Actual rating.... 2,75 -_-

Okay, there isn't much more I can say about this series without going into full spoiler mode.
I've already mentioned more than once how I love the story: the mystery of it, the creepiness in it, both of them are winners.

The characters as per usual KA are also extremely well developed: as such, if I could, I would goble the entire series _ five volumes? _ in a row. Unfortunately, the last volumes have not yet been released. Bummer. -__-

So why this rating?
The romance thing, you guys!! It is frustrating and it should be irrelevant to the story, but it isn't, because of course the whole thing is completely entangled!
As such, we have two amazing guys: Gabriel who most times ends up being a twat but whose background has made it impossible for us not to root for him, and Rick (y), who despite the juvenile name is everything Olivia could ask for and more.
As if that wasn't already problematic, there's also the small issue of a pre-ordained fate for those three.
Yes, this means PARANORMAL ROMANCE ISSUES, you guys.
So on one side there's this creepy mystery related with Olivia's parent's, aka the mass murder killers... maybe... and then on the other side we have elements of the Great Hunt. The way they're interwined is pretty great, but the love triangle, or better yet, the possibility for a love triangle is just tainting everything!

p.s- Yes, I may be a little dramatic
p.s1- Deal with it.
p.s2- This cover. This cover. Argh!! My eyes.

Arc provided by Harper Teen through Edelweiss

Release Date: September 15 th


Part of me can't help wonder how much I would have _ or not _ enjoyed this title if I wasn't reviewing it.

Thing is, reading for reviewing purpose is different from reading for enjoyment: I find myself constantly trying to analyse this and that, without mentioning the fact that I am constantly evaluating which rating I should give.

Then there's the second guessing myself, especially in cases such as this, in which the story's quality is unquestionable.


This definitely has quality and has to have had a lot of hard work behind it: the plot twists, basically being able to interwove a great number of retellings into a cohesive plot has to have taken a lot of hard effort. And it isn't as if this is a simple story. It most definitely isn't.

But, I can't say that as a whole it was perfect...

The pace of the story

For me this was the main culprit: one minute I was wondering what was going to happen next, and a couple pages later, the story had stalled. And I was bored.

But then it would pick up again until too many descriptions would stall it once again.


The main character

I am afraid she starts and ends as a mystery, and if at the beginning that is completely understandable, I can't say I was happy about it...

No, that isn't right. It isn't the case of me being happy or not _ don't worry, the story has a perfectly acceptable finale _ it was the vagueness of it all that left me unsatisfied.

The story took so long to get there, to the beginning of a new start that I wanted a little more . I wanted to have a little idea of what was it than Pen wanted for her life.

Also _maybe that was the author's idea _ I could never really fit Pen into some sort of "role": okay, she's fierce, but also a little reckless, while keeping hold of a certain aloofness all around her.

She wants to be her own self, that's probably what characterizes her in the end.
However besides that, I could never establish a connection with the girl: what should come out as strength of character sometimes sounded to me more like selfishness and reckless behaviour.

Also I ended up disliking the way the love triangle _ that shouldn't be a love triangle _ was dealt. Thing is, were Pen a guy, the cavalier way she deals with "certain things" would be less than tolerated.

In face of all this, it comes as no surprise that my favourite character ended up being Shoe. He ended feeling more complete and with more depth than Pen.

The fact that he reminds me of Peeta with his quiet way of being ( not that it matters, but yes he has blond hair) is another point in his favour.

In here, you'll find stories within stories... do not expect a basic Cinderella retelling.

If any of you has already read Mercedes Lackey, The Fairy Godmother, book one in the Five Hundred Kingdoms you must be aware of the concept of a Story _ in Lackey's that concept goes by Tradition _ that forces characters into certain roles. Fairy tale roles. Sometimes things work out... most times they don't.

This is a dark take on a concept of a Story, determined to feed itself and to find strength in its constant never ending circle.

I loved that the author introduced some great plot twists that go against what we normally get in these type of stories: from the Godmother's role, to the evil Witch's role, to characters that are given a whole new direction like a lesbian couple whose half of it is a very well known princess.

That was great. Things like these would get a five star rating.

But then _like I mentioned before_ we would start getting a little too much description on certain moments, and not enough on others: it was driving me insane!

This was what was going through my head while reading this tale:

"okay... 4.5 stars... no, 4 stars...maybe 3.5...this last part is boring 3stars... but this should get at least a four... but are you enjoying it... do you think you're going to re-read it... 3.5 stars maybe... oh, God how am I going to review this?"

I wanted to know more about the thimble: well the thimbles, plural.
Why did they have power? Where did it came from? Why a thimble from all objects?

I wanted more information on the sisters. Not to mention details about how Pen's life used to be.

I didn't find logical that .... how to say this without spoilers... there was someone that maybe could have shed some light on Pen's background, and she has that "attitude"? And then she "throws the problem" at someone else?
o_O

Also, wouldn't that, place her in the same path of that... *cough* person?

Finishing a story and having more questions than answers is never a good thing.

To finish this mess of a review I can only say that I don't know if you're going to enjoy it.
The only thing I can say is that it does have quality.

Oh, and the cover girl with the red dress?
Well, there's a perfectly good reason for the colour red :D

For the modern cut of the dress?
No. -_-

For the blankness of what surrounds the girl?
Okay, it can be comprehensible due to "things"....although I would prefer to see a certain lighted path of the mushrooms in the cover ;)

"Who am I? I am nothing."(1)


(1)quote removed from arc *don't kill me, it is just a tiny little sentence* and prone to changes.

Keeping it short and concise:

I regret the time that i wasted on this series.

This turned out to be one of the most absurd, boring, convoluted, time wasting things i've ever read! I kept hoping that this would get better, and it never did!!

SPOILER:

I'm mad like... O_O!!!!

Let me start by admitting, that this story would mostly deserve a 2.5 from a purely analytically pov.

It has a lot of plot wholes, the world building is not as strong as it should be, _considering that this is the fourth volume in the Frost series_ and lets face it, it really isn't the most interesting of series out there.

Although i loved the first two books, the third one _ which i've also reviewed on PbW _ was pretty frustrating, and this one, _although better than the previous one_ still has a lot of  vague ideas and concepts. This situation can be "ignored" in a first book. In a fourth, it becomes tiresome.

The thing that makes me keep reading is the main characters: Lia Weaver and Adam.

I like them. I like the way they were fleshed. Which makes it even more frustrating, the fact that the author isn't able to let go of the damned love triangle!!

One could read the "signs" in the previous book, and especially on this one: Lia and Adam are completely perfect to one another. Who cares about Gabe? Why keep the damn thing, like a frustrating tick???

I'll say this once again as a reader: Love triangles if not well done, are only a way to try to hide the lack of a viable and interesting plot.

Oh, and killing characters in a purely arbitrary way, doesn't gain any bonus points with readers.

SPOILER!!!!!

Killing E. was just pathetic. Lia was there, with her. The monsters don't attack Lia...therefore wouldn't it be more believable if E. wasn't attacked?

People that are used to a certain pattern,  (like wearing the blue flowers o_O  for their survival) don't tend to act all forgetful all of a sudden..

Things that didn't work out for me:

The "beast /machines" plot is still hard to believe.

The flowers that are used as protection..idem, idem.

The sudden discovery of a house in the middle of nowhere, when people have been living in the Frost for all their lifes, eye rolling...

Then there was the way in how Adam became immune to the beasts...

The discovery of serum for *all the population* to use...really?

As positives:

Adam was back!! It's amazing what an interesting character can do to a series...

Korr, something must be wrong when the supposedly bad  guy turns out to be more interesting than the good guys!

Ann, is it shallow of me to want to read Ann and Korr's story?

Probably..but i'm betting that it would be much more interesting than the normal full length Frost book.

In the end the main point is that , despite the series many and obvious problems, i still want to read the last book in the series. There my three star rating.

Go figure...