emotion than the other characters he was definitely a winner for me. I would have loved a bit more backstory on Tom and Chess and possibly in flashback version? I also was a fan on Tom’s relationship with his sister Abby, though I think more on their past would have been intriguing.
I found Damius, our resident bad-guy, a highlight of the whole book, I loved the dark element that he brought to the story. I would love to see more of this character and see if how he develops.
The world building was pretty good, the contrast between London, and the fae world was fantastic and I loved how simply they swapped between the two.
Though I wasn’t overly impressed with this book I am highly anticipating that the sequel will be more action packed and phenomenal and I can’t wait to see where this story goes.
September 14, 2018
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Jakob Andreasen
I made some serious judgements before really getting into this book. The first two chapters were questionable. I wasn’t connecting to the story or the characters. To be fair, two chapters is not a very accurate way to perceive a books worth, so naturally I pushed through those first two chapters.
Another aspect of The Girl Who Fell, which is something I don’t generally like is first person narrative. It’s ironic, because it’s what I’m using here, but it’s difficult to connect with characters with the constant use of ‘I’. Most, if not all, of my favourite books are written in the third-person, so that probably gives you an indication of where my thoughts lie. However, when it’s done well, first-person is enjoyable and here, it was enjoyable. And, that was the case with this book.
Our protagonist, Chess Raven, had the most intriguing personality. She didn’t fit the usual archetype of a heroine in a young-adult fantasy. I mean, she was that quirky girl who happened to be special, but I really enjoyed reading her narrative. Chess, coincidentally, managed to combine the brains of Nancy Drew, the wit of Percy Jackson, and the charm of Hermione Granger. She embodied many favourite characters, but Chess remained herself and she became something fresh and exciting.
Watching Chess grow throughout the novel was magical to read. The process felt natural and not convenient. Normally, in fantasy, a protagonist would miraculously achieve a great success without much effort, but here, the implications for Chess’s actions are realistic. It’s nice seeing a piece of fiction actually let their protagonists make mistakes and not have a miraculous rescue. It’s this realism that sucked me into this story.
Beyond Chess, some of the side characters were not my favourite aspect of the novel. I can appreciate their sentiments and enjoy their dialogue, but their personalities were not something I could resonate with.
For example, Tom, the love interest, was, for me, not the best he could’ve been. I felt that he fell into the brooding male archetype as the love interest who was bent on protecting the protagonist. His relationship with his sister Abby was an intriguing storyline that I wished was more of a focus, compared to his relationship with Chess.
But, the antagonist, Damius was definitely a highlight of the novel. More and more are we seeing antagonists with motives that are actually believable, hence antagonists and not villains. Sabaa Tahir and Tomi Adeyemi are great at doing this. Here in The Girl Who Fell, Damius has this demanding quality to him. Damius is fit to rule the Kingdom, but his ambition and unlikability stands in his way. I really admired his storyline and am excited to see how he develops.
On the note of The Kingdom, there is nothing I loved more than the world. I don’t read much urban fantasy, well there aren’t many out there to be honest; The Mortal Instruments may be the only one I’m aware of. Anyway, the world is separated into three ‘planes’; Volgaris, for mortals; Iridesca, for the Fae; and a third astral plane, where only consciousness exists. Let me tell you, I loved the atmosphere that was created. It was fascinating to read London as a lush, green, and filled with trees city; having the Fae world coincide with the human world gave The Girl Who Fell a fairy tale aura. Every description, every sentence, I could vividly picture in my mind and it allowed for an easier connection to the story.
In terms of plot, yes, this story does follow the typical ordinary into extraordinary, with the addition of the lost princess syndrome, but it was a fun, light-hearted read that I could not put down. The fast-paced nature of the story had me on the edge of my seat. And, without mentioning who, there is a scene towards the end of the book that shatters your heart. There is a slow build-up of anticipation and the finale delivers a high-level action in full force.
Another thing, Chess is meant to be a hacker, but there were only one or two instances that included this aspect of her character. It underwhelmed me that she wasn’t as forthcoming with her hacking skills. I felt as though we should’ve had more encounters with her hacking something, not only would that have delivered on the tagline, but it would’ve added a stronger point of difference to this already great story.
Overall, The Girl Who Fell was a surprisingly satisfying story. It had me in nail-biting, heart-wrenching, gasping for breath anticipation, and it still left me wanting the sequel as soon as possible. There were drawbacks, but the successes outweighed the failures. Chess Raven is a newly discovered heroine, who needs to see her character arc completed. From the development in this book alone, I’ll be excited to see where her character leads.
I made some serious judgements before really getting into this book. The first two chapters were questionable. I wasn’t connecting to the story or the characters. To be fair, two chapters is not a very accurate way to perceive a books worth, so naturally I pushed through those first two chapters.
Another aspect of The Girl Who Fell, which is something I don’t generally like is first person narrative. It’s ironic, because it’s what I’m using here, but it’s difficult to connect with characters with the constant use of ‘I’. Most, if not all, of my favourite books are written in the third-person, so that probably gives you an indication of where my thoughts lie. However, when it’s done well, first-person is enjoyable and here, it was enjoyable. And, that was the case with this book.
Our protagonist, Chess Raven, had the most intriguing personality. She didn’t fit the usual archetype of a heroine in a young-adult fantasy. I mean, she was that quirky girl who happened to be special, but I really enjoyed reading her narrative. Chess, coincidentally, managed to combine the brains of Nancy Drew, the wit of Percy Jackson, and the charm of Hermione Granger. She embodied many favourite characters, but Chess remained herself and she became something fresh and exciting.
Watching Chess grow throughout the novel was magical to read. The process felt natural and not convenient. Normally, in fantasy, a protagonist would miraculously achieve a great success without much effort, but here, the implications for Chess’s actions are realistic. It’s nice seeing a piece of fiction actually let their protagonists make mistakes and not have a miraculous rescue. It’s this realism that sucked me into this story.
Beyond Chess, some of the side characters were not my favourite aspect of the novel. I can appreciate their sentiments and enjoy their dialogue, but their personalities were not something I could resonate with.
For example, Tom, the love interest, was, for me, not the best he could’ve been. I felt that he fell into the brooding male archetype as the love interest who was bent on protecting the protagonist. His relationship with his sister Abby was an intriguing storyline that I wished was more of a focus, compared to his relationship with Chess.
But, the antagonist, Damius was definitely a highlight of the novel. More and more are we seeing antagonists with motives that are actually believable, hence antagonists and not villains. Sabaa Tahir and Tomi Adeyemi are great at doing this. Here in The Girl Who Fell, Damius has this demanding quality to him. Damius is fit to rule the Kingdom, but his ambition and unlikability stands in his way. I really admired his storyline and am excited to see how he develops.
On the note of The Kingdom, there is nothing I loved more than the world. I don’t read much urban fantasy, well there aren’t many out there to be honest; The Mortal Instruments may be the only one I’m aware of. Anyway, the world is separated into three ‘planes’; Volgaris, for mortals; Iridesca, for the Fae; and a third astral plane, where only consciousness exists. Let me tell you, I loved the atmosphere that was created. It was fascinating to read London as a lush, green, and filled with trees city; having the Fae world coincide with the human world gave The Girl Who Fell a fairy tale aura. Every description, every sentence, I could vividly picture in my mind and it allowed for an easier connection to the story.
In terms of plot, yes, this story does follow the typical ordinary into extraordinary, with the addition of the lost princess syndrome, but it was a fun, light-hearted read that I could not put down. The fast-paced nature of the story had me on the edge of my seat. And, without mentioning who, there is a scene towards the end of the book that shatters your heart. There is a slow build-up of anticipation and the finale delivers a high-level action in full force.
Another thing, Chess is meant to be a hacker, but there were only one or two instances that included this aspect of her character. It underwhelmed me that she wasn’t as forthcoming with her hacking skills. I felt as though we should’ve had more encounters with her hacking something, not only would that have delivered on the tagline, but it would’ve added a stronger point of difference to this already great story.
Overall, The Girl Who Fell was a surprisingly satisfying story. It had me in nail-biting, heart-wrenching, gasping for breath anticipation, and it still left me wanting the sequel as soon as possible. There were drawbacks, but the successes outweighed the failures. Chess Raven is a newly discovered heroine, who needs to see her character arc completed. From the development in this book alone, I’ll be excited to see where her character leads.
December 22, 2018
This book wasn't for me. I did finish it but the angst teenage stuff really got to me by the end. I got that she had some trust issues and didn't love herself but I just wanted to slap her and say "Wake up to yourself!".
Having said that, I am not the target audience for this (which I am assuming is teenage girls) so others may like it.
Having said that, I am not the target audience for this (which I am assuming is teenage girls) so others may like it.
June 28, 2020
This was terrible for so many reasons but it’s not even worth the time of listing them. Idk how I even managed to finish it I guess bc it’s fast paced and not badly written exactly it’s just that everything is ridiculous and fucking stupid
Only good thing was Gladys dying and even that I was like who cares
Only good thing was Gladys dying and even that I was like who cares
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2022
Really enjoyed it
September 2, 2018
In brief ★★★½
The Girl Who Fell is the first in a fantasy, feminist trilogy centred around hacker and more-than-she-seems delinquent Chess Raven. Filled with fae, unicorns, family conflict and romance, there’s something X-Men crossed with A Darker Shade of Magic that sucked me in. This is an easy, immersive read for adults, or more mature young adult readers, touching on complex themes in a sensitive way and portraying women of all ages in positions of strength. I look forward to seeing where The Chess Raven Chronicles go from here.
I received an advanced copy of The Girl Who Fell from Nero Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Read my in depth review at https://wherethebooksgo.wordpress.com...
The Girl Who Fell is the first in a fantasy, feminist trilogy centred around hacker and more-than-she-seems delinquent Chess Raven. Filled with fae, unicorns, family conflict and romance, there’s something X-Men crossed with A Darker Shade of Magic that sucked me in. This is an easy, immersive read for adults, or more mature young adult readers, touching on complex themes in a sensitive way and portraying women of all ages in positions of strength. I look forward to seeing where The Chess Raven Chronicles go from here.
I received an advanced copy of The Girl Who Fell from Nero Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Read my in depth review at https://wherethebooksgo.wordpress.com...
August 29, 2018
I was fortunate enough to get a copy of this before it's release and I LOVED IT!
It had everything a good fantasy book needed. Chess Raven is a such a well-developed character. She's likeable without being too tough, too weak or too needy. A teenage hacker who has learned to survive on her own wits.
When she finds out her mother was Queen of the Fae and her father a brillian physicist, nothing can prepare her for the world she is about to become part of and her seemingly average teenage existence soon becomes a distant memory.
This book is well-paced and action packed. Violet Grace creates a world where other realms seem to meet seeminglessly with the present day.
Tom Williams, her shape-shifting unicorn childhood bestie, is a breath of fresh air from morphing werewolves and vampires.
Never too dark, or too light. This YA fantasy, a first in the trilogy, was a pure joy to read, even by a not so Young Adult.
It had everything a good fantasy book needed. Chess Raven is a such a well-developed character. She's likeable without being too tough, too weak or too needy. A teenage hacker who has learned to survive on her own wits.
When she finds out her mother was Queen of the Fae and her father a brillian physicist, nothing can prepare her for the world she is about to become part of and her seemingly average teenage existence soon becomes a distant memory.
This book is well-paced and action packed. Violet Grace creates a world where other realms seem to meet seeminglessly with the present day.
Tom Williams, her shape-shifting unicorn childhood bestie, is a breath of fresh air from morphing werewolves and vampires.
Never too dark, or too light. This YA fantasy, a first in the trilogy, was a pure joy to read, even by a not so Young Adult.
October 20, 2018
“I am not the girl who fell. I am the one who got back up.”
I was very let down by this one - I was so excited to read it after first seeing it make the rounds on bookstagram a couple of months back. Thankfully I was able to listen to this through BorrowBox, and didn’t end up getting the book in hardcopy. Whilst it was written very well, it didn’t really draw me into the story, and I really struggled to keep pushing through with it.
The synopsis was filled with so much promise, but I was left bitterly disappointed. I couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t unique at all, and it was slightly choppy. It’s advertised as a feminist YA fantasy, but we spend over half of the book chasing a guy, instead of developing Chess as a character. And what was with the web-MD symptoms crash course? If you’re a hacker, use that skill to do something interesting. AND ENOUGH WITH THE UNICORN CRESTS.
I was very let down by this one - I was so excited to read it after first seeing it make the rounds on bookstagram a couple of months back. Thankfully I was able to listen to this through BorrowBox, and didn’t end up getting the book in hardcopy. Whilst it was written very well, it didn’t really draw me into the story, and I really struggled to keep pushing through with it.
The synopsis was filled with so much promise, but I was left bitterly disappointed. I couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t unique at all, and it was slightly choppy. It’s advertised as a feminist YA fantasy, but we spend over half of the book chasing a guy, instead of developing Chess as a character. And what was with the web-MD symptoms crash course? If you’re a hacker, use that skill to do something interesting. AND ENOUGH WITH THE UNICORN CRESTS.
August 20, 2019
2 and a half stars. It was definitely written for a young adult audience, but that shouldn't be an excuse for shoddy writing. There's some great YA books out there that are aimed at younger audiences and written with skill and depth.
At first I liked this book, the audio-book was voiced by a woman with an accent from the area the plot was set, and she captured the tone of the character really well. But it didn't take long for some small parts to niggle at me. Then the plot to be so tiresome I struggled to keep going.
The main character had some dark themes in her back story and I think the author did a fair job portraying the main character's reluctance to accept that all of this was happening to her, and all of a sudden her life could be better. The author didn't over-dramatize the bad things that had happened in the past, which helped the audience draw their own conclusions and added realism to the character's reluctance to dwell on the memories.
But the things that got to me -some spoilers:
Our MC (Main character) was a foster child orphan, with no family savings to support her. She had left her foster home, allowing them to keep the government provided income. And her new digs weren't charging her rent. But how then was she affording ANything? This was simply not addressed. She mentions going to buy a coffee and how she usually shares her sandwiches with the homeless man out the front of her probation job. Was she getting wages for this work? It was an alternative to picking up rubbish off the roadside, and I don't know that that probationary work gets paid. What's going on there? Does the English government provide monetary compensation to juvenile delinquents being punished? Why didn't the author even have a throw-away line about how much the MC's wages were? It just made the character surviving and supporting herself impossible to picture.
Then we came to every other character the MC encountered and interacted with. They were brusque, rude, and refused to explain clearly what was going on. Which seems unreasonable. They all called her stupid and accused her of playing dumb, yet our MC had had no idea of ANY of this new world because she had been kept in the dark her whole life. Each of these people she talks to would have presumably known this, as they had 1. been observing her, 2. never explained to her this other world, and 3. her life was pretty shit this whole time. Why expect her to know anything?
Then MC starts having flashbacks of encountering some of these people before. But never where they explain clearly about her situation and this hidden world. Why she forgot all these memories is not explained. One character erased her memories, but just of him, which doesn't cover why her memories of interacting with a shady government organisation where erased until recently.
It was frustrating where you have the same information as the main character and yet she can't see what's about to happen but you can. Or she makes an illogical choice before slowly realising what she should have done. SPOILER At one point she identifies a problem - these villains are just good people infected with a virus, and identifies that she doesn't want to hurt them. THEN with limited power, she proceeds to waste it on attempting to gently buffer an overwhelming force of them away. Repeatedly. Because this is a futile stopgap.
Not devote her energy to destroying their leader, an actual villain, or researching on how to find a cure, or even just trying to cure them with raw power. No, she slowly lets herself be overwhelmed, because "she doesn't want to hurt them". Girl. You have other options.
I mean, this happens in real life - poor decisions that is, but it wasn't written well enough to be able to swallow it.
The main character's "hacker skills" are thrown in like clickbait, without much substance. Spoiler - that whole thing about the tiny microphone being used as a tracking device. .... So many problems there. Someone had placed it under the table. The government people who were interviewing her MOST LIKELY. They would check the recording. Notice it involved the sound of the mic being ripped off the underside of the table and taken. Now the government can overhear what she's saying as she carries it with her. ......Not what you want. Or maybe it can't pick up audio from long distance, but they sure as heck would be able to track it down if MC was able to do so on a crappy old laptop.
But no. The government doesn't care about it's expensive spy equipment because why would they? *heavy sarcasm*
That shitty Tom character. So much of how he was portrayed was awkward, heavy-handed, and tiresome.
How MC blamed herself for everything. Over and over. She had no balance and perspective.
I mean.... all in all, i was forcing myself to keep listening just to reach the jolly end. And I did. and MAJOR SPOILER
she gets unlimited power, right. So she fixes all those fae who had been infected with a virus . Yay. Rescues them all, in all three realms, from the virus. g r e a t. THEN SHE DESTROYS HER UNLIMITED POWER.
Like, wait, what, aren't there a few things you could have tied up IMMEDIATELY before doing that? Come ON MC, make a good decision for ONCE. She could have also located her stolen mother's soul. Freed it. Reunited it with the mother's body. Located Damien. Imprisoned him, removed his powers. Fixed all the rubble and damage in the streets. Made living conditions better for all the homeless fae she had seen and cared about in pasing. Do other general tidying and fixing of the many freaking problems she had left. THEN GO AHEAD AND DESTROY THE POWER.
Instead. We now have a stupid reason for a sequel and god knows how many other books, because of incompetence.
What a ridiculous reason to have a sequel.
I'm out of this series, there's nothing to be invested in.
At first I liked this book, the audio-book was voiced by a woman with an accent from the area the plot was set, and she captured the tone of the character really well. But it didn't take long for some small parts to niggle at me. Then the plot to be so tiresome I struggled to keep going.
The main character had some dark themes in her back story and I think the author did a fair job portraying the main character's reluctance to accept that all of this was happening to her, and all of a sudden her life could be better. The author didn't over-dramatize the bad things that had happened in the past, which helped the audience draw their own conclusions and added realism to the character's reluctance to dwell on the memories.
But the things that got to me -some spoilers:
Our MC (Main character) was a foster child orphan, with no family savings to support her. She had left her foster home, allowing them to keep the government provided income. And her new digs weren't charging her rent. But how then was she affording ANything? This was simply not addressed. She mentions going to buy a coffee and how she usually shares her sandwiches with the homeless man out the front of her probation job. Was she getting wages for this work? It was an alternative to picking up rubbish off the roadside, and I don't know that that probationary work gets paid. What's going on there? Does the English government provide monetary compensation to juvenile delinquents being punished? Why didn't the author even have a throw-away line about how much the MC's wages were? It just made the character surviving and supporting herself impossible to picture.
Then we came to every other character the MC encountered and interacted with. They were brusque, rude, and refused to explain clearly what was going on. Which seems unreasonable. They all called her stupid and accused her of playing dumb, yet our MC had had no idea of ANY of this new world because she had been kept in the dark her whole life. Each of these people she talks to would have presumably known this, as they had 1. been observing her, 2. never explained to her this other world, and 3. her life was pretty shit this whole time. Why expect her to know anything?
Then MC starts having flashbacks of encountering some of these people before. But never where they explain clearly about her situation and this hidden world. Why she forgot all these memories is not explained. One character erased her memories, but just of him, which doesn't cover why her memories of interacting with a shady government organisation where erased until recently.
It was frustrating where you have the same information as the main character and yet she can't see what's about to happen but you can. Or she makes an illogical choice before slowly realising what she should have done. SPOILER At one point she identifies a problem - these villains are just good people infected with a virus, and identifies that she doesn't want to hurt them. THEN with limited power, she proceeds to waste it on attempting to gently buffer an overwhelming force of them away. Repeatedly. Because this is a futile stopgap.
Not devote her energy to destroying their leader, an actual villain, or researching on how to find a cure, or even just trying to cure them with raw power. No, she slowly lets herself be overwhelmed, because "she doesn't want to hurt them". Girl. You have other options.
I mean, this happens in real life - poor decisions that is, but it wasn't written well enough to be able to swallow it.
The main character's "hacker skills" are thrown in like clickbait, without much substance. Spoiler - that whole thing about the tiny microphone being used as a tracking device. .... So many problems there. Someone had placed it under the table. The government people who were interviewing her MOST LIKELY. They would check the recording. Notice it involved the sound of the mic being ripped off the underside of the table and taken. Now the government can overhear what she's saying as she carries it with her. ......Not what you want. Or maybe it can't pick up audio from long distance, but they sure as heck would be able to track it down if MC was able to do so on a crappy old laptop.
But no. The government doesn't care about it's expensive spy equipment because why would they? *heavy sarcasm*
That shitty Tom character. So much of how he was portrayed was awkward, heavy-handed, and tiresome.
How MC blamed herself for everything. Over and over. She had no balance and perspective.
I mean.... all in all, i was forcing myself to keep listening just to reach the jolly end. And I did. and MAJOR SPOILER
she gets unlimited power, right. So she fixes all those fae who had been infected with a virus . Yay. Rescues them all, in all three realms, from the virus. g r e a t. THEN SHE DESTROYS HER UNLIMITED POWER.
Like, wait, what, aren't there a few things you could have tied up IMMEDIATELY before doing that? Come ON MC, make a good decision for ONCE. She could have also located her stolen mother's soul. Freed it. Reunited it with the mother's body. Located Damien. Imprisoned him, removed his powers. Fixed all the rubble and damage in the streets. Made living conditions better for all the homeless fae she had seen and cared about in pasing. Do other general tidying and fixing of the many freaking problems she had left. THEN GO AHEAD AND DESTROY THE POWER.
Instead. We now have a stupid reason for a sequel and god knows how many other books, because of incompetence.
What a ridiculous reason to have a sequel.
I'm out of this series, there's nothing to be invested in.
October 3, 2019
It was ok but not that good. It was confusing and just felt so rushed. Why does there have to be a fight every two seconds? The plot was extremely rushed and it felt like that one book was like 3 or 4 squeezed unsuccessfully into 1. I recommend the Ruined Series by Amy Tintera which is a trillion times better. There are three books and has a similar theme. However the characters are not rushed at all, there is drama and it is exciting to read. If anyone else was disappointed in this book you should try Ruined.
December 7, 2018
2-2.5 stars.
Depends how harsh I’m feeling. But regardless, the word that springs to mind is ‘bland’.
Depends how harsh I’m feeling. But regardless, the word that springs to mind is ‘bland’.
December 12, 2019
“I am not the girl who fell. I am the girl who got back up.”
Thanks to Inside A Dog for sending me a copy of this for review.
As someone who is inclined to choose to read a contemporary book over a fantasy one, I was looking forward to reading this in order to broaden my horizons but I wasn’t expecting to be blown away. I can see how the fast-paced, action-filled plot of this novel can appeal to readers, but to me the whole storyline felt quite clichéd. However, there were some good elements.
Firstly, for the most part, this book felt quite unoriginal. I felt like I had read this story of this girl who one day finds out she has superpowers or is a wizard (or, in this case, a fairy princess) and who is thrust into this magical world and needs to save her new world from this ‘evil’ villain, many times before. The ‘Luck of Edenhall’ for me just represented any object in fantasy tales that, for some reason, the hero would have to protect from the villain’s grasp. It felt very much like a standard fantasy novel, with no new elements to it. That being said, I did find it interesting that in order to perform some spells in the book, you were required to trade something (for example pain or a memory), but I have seen this be used in other fantasy stories before.
One of the main reasons that I didn’t enjoy this novel very much was the character of Chess Raven. She felt like a standard YA novel heroine, ‘the chosen one’. She had no strong attributes to her personality apart from being brave and ‘not the conventional girl’. I think if Chess’s character had been further developed to seem more authentic and less generic, it would have changed the story for the better. I also really didn’t like Tom’s character – similar to Chess’s, there was nothing about his personality that made him feel real, and he felt very much like a standard love interest with no attributes to him other than his undying (and slightly unrealistic considering he hadn’t seen Chess since they were children) love, devotion and loyalty towards Chess. As is the case with many novels that I find clichéd, my favourite characters were the minor characters – for example Jules. Her character developed quite a bit over the course of the book and it was nice to witness how she and Chess are very loyal to each other.
The romance, in my opinion, added nothing much to the novel and was seemingly only there because the authors felt they needed to add an element of romance in just to appeal to YA readers. It felt very unrealistic that from practically the minute that Chess saw Tom, she fell head over heels in love with him. Although it is addressed that they knew each other when Chess was very young, the sudden obsession that Chess had with Tom felt very forced and unnatural, especially since she described herself as never usually thinking about dating or having relationships. There wasn’t much of a connection between the characters from the start and the whole storyline between them felt very forced and very clichéd.
As for the plot, I liked how fast-paced and engaging it was. It was definitely action-packed, however I believe that more attention should have been allocated to building the characters. Two things didn’t line up, though: at the beginning, when Chess is first thrust into the fairy world, she feels stunned. Somehow this revelation lasts for a few pages, she fits right in in the fairy world and then isn’t really addressed again. Also, this book is marketed as a feminist fantasy book, but I really wish it had more of a feminist element to it. Some scenes really did just have the heroine be miraculously saved by one of the secondary characters.
On a different note, I really liked the political element of the book and how not all of the ‘good guys’ were telling Chess the truth. I loved how fast-paced it was and how most of the loose ends were resolved at the end (although there is definitely a good storyline for the sequel to cover)!
Overall, I probably am not going to read the sequel, but this book helped me expand my genres which I’m really glad about! 😀
Thanks to Inside A Dog for sending me a copy of this for review.
As someone who is inclined to choose to read a contemporary book over a fantasy one, I was looking forward to reading this in order to broaden my horizons but I wasn’t expecting to be blown away. I can see how the fast-paced, action-filled plot of this novel can appeal to readers, but to me the whole storyline felt quite clichéd. However, there were some good elements.
Firstly, for the most part, this book felt quite unoriginal. I felt like I had read this story of this girl who one day finds out she has superpowers or is a wizard (or, in this case, a fairy princess) and who is thrust into this magical world and needs to save her new world from this ‘evil’ villain, many times before. The ‘Luck of Edenhall’ for me just represented any object in fantasy tales that, for some reason, the hero would have to protect from the villain’s grasp. It felt very much like a standard fantasy novel, with no new elements to it. That being said, I did find it interesting that in order to perform some spells in the book, you were required to trade something (for example pain or a memory), but I have seen this be used in other fantasy stories before.
One of the main reasons that I didn’t enjoy this novel very much was the character of Chess Raven. She felt like a standard YA novel heroine, ‘the chosen one’. She had no strong attributes to her personality apart from being brave and ‘not the conventional girl’. I think if Chess’s character had been further developed to seem more authentic and less generic, it would have changed the story for the better. I also really didn’t like Tom’s character – similar to Chess’s, there was nothing about his personality that made him feel real, and he felt very much like a standard love interest with no attributes to him other than his undying (and slightly unrealistic considering he hadn’t seen Chess since they were children) love, devotion and loyalty towards Chess. As is the case with many novels that I find clichéd, my favourite characters were the minor characters – for example Jules. Her character developed quite a bit over the course of the book and it was nice to witness how she and Chess are very loyal to each other.
The romance, in my opinion, added nothing much to the novel and was seemingly only there because the authors felt they needed to add an element of romance in just to appeal to YA readers. It felt very unrealistic that from practically the minute that Chess saw Tom, she fell head over heels in love with him. Although it is addressed that they knew each other when Chess was very young, the sudden obsession that Chess had with Tom felt very forced and unnatural, especially since she described herself as never usually thinking about dating or having relationships. There wasn’t much of a connection between the characters from the start and the whole storyline between them felt very forced and very clichéd.
As for the plot, I liked how fast-paced and engaging it was. It was definitely action-packed, however I believe that more attention should have been allocated to building the characters. Two things didn’t line up, though: at the beginning, when Chess is first thrust into the fairy world, she feels stunned. Somehow this revelation lasts for a few pages, she fits right in in the fairy world and then isn’t really addressed again. Also, this book is marketed as a feminist fantasy book, but I really wish it had more of a feminist element to it. Some scenes really did just have the heroine be miraculously saved by one of the secondary characters.
On a different note, I really liked the political element of the book and how not all of the ‘good guys’ were telling Chess the truth. I loved how fast-paced it was and how most of the loose ends were resolved at the end (although there is definitely a good storyline for the sequel to cover)!
Overall, I probably am not going to read the sequel, but this book helped me expand my genres which I’m really glad about! 😀
April 10, 2025
I tried to read this book three years ago and i just didn’t get that into it. I re-picked it up recently and thought I would
give it another go. I got into it more this time and actually finished it. But I had to keep putting it down for a moment to stop me being too annoyed at how predictable it was. But also the author was trying a bit too hard.
It was like:
**major spoilers ahead - i’m just recapping the entire plot**
oh no there’s an orphan girl - oh wait she’s actually a fairie, and not just any fairie - she’s royalty.
Oh no everyone’s trying to kill her. Oh wow her childhood best friend showed up who’s in love with her, oh wow her memories were erased. And oh no he had to abandon her to save her life.
Oh the kind old lady who took her in is actually a big important boss lady who has secretly been training her and wants her to take the throne.
Oh no her uncle is trying to kill her and take over the throne. Oh no her uncle was masquerading as her mentor to manipulate her into giving him power.
Gasp the girl who was rude to her was just annoyed cause she ruined her brothers life (the same guy Chess is in love with)
Ooo is she an orphan? Or is her mother secretly alive?
Where did her maid go? Oh no she’s infected with the bad guy’s evil scheme to take over the world. Oh no Chess was unintentionally involved in helping create it.
Gasp her bodyguard is secretly a horse-hybrid which could be punishable by death.
Oh no old lady died. But yay now Chess can get it on with her unicorn boyfriend. (Also why is she only 16 😭)
Oh wow all those cryptic clues she’s been given have meaning and she is the answer! Yay she saved the day!
Oh also the random dude who picked her up in his truck in human land randomly appears at her coronation and tells her he always knew she could do it. I’m sorry what? Can’t there ever just be a normal person who doesn’t have some major twist.
**
I don’t know, maybe that’s your cup of tea. I just found it annoying. You can’t get through two chapters without having some “twist” or surprise. And that just made it unsurprising. The Author should have just picked a few main “surprises” - it would have made it more special.
Also what happened to Chess being a hacker? It just felt like some random side note that was used maybe twice and then never mentioned again. I thought it was cool and was looking forward to how that was gonna get weaved in.
It was an interesting premise just poorly executed. And it’s not a bad book, if you want to pass the time and be in fairyland - go for it.
give it another go. I got into it more this time and actually finished it. But I had to keep putting it down for a moment to stop me being too annoyed at how predictable it was. But also the author was trying a bit too hard.
It was like:
**major spoilers ahead - i’m just recapping the entire plot**
oh no there’s an orphan girl - oh wait she’s actually a fairie, and not just any fairie - she’s royalty.
Oh no everyone’s trying to kill her. Oh wow her childhood best friend showed up who’s in love with her, oh wow her memories were erased. And oh no he had to abandon her to save her life.
Oh the kind old lady who took her in is actually a big important boss lady who has secretly been training her and wants her to take the throne.
Oh no her uncle is trying to kill her and take over the throne. Oh no her uncle was masquerading as her mentor to manipulate her into giving him power.
Gasp the girl who was rude to her was just annoyed cause she ruined her brothers life (the same guy Chess is in love with)
Ooo is she an orphan? Or is her mother secretly alive?
Where did her maid go? Oh no she’s infected with the bad guy’s evil scheme to take over the world. Oh no Chess was unintentionally involved in helping create it.
Gasp her bodyguard is secretly a horse-hybrid which could be punishable by death.
Oh no old lady died. But yay now Chess can get it on with her unicorn boyfriend. (Also why is she only 16 😭)
Oh wow all those cryptic clues she’s been given have meaning and she is the answer! Yay she saved the day!
Oh also the random dude who picked her up in his truck in human land randomly appears at her coronation and tells her he always knew she could do it. I’m sorry what? Can’t there ever just be a normal person who doesn’t have some major twist.
**
I don’t know, maybe that’s your cup of tea. I just found it annoying. You can’t get through two chapters without having some “twist” or surprise. And that just made it unsurprising. The Author should have just picked a few main “surprises” - it would have made it more special.
Also what happened to Chess being a hacker? It just felt like some random side note that was used maybe twice and then never mentioned again. I thought it was cool and was looking forward to how that was gonna get weaved in.
It was an interesting premise just poorly executed. And it’s not a bad book, if you want to pass the time and be in fairyland - go for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2019
This book was underwhelming.
Yeah, it could have been considered really good if the market wasn't already saturated with YA fantasy. This book didn't particularly stand out and to me, it had a very young audience.
The issue I had with this book was the fact this girl, Chess, had a lot to say about herself in terms of how everyone should have been there to protect her. Where was her mother, father, step parents? Her so called boyfriend, the people in the magical world when she needed them? Well, according to her, her son story is just that. A sad story we don't hear much details beside very vague points to abusive step father who drank alot.
Chess always goes on to say how people failed her, and the system failed her. And somewhere in the book, someone says, you have to save yourself, stop waiting for someone to save you.
And that's, true, I don't know why she has all these expectations of people to help her. She makes for a bad sob story.
She also get angry when she finds out that Tim protected her by killing the step father. Then she gets over it, realising how selfish that anger is because what has been done has been done to protect her, while she was sitting there the whole time accusing people of not helping her. So there you go, the cycle continues.
This book I felt focused a lot on Chess and not really on anyone else. The side characters weren't built up during the book, it was only ever about her and her feeling and I think that was what annoyed me most.
And it wasn't particularly original. Of course she turns out to be Queen and special for the purpose of the plot and everyone wants her back because of her unprecedented powers.
And the ending was predictable, who could have thought the MC would be the key to opening the Luck of Eden Hall?
So I would definitely say this book was for a young audience. It would be enjoyed by them, because they don't look at that sort of detail, they just enjoy it for what it is.
Yeah, it could have been considered really good if the market wasn't already saturated with YA fantasy. This book didn't particularly stand out and to me, it had a very young audience.
The issue I had with this book was the fact this girl, Chess, had a lot to say about herself in terms of how everyone should have been there to protect her. Where was her mother, father, step parents? Her so called boyfriend, the people in the magical world when she needed them? Well, according to her, her son story is just that. A sad story we don't hear much details beside very vague points to abusive step father who drank alot.
Chess always goes on to say how people failed her, and the system failed her. And somewhere in the book, someone says, you have to save yourself, stop waiting for someone to save you.
And that's, true, I don't know why she has all these expectations of people to help her. She makes for a bad sob story.
She also get angry when she finds out that Tim protected her by killing the step father. Then she gets over it, realising how selfish that anger is because what has been done has been done to protect her, while she was sitting there the whole time accusing people of not helping her. So there you go, the cycle continues.
This book I felt focused a lot on Chess and not really on anyone else. The side characters weren't built up during the book, it was only ever about her and her feeling and I think that was what annoyed me most.
And it wasn't particularly original. Of course she turns out to be Queen and special for the purpose of the plot and everyone wants her back because of her unprecedented powers.
And the ending was predictable, who could have thought the MC would be the key to opening the Luck of Eden Hall?
So I would definitely say this book was for a young audience. It would be enjoyed by them, because they don't look at that sort of detail, they just enjoy it for what it is.
August 25, 2019
I gave this book a 3.5 star rating. This YA fantasy follows the story of Chess Raven, half mortal, half Fae, and hacker extraordinaire. She was raised in an abusive foster home after being hidden from the Fae world after her parents deaths.
This book is full of overused story tropes firstly she is the chosen one, secondly her parents are dead (presumably), thankfully the love interest had some substance. Initially I thought it was going to fall into the insta love category, it didn't. I'd just like to point out I don't hate these tropes, but with so many other books out there, they need to be amazing not just well done.
I really wanted to see Chess' hacking skills more. She's meant to be amazing but she only uses her skills once and we only hear about her other exploits. There was definitely plenty to love. I love that Chess is a chance to change the Fae world for the better, with the help of Jules, Abby and Tom. I want to see more of Jules, and find out more about the scaevus. I can't wait to see how Chess grows and adapts to her birth right, Queen of the Fae in the sequel.
This book is full of overused story tropes firstly she is the chosen one, secondly her parents are dead (presumably), thankfully the love interest had some substance. Initially I thought it was going to fall into the insta love category, it didn't. I'd just like to point out I don't hate these tropes, but with so many other books out there, they need to be amazing not just well done.
I really wanted to see Chess' hacking skills more. She's meant to be amazing but she only uses her skills once and we only hear about her other exploits. There was definitely plenty to love. I love that Chess is a chance to change the Fae world for the better, with the help of Jules, Abby and Tom. I want to see more of Jules, and find out more about the scaevus. I can't wait to see how Chess grows and adapts to her birth right, Queen of the Fae in the sequel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2020
*TRIGGER CONTENT WARNING - Child Abuse*
My current obsession is Fae and fairytales...
Chess grew up in the foster system - Gets caught hacking and is put in a second chance program doing data entry at the V&A.
I love the way London is described and the three realms as well as the details of Fae (Fairies, Unicorns and Pix) The politics in the realms is interesting with the protectorate on the fae side and the Agency on the human side.
I would love to see this adapted into a TV series or Movie. The scenes at the V&A, the rest of London and Windsor would be breath taking. The only thing I ask is that Sam Heughan is cast as Damius - Evil with leather kilt anyone?
Fun Fact:
Violet Grace is the pen name of wife-and-husband writing team and they live in Melbourne with their two daughters.
My current obsession is Fae and fairytales...
Chess grew up in the foster system - Gets caught hacking and is put in a second chance program doing data entry at the V&A.
I love the way London is described and the three realms as well as the details of Fae (Fairies, Unicorns and Pix) The politics in the realms is interesting with the protectorate on the fae side and the Agency on the human side.
I would love to see this adapted into a TV series or Movie. The scenes at the V&A, the rest of London and Windsor would be breath taking. The only thing I ask is that Sam Heughan is cast as Damius - Evil with leather kilt anyone?
Fun Fact:
Violet Grace is the pen name of wife-and-husband writing team and they live in Melbourne with their two daughters.
September 27, 2018
Chess is an orphan with no real knowledge of her parents. She spends her childhood a victim of a set of foul foster parents. The daughter of a brilliant human physicist and a rebellious Fae queen, Chess grows up not knowing of the royal Fae blood hiding in her veins or her ability to tap into it.
On Chess’s sixteen birthday she is attacked by what I can only describe as Zombie Fairies and that is when the story really begins. What comes next is a whirlwind adventure of Chess finding out about who she is, who she can and can’t trust, learning to harness her Fae abilities and getting to know a spunky unicorn shifter.
The world building is detailed and really had that whole Urban Fantasy thing going for it.
I got a mutant marvel x-man meets disney princess vibe from Chess (which i liked) and I did find myself connecting with, and liking her chararter.
For the most part this book feels like it’s aimed at the younger side of the YA market, but that in no way means that older readers won’t enjoy it.
Conclusion: It is a simple, fast and fun read. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the second book, in which the blurb intrigues me even more than the first.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Fae, Parallel Realms, Rags to Riches fairy tales and Unicorn soldiers.
On Chess’s sixteen birthday she is attacked by what I can only describe as Zombie Fairies and that is when the story really begins. What comes next is a whirlwind adventure of Chess finding out about who she is, who she can and can’t trust, learning to harness her Fae abilities and getting to know a spunky unicorn shifter.
The world building is detailed and really had that whole Urban Fantasy thing going for it.
I got a mutant marvel x-man meets disney princess vibe from Chess (which i liked) and I did find myself connecting with, and liking her chararter.
For the most part this book feels like it’s aimed at the younger side of the YA market, but that in no way means that older readers won’t enjoy it.
Conclusion: It is a simple, fast and fun read. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the second book, in which the blurb intrigues me even more than the first.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Fae, Parallel Realms, Rags to Riches fairy tales and Unicorn soldiers.
January 15, 2019
I took two faery books with me on holiday. Two.
I swore off faery books a long time ago due to being sick of the genre, so imagine my surprise when I discovered that the main character is this book was a fairy...
Anyway... The Girl Who Fell surprised me as it was a pleasant read. I enjoyed the characters and the plot more than I thought I would. I'm still confused about the world itself, but that's me. I'm also really confused as to why she was moved out of fairyland when she's the princess? And why she's being tortured in foster care? Why?
I enjoyed the romance immensely. It's always fun to deal with a love that will destroy one part of the relationship. And the absolute longing for a friend-turned-lover that will do anything for you? Absolute delight. Mmmm...
I swore off faery books a long time ago due to being sick of the genre, so imagine my surprise when I discovered that the main character is this book was a fairy...
Anyway... The Girl Who Fell surprised me as it was a pleasant read. I enjoyed the characters and the plot more than I thought I would. I'm still confused about the world itself, but that's me. I'm also really confused as to why she was moved out of fairyland when she's the princess? And why she's being tortured in foster care? Why?
I enjoyed the romance immensely. It's always fun to deal with a love that will destroy one part of the relationship. And the absolute longing for a friend-turned-lover that will do anything for you? Absolute delight. Mmmm...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2020
The first completed book of the year! I listened to this on audiobook & really enjoyed it. I liked how the magic intertwined with our world & I also liked how the main story was wrapped up even though this is part of a series. Of course there were some open ended parts but the main story was resolved & I really appreciated that. The main character Chess was flawed but I understood her & rooted for her all the way. This type of story is my favourite to listen to on audiobook, an adventure with a special twist that sucks me in while I’m going about my day & on a dog walk. Highly anticipate listening to the next one as soon as my library subscribes to it!
December 27, 2024
V citacke som hladala nejaku inspiraciu a vybrala som si tuto knihu. Ehm, mohla radsej zapadnut prachom 🙂
Hlavnou hrdinkou je Chess. Ma tazky zivot. Ked bola malicka, zomreli jej rodicia a vychovava ju nahradna rodina, co nie je med lizat...ked ma 16 rokov, stane sa nieco neuveritelne. Dostane sa do inej dimenzie, zisti, ze je potomkom kralovnej a ma narok na tron a musi bojovat proti vzburencom. Chlapec, o ktorom si myslela, ze sa jej iba prisnil, jej pri tom pomaha.
Obalka sa mi paci, anotacia tiez, ale styl pisania bol na moj vkus dost nezazivny. Ale docitala som to, takze 5 hviezdiciek pre mna za snahu 👏
Hlavnou hrdinkou je Chess. Ma tazky zivot. Ked bola malicka, zomreli jej rodicia a vychovava ju nahradna rodina, co nie je med lizat...ked ma 16 rokov, stane sa nieco neuveritelne. Dostane sa do inej dimenzie, zisti, ze je potomkom kralovnej a ma narok na tron a musi bojovat proti vzburencom. Chlapec, o ktorom si myslela, ze sa jej iba prisnil, jej pri tom pomaha.
Obalka sa mi paci, anotacia tiez, ale styl pisania bol na moj vkus dost nezazivny. Ale docitala som to, takze 5 hviezdiciek pre mna za snahu 👏
November 19, 2018
An orphan who has grown up in the foster care system, Chess is street smart and wary. She has just narrowly escaped being sent to juvenile detention for hacking and is serving her community service in a prestigious art museum under the supervision of a rich benefactor. When Chess suddenly finds herself in the midst of an inter-dimensional conflict between humans and ‘the fae’, she is forced to confront the truth behind her past and make difficult choices about her future. Chess must learn how to harness a power that others see within her, trust the people who say they knew her mother and save the boy who risked everything to save her.
This suspenseful middle grades fantasy novel will immerse readers in a fantasy world of fairies, unicorns, lunatic puss-monsters and intrigue.
This suspenseful middle grades fantasy novel will immerse readers in a fantasy world of fairies, unicorns, lunatic puss-monsters and intrigue.
October 8, 2019
This story has some rather interesting characters that seem to be hinding a fair bit at the start and they are also very invested in the main character. The events and secrets within this book is very predictable but otherwise it was a well written book for the age group intended for it. The main character seems rather simple minded for someone who hacked computers, it was the main downfall to this story for me. I look forward to seeing how characters and event progress/evolve
October 31, 2021
Awwww I think it’s just me. I can’t get into a book with a 16 year old female who is really stupid.
She’s really just average. Not strong enough to be a queen, she’s 16 has no idea who or what she is. Makes really stupid decisions and doesn’t know what she’s doing 75 percent of the time.
2 stars quite a silly story and because of how silly she is everyone gets either really hurt or dies. Bloody ridiculous.
She’s really just average. Not strong enough to be a queen, she’s 16 has no idea who or what she is. Makes really stupid decisions and doesn’t know what she’s doing 75 percent of the time.
2 stars quite a silly story and because of how silly she is everyone gets either really hurt or dies. Bloody ridiculous.
May 1, 2019
There are two types of young adults books; young adult that EVERYONE can read and enjoy and young adult that is definitely only for teens. This book belongs to the latter. Therefore I didn’t overly enjoy it. I didn’t love the main character and the storyline was a bit meh but I think young readers could enjoy this book, I was just the wrong person to pick up the book.
May 16, 2020
Couldn’t finish. Very poorly written. Authors forgot the rule, ‘Show, don’t tell.’
My 14-year old daughter was given a copy in return for writing a review but she was very disappointed and asked me to have a look.
Neither of us finished.
Finally decided to get it off my reading list. Good riddance.
My 14-year old daughter was given a copy in return for writing a review but she was very disappointed and asked me to have a look.
Neither of us finished.
Finally decided to get it off my reading list. Good riddance.
June 5, 2024
It took me a while to read this.
I think part of the issue was I had some Alice in Wonderland deja vu.
Another part was that the her powers were so sporadic and too wide. She could make teacups appear but also decimate an army of pycts.
I think the overall concept for this book was good, but it could have been executed better.
7/10 and might read the next one in the series.
I think part of the issue was I had some Alice in Wonderland deja vu.
Another part was that the her powers were so sporadic and too wide. She could make teacups appear but also decimate an army of pycts.
I think the overall concept for this book was good, but it could have been executed better.
7/10 and might read the next one in the series.
January 11, 2019
3.5⭐
I enjoyed this, i needed to repeat a few chapters as the narrator of the audiobook spoke in a way that was at odds with the tone of what was written.
I would reccomend this as a book on the younger end of the YA scale/ higher end of the middle grade scale.
I enjoyed this, i needed to repeat a few chapters as the narrator of the audiobook spoke in a way that was at odds with the tone of what was written.
I would reccomend this as a book on the younger end of the YA scale/ higher end of the middle grade scale.
June 9, 2019
A decent premise, I liked the idea of the Protectorate and who they were, and the whole hacker thing was interesting. I feel like they just didn't quite live up to their potential. Perhaps in the next book? Tom and Chess are cute, and I enjoyed reading about them.
February 8, 2021
Filled with magic, wonder and adventure it is at its very heart a story of a young girl finding herself and learning to be her own hero as she learns to master her powers and become the ruler her people need. I loved this story and the characters soooo much. It was amazing.
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