Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This book had some major hype ahead of its release, and that's why I pre-ordered it. I'd forgotten that I've read one other book from this author, and a lot of the things that persuaded me to stop reading were the same reasons that I got annoyed with this book. It had a solid start, but after the first few chapters, it lost its charm. The constant reminders of basic plot points ("I'm being courted by the king!") and the repetitive aspects of the plot (he gets mad, she saves his life...and then she saves his life again and again), and the paragraphs devoted to fashion and food (I get it, she dresses sexy). I felt like I was being spoon-fed. I skipped some of the fluffy parts with her friends because, as it turns out, the story didn't lose anything without that side-plot. The characters were bland, though you had the occasional reminder that they do villainous things. Alessandra was believable as a villain in the beginning, but at some points, Kallias came off as having no self respect. Wasn’t impressed by them, but maybe I wasn’t supposed to be? Adult themes are introduced through preachy sex-talk, and a large part of Alessandra's character is her sexuality and the way she uses men (which she admits to...a lot). There are subtle, classy ways to get the same message across, but this book preaches. I wish it had been better, less fluffy, less preachy, less simplistic. I am NOT the target audience as a 25-year-old, but I've read a lot of good YA. This book was marketed spectacularly, but it didn't live up to the hype.