Sara WolfRezensionen
Autor von Bring Me Their Hearts
Rezensionen
Heartless, Band 1: Der Kuss der Diebin von Sara Wolf
CW:
Well that was a whole lot of heartless drama!
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I love stories where characters are at war within themselves. A battle rages within between their natural dark instincts, and the type of person they aspire to be. Zera was an engaging character whose heart is in the possession of a witch. If she completes the task of taking the prince's heart then her own heart will be restored to her. However, not everything is as it seems on the surface in this kingdom and Zera's determination and will to survive is tested. I wish the book hadn't ended quite as nobly as it did. Still, a great premise and exciting world. On to book 2!
UPDATE 21/03/2021 - Rereading in preparation to continue on with the rest of the series.
I loved the ending! It was amazing to see the return of the wonderful dynamics between the characters that was absent from book 2 (for plot related reasons - no spoilers). I think the third book was a tad on the long side but I still loved it! I thoroughly recommend this series for lovers of YA fantasy fiction and brave, feisty, witty and powerful women. Please note that there are quite of lot of bloody scenes throughout this series so please check out people's content warnings.
CW:
Well that was a good follow up, although I thought the first book was a lot more fun and engaging. I missed the witty banter from book 1 and hopefully this will resume in book 3.
Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.
Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The Prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.
So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all.
Winner takes the loser’s heart.
Literally.
This was ok. It felt a bit stair and the dialogue felt forced - it just didn’t have the same energy the other books
So basically the whole book is built on a premise that Bee wilfully ignores the very first and most important thing about depression. The one she describes to Burn (I think?). I'm talking about the fact that getting better involves helluva work and medication and journaling (hi there) and therapists (it takes a while to find a good fit too, so you find them and sink your teeth into their bones and don't let go).
Which... Um. She is not that stupid? At least she is not supposed to be. Sure, she is stuck thinking that the world revolves around her and parents having problems is her fault. Heaven forbid adults have problems independent of their kids (sigh). Which is sorta believable but tells us that her family was never healthy to begin with.
I'm not buying it.
And what's with that totalitarian psycho dude father of Wolf and Co? Anyone can see he is crazy. Guess they are too fond of avoiding the truth so as to maintain their fragile reality bubbles. I'm not saying there aren't any people like that. But UGH to all the bigots.
The writing was too simple. Imagine an essay as written by someone transitioning from middle school to high school. It's a lot like that.
FINAL VERDICT : SKIP IT
The ending did surprise me though. I did not see it coming. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.
This is the third book in the Bring Me Their Hearts Trilogy which really needs to be read in order since the book picks up right where the previous one ended. Zera is still Heartless and now her heart is held by a new witch. This witch happens to be the man she loves, Prince Lucien. Zera, along with Lucien, Malachite, and Fione are all determined not only to stop Varia from destroying the world with her control of the Bone Tree but to save her while doing so. They face a lot of really big obstacles in this story but I loved seeing their resolve and I think that they worked really well as a team.
The relationship between Zera and Lucien has been developing throughout the trilogy. I really do like them as a couple and felt like not only do they have fantastic chemistry but that their personalities fit together really well. Things definitely progress in this book beyond simple flirtation into a full relationship. I think that the friendships between all of the members of the group grew a lot over the course of the story and I found it touching how much they would each be willing to risk for each other.
I thought that the overall mission in this story was very well done. There is plenty of excitement in this story that kept me glued to the pages. I loved the way that the story was able to keep me guessing and there were plenty of completely unexpected developments to keep things very interesting. I thought that the series came to a very satisfying conclusion and the epilogue was phenomenal. Can I just say how much I love a well-done epilogue? Well, this epilogue blew me away.
I would highly recommend this trilogy to others. I thought that this was a very well done story that captivated my attention from beginning to end. I definitely plan to read more of Sara Wolf's work in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Entangled: Teen via NetGalley.
"You're looking sharp, miss."
"With any luck, I'll gouge someone's eye out."
Isis is an interesting character. I really appreciated her self esteem struggles because it gave her character depth. But then she would say something stupid and overly odd and I found I just got annoyed with her immaturity.
Jack has that mysterious vibe going but he is almost too much of an enigma to make me love him.
I also didn't feel the chemistry between these two at all. I also felt like Jack was trading one slightly unhealthy relationship for another with his "white knight" complex.
Sufficit to say, I will not be continuing on with this series.
Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!
Full Review: https://wp.me/p7hLUw-2ZZ
Actual Rating: 2/5
*If you haven’t read “Bring Me Their Hearts”, the first of the series, beware of spoilers below.
“Find Me Their Bones” picks up immediately from where the first book ends. Princess Varia is alive, Zera went full Heartless on Gavik’s men but only because they were going to kill Prince Lucien. Now that everyone knows that Zera is a Heartless, they are afraid of her. They feel betrayed knowing that she was only getting close to Lucien for his heart. Varia falls back into her role of heir apparent but is keeping a secret from her family. She is a witch and now she is Zera’s witch. She tricked Zera into revealing her witch’s name and now Varia controls Zera’s heart. She has a special mission that only Zera can perform. Varia has a mission. She wants to be able to control both her people and the witches. And she can’t do it without an army of her own.
Similar to the first book, I really enjoyed the world that Wolf has created as well as the story. There are new twists, new characters and lots of fantasy elements that made this second book exciting and interesting. The problem that I had in the first book is even more pronounced in this story and that is the relationship between Lucien and Zera. At least in the first book they were falling in love with each other. This book is entirely one dimensional and stereotypical. Lucien’s feelings are hurt so he is mad at Zera. Zera feels bad and thinks Lucien is better off without her so she continues the ruse of pretending to not like him.
I can’t take the suffering in silence. The martyrdom. She will sacrifice her happiness for Lucien. She pushes all of her friends away with the “It’s best for everyone if they don’t like me”. From beginning to end this is the underlying element. It is this overriding message that has been a disservice to girls and women. Whether it is pre-teens, teenage girls, or women that read this, this is not a sentiment that women should aspire to imitate. This is the very thing we have been fighting against. With so many better, more modern female characters being written, I would have been happier without this all too familiar behaviour. Plus it made my blood boil the whole time.
There is a third planned in the series and I will be reading it. I can overlook the female issue because I’m a grown-ass woman. Although I’m pretty sure how it is going to end, it is how Wolf gets there that will make it interesting.
This is the second book in the Bring Me Their Hearts series, which is a series that needs to be read in order. It is going to be almost impossible to talk about this book without some spoilers for the first book so there may be some spoilers within this review. Zera is a Heartless, which means that a witch has her heart and can control her. There are some perks with her condition. She is immortal. She dies but always comes back to life. She heals fast and doesn't age. Of course, the fact that she is under someone else's control negates any benefit.
Zera is given a new task in this book. She must train a valkerax to control its hunger. This isn't going to be an easy task and she is also having to deal with a very changed situation at court. I loved the way that I wasn't quite sure of the motivation of some of the characters. Was anyone really on Zera's side or was she completely on her own? I loved watching Zera navigate each difficult situation thrown at her. She is such a wonderful character with a really big heart even though a witch holds hers.
This book did throw some surprises at me which is never a bad thing. I thought that the feel of this book was a bit different. The first book had quite a bit of romance and while I wouldn't say there is no romance in this book, I did feel that things were much more uncertain. This book does end with a bit of a cliffhanger but it is one that I feel that I can live with, though I am really eager to get my hands on the next installment.
I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a wonderful installment in the series that was able to keep me guessing until the very end. I cannot wait to read more of this entertaining series.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Entangled: Teen via NetGalley.
Zera is Heartless which means she does not have her heart. A witch, Nightsigner, keeps her heart in a jar out of Zera's reach and Zera is forced to stay close to live. Being Heartless does come with a few perks. Zera heals quickly and can survive almost any wound. If her heart is destroyed, she will die immediately. Zera is sent to get the Prince's heart at the royal court with a tiny piece of her heart in a locket so she can travel further. Does she have a chance of getting close enough to complete her task in the two weeks she has been given?
I loved the characters in this book. Zera was fantastic. She is tough, smart, and cares about others. More than anything, she wants her freedom and will do what is asked to make that happen. She considers herself to be selfish but time and again, her actions prove that she cares deeply for others and will help whenever she can. I loved the way she could think quickly and take the necessary risks. Luc wasn't at all what I thought he would be. He ended up being the perfect compliment to Zera. The entire cast of characters was very well done.
I loved the world-building. I thought that the witches and their Heartless were very imaginative. I liked the historical setting and thought that the way things were described made everything feel very real. Zera isn't human anymore and I liked that the reader is often reminded of the monster's voice inside of her. I thought that the author did a fantastic job of creating a world that felt authentic.
I would highly recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a very entertaining story filled with wonderful characters. I cannot wait to read more of this delightful series.
I received an advanced review copy of this book from Entangled: Teen.
I didn't enjoy the pov switches, although I suppose they played their part towards the end of the novel, for the purpose of flashbacks.
The book certainly wasn't a what I was expecting going into it.. It's very centred around mental health, and is somewhat realist in its portrayal of life.. Definitely not one if you're looking for a happy read though, this is much too existential (for me at least)..
I resent the cliffhanger somewhat too, because I now have to read the sequel, still unsure whether I even like this one..
Zera’s snarkiness and sass (much like Isis’s in her Lovely Vicious series) really makes this book So. Much. Fun. Throw in some healthy banter with Luc (and a duel! with swords!), truly lovely chemistry, and a seemingly impossible-to-overcome conflict, and I just dare you to put this book down before you’re done.
That last 15% or so? It's brutal. I may never recover.
Fantasy isn’t my favorite genre, because I have a tendency to get bogged down in the particulars of the world instead of swept up in the story as much as I want to (plus with the unusual names I have a terrible habit of forgetting who's who when they're off the page for a chapter or so...or sometimes less...and then have to search to remind myself who they are)–I freely admit this is just me, though, so if you’re more of a fantasy lover than I am, expect this to be closer to a five-star read for you. It’s definitely a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” I admit–I have no complaints with the writing, or the characters, or the plot--it’s just my own reading tastes. My brain likes "normal". Or its version of it, anyway. ;)
Despite that, you’d better believe I’ll be counting the days until the next book comes out, because I need to know what happens. NOW. Write fast, Ms. Wolf!!! (please)
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Isis, guarded and sarcastic. She deals with everything through jokes and sarcasm. She hides her emotions under her sleeve. Her intrigue with those around her is interesting. She finds herself in a battle of gossip and wits. All the while, she finds herself drawn to the one boy in town that doesn't allow himself to have relationships because of the past. Then, there is her new found friend. One who willing her accepts her at face value instead of judging her like everyone else.
Jack, the Ice Prince. He keeps to himself. He has severed his friendships from his childhood. However, he finds himself wanting to battle with Isis and know everything about her. Keeping her at arms length proves to be harder than he thought.
These two have their own pasts that they are running from. Secrets can either undo the friendship they build or tear them apart.... Then when the past catches up with one of them, things get hairy... things get dangerous... things get more than messed up....
I loved this story. The back and forth between these two was amusing and entertaining. The secrets... I still don't know all of the secrets... This story is well written. The characters fit perfectly. There was only one thing I didn't like about the book, which has me wondering where Sara Wolf is from... The use of the word "recess" throughout the book... There is no such thing as recess in high school. There is free period, there is study hall, never recess. This bugged me being as it was mentioned many times.
Rating: 4.5*
Love Me Never was hilarious and a little bit ridiculous, which made it hella fun to read! But first, a quick warning: there is domestic abuse and PTSD discussed in this book.
Isis, New Girl, is invited to the senior queen bee’s first party of school year, where she proceeds to punch the hottest guy in school and kidnap the prettiest girl. In all fairness, the pretty girl was drunk and needed to get home, and the hot guy was mean to the pretty girl. All in all, an amusing first chapter. This sets off a war between Isis and Hot Guy Jack, a battle of wits and wills. And it was highly entertaining.
Isis was very confident on the outside, which resulted in lots of amusing internal monologues and external retorts. And sometimes those internal monologues were accidentally said out loud, but she gave ZERO fucks. I LOL’d a lot.
I zap a revenge-suspect with a glare, and she veers off course with her handful of shaving cream. That’s right, keep walking. There’ll be no shaving-cream-on-Kayla’s-lovely-face incident today, thank you very much. Or, if there is, I will shave you. Down to the bone.
“You’re making threats aloud,” Jack deadpans.
“It’s good for business,” I chime.
(Guys, I totally have internal monologues like this. Isis IS me. I AM Isis.)
However, she was hiding a lot on the inside. She honestly believed that she was unlovable. Unkissable. Ugly and repulsive and destined to be alone. I wish I could say it was extreme for her to think that, but how many of you have thought that? Hell, even though I have a boyfriend, I sometimes fall into that space in my mind, and it was a lot worse when I was younger.
Love isn’t one of my strengths. Dating definitely isn’t one of them, either. I like to think being genuinely nice is one of my strengths, though, you know, minus punching guys who deserve it. So I’ll be nice. I’ll keep myself away from everybody else. No one wants ugly. Even if they did, it wouldn’t be good for them. I’m loud and angry and sarcastic. No one wants that. Nameless taught me that, too. He taught me to spare everybody from myself. That’s true kindness.
(FYI, I am loud and angry and sarcastic, too.)
Jack had another way of hiding a pretty big secret. He simply blocked everyone out, kept them at arm’s length. And not just the girls, who seemed to swarm around him like mosquitoes. (I mean, he was gorgeous, and he had that whole brooding thing going for him.) He didn’t interact with anyone. Underneath the cold exterior (hence the nickname ‘Ice Prince’), he was actually very caring about certain things. But he was also hiding a bit of a dark side, which I won’t lie about – it kinda scared me.
I felt like I went on a bit of a journey with Isis. At first, I didn’t like Jack. I thought he was rude and awful. But as I started to read more about him, especially the few chapters from his POV, I began to understand him a bit more. And then I started getting a bit swoony. HE WAS SO ADORABLE AT TIMES. Like when he chose a particular costume for a particular reason. UGH. My heart. He and Isis had this great chemistry, both being observant and strategic, but with different approaches. Jack was cold and calculating, while Isis was equally calculating, but she also made bold moves rather quickly. This led to some pretty bizarre twists, and I can honestly say that what I expected this book to be like and what it ended up being like are two very different things.
The ending was insane. I need the next book right now. I was genuinely confused how this book would turn into a satisfying trilogy. In most romance series, each book focuses on a couple that end up together by the end of the book, but Lovely Vicious isn’t like that. I was wondering the whole way through how Wolf planned to stretch out the story of Jack and Isis over three books, but I shouldn’t have worried. I’m still not 100% sure where this is going to go, but I can tell you I’m definitely tuning in for the next book, what with the twist in the final chapter. (By the way, MY HEART BROKE, GUYS.)
I HAVE TALKED ENOUGH ABOUT THESE TWO. Ok. Other things. I really liked Wren. He was weird but also adorbs. Kayla… I think I didn’t like her at first, but she grew on me. I wish she’d been a bit more developed though, as we don’t really learn too much about her other than that she’s infatuated with Jack and is fashionable??? My heart broke for Isis’ mom, and I loved Jack’s mom. (Anyone else pick up on the fact that Jack’s mom was a bit like Isis…as in he’s destined to be with his mom?)
What kept this from being a five star for me was that it was a little too unbelievable. These characters are 17, and the Big Things that happened in their past happened were at 12 and 14 respectively. The event when Isis was 14 I could just about understand, but I really thought it was a bit much for the local gang to do what they did as preteens. No, just no. Couldn’t buy it.
I will also admit to being a little annoyed that Isis lost a lot of weight and only then made friends. Part of me wishes that, sure, she could have lost a bit of weight, and I could understand why she did it, but why couldn't she be overweight and still be desirable?
BUT I love clever characters. And I love snarky characters. So I loved this book. It was weird and wonderful and I need the rest of the series right now. I’m also convinced I share a consciousness with Isis. And have a crush on Jack. But am a little scared of him. If only my therapist could read this.
Fun fact: I started off giving this book 4 stars, but after further thought, the flaws were outweighed by how much fun I had reading, that I’ve upgraded it to 4.5 stars. Please, please, please Entangled… I need the next book. Please. It’s too good.
Lovely Vicious se lee como una historia de Wattpad -si has leído en Wattpad sabes a lo que me refiero-:
1.- Es dramática. No tengo ningún problema con una historia dramática. ¿Madres depresivas, padres ausentes, relación odio/amor, pasado oscuro? Bring it on. Pero aparte de todo eso, ¿también adolescentes sociopatas y prostitución de menores?
2.- La escritura puede ser divertida... hasta rayar en lo ridículo. Sobretodo la verborrea de Isis se vuelve inquietante luego de un rato.
3.- El desarrollo de los personajes es incoherente. En un párrafo Isis no deja de repetir lo fea que es y en el siguiente no para de decir que es sexy y genial.
4.- Y, tiene serios problemas de edición. Tipo, Isis dice que su casa es de un piso pero luego sube las escaleras hasta su cuarto(?)
"Our house is a one-story, with white doors and walls and blue trim.
I take the stairs two at a time to my bedroom."
Además, ese final sacado de melodrama mexicano tampoco ayuda. ¿Se suponía que me sorprendiera, que me afectara? Vamos que después de tanto ya estaba inmune.
Isis, guarded and sarcastic. She deals with everything through jokes and sarcasm. She hides her emotions under her sleeve. Her intrigue with those around her is interesting. She finds herself in a battle of gossip and wits. All the while, she finds herself drawn to the one boy in town that doesn't allow himself to have relationships because of the past. Then, there is her new found friend. One who willing her accepts her at face value instead of judging her like everyone else.
Jack, the Ice Prince. He keeps to himself. He has severed his friendships from his childhood. However, he finds himself wanting to battle with Isis and know everything about her. Keeping her at arms length proves to be harder than he thought.
These two have their own pasts that they are running from. Secrets can either undo the friendship they build or tear them apart.... Then when the past catches up with one of them, things get hairy... things get dangerous... things get more than messed up....
I loved this story. The back and forth between these two was amusing and entertaining. The secrets... I still don't know all of the secrets... This story is well written. The characters fit perfectly. There was only one thing I didn't like about the book, which has me wondering where Sara Wolf is from... The use of the word "recess" throughout the book... There is no such thing as recess in high school. There is free period, there is study hall, never recess. This bugged me being as it was mentioned many times.
This is not a story about a boy and a girl falling in love. This is a story in witch MIDDLESCHOOL girls hire grown men to rape their best friend because they are jealous, and none's the wiser.
The entire story is 'hushed up', and the victim's boyfriend is whoring himself, making money to pay for her surgery out of guilt.
Now we have our protagonist, Isis (cleverly named, because she used to be ugly), shooting her mouth in lame Gilmore Girls type humor, trying to solve the mystery of the coldest boy in school, trough a journey of discovering that now, by not being fat anymore, she deserves to be loved.
There is something seriously wrong with this book......
Not only was the storyline minimal (girl with difficult past meets boy with difficult past) but there were many scenes that were unnecessarily there and there was just no escalation. I found it difficult to connect with Isis mainly because it was as if she suffered a serious case of bipolar and I was finding it difficult keeping up with the constant changes in her emotions and opinions. Also Isis needs to get a serious life if the most important thing to her was winning a war with some guy. The relationship between Isis and Jack was just not doing it for me. I really enjoy a good love/ hate relationship but the conversations and banter between Jack and Isis was just ridiculously overdone and unrealistic. Which leaves me to my last point. It was too fake. I’m all for a little stretch of the imagination, but this was just ridiculous. I mean a principle hanging up a student’s private pictures around the school??? I mean come on!
I was expecting a lot from this book after reading other reviews but I was greatly disappointed. I will most definitely not be continuing this series.
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