Skip to main content

Secrets of the Starcrossed (The Once and Future Queens) by Clara O'Connor

 


SYNOPSIS

In a world where the Roman Empire never fell, two starcrossed lovers fight to ignite the spark of rebellion...

Londinium, the last stronghold of the Romans left in Britannia, remains in a delicate state of peace with the ancient kingdoms that surround it. As the only daughter of a powerful merchant, Cassandra is betrothed to Marcus, the most eligible bachelor in the city.

But then she meets Devyn, the boy with the strange midnight eyes searching for a girl with magic in her blood.

A boy who will make her believe in soulmates...

When a mysterious sickness starts to leech the life from citizens with Celtic power lying dormant in their veins, the imperial council sets their schemes in motion. And so Cassandra must make a choice: the Code or Chaos, science or sorcery, Marcus or Devyn?

REVIEW

I was genuinely excited when I first read the synopsis to this story. It gave me so many Romeo and Juliet mixed in a fantasy parallel world vibes, which I thought to be quite an interesting take in the genre. I just wish that the story was able to follow through with this idea. How wrong was I.

I know that I am really going to regret this review, but sometimes honesty is the best policy...

For me, I felt like the writing style was quite immature for the set target audience. There was that constant will she or won't she? But in a way that gets old very quickly. It is one of those but you can't help but shout at the book, wanting the character to stop being so indecisive. It is so annoying and it does nothing to make them look any better. 

Shall we really get into this? What is it about books who like to tease about a certain place in the universe that they have created, but somehow it doesn't appear, no matter how many times it has been mentioned? But somehow it still feels like the plot is stagnant and what really happened was that it was simply something to fill up the book? This is one of my GREATEST annoyances. If you're not going to do anything about it, don't talk about it. Simples *closes book with exasperation*. Oh, and to put another point forward, we all know what is really happening here, you're setting the book up for a cliff-hanger which we all predicted and was so easy to figure out. It's not cute. It's boring.

Time to move onto the main character. I'm only just getting started. Cassandra. Oh Cassandra, Cassandra. Where shall we start with you? You are vexing and childish and what is it about you ignoring people when they say no. No means no. Not probably no. Not they are actually saying yes. No is a determined response. Respect people and their boundaries. It's not hard. The love interest, Devyn isn't that much better either, with no personality and I don't get what it was that made him special. There just wasn't anything to him.

I don't know there isn't much that I can really say that makes this a book that I want to read again or recommend to a fellow reader and it makes me quite sad to think like this. I can only hope that the next book in the series is better and gets over those hurdles that it has created in the first book.

RATING: ** (TWO STARS)

WHERE TO BUY

Amazon: Secrets of the Starcrossed: The Once and Future Queen is an unforgettable dystopian adventure of scifi fantasy and forbidden romance (The Once and Future Queen, Book 1) eBook: O’Connor, Clara: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Waterstones: Secrets of the Starcrossed by Clara O'Connor | Waterstones

Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/3917/9780008407667
Disclosure: If you buy books linked to this site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

Mary Jane, is a novel that I have been keeping an eye on for quite a while now. It has always been a part of my reading list and only until now have I had possession of a copy. I just wish it didn’t take me so long to read it. Because without a doubt, I think it is probably the best book I’ve read this year. Set in the 1970’s it follows a fourteen-year-old girl who becomes a summer Nanny to the Cone Family. Even though the Cone Family seem to be a respectable bunch on the outside, they are quite the opposite with their messy family dynamics. However messy they are, Mary Jane becomes an important and well-loved member of their family. Drastically different from the home that she was bought up as a single child with parents who care about appearances in their community. Over the summer, Mary Jane’s world begins to open up as she begins to realise what her future would entail and what she wants from it.  There isn’t much that I can fault in this book. The characters are not perfect, c...
Post a Comment
Read more

Love is for Losers by Wibke Brueggemann

  SYNOPSIS As far as Phoebe is concerned, love is to be avoided at all costs. Why would you spend your life worrying about something that turns you into a complete moron? If her best friend Polly is anything to go by, the first sniff of a relationship makes you forget about your friends (like, hello?), get completely obsessed with sex (yawn) and bang on constantly about a person who definitely isn't as great as you think they are. So Phoebe isn't going to fall in love, ever. But then she meets Emma...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

Publisher: David Fickling Books Date of Publish: January 1st 2015 Suitable for which gender: Unisex The book consists of two protagonists who are both suffering from two big secrets. There is David Piper; who wants to be a girl and Leo Denton; someone who just wants to be invisible. Somehow both of these two individuals come together and become very good friends in the process. It is really interesting as there is not much regarding the subject of the transgender community in modern YA fiction, in a way Ms Williamson has got some guts to base story around this topic. Not because it is wrong, but rather misunderstood. It has heartache and pain, as well as joy and happiness, which not only they experience, but you as well. I think that the time that it has come out is perfect, as it is an ever changing world, which has shown to become more aware of people around us and accepting everyone for who they are. We must always think about these issues like, imagine if you felt...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sunburn by Darren Dash

This is the cover of the recently published book "Sunburn" by Darren Dash (yes, it actually does feature a character getting burnt), which was published earlier than expected on the 1st May. This truly seems like a momentous event. This author has probably influenced my reading patterns the most, since I first picked up a book just for leisure. He is truly an inspirational guy. The cover itself is very sinister. The mix of reds and oranges as well as the sun connotes that the sun plays an antagonising role in the story. Maybe even a factor to all of the characters downfall. The simplicity makes it very intriguing as well as making it feel very uncomforting. Simple but well executed. This demonic masterpiece does not fail to disappoint even the most biggest of horror fans. Set in a perfect setting, the characters are strong, that even the smallest mistake they make can be very vexing. It focuses on three characters: Dominic; Curran and Martini. Who despite...
1 comment
Read more

The Jewel by Amy Ewing

I'm sure that most of you have heard about how there was an amazing astronomical event that happened yesterday in Europe. I was so lucky to experience the solar eclipse . I'm just so sad now that I won't be able to see it again like it for the next 11 years.  Also one of the annoying parts about it was that you couldn't look directly at it, otherwise you vision will become bad. The problem is, with such light intensity, you can't help but look at it. (I may have accidently done it!)But all is not lost; at least in November I will be able to experience a partial lunar eclipse. And I don't need any special eye wear for it, because it happens in the night time! The word for this week that is the most unique is: Syzygy -- I chose this word to correspond with the events that have happened this week in Europe. This means that with having three letters being Y, it is meant to describe a rare astronomical event (which in this case would be the solar eclipse), w...
Post a Comment
Read more