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A review by cavalary
Blestemul zorilor by Lavinia Călina
3.0
RO [English below]:
Tot se citeste repede, si poate si pentru ca m-am mai obisnuit eu, dar mi-a parut scrisa mai bine decat [b:prima|43892176|Copiii întunericului (Neamul Corbilor, #1)|Lavinia Călina|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1549639470s/43892176.jpg|43080598], iar numarul de greseli evidente a fost redus simtitor, desi pentru mine ramane inacceptabil. In rest, nu m-au deranjat neaparat multe lucruri, desi iarasi asta tine in buna parte de faptul ca nu-mi pasa de personaje. Si stiu ca nu face economie de actiune flashy la inceput, iar scena cu autocarul la benzinaria din Ungaria e chiar amuzanta, si in acelasi timp iarasi foarte "reala", reconfirmand aceasta ancorare in realitatile romanesti, cu aceeasi exceptie ciudata a unor "mile" in loc de kilometri.
Totusi, scene de genul celei din acea biserica, sau atacul care a cauzat accidentul, plus toti mortii, nu se poate sa nu atraga atentia la un nivel imposibil de tinut sub control, cu toate vrajile folosite. Adica n-au voie sa aiba cont pe Facebook si se mentioneaza ingrijorarea legata de orice posibil martor cu un telefon, dar fac lucruri care ar face toate stirile si ar atrage atentia unor orase intregi si nu se mentioneaza nimic de consecinte. Dar vorbind de consecinte, cam deranjant violul prin aceasta abordare care pare foarte intalnita si probabil chiar cautata, aparent chiar de femei, in care "nu" devine "nu te opri" si furia se transforma rapid in dorinta.
Cat despre Nicol, e as zice chiar gretos cat de proasta ajunge, chiar daca motivul e evident. Si a fost specificat clar in prima carte ce se intampla cu mamele de baieti, asa ca n-are niciun sens sa fie "surpriza" in aceasta. Dar eu tot revin la a ma intreba cum de are copil, si nu zic asta doar ca antinatalist militant infuriat de faptul ca exista asa un personaj principal, ci tinand cont ca la inceputul primei carti mentioneaza avorturi, deci chiar daca ea a fost destul de evident vrajita sa-l pastreze, oricine altcineva, incepand cu Roxana, ar fi trebuit sa-si dea seama ca ceva-i foarte-n neregula, si poate chiar si exact ce.
EN:
It still reads quickly, and maybe also because I got more used to it, but it seemed better written than [b:the first|43892176|Copiii întunericului (Neamul Corbilor, #1)|Lavinia Călina|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1549639470s/43892176.jpg|43080598], and the number of obvious mistakes has been noticeably reduced, though for me it remains unacceptable. Otherwise, I wasn't necessarily bothered by many things, though this again has in good part to do with the fact that I don't care about the characters. And I know flashy action isn't spared early on, and the bus scene at the gas station in Hungary is actually funny, and at the same time again very "real", reconfirming this anchoring in Romanian realities, with the same odd exception of some "miles" instead of kilometers.
Still, scenes like the one from that church, or the attack that caused the crash, plus all the dead, can't not attract attention at a level impossible to control, regardless of all the spells used. I mean, they're not allowed to have a Facebook account and the concern about any possible witness with a phone is mentioned, but they do things that would make all the news and attract the attention of entire cities and there's no mention of consequences. But speaking of consequences, the rape is rather troubling due to this approach that seems very common and possibly even sought after, apparently actually by women, where "don't" becomes "don't stop" and rage quickly turns into desire.
As for Nicol, it's I'd say downright sickening how dumb she becomes, even if the reason is obvious. And what happens to mothers of boys was clearly specified in the first book, so it's pointless for it to be a "surprise" in this one. But I keep returning to wondering how come she has a child, and I'm not saying this just as a militant antinatalist furious over the fact that such a main character exists, but considering that at the beginning of the first book she mentions abortions, so even if she was quite obviously bewitched to keep him, anyone else, starting with Roxana, should have realized that something's very wrong, and maybe even exactly what.
Tot se citeste repede, si poate si pentru ca m-am mai obisnuit eu, dar mi-a parut scrisa mai bine decat [b:prima|43892176|Copiii întunericului (Neamul Corbilor, #1)|Lavinia Călina|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1549639470s/43892176.jpg|43080598], iar numarul de greseli evidente a fost redus simtitor, desi pentru mine ramane inacceptabil. In rest, nu m-au deranjat neaparat multe lucruri, desi iarasi asta tine in buna parte de faptul ca nu-mi pasa de personaje. Si stiu ca nu face economie de actiune flashy la inceput, iar scena cu autocarul la benzinaria din Ungaria e chiar amuzanta, si in acelasi timp iarasi foarte "reala", reconfirmand aceasta ancorare in realitatile romanesti, cu aceeasi exceptie ciudata a unor "mile" in loc de kilometri.
Totusi, scene de genul celei din acea biserica, sau atacul care a cauzat accidentul, plus toti mortii, nu se poate sa nu atraga atentia la un nivel imposibil de tinut sub control, cu toate vrajile folosite. Adica n-au voie sa aiba cont pe Facebook si se mentioneaza ingrijorarea legata de orice posibil martor cu un telefon, dar fac lucruri care ar face toate stirile si ar atrage atentia unor orase intregi si nu se mentioneaza nimic de consecinte. Dar vorbind de consecinte, cam deranjant violul prin aceasta abordare care pare foarte intalnita si probabil chiar cautata, aparent chiar de femei, in care "nu" devine "nu te opri" si furia se transforma rapid in dorinta.
Cat despre Nicol, e as zice chiar gretos cat de proasta ajunge, chiar daca motivul e evident. Si a fost specificat clar in prima carte ce se intampla cu mamele de baieti, asa ca n-are niciun sens sa fie "surpriza" in aceasta. Dar eu tot revin la a ma intreba cum de are copil, si nu zic asta doar ca antinatalist militant infuriat de faptul ca exista asa un personaj principal, ci tinand cont ca la inceputul primei carti mentioneaza avorturi, deci chiar daca ea a fost destul de evident vrajita sa-l pastreze, oricine altcineva, incepand cu Roxana, ar fi trebuit sa-si dea seama ca ceva-i foarte-n neregula, si poate chiar si exact ce.
EN:
It still reads quickly, and maybe also because I got more used to it, but it seemed better written than [b:the first|43892176|Copiii întunericului (Neamul Corbilor, #1)|Lavinia Călina|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1549639470s/43892176.jpg|43080598], and the number of obvious mistakes has been noticeably reduced, though for me it remains unacceptable. Otherwise, I wasn't necessarily bothered by many things, though this again has in good part to do with the fact that I don't care about the characters. And I know flashy action isn't spared early on, and the bus scene at the gas station in Hungary is actually funny, and at the same time again very "real", reconfirming this anchoring in Romanian realities, with the same odd exception of some "miles" instead of kilometers.
Still, scenes like the one from that church, or the attack that caused the crash, plus all the dead, can't not attract attention at a level impossible to control, regardless of all the spells used. I mean, they're not allowed to have a Facebook account and the concern about any possible witness with a phone is mentioned, but they do things that would make all the news and attract the attention of entire cities and there's no mention of consequences. But speaking of consequences, the rape is rather troubling due to this approach that seems very common and possibly even sought after, apparently actually by women, where "don't" becomes "don't stop" and rage quickly turns into desire.
As for Nicol, it's I'd say downright sickening how dumb she becomes, even if the reason is obvious. And what happens to mothers of boys was clearly specified in the first book, so it's pointless for it to be a "surprise" in this one. But I keep returning to wondering how come she has a child, and I'm not saying this just as a militant antinatalist furious over the fact that such a main character exists, but considering that at the beginning of the first book she mentions abortions, so even if she was quite obviously bewitched to keep him, anyone else, starting with Roxana, should have realized that something's very wrong, and maybe even exactly what.