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Cursed Magic #1
Cursed
The night Claire Tanith’s small village is attacked, her mother sends her alone into the cursed forest, the one she’d been forbidden to enter all her life with these mysterious words: ‘They will protect you.’
On the run from her attackers, she soon finds the forest is not as abandoned as she’d once thought.
Beautiful and elegant, the elves seem to be everything the legends said they would be. But legends sometimes forget the true history of things and Claire’s eyes are soon opened to a world she never knew. One that has been kept from her for most of her life. All Claire wants to do is return home and start looking for her mother, the only family she ever had. But the elves have different plans. The mysterious mark that appeared on her arm isn’t a curse, at least not to them anyway, and before she knows it, she is whisked away on a mission she never agreed to, unless they help her in return.
Now she is stuck on an adventure with the perverted elf, Aeron, and one with an attitude, Farron. But there is more to this adventure than she’d ever hoped for.
332 pages, ebook
First published July 21, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 292 reviews
March 6, 2020
My rating 3.4
Cursed Magic # 1 by Casey Odell is a solid fantasy work, nothing more, but it has the potential to be a much better book. Although the beginning of the book had hints that it might be really good, the story flared up and dragged us into some romantic YA story that irritated me at times, due to the sometimes naive main character. I was expecting more of a fantasy book, and I got just before the end of the book an indication that I hope will in sequels story move in the direction that was started in the beginning. I wish the writer was a little more concerned with the main story because by the end of the book itself we are not clear what is going on and some events in the book are even a little naive. Now a little about the story. Claire Village was attacked and her mother sent her into a cursed forest to save her from the Minotaur attack. One of the Minotaur’s goes to the woods to kill her, but Claire is rescued by elves who live there for one reason only because she has tattoos on her arm. Claire soon the elves discover that the tattoo she wears is in fact magic that was lost during the Great War between humans and elves. But what she has magic Claire does not know what would be done, but that complicated her life because she will soon find in the maelstrom of events that she would change her life.
All in all, if you love romance, you might like the story in the fantasy genre no matter what it takes to polish it up a bit.
Cursed Magic # 1 by Casey Odell is a solid fantasy work, nothing more, but it has the potential to be a much better book. Although the beginning of the book had hints that it might be really good, the story flared up and dragged us into some romantic YA story that irritated me at times, due to the sometimes naive main character. I was expecting more of a fantasy book, and I got just before the end of the book an indication that I hope will in sequels story move in the direction that was started in the beginning. I wish the writer was a little more concerned with the main story because by the end of the book itself we are not clear what is going on and some events in the book are even a little naive. Now a little about the story. Claire Village was attacked and her mother sent her into a cursed forest to save her from the Minotaur attack. One of the Minotaur’s goes to the woods to kill her, but Claire is rescued by elves who live there for one reason only because she has tattoos on her arm. Claire soon the elves discover that the tattoo she wears is in fact magic that was lost during the Great War between humans and elves. But what she has magic Claire does not know what would be done, but that complicated her life because she will soon find in the maelstrom of events that she would change her life.
All in all, if you love romance, you might like the story in the fantasy genre no matter what it takes to polish it up a bit.
April 30, 2014
Originally published at http://seriestracker.wordpress.com/20...
I am going to preface my review with a statement. I think it is incredibly brave to write a book and put it out there for the world to read. I think it take tremendous time and effort to write, and even more to self publish. That said, self publishing is becoming more of a trend as it is easier than it used to be, especially with everything being digital. You can publish e-only books and with just a few bucks, you can buy the software of pay someone to "publish" what you have written. One of the biggest issues, I have with this as a reader, is that so many self published works severely suffer because they are not subjected to the same rigorous editing process that the big publishers put books/authors through. Frankly, even a discerning reader could take a red pen to this and make it so much better (don't get me wrong, this has brought some wonderful books to the masses too, some that I might not have been able to read otherwise). Unfortunately, with Cursed by Casey Odell this is evident . This book is a textbook example of one that needed better editing. Maybe it would have been much better. It's not god-awful, but it certainly is lacking in a lot of areas.
In Cursed, our main character Claire escapes an attack on her town to be rescued by some forest elves. But they see a magic mark on her and won't let her go. Although they sort of do because they send her on some mission and she agree to go (like she had a choice?) if the two elves, Farron and Aeron, taking her help her try to find her mother while on the way. A love triangle (or sorts) seems to develop. All the while, who knows what Clarie is, why she is important, why the elves want her, or anything really.
Some of the more pressing questions, that would help when reading, it to know what age exactly Claire is. There are moments when I am convinced she is 10 and moments where I think she's 17. I know she is older than 9 because she at one point mentions that he mother took her out of school when she was 9. But we could be 3 years later or 9 years later. The assumption is that we are set in some sort of medieval time, as they are talking about taverns, they walk every where and they use candles and oil lamps. But we have a tavern with a "bathroom" down the hall for anyone to casually take a bath when ever they want? Farron's hair color goes from silver to platinum blond (two very different colors in my opinion, and at one point its black). "The days passed" yet later, it seems that she was with the elves just a week. And when did one of the characters become Yoda ("And engorge myself I will.")? And what exactly is Claire? Or how about even what is Claire, sort of? We are never told anything about what she is, why she is important, or anything.... I am all for some mystery, and I am not asking to learn everything right away, but a few crumbs so I don't starve are necessary to keep a reader interested and engaged.
And what to say about Claire as a character? **sigh**. She is just an idiot. She makes Jake from Two and a Half Men look like Albert Einstein. I was expecting her to be really young, which would explain the ignorance and credulity. But seeing as I don't think she is, then she is not exactly the brightest lightbulb. And as the daughter of a single mother, who was raised in a Tavern and worked there as a barmaid, I would expect her to be smarter (at least in "street smarts") and tougher. I would expect her to be more worldly and much less sheltered. She was a whiney, scarred little thing who would jump at her own shadow. And she would be easily duped into thinking her shadow was some sort of dark monster.
The author thinks Claire is a strong female character (she is living in a fantasy world apparently). Here's the author's quote:
"Just wanted to share this article I had found recently. I feel it captures what I tried to do with Claire PERFECTLY and my whole thoughts on the whole 'boy with boobs' female characters. Love her or hate her, I believe Claire is a strong female character, though many will disagree with me I'm sure." (Source: http://caseyo139.blogspot.com/2013/10...)
This quote then points to an article that purports to theorize that strong female characters are actually required to be stronger than male characters or they are seen as week. The article discusses that Sherlock Holmes isn't really strong so why do all female characters need to be seen as stronger than a man needs to be to even be thought of as on the same level as a male character. (Article can be found here: http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2...)
Well, here's the thing. If you are going to give me an action story and have the female be in distress and have other characters think she's strong and tell her that she has spirit, you can't have her be a crybaby and push over who is afraid of her own shadow. It doesn't make for interesting reading. She doesn't need to know kung fu, like the article says all female characters do now. I beg to differ by the way, that knowing how to fight is the only way to have a strong female character, as there are plenty of strong female characters who aren't superheroes or karate masters, instead their personalities are brave, courageous and determined. One might argue that Claire's asking to be taught how to fight makes her strong, but when the time comes she cowers in fear and requires that one of the male characters come to her rescue. Why does she need Bren to escape? She doesn't take control of her own destiny when faced with the competition in the tournament. She falters and surrenders to her cowardice. Over and over again. Add to that, her complete idiocy and we have someone who I don't really care about. Sherlock Holmes may be physically weaker but he is brilliant and certainly not a coward (even if that stems from his over confidence because he thinks he is smarter than everyone).
There are some great big gaping holes too. Plot holes, in many respects, I can overlook. But there are sections here where it's not just plot holes but jumps in conversation that make no sense. Claire goes from being totally in the dark one moment to being half of a conversation where it seems that she knows what is going on - or commons sense would require her to say she doesn't know - and as a result, I am completely lost. She also just isn't written very well. If she has so much spunk and spirit, it would be much more natural for her to not stumble on her words out of fear, for her not to be such a wimp when it comes to heights or other things - she would put on a brave face instead. But she doesn't really. Even when she enters the tournament, it is because she's too afraid to speak up to the General. She doesn't really have spirit, she weak, skittish, gullible and not really all that likable.
And the grammar and the writing... ack! I will note that some of the grammar can be reduced to typos and poor editing. But, when all of a sudden, pronouns are used to refer to people who were never part of the conversation before come flying out of nowhere so I have to try to figure out who is being discussed it's just poor writing. Important details are totally ignored (like Claire not asking Farron about her bracelet after Fran reacts the way she does? What character wouldn't ask right away? Even someone as stupid as Claire shouldn't have missed that...!); Farron's statement that "it's my word against a king's" - what the heck is that all about - its a reference to who knows what coming out of left field; its's too much. Or rather, maybe the right way to put it is that it's not enough. And then Claire is totally suddenly kissing with Bren? Sheesh. It felt like the author was trying to cram in the love-triangle. And since when is having a fiancé and being married the same thing? The author throws this around like they are synonyms. And I don't mean that figuratively someone who is engaged is faithful and therefore for all intents and purposes is married. No, I mean the characters literally refer to Claire (in her fake persona) sometimes as married and sometimes they reference her fiancé.
Then we have the title to both the series and this book. I guess I am to assume that Claire is cursed. But, we get no hints as to what is actually going on. Not real hints anyway. And we get no real clues as to what Claire is - for all the references to her being a "what" we don't really get any information to help us even gander a guess. Then, once in a blue moon, we are thrown a fact from Claire but we never saw her learn the fact. Maybe I am spoiled since Harry Potter is my favorite series and it is so well written that despite a few red herrings, there are clues if you know where to look (OOP's reference to the locket which become critical in books 6 and 7 for example or all of book 2 and the significance of the diary). But here, if there are clues they are indecipherable. Note I said not hidden or well planned and laid out so as to be camouflaged, but indecipherable. There is a big difference. Here, I felt like the story had more holes than a spaghetti strainer.
I am ging to attempt to read the next installment and I hope it gets better. Please, let it get better. Or I will be convinced that I am cursed for reading these.
I am going to preface my review with a statement. I think it is incredibly brave to write a book and put it out there for the world to read. I think it take tremendous time and effort to write, and even more to self publish. That said, self publishing is becoming more of a trend as it is easier than it used to be, especially with everything being digital. You can publish e-only books and with just a few bucks, you can buy the software of pay someone to "publish" what you have written. One of the biggest issues, I have with this as a reader, is that so many self published works severely suffer because they are not subjected to the same rigorous editing process that the big publishers put books/authors through. Frankly, even a discerning reader could take a red pen to this and make it so much better (don't get me wrong, this has brought some wonderful books to the masses too, some that I might not have been able to read otherwise). Unfortunately, with Cursed by Casey Odell this is evident . This book is a textbook example of one that needed better editing. Maybe it would have been much better. It's not god-awful, but it certainly is lacking in a lot of areas.
In Cursed, our main character Claire escapes an attack on her town to be rescued by some forest elves. But they see a magic mark on her and won't let her go. Although they sort of do because they send her on some mission and she agree to go (like she had a choice?) if the two elves, Farron and Aeron, taking her help her try to find her mother while on the way. A love triangle (or sorts) seems to develop. All the while, who knows what Clarie is, why she is important, why the elves want her, or anything really.
Some of the more pressing questions, that would help when reading, it to know what age exactly Claire is. There are moments when I am convinced she is 10 and moments where I think she's 17. I know she is older than 9 because she at one point mentions that he mother took her out of school when she was 9. But we could be 3 years later or 9 years later. The assumption is that we are set in some sort of medieval time, as they are talking about taverns, they walk every where and they use candles and oil lamps. But we have a tavern with a "bathroom" down the hall for anyone to casually take a bath when ever they want? Farron's hair color goes from silver to platinum blond (two very different colors in my opinion, and at one point its black). "The days passed" yet later, it seems that she was with the elves just a week. And when did one of the characters become Yoda ("And engorge myself I will.")? And what exactly is Claire? Or how about even what is Claire, sort of? We are never told anything about what she is, why she is important, or anything.... I am all for some mystery, and I am not asking to learn everything right away, but a few crumbs so I don't starve are necessary to keep a reader interested and engaged.
And what to say about Claire as a character? **sigh**. She is just an idiot. She makes Jake from Two and a Half Men look like Albert Einstein. I was expecting her to be really young, which would explain the ignorance and credulity. But seeing as I don't think she is, then she is not exactly the brightest lightbulb. And as the daughter of a single mother, who was raised in a Tavern and worked there as a barmaid, I would expect her to be smarter (at least in "street smarts") and tougher. I would expect her to be more worldly and much less sheltered. She was a whiney, scarred little thing who would jump at her own shadow. And she would be easily duped into thinking her shadow was some sort of dark monster.
The author thinks Claire is a strong female character (she is living in a fantasy world apparently). Here's the author's quote:
"Just wanted to share this article I had found recently. I feel it captures what I tried to do with Claire PERFECTLY and my whole thoughts on the whole 'boy with boobs' female characters. Love her or hate her, I believe Claire is a strong female character, though many will disagree with me I'm sure." (Source: http://caseyo139.blogspot.com/2013/10...)
This quote then points to an article that purports to theorize that strong female characters are actually required to be stronger than male characters or they are seen as week. The article discusses that Sherlock Holmes isn't really strong so why do all female characters need to be seen as stronger than a man needs to be to even be thought of as on the same level as a male character. (Article can be found here: http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2...)
Well, here's the thing. If you are going to give me an action story and have the female be in distress and have other characters think she's strong and tell her that she has spirit, you can't have her be a crybaby and push over who is afraid of her own shadow. It doesn't make for interesting reading. She doesn't need to know kung fu, like the article says all female characters do now. I beg to differ by the way, that knowing how to fight is the only way to have a strong female character, as there are plenty of strong female characters who aren't superheroes or karate masters, instead their personalities are brave, courageous and determined. One might argue that Claire's asking to be taught how to fight makes her strong, but when the time comes she cowers in fear and requires that one of the male characters come to her rescue. Why does she need Bren to escape? She doesn't take control of her own destiny when faced with the competition in the tournament. She falters and surrenders to her cowardice. Over and over again. Add to that, her complete idiocy and we have someone who I don't really care about. Sherlock Holmes may be physically weaker but he is brilliant and certainly not a coward (even if that stems from his over confidence because he thinks he is smarter than everyone).
There are some great big gaping holes too. Plot holes, in many respects, I can overlook. But there are sections here where it's not just plot holes but jumps in conversation that make no sense. Claire goes from being totally in the dark one moment to being half of a conversation where it seems that she knows what is going on - or commons sense would require her to say she doesn't know - and as a result, I am completely lost. She also just isn't written very well. If she has so much spunk and spirit, it would be much more natural for her to not stumble on her words out of fear, for her not to be such a wimp when it comes to heights or other things - she would put on a brave face instead. But she doesn't really. Even when she enters the tournament, it is because she's too afraid to speak up to the General. She doesn't really have spirit, she weak, skittish, gullible and not really all that likable.
And the grammar and the writing... ack! I will note that some of the grammar can be reduced to typos and poor editing. But, when all of a sudden, pronouns are used to refer to people who were never part of the conversation before come flying out of nowhere so I have to try to figure out who is being discussed it's just poor writing. Important details are totally ignored (like Claire not asking Farron about her bracelet after Fran reacts the way she does? What character wouldn't ask right away? Even someone as stupid as Claire shouldn't have missed that...!); Farron's statement that "it's my word against a king's" - what the heck is that all about - its a reference to who knows what coming out of left field; its's too much. Or rather, maybe the right way to put it is that it's not enough. And then Claire is totally suddenly kissing with Bren? Sheesh. It felt like the author was trying to cram in the love-triangle. And since when is having a fiancé and being married the same thing? The author throws this around like they are synonyms. And I don't mean that figuratively someone who is engaged is faithful and therefore for all intents and purposes is married. No, I mean the characters literally refer to Claire (in her fake persona) sometimes as married and sometimes they reference her fiancé.
Then we have the title to both the series and this book. I guess I am to assume that Claire is cursed. But, we get no hints as to what is actually going on. Not real hints anyway. And we get no real clues as to what Claire is - for all the references to her being a "what" we don't really get any information to help us even gander a guess. Then, once in a blue moon, we are thrown a fact from Claire but we never saw her learn the fact. Maybe I am spoiled since Harry Potter is my favorite series and it is so well written that despite a few red herrings, there are clues if you know where to look (OOP's reference to the locket which become critical in books 6 and 7 for example or all of book 2 and the significance of the diary). But here, if there are clues they are indecipherable. Note I said not hidden or well planned and laid out so as to be camouflaged, but indecipherable. There is a big difference. Here, I felt like the story had more holes than a spaghetti strainer.
I am ging to attempt to read the next installment and I hope it gets better. Please, let it get better. Or I will be convinced that I am cursed for reading these.
February 26, 2015
There are many negatives to this book. However, the plot, suspense, action, chemistry/romance and fun factor supersede the the negatives.
AN ADVENTURE THROUGH AN ENCHANTED FOREST
The positives - the author doesn't plunge into the plot, but develops it slowly. There are times when you feel as though you could hit Claire (the main protagonist) over the head. However, generally, the plot itself is intriguing enough to curb these minor irritations and nuisances.
ROMANCE. ACTION & ADVENTURE
I enjoyed the theme of Elves. I'm utterly sick of reading about Vampires. Completely unhygienic and the topic is bland now. The author also uses centaurs - a mythological creature that's out of the norm.
MYSTERY COMBINED MAGIC
The secrets, hidden stories, conspiracies, clues and powerful suspense are awesome. It's not glaringly obvious what will occur (not predictable basically). You will that it's leading to something big, but the reader is held in perfect suspense.
It's an engaging plot that doesn't drag.
[image error]
The romantic chemistry that was built up in the book surpasses many books hailed as "brilliant" within this genre. If you found Twilight sappy, sickening, and childish, than you will enjoy the slow build up within within this book. It's a simmering heat gradually growing. Not instant attraction and lots of ridiculous drama and scenes. The tension is brilliant. And thankfully the romance doesn't dominate the book. Far too much going on for us to be focused on "does he love her or not" rubbish.
Negatives:
The negatives being that the author has very little knowledge of England/European history, culture and proper English language. Basing one's story around a fantasy Ye Olde English/Europe world (think a inferior Lord of the Rings) requires more than imagination.
I generally loath books with substandard English. I don't expect or demand Highbrow prose. My reviews have a lot to be desired with regards to good grammar and so forth. However, if I were to publish a book I would ensure the language manifested the era and demographic of the persons whom I am portraying. In this novel, the author fails to convey the Ye Olde English era. I don't require or wish for Shakespearean or Chaucer language. However, we could do without the modern phrases, awful grammar and poorly articulated sentences.
For instance, the author has a penchant for using "like" and "yeah", both of which are a common modern usage (predominate among uneducated teenagers) and thus detracts one from feeling the magical and historical essence of this fantasy world.
Examples: "It was like she had" rather than "It was as though she had feared" or "it was like a" instead of "it was similar to", "it's not like a I wanted to" rather than "it was not as though I desired"
Additionally, author struggles to use "was" and "were" and "who" and "whom" at appropriate times.
Additionally, Claire is mean to be a quasi barmaid, or at least the daughter of a publican. I simply don't understand why the author presumed a publican's daughter (with no elocution lessons) could even consider to possess the ambition to pass off as a lady. She was concerned her lack of deportment and etiquette would give her away, however, a quasi barmaid's speech/accent would be a far better indication of a person's status than whether she can hold cutlery correctly. The author presumes that "ladies" walk about with their nose in the air and that is the remit of identifying a lady (good breeding and quality speech appears to have missed the list).
It would have been better if Claire had been a teacher's daughter (considered almost non-genteel). Thus her speech/accent would be equal (or almost equal) to the Elves and so forth.
AN ADVENTURE THROUGH AN ENCHANTED FOREST
The positives - the author doesn't plunge into the plot, but develops it slowly. There are times when you feel as though you could hit Claire (the main protagonist) over the head. However, generally, the plot itself is intriguing enough to curb these minor irritations and nuisances.
ROMANCE. ACTION & ADVENTURE
I enjoyed the theme of Elves. I'm utterly sick of reading about Vampires. Completely unhygienic and the topic is bland now. The author also uses centaurs - a mythological creature that's out of the norm.
MYSTERY COMBINED MAGIC
The secrets, hidden stories, conspiracies, clues and powerful suspense are awesome. It's not glaringly obvious what will occur (not predictable basically). You will that it's leading to something big, but the reader is held in perfect suspense.
It's an engaging plot that doesn't drag.
[image error]
The romantic chemistry that was built up in the book surpasses many books hailed as "brilliant" within this genre. If you found Twilight sappy, sickening, and childish, than you will enjoy the slow build up within within this book. It's a simmering heat gradually growing. Not instant attraction and lots of ridiculous drama and scenes. The tension is brilliant. And thankfully the romance doesn't dominate the book. Far too much going on for us to be focused on "does he love her or not" rubbish.
Negatives:
The negatives being that the author has very little knowledge of England/European history, culture and proper English language. Basing one's story around a fantasy Ye Olde English/Europe world (think a inferior Lord of the Rings) requires more than imagination.
I generally loath books with substandard English. I don't expect or demand Highbrow prose. My reviews have a lot to be desired with regards to good grammar and so forth. However, if I were to publish a book I would ensure the language manifested the era and demographic of the persons whom I am portraying. In this novel, the author fails to convey the Ye Olde English era. I don't require or wish for Shakespearean or Chaucer language. However, we could do without the modern phrases, awful grammar and poorly articulated sentences.
For instance, the author has a penchant for using "like" and "yeah", both of which are a common modern usage (predominate among uneducated teenagers) and thus detracts one from feeling the magical and historical essence of this fantasy world.
Examples: "It was like she had" rather than "It was as though she had feared" or "it was like a" instead of "it was similar to", "it's not like a I wanted to" rather than "it was not as though I desired"
Additionally, author struggles to use "was" and "were" and "who" and "whom" at appropriate times.
Additionally, Claire is mean to be a quasi barmaid, or at least the daughter of a publican. I simply don't understand why the author presumed a publican's daughter (with no elocution lessons) could even consider to possess the ambition to pass off as a lady. She was concerned her lack of deportment and etiquette would give her away, however, a quasi barmaid's speech/accent would be a far better indication of a person's status than whether she can hold cutlery correctly. The author presumes that "ladies" walk about with their nose in the air and that is the remit of identifying a lady (good breeding and quality speech appears to have missed the list).
It would have been better if Claire had been a teacher's daughter (considered almost non-genteel). Thus her speech/accent would be equal (or almost equal) to the Elves and so forth.
May 16, 2013
This book started out really promising. . .we meet Claire as she is running for her life and you really can't get anymore exciting then that. But after I while things just had that "haven't I read this somewhere before" feel to it. A girl with strange powers escorted to somewhere she doesn't know by two men, or elves in this case, one that is happy go lucky, but has a serious side when its needed and one that is cold and distant, but really is very caring. Its not the first time I read a story with this plot set up, but I was okay with that for a while. I actually like books like that.
But unfortunately I have read much better with this set up. I still don't know how old Claire is suppose to be and didn't find out until half way through the book what color her eyes were and not until the end the color of her hair. It was hard to read a book and know nothing about the character I was following the entire time. It didn't help that Claire isn't exactly the smartest person around either, more then once I had to stop reading, just put my kindle down lean my head back and sigh before picking up my kindle again to fight my way through reading about her doing something stupid. I wanted to jump in the book and shake her. . .hard at times. But I also didn't hate her either, I may not have had any idea of what she looked like the entire read but she had her moments when she would say or do something that would make me smile.
The description of Farron was pretty lacking as well, since this wasn't my first time reading a book like this I knew he would be considered a love interest at some point, but I could never really get an image of what he looked like. He is at first described as having platinum blonde hair, then he has silvery hair. . .I let this slid and just when with the silvery hair one because I liked it better, but I would have liked to have a better idea of what he looked like.
There is somewhat of a minor love triangle going on as well. I really hate love triangles, but for once it was actually done pretty well. I wasn't reading pages and pages of angst about what guy Claire should pick or about how hot every one was. So it didn't really bother me at all, mainly because she stuck with one guy and was pretty clueless to the other, while we all know that he has feelings for her.
The story itself is pretty lacking, we never really find out anything. What is the reason behind the attack on Claire home town? Why did the magic tattoo show up suddenly on Claire arm? What does the magic tattoo do? What ever happened to her mother? Just what do the elves want with her? Where are they traveling to? Who are the people that want to get their hands on her? None of these questions are answered, considering they are pretty major plot points it was aggravating to end the book and still know nothing.
As much as I really wanted to like this book I just can't work myself up to being excited about anything and I feel disappointed.
Would I recommend this book? Sadly no, there are much better books out there with this set up.
But unfortunately I have read much better with this set up. I still don't know how old Claire is suppose to be and didn't find out until half way through the book what color her eyes were and not until the end the color of her hair. It was hard to read a book and know nothing about the character I was following the entire time. It didn't help that Claire isn't exactly the smartest person around either, more then once I had to stop reading, just put my kindle down lean my head back and sigh before picking up my kindle again to fight my way through reading about her doing something stupid. I wanted to jump in the book and shake her. . .hard at times. But I also didn't hate her either, I may not have had any idea of what she looked like the entire read but she had her moments when she would say or do something that would make me smile.
The description of Farron was pretty lacking as well, since this wasn't my first time reading a book like this I knew he would be considered a love interest at some point, but I could never really get an image of what he looked like. He is at first described as having platinum blonde hair, then he has silvery hair. . .I let this slid and just when with the silvery hair one because I liked it better, but I would have liked to have a better idea of what he looked like.
There is somewhat of a minor love triangle going on as well. I really hate love triangles, but for once it was actually done pretty well. I wasn't reading pages and pages of angst about what guy Claire should pick or about how hot every one was. So it didn't really bother me at all, mainly because she stuck with one guy and was pretty clueless to the other, while we all know that he has feelings for her.
The story itself is pretty lacking, we never really find out anything. What is the reason behind the attack on Claire home town? Why did the magic tattoo show up suddenly on Claire arm? What does the magic tattoo do? What ever happened to her mother? Just what do the elves want with her? Where are they traveling to? Who are the people that want to get their hands on her? None of these questions are answered, considering they are pretty major plot points it was aggravating to end the book and still know nothing.
As much as I really wanted to like this book I just can't work myself up to being excited about anything and I feel disappointed.
Would I recommend this book? Sadly no, there are much better books out there with this set up.
September 13, 2013
DNF at 40%
If this book has a plot, I'm not aware of it. The novel starts nicely with a young woman running for her life. You realize she's not the brightest of the barrel, but you probably don't expect her to be the village idiot. My words are sarcastic, but the gist of them is unfortunately true.
She meets murdering centaurs, her mother disappears, she's imprisoned by elves but she never reacts. She flutters along. They hurt her (briefly), keep her confined, then compel her in a mission she is forbidden to know anything about. (yea, right?) Do you think she does realize it or, better, acts in anyway that make you think she realizes it? Nope.
I can't say she's a Pollyanna, because Pollyanna was aware but still optimistic. She's simply dumb. She's a thirteen year old going for five. Again, unfortunately literally.
At 40% nothing had happened. The story was both dreadfully boring and dreadfully annoying. When, after being attacked in a village, she gets all excited because she's being invited to a ball, I knew I couldn't really go on.
I can't recommend this even if you are a YA fan.
If this book has a plot, I'm not aware of it. The novel starts nicely with a young woman running for her life. You realize she's not the brightest of the barrel, but you probably don't expect her to be the village idiot. My words are sarcastic, but the gist of them is unfortunately true.
She meets murdering centaurs, her mother disappears, she's imprisoned by elves but she never reacts. She flutters along. They hurt her (briefly), keep her confined, then compel her in a mission she is forbidden to know anything about. (yea, right?) Do you think she does realize it or, better, acts in anyway that make you think she realizes it? Nope.
I can't say she's a Pollyanna, because Pollyanna was aware but still optimistic. She's simply dumb. She's a thirteen year old going for five. Again, unfortunately literally.
At 40% nothing had happened. The story was both dreadfully boring and dreadfully annoying. When, after being attacked in a village, she gets all excited because she's being invited to a ball, I knew I couldn't really go on.
I can't recommend this even if you are a YA fan.
October 1, 2014
I set this novel as part of a reading challenge this month. The challenge turned out to be actually finishing it. Normally, I wouldn't have continued reading past the point I screamed at the heroine to stop being such an idiot.
This is one of those stories that relies on mysteries to the point of ridiculousness. The heroine's town is attacked out of the blue by centaurs and the people scatter. Her mother sends her into the forbidden forest, saying she'll be safe there. Why? Who knows. It's the complete opposite from what she's told her daughter her whole life. The girl is found by elves, though they act like regular people with nothing distinctive about their customs or culture. Then, she mysteriously develops a strange marking on her arm, and it's obvious the elves know something, but they won't tell her about it. The elf king sends her on a journey with two “bodyguards” but no one explains why to her. This goes on and on.
So many illogical details bothered me. Here are just a few. Modern language and a female character wearing pants (without explanation) in a pre-technological world. Farm carts and horses are shown, so logically, one would expect the use of horses for long-distance travel and possibly, for the higher classes, wheeled vehicles of some sort. But the main character, her two elf bodyguards and the General who joins their group (strange in itself), choose to walk for many miles to their destination. Would a high-ranking officer deign to join a group without any of his own attendants and walk for such a long distance? I find it hard to believe.
The ending didn't really answer any questions I hadn't figured out on my own nor did it whet my appetite for further adventures with the heroine and her elf “protector.”
This is one of those stories that relies on mysteries to the point of ridiculousness. The heroine's town is attacked out of the blue by centaurs and the people scatter. Her mother sends her into the forbidden forest, saying she'll be safe there. Why? Who knows. It's the complete opposite from what she's told her daughter her whole life. The girl is found by elves, though they act like regular people with nothing distinctive about their customs or culture. Then, she mysteriously develops a strange marking on her arm, and it's obvious the elves know something, but they won't tell her about it. The elf king sends her on a journey with two “bodyguards” but no one explains why to her. This goes on and on.
So many illogical details bothered me. Here are just a few. Modern language and a female character wearing pants (without explanation) in a pre-technological world. Farm carts and horses are shown, so logically, one would expect the use of horses for long-distance travel and possibly, for the higher classes, wheeled vehicles of some sort. But the main character, her two elf bodyguards and the General who joins their group (strange in itself), choose to walk for many miles to their destination. Would a high-ranking officer deign to join a group without any of his own attendants and walk for such a long distance? I find it hard to believe.
The ending didn't really answer any questions I hadn't figured out on my own nor did it whet my appetite for further adventures with the heroine and her elf “protector.”
September 19, 2014
I won this book through Goodreads. The story itself is very interesting but it is very slow to come to fruition. In Book 1, we are introduced to 5 main characters: Claire, her mother, Aeron, Farron, and Bren. That is about the extent of it. There is a mission, a tattoo, and a missing person all of which remain a mystery throughout the entire book. The book ends appropriately but all of the questions raised in the beginning are left completely unanswered. I enjoyed the playful dialogue between the characters. There were a lot of action scenes and the journey was interesting. Odell uses descriptive language and effectively creates a beautiful world where the characters live. Overall, it was a good read.
February 8, 2023
the main character infuriated me sometimes with her naivety and denseness but she slowly got better and was willing to work through all the hard stuff. the book was mostly set in their journeys which kind of made all of the settings similar. bren annoyed me so much 😑 but one part confuses me, how was farron able to save her at the end where it doesn’t really mention how she got away?
farron was perfection 😍🫠🤩
farron was perfection 😍🫠🤩
May 15, 2013
2.5
There may be some spoilers on this review.
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I felt like it took way too long to get any answers (until the second to last page!) I loved Farron's character. He was mysterious and flirty. He was great.
Some things that bugged me....
First of all WHEN was this book taking place??? The girl work pants but when she was in "society" she wore a corset and dress...at one point there was mention of riding a carriage. Well if they were riding in a carriage then she would be in a dress all the time. Also the way they talked to each other...ha! They did not say things like "I will kick your butt" in the 18th century!
Also, why did they walk everywhere??? If she was really royalty wouldn't she have at least a horse? That was really weird to me.
I can't even say that I liked the story because I am still not sure what the story is. It took way too long to get any answers and when we finally did get some there are still so many left open.
I did like that the romance part was slow and believable. well, not with Bren but anyone could tell he was no good and that Claire was just hiding from her true feelings.
There may be some spoilers on this review.
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I felt like it took way too long to get any answers (until the second to last page!) I loved Farron's character. He was mysterious and flirty. He was great.
Some things that bugged me....
First of all WHEN was this book taking place??? The girl work pants but when she was in "society" she wore a corset and dress...at one point there was mention of riding a carriage. Well if they were riding in a carriage then she would be in a dress all the time. Also the way they talked to each other...ha! They did not say things like "I will kick your butt" in the 18th century!
Also, why did they walk everywhere??? If she was really royalty wouldn't she have at least a horse? That was really weird to me.
I can't even say that I liked the story because I am still not sure what the story is. It took way too long to get any answers and when we finally did get some there are still so many left open.
I did like that the romance part was slow and believable. well, not with Bren but anyone could tell he was no good and that Claire was just hiding from her true feelings.
May 7, 2020
Well, well, well...that was an interesting read. I certainly enjoyed myself with it. Most of the characters were charming, I liked the world it was set in and it was just an all-round good read.
However, don't mistake this for there being nothing wrong with it - it certainly had its faults. The biggest one (and the most taxing on my sanity), being our main lady Claire. My god was she annoying. She was so childish, and stubborn, and just far too big for her boots. She was just arrogant with nothing to show for it and that really grated my gears. A main lead who gets themselves into trouble often can be charming (Amaranthe from the Emperor's Edge series by Lindsay Buroker is a great example of this) but not in this case. She always did dumb things that lead to bad things happening and could never deal with it herself, always had to rely on others. Her character just really blew my mind with how stupid she was.
There were a few other things that annoyed me but I won't mention them just to avoid going into spolier territory. Let's just say that for a brief second there, during the climax, I did debate reading the second book, but I have now changed my mind. While I would love to know what happens, I really don't want to have to deal with Claire more than I already have.
However, don't mistake this for there being nothing wrong with it - it certainly had its faults. The biggest one (and the most taxing on my sanity), being our main lady Claire. My god was she annoying. She was so childish, and stubborn, and just far too big for her boots. She was just arrogant with nothing to show for it and that really grated my gears. A main lead who gets themselves into trouble often can be charming (Amaranthe from the Emperor's Edge series by Lindsay Buroker is a great example of this) but not in this case. She always did dumb things that lead to bad things happening and could never deal with it herself, always had to rely on others. Her character just really blew my mind with how stupid she was.
There were a few other things that annoyed me but I won't mention them just to avoid going into spolier territory. Let's just say that for a brief second there, during the climax, I did debate reading the second book, but I have now changed my mind. While I would love to know what happens, I really don't want to have to deal with Claire more than I already have.
May 23, 2013
Cursed was pretty much a mixed bag for me, because some bits were good whilst other parts were a bit hit or miss! I initially selected Cursed because I was intrigued by the idea of a series based around elves. More often than not we come across vampires, aliens, witches, magic, shifters and faeries but rarely actual elves.
The setting is a fictitious, sort-of-past (I kept thinking of 11th Century England) but with magical and mythological creatures. The book starts with an attack on human girl Claire's village and the separation from her mother. Claire is forced to flee into the forbidden forest where she ends up in the custody of elves. A strange mark (I imagined a fancy swirling tattoo) appears on her arm and bam, Claire finds herself being dragged across the country on a mysterious mission by the elves Aeron and Farron. Claire has her own agenda; to find her missing mother and any survivors from her village. On their journey they come across the handsome General.
I enjoyed Claire's spirit and willingness to learn to fight. Her dedication to finding her mother was admirable, but I also felt she could have pushed for answers more. She was also really blind when it came to telling the difference between friend or foe. A certain character obviously has it bad for her (I'm not entirely sure why) and she is completely oblivious even when several other characters all but tell her. I also found her bouts of crying really irritating and her inner dialogue annoyed me at times. That being said I suppose she has suffered a hugely traumatic event or series of events, but I kept waiting for her to grow up a bit.
The two elves had very different personalities, although their descriptions did tend to merge into one at times. Aeron was a kind of pervy best friend and Farron a stern, brooding figure. They both enjoy teasing Claire and to be honest she provides them with a lot of ammunition!
I wanted to smack the General at times and I thought he came across as kind of smarmy! I think the dynamics between Claire, Aeron and Farron were supposed to be similar to that of Meghan, Ash and Puck in Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series, but in the Iron Fey series the character are developed much more and Meghan is a bad ass heroine.
I really like the idea behind Cursed and I hope that with the second instalment Casey manages to iron out some of the problems and develops the characters more.
My fav non-spoilery quotes:
•"His Majesty has requested your audience," Aeron said. "You may continue to examine me later in private, if that is your wish."
•"And if that means travelling with a pervert and an elf with attitude, then so be it."
•"So, what's the plan?" "You tell me. You're the one asking the questions. It's my job to just stand in the back and look menacing."
•She couldn't stop the laugh from bursting through her lips. An obese elf. That she would like to see. Especially if it was Aeron.
•There was a growing haze fogging up her mind. Half of her wanted to scream out, to tell herself she was crazy, while the other half just wanted to pounce on him.
Also reviewed on my Blog Zili in the Sky!
July 22, 2013
dropped at 15%. I got tricked by the cool cover design. a poor abandoned girl with a misterious tattoo and an even more misterious knife and two beautiful elves (obviously the happy and the dark) going walking around the forbidden forest for a misterious mission. (I really never heard this storyline...)
Would be interesting if better written.
...
..
or maybe not.
After spending 10 pages with a character that is closed in a room for several days without even trying to learn a little bit of this new culture she's thrown in is just annoying. I don't want to spent too much time with characters I don't feel comfortable with or I cannot stand anymore. Especially if the writing is so bad.
The dialogues where down to the ridiculous.
stupid barmaid: "I just want to go home, I'm tired of sitting in that room"
happy hot-elf "I'm afraid that is not possible"
dark hot-elf "it may be"
happy hot-elf "it is not part of the plan"
stupid barmaid: "what plan?"
Would be interesting if better written.
...
..
or maybe not.
After spending 10 pages with a character that is closed in a room for several days without even trying to learn a little bit of this new culture she's thrown in is just annoying. I don't want to spent too much time with characters I don't feel comfortable with or I cannot stand anymore. Especially if the writing is so bad.
The dialogues where down to the ridiculous.
stupid barmaid: "I just want to go home, I'm tired of sitting in that room"
happy hot-elf "I'm afraid that is not possible"
dark hot-elf "it may be"
happy hot-elf "it is not part of the plan"
stupid barmaid: "what plan?"
July 5, 2014
This was a great deal for a freebie. I liked the characters (mostly), the imagination and creativity, the action, the humor and 'bickering', and the main plot to the story. The setting was interesting cuz it's like fantasy/modern/historical all at the same time. The main character got on my nerves a little with her denial, but she just seemed younger than her age. Overall, pretty good and I would like to read more to see what happens, but it wouldn't be search & rescue looking for the rest. Enjoy!
February 5, 2016
Schon der Start war mehr als dürftig. Ich bin eigentlich für einen rasanten Einstieg, aber dieser Einstieg, dem jegliche Erklärung fehlt, aber dafür detailliert die Outfits der Charaktere und die Umgebung beschreibt, trifft dann doch nicht meinen Geschmack. Und so zog es sich weiter: nebensächliche Details wurden bis ins Kleinste beschrieben, aber das große Ganze kam nicht herüber und so kam auch keine Spannung auf. Für mich ein klarer Flop!
May 18, 2013
Absolutely loved it and couldn't stop thinking about it long after I finished. I NEED the next book Awakened for more of Claire and her mysterious companion Farron the elf (dreamy sigh).
April 13, 2019
The only one single problem with this whole book...to me... was that .....
COME ON!! I'm pretty sure there is not a single other heroine in any book that could possibly ever be THAT gullible.
COME ON!! I'm pretty sure there is not a single other heroine in any book that could possibly ever be THAT gullible.
August 30, 2013
Once I got past the bumpity start I couldn't put it down. I wish there had been more world building in the beginning just so that I could have a more complete idea of where the characters were coming from. There was some disorientation for me because I was unsure if this was based in our world or in a fantasy world in the beginning.
I also found a little bump when we find Claire go from captured prisoner to one of the team in such a short time. There was one passage that really had me shaking my head:
"Guilt played at the edges of her mind, about them straying for some reason, even though she didn't know anything about their so called mission. She was just grateful to finally be out of that room. Searching for her mother helped keep her busy, and being busy kept her from going crazy."
If I had just come from a battle in my village where my mother was lost to me, I was captured by elves (who I didn't even know existed), had a strange tattoo just appear on my arm, and become drafted on a mission that no one would tell me about, I don't think I would be thinking "I want to be busy so I can not think about my mother." I would be worried about my MOTHER and guilty about not thinking or trying to get to her!
Story did become really interesting to me. I didn't want to put it down later. I do think there were some issues where it was never explained how Farron rescued her later in the book from Bren. I will look for the next book. I am curious about how the story will unfold.
I also found a little bump when we find Claire go from captured prisoner to one of the team in such a short time. There was one passage that really had me shaking my head:
"Guilt played at the edges of her mind, about them straying for some reason, even though she didn't know anything about their so called mission. She was just grateful to finally be out of that room. Searching for her mother helped keep her busy, and being busy kept her from going crazy."
If I had just come from a battle in my village where my mother was lost to me, I was captured by elves (who I didn't even know existed), had a strange tattoo just appear on my arm, and become drafted on a mission that no one would tell me about, I don't think I would be thinking "I want to be busy so I can not think about my mother." I would be worried about my MOTHER and guilty about not thinking or trying to get to her!
Story did become really interesting to me. I didn't want to put it down later. I do think there were some issues where it was never explained how Farron rescued her later in the book from Bren. I will look for the next book. I am curious about how the story will unfold.
December 6, 2014
Cursed
Well it generally was a good book. But in the beginning to me it sounded like a modern day book, the 20th century. But later on, it started to sound the the midevil days. With all girls wearing dresses and kings still existed. Otherwise,,, great book. Great twist at end. General turns evil. U can tell somthing is up with him, but he is a great actor
So there is a girl, Claire, when one day her village is overtaken by centatrs. Yes, centars. They are not friendly, though, they are totally evil. So Claire's mom take's claire into the enchanted forest.she says "they will keep you safe," then she leaves claire. Claire goes into the woods and is saved by a elf. When she next wakes up, she is greeted by Aearon. He is also an elf.
So for some reason, she got this weird mark on her arm and is taken on this crazy jorney. Ahe went to differnet towns and met the General. Who she thought she was in love with. But he asked her to run away with him qnd she said yes. She got kidnapped and had to fight an evil monster. She got saved by the elf that saved her. They are in a safe haven now, one of the last ones. #toatsMCgoats#
Well it generally was a good book. But in the beginning to me it sounded like a modern day book, the 20th century. But later on, it started to sound the the midevil days. With all girls wearing dresses and kings still existed. Otherwise,,, great book. Great twist at end. General turns evil. U can tell somthing is up with him, but he is a great actor
So there is a girl, Claire, when one day her village is overtaken by centatrs. Yes, centars. They are not friendly, though, they are totally evil. So Claire's mom take's claire into the enchanted forest.she says "they will keep you safe," then she leaves claire. Claire goes into the woods and is saved by a elf. When she next wakes up, she is greeted by Aearon. He is also an elf.
So for some reason, she got this weird mark on her arm and is taken on this crazy jorney. Ahe went to differnet towns and met the General. Who she thought she was in love with. But he asked her to run away with him qnd she said yes. She got kidnapped and had to fight an evil monster. She got saved by the elf that saved her. They are in a safe haven now, one of the last ones. #toatsMCgoats#
July 16, 2013
I'm giving up at the 50% mark. This story started off with a rousing bang, with the main character and her mother fighting to escape an enemy attack. But for the last 35% or so, the story has gone nowhere. The characters are traveling through the poorly developed world and things are happening, but there's no plot or character development and the petty little actions the immature main character is taking are not sufficiently interesting to keep me reading. I can't even like her enough to remember her name. Sorry, not coming back.
July 23, 2016
The start of this book was pretty gripping and I was led to a false impression that this was going to be another amazing read.
However, I found the beginning as mentioned before grabbed the readers attention but failed to continue to do this for the rest of the book, there doesnt really seem to be a plot to the book and the world for me is not one that I feel like I can step into (meaning it is not descriptive enough to imagine the fine details in your head)
All in all I would not read this book again, pretty disappointing.
However, I found the beginning as mentioned before grabbed the readers attention but failed to continue to do this for the rest of the book, there doesnt really seem to be a plot to the book and the world for me is not one that I feel like I can step into (meaning it is not descriptive enough to imagine the fine details in your head)
All in all I would not read this book again, pretty disappointing.
July 28, 2013
I did enjoy this story despite that it may have been for a younger audience, but then I like a good tale, regardless of the age group.
I liked the way the story progressed, and how the author delved into the thoughts and feelings of Claire.
Maybe it's because I like tales of a magical world and look forward to how it continues in book two.
Well written with a touch of magic, mystery and an unusual romance - though it was the magic and mystery that I preferred.
Yes, enjoyable.
I liked the way the story progressed, and how the author delved into the thoughts and feelings of Claire.
Maybe it's because I like tales of a magical world and look forward to how it continues in book two.
Well written with a touch of magic, mystery and an unusual romance - though it was the magic and mystery that I preferred.
Yes, enjoyable.
October 20, 2013
Over all I really enjoyed this book. The story was great and I loved the heroine. The writing was top notch and the supporting characters were very interesting. The only thing was that it dragged a bit in places. There were whole sections that could have been cut without impacting the story at all. Other than that I really liked it and will read book 2. :)
February 18, 2014
It would have been better if she hadn't put her hands on her hips for the 50th time! or he didn't curl his mouth up in amusement for the umpteenth time! I wanted to cut her bloody arms of and slap his stupid face with them! On a better note I'll probably read the next book as I'm curious as to what happens next.
August 3, 2017
Going to reread this as I vaguely remember it but don't have enough to write a good review for it.
--------------------------------------
Re read this in 2017 and I'm bored. CBA to finish it so I'll be taking down 2 stars.
Its just not capturing me, I'm halfway through from mere perseverance not because I want to read it.
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Re read this in 2017 and I'm bored. CBA to finish it so I'll be taking down 2 stars.
Its just not capturing me, I'm halfway through from mere perseverance not because I want to read it.
January 4, 2015
Cursed is a paranormal read with a ton of excitement, danger, emotions and tons of trees! Claire is pushed into a world that she thought were just tales! Danger is around every corner she looks, but the one constant is the handsome, trying, irritating handsome elf! It's a good read and makes you want to know more about what's going to happen next!
October 5, 2018
First time reader of this author and now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative series. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this series.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this series.
July 30, 2013
I really felt the characters in this series. such fun and a nice love story that has me on the edge of my seat . I can not wait until the 3rd book comes out !!!
Want to read
November 18, 2016*currently reading*
March 16, 2025
⭐⭐⭐ 2.5 rounded up
(Rounded up for Farron.)
It was a monumental challenge to keep reading this. I got this book for free through a Stuff Your Kindle event, and quite honestly I spent most of my time reading this feeling like I'd still gotten ripped off.
Claire is one of the dumbest characters I've ever read about. She's not at all interesting, and the only thing driving the plot forward is her interactions with the other characters, and her mother being used as a plot device. I still struggle to see her as anything other than 12 years old, which is a problem when I picture everyone else to be actual grown adults.
It was about 85% of the way in where I finally was able to say "Oh, look, something interesting is happening."
The twist that happened was both expected, but also unexpected; I had a strong feeling about what was going to happen about 60% of the way into the book, but it was executed differently from how I had believed it would happen, which was a very pleasant surprise, and quite honestly the only reason this book gets 2.5 (rounded up) stars instead of just what I had initially thought would have just been 1.
The book has an interesting premise, honestly, and I'm a sucker for elves and humans. Many people said it before, and I have to agree, that the book would would have been much better and scored higher (in my opinion) if there was better editing done. The pacing of the book was atrocious, *especially* in the beginning. This story has one of the worst cases of 'Tell' in the 'Show Don't Tell' I've ever read, and 75% of that was from the editing.
(I read a review that said the editing was fixed, but tbh idk if that's true or if I downloaded an older copy of the book somehow.)
Farron is my favorite character in this book. He's the only one that had common sense, and was really the only reason that kept me reading-- I want more of him, actually. I *especially* want a chapter or 5 from his POV from key parts in the story, and I'm sure those who did complete the book know which scenes I'm talking about. I think being in his head space would make for a far more entertaining series than Claire's.
I will.... Reluctantly continue this series, if only because I'm interested in Farron, and I can't find a place online to properly spoil the story for me. Here's to hoping the writing and pacing are better in the following books, and that Claire finally gets a few chapters with the braincell.
(Rounded up for Farron.)
It was a monumental challenge to keep reading this. I got this book for free through a Stuff Your Kindle event, and quite honestly I spent most of my time reading this feeling like I'd still gotten ripped off.
Claire is one of the dumbest characters I've ever read about. She's not at all interesting, and the only thing driving the plot forward is her interactions with the other characters, and her mother being used as a plot device. I still struggle to see her as anything other than 12 years old, which is a problem when I picture everyone else to be actual grown adults.
It was about 85% of the way in where I finally was able to say "Oh, look, something interesting is happening."
The twist that happened was both expected, but also unexpected; I had a strong feeling about what was going to happen about 60% of the way into the book, but it was executed differently from how I had believed it would happen, which was a very pleasant surprise, and quite honestly the only reason this book gets 2.5 (rounded up) stars instead of just what I had initially thought would have just been 1.
The book has an interesting premise, honestly, and I'm a sucker for elves and humans. Many people said it before, and I have to agree, that the book would would have been much better and scored higher (in my opinion) if there was better editing done. The pacing of the book was atrocious, *especially* in the beginning. This story has one of the worst cases of 'Tell' in the 'Show Don't Tell' I've ever read, and 75% of that was from the editing.
(I read a review that said the editing was fixed, but tbh idk if that's true or if I downloaded an older copy of the book somehow.)
Farron is my favorite character in this book. He's the only one that had common sense, and was really the only reason that kept me reading-- I want more of him, actually. I *especially* want a chapter or 5 from his POV from key parts in the story, and I'm sure those who did complete the book know which scenes I'm talking about. I think being in his head space would make for a far more entertaining series than Claire's.
I will.... Reluctantly continue this series, if only because I'm interested in Farron, and I can't find a place online to properly spoil the story for me. Here's to hoping the writing and pacing are better in the following books, and that Claire finally gets a few chapters with the braincell.
February 25, 2021
The story this book tells was interesting and original, even though the usual coming of age tropes were bold and blunt. That's why it has 2 stars instead of 1. The sad thing is that with more care in the writing, I'd have been tempted to give it a much better rating and maybe even bought the next in the series. But I'm afraid I won't spend good money to subject myself to hours of wincing and cringing.
It's a given that writing in a colloquial style can be hit and miss. I do give credit to the author trying, and go as far as to say that the obvious Americanistic tendencies were something I glossed over - often substituting phrases in my head to something more suited to a global English-speaking reader base., But there were 3 glaring examples, which I cannot accept:
1. The past-tense of shine is shone. It is not and never will be shined.
2. Ambience is not spelled ambiance.
3. Even in Americanised English, mold refers to something you pour jelly or blancmange into; it is not the green stuff growing at the edges of the pool in the haven. That would be moUld.
Then there was tense. Written in past-tense, I was disappointed to have to mentally rework sentences to automatically correct parts which strayed into the present - see rather than saw, go instead of went - and so on. It often felt as though it had been written in the present tense, changed to the past, and not edited afterwards.
As I said, the story was well done and allowed us to unpack and build upon most of the primary characters, although I'd like to have seen Claire evolve on a deeper level. I'm sorry to have had to write a negative review, and I'd loved to have read on to see what happened in the sequel, but I had to be honest. To contine, in my candour, I'd recommend a very thorough edit and corrections to the incorrect word use and spelling errors. Then I would push for all mixed tense examples to be rectified and the whole thing edited again. It would take a full re-write to neutralise much of the colloquial content, but as I said, most other English users can forgive that and carry on.
It's a given that writing in a colloquial style can be hit and miss. I do give credit to the author trying, and go as far as to say that the obvious Americanistic tendencies were something I glossed over - often substituting phrases in my head to something more suited to a global English-speaking reader base., But there were 3 glaring examples, which I cannot accept:
1. The past-tense of shine is shone. It is not and never will be shined.
2. Ambience is not spelled ambiance.
3. Even in Americanised English, mold refers to something you pour jelly or blancmange into; it is not the green stuff growing at the edges of the pool in the haven. That would be moUld.
Then there was tense. Written in past-tense, I was disappointed to have to mentally rework sentences to automatically correct parts which strayed into the present - see rather than saw, go instead of went - and so on. It often felt as though it had been written in the present tense, changed to the past, and not edited afterwards.
As I said, the story was well done and allowed us to unpack and build upon most of the primary characters, although I'd like to have seen Claire evolve on a deeper level. I'm sorry to have had to write a negative review, and I'd loved to have read on to see what happened in the sequel, but I had to be honest. To contine, in my candour, I'd recommend a very thorough edit and corrections to the incorrect word use and spelling errors. Then I would push for all mixed tense examples to be rectified and the whole thing edited again. It would take a full re-write to neutralise much of the colloquial content, but as I said, most other English users can forgive that and carry on.
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