I really wanted to like this book. Really. I went into it optimistically, since I love YA fantasy, and fairylore specifically.
But then...I read this book. Blah. It could have, and should have, been about 100 pages shorter, since the author had NO idea where the story was going. (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD)
Is it a story about Kathe being duped by the Goblin King, or Elisabeth falling for him? Is it about Kathe's Stockholm Syndrome, or Elisabeth's obsessive "love" for an unobtainable spirit? The author can't make up her mind, so we're left with a jumble of a story with no real goal. There is no one to root for, no hero, no real story arc.
Now, on to writing style. Sweet mother, what a mess. If you want to write YA, learn how to write about sex, for heaven's sake. Teens know about body parts and doin' it. Don't use euphemisms like, "He rounded my sharp edges." I almost threw up. Also, she uses the word "austere" literally at least twice every chapter. It became comical and I pointed it out to my husband every time she said it. If "find 'austere'" was a drinking game, I'd be blasted by the time I read five chapters.
Her use of nicknames gets annoying, too. If a character has a name, use it. Don't keep alternating between his given name and his nickname. It gets confusing. If his name is Josef, don't keep calling him Sepperl, then Josef, then Sepperl, then Josef...
Good concept, VERY poorly executed. Waste of a premise.
But then...I read this book. Blah. It could have, and should have, been about 100 pages shorter, since the author had NO idea where the story was going. (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD)
Is it a story about Kathe being duped by the Goblin King, or Elisabeth falling for him? Is it about Kathe's Stockholm Syndrome, or Elisabeth's obsessive "love" for an unobtainable spirit? The author can't make up her mind, so we're left with a jumble of a story with no real goal. There is no one to root for, no hero, no real story arc.
Now, on to writing style. Sweet mother, what a mess. If you want to write YA, learn how to write about sex, for heaven's sake. Teens know about body parts and doin' it. Don't use euphemisms like, "He rounded my sharp edges." I almost threw up. Also, she uses the word "austere" literally at least twice every chapter. It became comical and I pointed it out to my husband every time she said it. If "find 'austere'" was a drinking game, I'd be blasted by the time I read five chapters.
Her use of nicknames gets annoying, too. If a character has a name, use it. Don't keep alternating between his given name and his nickname. It gets confusing. If his name is Josef, don't keep calling him Sepperl, then Josef, then Sepperl, then Josef...
Good concept, VERY poorly executed. Waste of a premise.
