Review Detail

“I was so hesitant to start reading this book. I was extremely uncomfortable with the premise and wasn't sure if I'd enjoy the book because of it. One thing I did know is that I wasn't going to buy it(despite the gorgeous cover that I absolutely love!), so I decided I'd handle whether I'd read it or not if my library got it. But it came up on PulseIt I was once again faced with the choice of whether or not I wanted to read it. Finally, after reading many reviews I decided to take a chance.

What I found was, the polygamous marriage was not as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. Now, that's not saying that it wasn't uncomfortable or that I agree with such marriage. But, I was able to enjoy the story despite it. For one thing, the author wasn't pushing it, that it was right and wonderful, she also wasn't exactly condemning it either. It was more like she was using it as a plot devise for the world which she had created. As I read, I realized I had read many stories with polygamous marriages, and that this wasn't anything "new". Jacob and Rachel and Leah, Solomon and his many wives, in fact many stories in the Bible deal with polygamy(the only difference is that the Bible says it is wrong, more that it happened and showing the consequences of it) it was even some fairy tales I had read as a child. I guess I said all that to say, I didn't exactly like it, but it didn't turn me off the book.

What I did dislike was the slow pace. The writing was beautiful and the characters were extremely well developed and their personalities well thought out. But it seemed that for the majority of the book nothing happened. Now, in a way that was a good thing. It gave time for the characters to develop so well, but there were times while I was reading it, and I started counting the number of pages I had left, the number of chapters I had left, wondering when she would finally run away! (*spoiler* which didn't happen until the last two or three chapters *end spoiler*) While there were a couple "exciting" parts throughout that kept me reading, for the most part the plot didn't advance at all.

As far as world building goes, I know a lot of people thought it was badly developed and that the world wasn't believable at all and that was the worst part of the book. I personally didn't think the world building was so bad.(as long as I don't think about it too much) Now granted, it wasn't all that wonderful either. There are some books that the world that was created is the best part of the book, other books, like this one, the characters that live in it are more important, so the world is a background character. Of course, we all know the best books are those with great worlds and great characters, but ones with underdeveloped, unexplained worlds are definitely not the worst. So I guess, I wish she had spent more time developing the world, but on the whole it didn't bother me.

The characters really stood out for me. They were all written like real people, with their own flaws and qualities that made them unique and interesting. I found myself sad when Rose died, when I had barely known her for a few chapters! *spoiler* And when Jenna died I was devastated not only because she was a great character, but because of how well her dying had been written and how Rhine and Cecily reacted. *end spoiler* Gabriel, Rowan, and Linden were also all interesting male characters. I absolutely loved how Linden was written not the normal way a male lead is written, he wasn't buff and strong and extremely handsome, and he had many flaws and was not the leader he should be. I also really liked how their romance progressed that when Rhine realized she was falling in love with him she didn't just give up, she kept fighting it, because she wanted to be free. She understood that if she fell in love with him in this marriage that it would ultimately be a lie, because she hadn't the choice to go into it. And Gabriel! :D I love him! That's all I can say. Same with Rowan, I've always wished I had an older brother(why oh why did I have to get stuck with a younger one?) and he seems like such a great older brother(I know he's her twin, but I bet you he's the older one! lol) and I feel so bad for him that Rhine was taken from him.

Lastly, one thing I noticed and loved(thanks to a certain Lit. teacher who will not be named) was the extreme case of Plato's Cave! Rhine's obviously been outside and once she is put into the cave(aka the mansion) she hates it and wants to escape, but others don't understand why because they have fallen into the shadows. Many are just too oblivious to even realize they are in the cave. Others don't understand how the outside world is better. I mean, they have holograms(shadows anyone?) of the outside world that they can enjoy, what makes the world outside the cave better? *spoiler* When Rhine and Gabriel finally escape and they go to the ocean to get a boat to sail up the coast back to Rowan, Gabriel sees the real ocean and comments that he had forgotten what the ocean was like, it was much more than he remembered. I was thrilled that he had exited the cave and realized what he had been missing before, it was one of my favorite parts of the book! *end spoiler* So that just really stood out to me a lot in the book, so yeah I thought I'd mention it.