Title: Initiate
Author: Laura L. Fox
Publisher: OfTomes
Rating: 2 Stars
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Review: I
really really wanted to be able to love this novel, as I have loved some other
novels by this publisher. But for some reason, it just wasn’t really working
for me.
At the beginning, I felt like the pace was far too slow.
The writing is pretty descriptive, which means it takes time for me to get a
grip of the world we are involved in. And even though this world building is
very unique and unlike anything I have read before, it took me way too long to
get personally immersed in it, which means I never really felt as wrapped up in
the wonderful world as I could have been. And because of the slow pace, I felt
even more bored in some regards.
I did like the characters well enough. Mynta was bright
and bubbly and always energetic. Our main character, Riga, didn’t have the nicest
of names (please note: this is a personal opinion and in no way affects my
rating of the novel!) She was determined though, and she wouldn’t let anyone
stop her curiosity, which is something you really have to admire in the girl. I
liked them well enough, and we got to know about Riga’s background and why her
mother/daughter relationship isn’t the best one. But for some reason, I always
felt pretty distant from the main characters, and could never properly connect
with them. Which meant I always felt distant… from the world and the characters
too.
Then the story happened to be pretty slow too. By way of
suspense, I felt like it was lacking. In the first quarter I have to admit that
I was bored out of my mind. About halfway, things start to pick up a bit. But
it never got me going enough for me to want to turn the pages and read further.
What I really did like about the book was the slow burn
romance. The love interest, Rhys, was such a nice guy. He was thoughtful and
caring and always there for Riga. We get to know a little bit about his
backstory as well, and I liked what I read. In the end, I was pretty eager to
get to the parts where Rhys was included, especially towards the end. It’s an
entirely innocent, clean, young adult friendly kind of romance. But still, it’s
the good kind with none of the ridiculousness of love triangles and all those
shenanigans.
There was a conspiracy theory in the novel, and that’s
what the book really centered around. When this was mentioned, I was pretty
curious and I was finally getting into it! But this was towards the end, and
before I knew it the book just – it just stopped! The ending was there and it
was sudden and abrupt. I felt kind of cheated by it to be honest… I thought
there would be more to it. I know there is going to be a sequel… but I’m not
sure about it yet.
Maybe this one
wasn’t for me, but it could be for you! If you like:
Slow burn
romances, a detailed and creative world building, a focus on the working of
relationships and what they can survive and have a taste for apocalyptic
novels, this may work out better for you! So don’t be afraid to still give it a
go.
Gif Summary:
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Olivia’s Question: Do you DNF (Did not finish) a book if
it just isn’t working out for you?
Olivia-Savannah x
I like slow burn romances + detailed and creative world building but I don't think I'd be in a hurry to pick it up.
ReplyDeleteI think we have those things in common but this just wasn't for me, so I understand...
Deletemeh, sometimes you just don't click with a book *shrugs*
ReplyDeleteYeah... sometimes it just doesn't work out :(
DeleteI like slow burning romances in books, they're my favorite because you get to see relationships develop but I do not like over-descriptive books at all. I like descriptions, just not too detailed to the point where it has me feeling bored and anxious to move on. I'm glad you could find some positives about this book, though!
ReplyDeleteYes, seeing a relationship unfurl is one of the most beautiful things. But if the description gets too detailed I feel just the same way as you do!
DeleteIt's rare for me to DNF. And, when that happens, I don't do a review b/c it's unfair of me to review a book when I haven't taken the time to read the whole book.
ReplyDeleteWhen I DNF, I try to do a promotional post instead... I would agree about it being unfair in such a way.
DeleteAw I am sorry this didn't work out for you! It does sound rather slow- and if it is slow AND you have trouble connecting to the characters AND the world... yeah, that is a recipe for disaster. The slow burn romance sounds good though! Great review!
ReplyDeleteAs for your question... I do not DNF even close to as often as I should. Even when I KNOW the book is not going to work, there is a little voice in the back of my head telling me to just give it oneeee more chance. Which turns into me finishing a bunch of books I hate ;)
There were some issues with the book, but I am glad there some redeeming qualities in there as well :)
DeleteI know what you mean. I kinda have the same ailment... here's to forever finishing all the books :D
I do DNF books when I am really not feeling it. If I put a book down more than twice and read other books in the interim obviously my time could be better spent reading something else. I don't think there is anything wrong with that. After all a publisher will only give a book about 100 pages before they deny it, why should my time be wasted. I will continue reading a book I hate if I see it has a bunch of glowing reviews, if only to let others know the issues I had with it.
ReplyDeleteToo bad about this book. I do enjoy a slow burn romance, but I hate when that i all there is to carry the story. It sucks when you feel like you are waiting for something and then the book just ends. Thanks for your honest review.
That's true, and that's fair enough to you. If you don't enjoy it, then you shouldn't have to read it, and there is nothing obligating you to do so. It was a shame about the ending. It had such promise in the middle!
DeleteToo bad the book wasn't good... I think I DNF books for exactly the same reasons as you do. The last book I DNFed was Game of Thrones. I just couldn't get through the first page, it was too boring.
ReplyDeleteYeah, if it isn't interesting then I know I'll stop. Personally I LOVED Game of Thrones but it is very detailed though, so a lot of patience is required to really get into it.
DeleteI would have found it so annoying to struggle through and then be faced with an abrupt halt. Cliffhangers never entice me into sequels, quite the opposite!
ReplyDeleteIt was a struggle, but listening to music while reading did help!
DeleteI hadn't heard of this one before. Sorry that you had a hard time with it. It sounds like the romance was good, but that the rest of the story wasn't done well. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteIt was really mixed :3
DeleteUgh I hate it when everything in a book is slow as well! At least the romance part in this one was okay.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like to dnf books before, but I've started to do so in the past couple of years, since I decided it was just a waste of my time to keep reading if I was not enjoying something.
Lipstick and Mocha
The romance made up for a lot of it. You're right - you really shouldn't waste your time if it isn't for you...
Delete