CATCHALL
I really enjoyed this book. I didn't love it as much as I did Haunting Violet, but I still found it extremely enjoyable. It was a fun, quick read. The reason that my rating is relatively low even though I loved it so much will be explained. For one, the cover wasn't great. It was okay. For not as pretty as I'd hoped.
THE HEROINES
No, that's not a typo. This book is actually told from two different girls' P.O.V., thus making them both heroines in tis lovely story.
ELOISE
I didn't care too much for her. I liked her well enough, but she's not one of my favorite characters. She was kind of, um, I hate to say it, but boring. She was too serious for my taste. I prefer my heroines fun. Deep down, she was more emotional, but on the outside she was too stiff. Still, she was actually a pretty intricate character, but definitely had room for improvement.
JO
I loved Jo! She was such a flirt! She was exciting and emotional. While on the outside she appeared flighty, inside she was more vulnerable. She had a nice, solid background. I enjoyed her part of the story immensely. Jo was, in my opinion, a better character than Eloise. I really, really liked her. Honesly, I'd like a sequel just so I read my of her story. She's fresh and exciting and moreover, alive. But, uh, she was a bit too British for an American.
THE LOVE INTERESTS
ELDRIC
Mmmm. What can I say? I totally fell in love with Eldric. I mean, DAMN. He was hot. And totally sweet. And, um, I have a thing for bad boys :) Sometimes. He's tall. And dark. And handsome. Who doesn't love the gorgeous stranger? He was one of my favorite characters, hands down. He seemed genuinely caring but also passionate. And perfectly mysterious!
LUCAS
Hmm. I was okay with him. I thought he seemed pretty cute, but overall I just wasn't feeling it. He was from a different world, sure, but, um, overall I think Harvey overdid this point. He acted really weird at some points and it was just kind of not realistic or believable. Sure, he had his good points, and I love him for it, but as a general rule…not so much.
THE OTHER SECONDARY CHARACTERS
DEVIN
Devin was sweet and I really liked how he stayed a part of the story! A fun, layered character who I really enjoyed reading about. Not only that, but I really liked how Devin stayed a part of the story.
JASMINE
Eloise's mother was peppy and upbeat. I liked her a lot. She was a fun addition to the story. i didn't expect to like her so much, but there you have it. Jasmine was one of those minor characters who just draws you in.
THE PLOT
To be honest, there's not a whole lot going for the plot. It's predictable and small, not going over a wide range of events but focusing on a climax. Still, it was nicely thought out. There wasn't too much extraneous stuff going on that detracted attention from the main focus. Honestly, it was really good. I only wish there had been a bit more depth and length to it.
THE ROMANCE
I am not going to give away who ends up with who! You can read other reviews or probably even guess, but I won't be the one to tell you, because that's part of the fun!
ELOISE'S ROMANCE
Sweet, if a bit underwritten. There's not a whole lot that goes on with Eloise's romance, not really. It's pleasant, but a tad bit instalovey. Still, I did think it was nicely written. Once or twice it was too disgustingly father-daughter, but I got over that and it got better.
JO'S ROMANCE
I enjoyed this so much better. Jo's romance was more fun, but again, it leaned towards instalove. The big moment was sweet, but when I was reading it I actually thought about how unbelievable it was. Anyhow, I did enjoy her romance. It was an equal romance with a bit of fairytale mixed in.
THE WRITING
Some of the writing was…questionable. For example, this line:
"My lady Eloise. Finally, you are undressed to our eyes."
Uh, what?
Actually, the funniest thing about this quote is that it sounds even worse out of context than in context. But still. I really didn't like some of this writing, and this is just one example. I won't launch into them all.
Oh, actually, as aforementioned, Jo is too British for an American. This includes her Brit-speak, which just sounds kind of odd and misplaced. It really wasn't necessary.
Okay, but in general, I liked this writing. I doesn't have the gorgeousness that is Haunting Violet, but overall I thought it was nice. Harvey has a pretty writing style that I really like. It was pleasant and quick to read, and I didn't have to go back to try and understand.
It took me a little bit to realize there were two different P.O.V.s going on, but once I realized this it went much more smoothly.
THE ENDING
While a bit too predictable for my taste, it was still fine. It wasn't random or odd; it really fit and I'm sure Harvey did a fair bit of thinking before she chose to end it this way. I don't want to give this ending away, though! So all I'll say is that I liked it very well. It wasn't my favorite, perhaps, but it was still a very good choice for an ending.
WRAPUP
My second Alyxandra Harvey book. It wasn't as good as the first I read, but it was good enough that I still want to read her other books. I will be eagerly awaiting future releases from her! I would definitely recommend this book to others, but not to everyone.
FINE.