Tessa Gratton

It took me a fairly long time to get into this book (at least two months, probably more) and sit down and really read it. This was one of the YA PNR debuts that I was looking forward to the most this year so that confused me a great deal. I picked up the book, I began reading it but my attention kept wandering. Instead of being riveted to the page I let myself get distracted by other books or by TV shows or schoolwork. Its not because it was boring, or badly written...just kind of there. I think sometimes the problem with enjoying a specific genre so very much (in this case YA paranormal) is that you over-indulge and can't properly enjoy yourself after a while.

What did stand out was that Gratton, despite using some of the common YA PNR cliches (insta-love/soulmates, flowery prose, blatant obliviousness to character inconsistencies) also subverted some. Neither Silla nor Nicholas was well-versed in witchcraft, they learned at an equal pace and thus we were spared from Silla constantly needing Nicholas to save her because he had more experience. Silla has a fairly good reason to be distrustful of practically everyone she meets (though this doesn't stop her from making boneheaded decisions). There is also a strong sense of family, despite the tragedy that besets them and the bond between Silla and Reese is a welcome addition to a genre that is saturated with only children. Surprises do occur, though the mystery may feel a little too easy to solve if you watch as many police procedurals and detective shows as I watch.

Unfortunately it was hard for me to stay focused throughout the novel and to remember some of the details needed to really understand how the 'mystery' all came together. I had to re-read the ending a couple of times because for some reason it wasn't sticking in my brain that the motive was being detailed out. I also admit I was distracted by the back and forth nature of the POV's. While I appreciate multiple POV's much of the time, when I'm having trouble getting into a book its just one more thing to throw me off course. (There is also the matter that Silla and Nicholas didn't feel fully developed despite the multiple POVs, or maybe because of them--I think Gratton relied fairly heavily on their various views helping to add depth to their character instead of showing that depth)

In all this wasn't a bad book by any means. It just didn't stand out to me as much as it probably should have.… (más)

This book had me very conflicted. On the one hand I truly enjoyed parts of it, while on the other hand I was really frustrated by it. Let's start with the positives.

The storyline was great: this is basically a retelling of King Lear with magic. I really enjoyed finding parallels with the original and seeing how the book differed. There were enough original elements to keep the plot interesting, and I liked the magical elements especially because of their uniqueness and darkness. The prose was also spectacular! From the first sentence, I was hooked: Tessa Gratton has a way of making everything come alive when describing it in one of the best lyrical proses I have had the pleasure of reading in a really long time.

The worldbuilding was also amazing! It took me a while to get the hang of it, but once I did, I really appreciated the whole setting. The island felt like a character in itself, with a life, will, and desires of its own. I also truly felt like I understood the way society was organised and the people's mindset. It was interesting to note just how much those tensions influenced characters' behaviours. The relations between Innis Lear and neighbouring countries were also extremely well developed and thoroughly explored, providing a much-needed explanation for certain characters' choices.

Which brings me to the characters, one of the best features in this book for me. The multiple POVs proved fairly challenging and confusing at the beginning, but when I finally settled in them, I appreciated the enhanced understanding of each character's motivations and reasoning that these provide. I found all characters to be incredibly well-rounded and developed throughout the book, and while some were definitely more appealing than others, I appreciated all of them. A special mention goes, of course, to the titular queens: the three sisters were exceptional and had such unique voices that I really felt like I was gradually getting to know them personally.

At the same time, however, I had some significant issues with this book, which prevented me from fully enjoying it. As I mentioned above, there are several POVs, and while I appreciated them, I sometimes felt there were just a few too many for me to keep track of the plot and the characters themselves as I wanted to. The geography of the place also got confusing at one point, and I ended up confusing different realms and had to go back and read whole passages again. I think this is mostly due to it all being introduced at the same time right at the beginning, which made me feel like I was unable to keep track of all the new information I was receiving.

The most significant problem for me, however, was with the pacing of this book. For the most part, it felt terribly slow and I struggled to feel like I was making any progress at all. It was only because of how much I enjoyed the prose and my curiosity in wanting to see where the story would lead us that I decided to stick it out and finish it. It was definitely worth the effort, but I still feel like it could have been less painful to get through.

Overall, this is a really solid read but one that unfortunately had some issues which prevented me from fully enjoying it. I look forward to what else Tessa Gratton has in store for us!

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.… (más)