this was,,, a thing. i'm not entirely sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was most certainly a thing.
my first problem with this book isthis was,,, a thing. i'm not entirely sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was most certainly a thing.
my first problem with this book is how nothing was explained. things happen for reasons in this book and we accept those reasons and move on with our lives. except, evidently, i never received this memo, and spent the better half of this book confused as to how exactly things were working or why anything was happening.
the magic system, which is, quite literally, the backbone of this entire book considering that it is heavily fantasy-based, was not explained whatsoever. certain aspects were made mention of a few times but apart from that newer developments were never gone into much detail over.
the characters were also pretty bland and one-dimensional. i certainly didn't hate them, but i didn't exactly love them either. they just sort of exist, and i am aware of them (npc behavior ?!), with no strong feelings whatsoever. they felt more like a way for the plot to unfold than actual characters who did anything to significantly change it. the romance was okay, but again, it kind of came out of nothing and just existed.
the plot was,, strange, to say the least, in part because a) nothing was explained, and b) the pacing was way, way, way off. there's so much description in certain parts that just don't need it, that it takes away from and generalizes other scenes that could have benefited from some solid structure. this resulted in much of the book being absolutely pointless and boring, some of which i slept through (listening to half of this in audiobook format may not have been the wisest decision).
overall, this was weird. there was potential, but it absolutely missed the mark, and resulted in whatever this was. not a fan, but at the same time, i wouldn't be averse to reading something else more solid by the author because i'm so generous and forgiving like that.
special thanks to sof for reading this with me! check out her review here!
@roaringwave i regret not listening to your warning i'm sorry <\3
Merged review:
this was,,, a thing. i'm not entirely sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was most certainly a thing.
my first problem with this book is how nothing was explained. things happen for reasons in this book and we accept those reasons and move on with our lives. except, evidently, i never received this memo, and spent the better half of this book confused as to how exactly things were working or why anything was happening.
the magic system, which is, quite literally, the backbone of this entire book considering that it is heavily fantasy-based, was not explained whatsoever. certain aspects were made mention of a few times but apart from that newer developments were never gone into much detail over.
the characters were also pretty bland and one-dimensional. i certainly didn't hate them, but i didn't exactly love them either. they just sort of exist, and i am aware of them (npc behavior ?!), with no strong feelings whatsoever. they felt more like a way for the plot to unfold than actual characters who did anything to significantly change it. the romance was okay, but again, it kind of came out of nothing and just existed.
the plot was,, strange, to say the least, in part because a) nothing was explained, and b) the pacing was way, way, way off. there's so much description in certain parts that just don't need it, that it takes away from and generalizes other scenes that could have benefited from some solid structure. this resulted in much of the book being absolutely pointless and boring, some of which i slept through (listening to half of this in audiobook format may not have been the wisest decision).
overall, this was weird. there was potential, but it absolutely missed the mark, and resulted in whatever this was. not a fan, but at the same time, i wouldn't be averse to reading something else more solid by the author because i'm so generous and forgiving like that.
special thanks to sof for reading this with me! check out her review here!
@roaringwave i regret not listening to your warning i'm sorry <\3...more
From what I can tell, my opinions on this manhwa clearly fall into the "unpopular" category. The art is amazing, no doubt, but most of the story itselFrom what I can tell, my opinions on this manhwa clearly fall into the "unpopular" category. The art is amazing, no doubt, but most of the story itself irritated me. I mean, everyone spontaneously falls in love with Elise, and not a single person dislikes her despite her fame? She solves all the problems that the empire faces (partially due to her knowing what will happen in the future) and no one questions it?? The prince is liTERALLY THE BLANDEST ML I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED??? THEY DON'T HAVE CARS BUT THEY DO HAVE AED'S???? SOMEONE MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.
Yeah. I was certainly expecting more considering just how much hype surrounds this, and while I did make my way through the entire thing, I never really got what I was expecting, or anything even remotely near it.
[image]
Merged review:
From what I can tell, my opinions on this manhwa clearly fall into the "unpopular" category. The art is amazing, no doubt, but most of the story itself irritated me. I mean, everyone spontaneously falls in love with Elise, and not a single person dislikes her despite her fame? She solves all the problems that the empire faces (partially due to her knowing what will happen in the future) and no one questions it?? The prince is liTERALLY THE BLANDEST ML I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED??? THEY DON'T HAVE CARS BUT THEY DO HAVE AED'S???? SOMEONE MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.
Yeah. I was certainly expecting more considering just how much hype surrounds this, and while I did make my way through the entire thing, I never really got what I was expecting, or anything even remotely near it.
[image]
Merged review:
From what I can tell, my opinions on this manhwa clearly fall into the "unpopular" category. The art is amazing, no doubt, but most of the story itself irritated me. I mean, everyone spontaneously falls in love with Elise, and not a single person dislikes her despite her fame? She solves all the problems that the empire faces (partially due to her knowing what will happen in the future) and no one questions it?? The prince is liTERALLY THE BLANDEST ML I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED??? THEY DON'T HAVE CARS BUT THEY DO HAVE AED'S???? SOMEONE MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.
Yeah. I was certainly expecting more considering just how much hype surrounds this, and while I did make my way through the entire thing, I never really got what I was expecting, or anything even remotely near it.
this book was PAINFUL. i'm not even sure how i managed to slog through it because i all i remember about this is how lo(1.5/5 but that seems generous)
this book was PAINFUL. i'm not even sure how i managed to slog through it because i all i remember about this is how long-winded and irritating it all was. everyone is suddenly acting out of character. stuff is happening but no one cares. everything is painstakingly described to fill up the empty space.
NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENS. that is, of course, until the very end of the book, where everything plot-wise was crammed into the last fifth of the book. and somehow that was supposed to make up for everything that we endured to get to that point ??
i mean i've fallen for that kind of thing a lot, but still. no thanks.
this book put me in a reading slump (for a YEAR. i literally did not know what to do with myself.) and the first book, which was not even that incredible in the first place, was the only reason i read this. on top of that, i haven't exactly heard the greatest of things about the next book at all, so for me, the rest of this series is just nah.
thinking about this book makes me want to drink toothpaste while walking on legos. it manages to give you hope and then takes it away in the mo[image]
thinking about this book makes me want to drink toothpaste while walking on legos. it manages to give you hope and then takes it away in the most disappointingly painful way possible and is mostly responsible for my consequent reading slump. that's all i have to say....more
i came for the rich people drama and more opportunities to bash mick riva and this book seriously delivered. 10/10 would recommend; tjr is offi(4.5/5)
i came for the rich people drama and more opportunities to bash mick riva and this book seriously delivered. 10/10 would recommend; tjr is officially one of my most favorite authors as if she wasn't already.
the ending felt a bit rushed but overall it was excellent. respectfully asking for nina riva's hand in marriage <33
Dear god. What the hell did I just read. - my first thoughts after finishing this book
A Sweet Mess was not at all sweet, at least to me, and ent(1.5/5)
Dear god. What the hell did I just read. - my first thoughts after finishing this book
A Sweet Mess was not at all sweet, at least to me, and entirely too much of a mess. Seriously. Where do I even begin with this one?
Aubrey Choi is a successful bakery owner living in a small-town in California. A mixed-up order leads a gummy worm-filled bundt cake straight down the throat of widely acclaimed food critic Landon Kim - who also just so happens to be her one-night stand. One harsh review later, Aubrey's business is going down the drain, and Landon suddenly shows up to help her out. Of course, the entire time, they're fighting their mutual attraction to one another. Will they be able to save Aubrey's bakery and fInD LoVe? Yes, apparently.
My biggest problem with this book was Aubrey and Landon's relationship. It felt entirely too insta-love-y to me, and never at any point did I feel like they were actually developing a relationship - it was just built off of mutual horniness, rather than anything substantial. The entire book, in fact, was filled with lustful yearning between the pair.
To fix the matter with Aubrey's bakery being put nearly out of business, Landon decides to invite her as a guest chef on a cooking show of his friend's, and while filming, they end up in a "there's only one house" situation. It would be really damaging to both of their reputations for reasons unknown if the public were to find out that they were sleeping together, so they decide to keep it a secret.
Throughout the book, I got the feeling that most of the plot devices were just that - plot devices. I'm sure that if certain things were delved into more, we wouldn't really be left with any conflict for the novel to be centered around at all. Which, in turn, left me feeling that this book was very empty and somewhat pointless.
Then, of course, was the (view spoiler)[unexpected pregnancy trope. (hide spoiler)] To say that I was annoyed by how this trope was dealt with in the book would, in fact, be an understatement. Aubrey and Landon could have communicated clearly with one another about what they wanted and what they were thinking, but noooo. Why be mature adults discussing important life decisions when you can just be angsty, brooding, hormonal teenagers instead, am I right?
The characters did not have any weight to them at all. They were chariactures of tropes and had no personality holding them together, Landon more so than Aubrey. Seriously. I couldn't tell you a meaningful thing about the guy even if I tried. They didn't "grow" as characters whatsoever, but then again, neither did their relationship, which was, again, built off of sexual tension that was just manifested into existence.
The whole food aspect of this book was really downplayed, considering the main plotline and the fucking cover of the book. It was actually really cool to read about whenever it was included, but unfortunately, it wasn't included all that much.
I kind of wish that there was more of an emphasis placed on the cooking show instead of Aubrey's internal monologue consisting of thirsting after Landon 24/7, because then we would have gotten to see more of the food, which, honestly, was one of the biggest things that drew me to this book in the first place.
One of the only tolerable aspects of this book, as well as one of two tolerable characters in this circus, was Aria, Landon's chef friend and the host of the cooking show Aubrey guest-starred in. She had her own thing going on with a different romantic subplot playing out between her and a different character in tandem to Aubrey and Landon, but she was amazing. She, and Aubrey's friend Tara pretty much made up the entire cast of characters that I was okay with. And that's saying something, because they were pretty minor characters, all things considered.
It was interesting to read about Aubrey and Landon's pasts, no doubt, but I felt that it held little bearing on the story at hand, if that makes sense. It almost felt like an info-dump, just something that we should know about the characters but nothing that would actually come into play in the story. It, of course, didn't help that Landon's past was expressed very limitedly.
The writing was alright, generally speaking. I remember at certain points having to close my laptop and sit with my head in my hands for a few moments before regaining a semblance of sanity to be able to continue, but for the most part, the book was simple/readable and not too info-dump-y.
The ending and the resolution were just not it for me. You're telling me that after everything I went through reading about these clowns refuse to get together, then get together, only to fall apart, they just spontaneously were able to fix everything and make it work?? Um, no. It felt incredibly rushed and not all like the conclusion that you would be expecting for the conflict that was directly preceding it. In less words, I was upset and disappointed.
Overall, I stand by what I said - this book is a mess. I didn't enjoy it much at all, and a very big part of that was how disasterous the main relationship was to me, as well as the lack of food in a book centered around a baker and a food critic. I mean, come on people, it doesn't get much simpler than that!...more
idk man. everything about this was formulaic and predictable, and any conflicts that arose were resolved in a matter of pages. the characters a[image]
idk man. everything about this was formulaic and predictable, and any conflicts that arose were resolved in a matter of pages. the characters are also just copies of their counterparts in the New Adult Romance Formula™, which means that the romance and general plot aren't all that innovative either.
the writing was criminally painful to read, and that includes all the random info-dumps about literally everything. like, no, kind sir, i would not like to know about how you and your brother caught your parents going at it in an office that one time. i lost so many braincells; it's unholy.
now, if you're currently asking 'but human, if you hate these kinds of copy-paste books, why would you willingly read it??'
i only have a few reasons:
a.) my friend offered to read it with me. why suffer through a book alone when you can do it with others ?? >:D
b.) i was at least expecting something fun?? even if it was trashy, if it was enjoyable to read and the romance was worth rooting for, i wouldn't have minded. but this book takes the 'pleasure' out of 'guilty pleasure', and leaves you only guilt for the permanent damage you've inflicted on your braincells.
anyway. i was able to read this pretty quickly which honestly is a selling point for this book. no, i did not enjoy this, and no, i would not recommend this to others lol
to think that i started reading this series on a dare from my friends, who all quit after how horrendous the very first book was, and here i am.
is it to think that i started reading this series on a dare from my friends, who all quit after how horrendous the very first book was, and here i am.
is it strange to be proud of an author? i feel incredibly proud of melanie cellier, having seen how much her books have improved just in the span of this series. having somehow made it this far, i actually find myself sad that there aren't more books specifically catered toward what these characters are doing.
the princess search quite literally has it all. characters with depth, an intriguing plot, details and settings that i could easily picture, and a romance that had been grinning to myself while i was listening to this book (usually i am poker-faced while reading absolutely anything, so i hope you see why this is significant).
overall, this was such a fun reading experience and i absolutely adored every moment of it. i'm not sure if i want to read the rest of cellier's books because i want to see where she goes from here or never read a fantasy/fairytale retelling ever again because this book has ruined me for them....more
THIS BOOK IS EXACTLY WHY I LOVE RETELLINGS SO MUCH.
the romance? top-tier.
the characters? my favor(4.5/5)
NFSJFNDFKJSDNKFJNSDKJFNDSKJNDFSKJNFDSKJN THIS.
THIS BOOK IS EXACTLY WHY I LOVE RETELLINGS SO MUCH.
the romance? top-tier.
the characters? my favorite.
the plot? excellent.
hotel? trivago.
i have no functioning braincells at this point overall this was amazing and everything i could have hoped for. words cannot describe how much i loved reading this....more
this was,, good. not as good as some of tjr's newer books, but i can see where she started from and appreciate how her narrative skills have improved this was,, good. not as good as some of tjr's newer books, but i can see where she started from and appreciate how her narrative skills have improved from this point forward.
the plot was interesting, as much as i thought that i wouldn't enjoy it. although the ending felt a bit rushed, i actually really liked reading about the characters' dynamic when they weren't actually together through the recollections and email drafts.
overall, it made me smile by the end of it, and i suppose that's the best thing a book can do.
listening to this (because of course it was only available in audiobook form fdnskjnfskjndsk) was an exercise in patience (0/10 would never recommend)
listening to this (because of course it was only available in audiobook form fdnskjnfskjndsk) was an exercise in patience for me, one which i nearly failed. i mostly spent my time listening to this alternating between wanting to pour bleach into my ears and wanting to delete my hoopla account so i could never make a mistake like this ever again.
this was beyond painful. literal hell. never again....more
this just might be the funniest thing i've ever read, and no, i'm not exaggerating. the clown moments are strong with this one and the misunderstandinthis just might be the funniest thing i've ever read, and no, i'm not exaggerating. the clown moments are strong with this one and the misunderstandings are absolutely hilarious. the only thing this is missing is regular updates but hey, nothing is perfect....more
I actually really liked the beginning of this and felt that there was a lot of potential here.
Then the story progressed. And progressed. And progresseI actually really liked the beginning of this and felt that there was a lot of potential here.
Then the story progressed. And progressed. And progressed.
The chemistry between Kate and Ian just sort of... fizzled out? It was all very anticlimactic. The story was dragged on and on and on, to the point where it became repetitive and boring. When it finally did end, however, many plotlines were left hanging and certain parts of the plot were just never really wrapped up. It was extremely sudden and extremely irritating.
Overall, the art was good and that's about it. I regret the time I wasted reading this but oh well....more
It is a truth universally acknowledged that romances where the ML falls for the FL first are superior.
[image]
I'm just going to admit it: I'm absolute It is a truth universally acknowledged that romances where the ML falls for the FL first are superior.
[image]
I'm just going to admit it: I'm absolute trash for fluffy romances where you can feel yourself turning into a pile of pathetic goo while also subconsciously realizing that the reason you have such unhealthy standards for relationships and people in general is because you're always comparing them to fictional characters, but we don't talk about that.
Sica and Karsus (hahaha sus) and their entire dynamic was absolutely A+. It was so fun to read about their individual backstories and the way they worked so well together as a team, apart from just their romantic dynamic. Yes, there were some yandere moments from both of them, but we don't talk about that.
Of course, the best stories have a little bit of everything: a solid plot and a solid romance, without either overshadowing the other. And this manhwa has EXACTLY THAT. You don't even know how much I freaked out when I realized that there was a healthy balance here that ACTUALLY WORKED.
[image]
The romance is good and cute and adorable.
The plot is absolutely amazing.
The plot twist at the end was extremely predictable but whatever.
So why did I absolutely not love this?
Simple: a group of characters known as the 'savages'. The thing that really bothered me about them was how they were portrayed compared to literally all of the other characters.
Almost all of the main characters and protagonists are white/pale-skinned, while the 'savages' are drawn in darker shades. The 'savages' also wear feathered headbands and other paint markings on their faces/bodies. Which, just- uMMM ??? Really rubbed me the wrong way, even if it might not have been completely intentional.
I've been told that these sort of things are present in a lot of manhwas because of cultural/ethnic homogeneity in the country of origin, but still. As a non-white person, it was borderline uncomfortable to read.
[image]
So yeah. As much as I loved the characters and the romance and the plot, it wasn't a total five-star read because of those issues. Apart from that, I really did enjoy this, especially since it wasn't needlessly dragged out and solid from start to finish. The ending might have been a bit rushed but in my opinion it really worked for the story, and made for a cute resolution to everything....more
while reading this, or rather, listening to it, i couldn't tell whether i was just gaslighting myself into thinking it was actually good or that the writing and story had actually improved from the prior books, but i seriously found myself genuinely enjoying the adventures and the characters' dynamic.
that being said, the narrator's rumpelstiltskin-demon-persona voice was not it. i still have nightmares. probably because i regularly listened to this in the middle of the night.
overall, though, it was quite good. some parts felt underdeveloped, but it was leagues ahead of the first book, at any rate....more
I mean, the insta-love was extremely strong and extremely disgusting, but hey, there's a lot you have t(2.5/5)
This was alright, all things considered.
I mean, the insta-love was extremely strong and extremely disgusting, but hey, there's a lot you have to sacrifice if you're going to put two separate romance arcs as well as an actual plot into a single novella.
Honestly, I think that this had the potential to be really good if there wasn't so much crammed into such a small amount. The romance(s ????) felt absolutely unnecessary but the plot was actually quite good. I think it was also mentioned in the next book, which was nice.
Too bad the plotline only really started in the second half, because the first half was just one of the side characters from the second book mooning over more atrocious eye descriptions. What is it with mediocre YA fantasy book and their eye descriptions??? I suffer so much because of them.
Anyway, this was nice, and it definitely could have been better, but it's just a novella, so it's fine....more
This was eh. I mean, on the one hand, it was interesting to see the specifics of a scene that was frequently mentioned in the second book of th(2.5/5)
This was eh. I mean, on the one hand, it was interesting to see the specifics of a scene that was frequently mentioned in the second book of this series, because I actually felt like I was understanding the references. But at the same time, this could have just been slightly condensed and included in the novel itself as a meaningful reveal or to exhibit character growth. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯...more
![후궁 계약 1 [Hugung Gyeyak 1] (The Concubine Contract [Webtoon], Season 1)](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575426882l/49088458._SX50_.jpg)
![황제의 약혼녀로 산다는 것은 1 [Hwangjeeui Yaghonnyeoro Sandaneun Geos'eun 1] (Living as an Emperor's Fiancée, Season 1)](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1583724521l/52224687._SX50_.jpg)
Loading...
