It has a "nice" title -_-
Arc provided by Atria Books through Netgalley
Release Date: March 17 th
DNF at 30%
I'll start with the positives: The pretty cover and the enticing title...both of them, made me click the request button.
The writing:
The story is mainly told in such a boring, fastidious way, that I cannot in full conscience give it more stars.
Who knows? Maybe the story does get better...although I doubt it, with such a simpering leading character...
I'll admit that I am not this book's intended audience, mainly because I like strong plots. And even while reading fantasy, I like it to have solid bases.
For me, being bombarded on all sides with fashion décor is not what I consider a strong plot...strong descriptive abilities, yes.
Plot? Non.
The flimsy way in which the paranormal aspect was inserted in the story, was so vague and unremarkable, that I just couldn't force myself to keep reading this. It was like Sandrine tripped in it: Oh, here it is, I must follow it.
When I reached the twenty percent mark, what did I have?
Long, boring, pretentious descriptions of this and that.
I am all for setting a story's tone, but with such nonsense "floating" around, there's no reason for me to suffer through this.
The sound of "tears being shed"?
This is not magical realism, nor does this read as an horror novel_much less sci-fi! what's with those time dates on the paintings?_, and those were the only logical "explanations" for what happens, or for what the character says. But with such sugared, cheesy descriptions _ of all that is pretty and nice _ the plot doesn't have a proper strong voice as an historical romance.
Also, I really dislike soap opera twists, and having a guy drop dead because he was slapped, was really pushing it. Slap a guy, and he has a fulminant asthma attack?
Really? -_- Well, if he were in a House's episode maybe...
Not that he didn't deserve to die!
He was an eighteen year old messing around with a fourteen year old girl! *off with his balls!*
Oh, and insta love? Can I just say how "lame" that description felt?
I lost count of the amount of pointless descriptions this book has...so, here's an idea: why not develop a proper romance between grown ups?
Then there were the plot inconsistencies: For instance, the thing with Sandrine's age?
We are told that she was already involved with Leon when she was fifteen, but at the beginning, we are told that he dies in the morning of her fifteenth birthday...
So, what is it? Fourteen sounds "problematic", but fifteen doesn't? :/
Then there's a phrase in which we get a demure twenty five year old Sandrine, imagining how it would feel to turn around, and to kiss an almost complete stranger _ the love interest _ and how she had never done anything so spontaneous...
Are you kidding me?
For someone with such a good memory, she sure has selective amnesia. Hello?
What about the time when "you" were fourteen and were caught in bed _completely naked _ with "your" beau?
First and probably last book, I'll ever read by this author.
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