I think with this, Lauren Kate achieved what she set out to do. She fleshed out some of the side characters, while also flexing her creative writing skills, having fun writing about a midieval setting.I thought it was good.
The setting descriptions were nice, and easy to imagine. Full of detail. The way each story led into the next one, and how some details circled around was smart. If there’s anything I didn’t like, it was minor enough not to even be bothered mentioning. The story’s fine the way it is and I wouldn’t change it.
The changes in perspective were refreshing, a nice break from the main character in the core books.
The pacing was slow, which works since this is a short and thoughtful Valentines Day story.
The tone has an undercurrent of somberness. The romance lightens it, but any mention of heartbreak successfully portrays the pain.
It’s a young adult book, but it deviates from the genre by not being bogged down in teen angst and bad decision making.
This book takes place between chapters 13 and 14 of Passion (Fallen #3). But since it has no bearing on the main plot of the series, it can be read any time in the series after book 3, chapter 13.
I’m not educatated on the history of Valentines Day in the Middle Ages, but I’ll just assume the author did her homework and was accurate.
There are a couple allegories that are pointed out plainly. If you’re not into storytellers being so on the nose, you might not like it, but maybe this won’t be an issue for you.
Characterization was decent. The character Shelby had a lot, giving her more dimension than she already had. Any other characterization was either minor or nonexistent.
It never felt like it built to a climax. Rather, it was a series of events, and a planned event eventually happened. Pretty standard, but it worked.
If youv’ve read the Fallen books, and haven’t gotten around to this yet, I’d recommend it. It’s well-written, it has heart, and it gives the supporting cast a much needed spotlight.
by justkeepbreathing94