Anonymous #3 12h

Okay, actually, it's worth reading if you're someone who wants to go for a ride and doesn't really think too hard about anything you're consuming. If you like stories that have a few strong moments or a few specific tropes that you're into (specifically YA or Romance tropes), it might hit the mark for you.

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Anonymous #3 12h

If you're looking for reinforced themes, a story with complexity and original ideas, writing that doesn't hold your hand, or prose that's able to be both descriptive/ornamental and efficient, then it might not be for you.

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Anonymous #3 12h

It's essentially a Beauty and Beast retelling in some ways. It has "fae," but the fae in this story have none of the characteristics established by real world folklore and cultures that the book seemingly wants to base itself upon. Some people find the protagonist annoying. I don't mind an annoying or unlikeable protagonist, but the protagonist was also just inconsistent.

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Anonymous #3 12h

I, personally, also didn't find any of the character relationships in ACOTAR to be That Deep, interesting, or complex. Much like the characters themselves. I only liked one character, and the only relationship I liked was between that character and the protagonist. They weren't even the relationship I was supposed to be rooting for in the first or the SECOND book. I say "relationship" broadly, as in dynamic, because even then they definitely only came across as potential friends.

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Anonymous #3 12h

So, with all of that said, I personally found it Kinda Bad. A Little Bit Abysmal. This also has little to do with morally grey actions or characters. I love plenty of stories with both. I thrive on nuance and tension between my understanding of a character and what they do on the page. If the author intended on the, uh... romance elements to be morally grey, however, I find the execution to be a bit misguided.

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Anonymous #3 12h

However, I've never been a fan of this particular author (I've tried reading one of her other works -- wasn't for me) or other extremely popular authors within the Romantasy genre. I like to read romance. I like to read fantasy. I like to read YA. However, I guess I'm somehow not the target audience.

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