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A review by obscurepages
Essence by Hayley Gabrielle
3.0
(You can also find this review on my blog!)
The author gave me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review! The synopsis was intriguing, and the story was just enough to keep me on my toes.
The writing
The writing style was okay for me. There were some parts that did not entice me enough, but there were also scenes and lines that made me think about humanity and the world, and I really liked that.
The characters
The characters were really interesting, especially the Essences. The author truly captured their personalities and showed their "Essences" well. I also liked the fact that the Essence of Good was a man, and the Essence of Evil was a woman. In a way, it defies the norm/trope that women are the innocent ones, and men are the malicious ones. It was a nice change in the story. I would love to know how the author is going to continue that arc, and that story.
I liked the protagonist enough. Although, there was little that made me feel for her or connect with her. When I read, I try to relate myself to the narrator of the story but with Abbey Shader, I feel like I didn't get much feel of her personality. I saw her emotions, that was for sure, but her personality was a miss for me.
Zac, the other protagonist, was okay for me as well. There's a lot of story in his past, but I feel like it wasn't explored enough. Maybe the author will revisit that in the future installments of the series, and give it more significance, who knows?
The plot
The plot was interesting enough, although I found it a bit lacking. It was intriguing and fascinating, but I needed more. I needed something that will truly get me hooked and leave me craving for more.
It was simple, and that's good, there is nothing wrong about that. But it didn't captivate me enough like I thought it would. Maybe they will be more action and plot in the second book once we dive in deeper to their world.
The world-building
The world-building was also good. I liked the concept of the erodosphere and how the Essences move and exist and function in these different worlds and in different people. I would really love to know more about them and their system. And I'd also love to meet other Essences!
This was a good read, and my first for the month of September! I give this 3.5 stars!
The author gave me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review! The synopsis was intriguing, and the story was just enough to keep me on my toes.
The writing
The writing style was okay for me. There were some parts that did not entice me enough, but there were also scenes and lines that made me think about humanity and the world, and I really liked that.
The characters
The characters were really interesting, especially the Essences. The author truly captured their personalities and showed their "Essences" well. I also liked the fact that the Essence of Good was a man, and the Essence of Evil was a woman. In a way, it defies the norm/trope that women are the innocent ones, and men are the malicious ones. It was a nice change in the story. I would love to know how the author is going to continue that arc, and that story.
I liked the protagonist enough. Although, there was little that made me feel for her or connect with her. When I read, I try to relate myself to the narrator of the story but with Abbey Shader, I feel like I didn't get much feel of her personality. I saw her emotions, that was for sure, but her personality was a miss for me.
Zac, the other protagonist, was okay for me as well. There's a lot of story in his past, but I feel like it wasn't explored enough. Maybe the author will revisit that in the future installments of the series, and give it more significance, who knows?
The plot
The plot was interesting enough, although I found it a bit lacking. It was intriguing and fascinating, but I needed more. I needed something that will truly get me hooked and leave me craving for more.
It was simple, and that's good, there is nothing wrong about that. But it didn't captivate me enough like I thought it would. Maybe they will be more action and plot in the second book once we dive in deeper to their world.
The world-building
The world-building was also good. I liked the concept of the erodosphere and how the Essences move and exist and function in these different worlds and in different people. I would really love to know more about them and their system. And I'd also love to meet other Essences!
This was a good read, and my first for the month of September! I give this 3.5 stars!