Tea > Recent Status Updates

I’m almost afraid to continue reading because this book has so far been brilliant.

DNFed and returned this one. While the writing and storytelling in this one were somewhat superior to the first book, I disliked the characters even more than I had previously. And after I discovered (via spoilery reviews) that the author had destroyed the ONE thing I liked from Book One, there was really no reason to go on.

I’m not accustomed to wanting my money back after getting only a bit over a quarter of the way through a new book.

I dislike most of the main players; the only one I can actually abide has had very little screentime, so far. The world-building is... odd – the MC/narrator does a lot of telling about Alu, the city-state where she lives – and she sounds rather like an untalented History professor in the process.

Okay, I have a new hunch about the suspect's true now. Well, two if I count the one I'd dismissed early on. But I don't want it to be him.

I'm pretty sure I know why the killer kills – and I even have a hunch about his real name – but I haven't yet worked out where he fits into Ziba's world today.

Wow!

I finally got past the first page, and I'm so glad I did.

This book is so different to what I thought it was! Why have I been avoiding it?????

Chilling. Beautiful, but chilling. I'm in a constant state of apprehension, worrying over what will happen to Camellia. The denizens of Orléans may think they hold Beauty in the highest esteem, but a much darker truth appears to lurk beneath the glitter and glamour.

Why does this have to be so good?!?!?!?!?

Yup! Even more entertaining than Crazy Rich Asians.

I feel as if I am getting to know the characters better than I did last rime around. (Surprisingly, Nick and Rachel aren't the one capturing my attention. Far from it!)

Oops! I missed that page number by 100 pages.

Grr. Argh!

How the hell is Nick STILL so oblivious to the natures of his people? Poor Rachel.

But, OMG, the imagery!!!

I think I've fallen in love with Kevin Kwan authorial voice.

It's okaaay... I really like Alexa (despite some friends finding her insecurities off-putting; I've read characters that were so much worse, Alexa barely registered as insecure). I have to admit, though, that I really prefer Carlos to Drew as a romantic lead.

Started reading again since I've had a few books between it and The Proposal. Just what I needed!! I'm totally enjoying this again.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with this book. I'm just not enjoying it as much as I enjoyed the sequel.

Gonna let it sit for a bit until I forget the other one,

Some of these, even unedited, show stellar talent; others do not. Glad I bought it for the cause, but I have to admit the good ones were a hugely pleasant surprise.

This is going to be a big ole dnf, for mow.

So far, I'm disappointed. The writing is OK, and the storytelling isn't horrible, but the details are a bit off. Perhaps the author will explain why the late-20s protagonist's (biological) mother's identical twin was considered "elederly" or why the protagonist was content being an admin. assistant at an advertising firm in Tallahassee after grad school. Student debt isn't a thing? Maybe. But nothing's explained yet.

I'm not sure when or how it happened, but I now indisputably like Tess. Love her, actually. Rooting for her completely.

Was it the Tess that Rachel Hartman showed in the flashbacks? Was it Tess's more recent actions? A mix of the two? Something more?

No idea. I just know that I went from hating Tess to loving her without noticing the intermediate steps.

That's how good Hartman is at drawing characters.

I started off really disliking Tess. Part of that came from my love for Seraphina – the character and the book – but mostly it was that Tess was depicted as a thoroughly unlikeable person. She was nuanced and complicated, but she was inexplicably awful. At this point in the story, that is starting to change. She's still not anyone I'd want to know, but hints about her past are emerging.