DNF. I could not get into this book. The concept was great, but the main character was flat, boring, and too Mary-Sue for me and whiny. She solved her problems too easily, problems that only she could figure out, because apparently all of her friends are stupid.
There was way, way, WAY too much telling for me to enjoy this book. Too little action, too little action that actually moved the plot forward.
I tried hard to like it, but the final straw came in the form of typical pre-teen school drama. Nope. I’m done. I’m not sitting through 300 pages of pretty/perfect-girl-with-great-hair vs. smart-girl-who-is-obviously-going-to-become-queen-despite-her-poor-skill-in-magic-nonsense. It was too low in the YA range for me.
This book had potential, but it felt more like a plot that had been wound around this fantastic world, and the world-building came first.
I decided to call this book “DNF” after I realized that I was dreading the rest of it. I looked at the chunk of book I had left to read and thought, “Geeze, I’ve still got all that to read?” I’ve DNF’ed very few books, but this one made it on the list. I had no desire to read any more of it, not when I have a to-read list of more than 100 books. I had no desire to read further into the series, not if they all read as flat, narration heavy, and slow.
So, while I DNF this book, I still gave it a 1 out of 5. It lost too many points too soon.
Beatrice B. Morgan 