Review: A Darker Shade of Magic

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
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Magic, Londons, princes, a stubborn and strong-willed girl, and a nefarious plot with a confusing albeit cliché execution. It lacked.... something . I started the book as someone from afar, an audience watching things unfold, and I ended the book feeling exactly the same: just an audience and not part of the story. The story and characters all felt one-dimensional.

The setting and premise were what drew me to glance at this book in the first place. The reviews and ratings were what convinced me to pick it up. Sadly, I was not as roped in to the story as I hoped I would be. Everything was a dark matter-of-fact, and to be honest, a bit flat. Where Strange the Dreamer overflowed with emotion, this book lacked it. It lacked depth. It didn't feel immersive, which is such a total waste. I loved the world it built, but was disappointed with how shallow the book ran.

Review: Strange the Dreamer

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
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Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
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For a few minutes after reading the last page, I was speechless. Strange the Dreamer is so wonderfully and ingeniously crafted. The world Taylor created is a breath of fresh air from the desolation brought by the real world and by the era of post-apocalyptic dystopian novels. The world within this book is fantastical and rich. There is also a sense of other-worldliness at how she writes. And it isn't just purely whimsy, it has humor and mystery. The setting was built in rich detail and background. The story has great pacing within the three-quarters of the book, but it slowed down towards the remaining quarter when I was already on the edge of my seat itching for things to pick up. This is actually one of the reasons why I didn't give this book a perfect score. Towards the end, there were chapters dedicated to Lazlo and Sarai's discovery of each other in dreams. That is, discovery in a physical sense. Their 'getting to know' stage left a bad taste for me. Lazlo being Lazlo, the dreamer (and the romantic), gave way to what I can only call with a shudder as corny. It was too...contrived. The emotions ran heavy, cloying, and flamboyant, as opposed to the hard-edged but muted manifestation of Eril-Fane and Azareen's story. Lazlo and Sarai's meetings and relationship were built in dreams which didn't give me a sense of validity at all. Their love story seemed rushed and only to serve as the plot device of the book. But again, I have to give credit at how Taylor writes prose beautifully by way the book ended. (view spoiler on Goodreads!)[The devastation and grief were so palpable and convincing. I almost screamed at the end when I read the "TO BE CONTINUED". (hide spoiler)]