Ruinsong

I had such high hopes for this book that I think it became impossible for it to live up to the hype in my head, and since it didn’t, I couldn’t shake my “meh” feelings about this one.

I went into <i>Ruinsong</i> expecting a sapphic dark fantasy romance. The opening scene shook me to my COREI have never been more disturbed by a book than I was while reading the opening scene! So things were off to a fantastic start! But the tone seemed to take a dip after that and then held a steady “meh” note throughout the rest of the book.

This is probably my own personal bias, but I wanted more from Cadence and Remi’s relationship. <spoilers>I enjoyed their budding romance, but I wanted an earlier payout…a few more kissing scenes, or perhaps near-kisses, more building tension and attraction. But we spent the first quarter or more of the story with their paths not even intertwining (making it difficult for those moments to happen because, well, they weren’t in any shared spaces), and I justAgain, it’s not what I thought I was going to get when I read this book. I don’t think it was necessarily bad; in fact, I think the pacing of their relationship fit the story and their character development quite well, but I was disappointed not to see them together more.</spoilers>

The idea of the song-magic in <i>Ruinsong</i> really fascinated me! Buuut as I started reading, it just wasn’t as cool as I thought it would be. At least…I don’t know. The opening scene was so dynamic and intense, and then many of the other song scenes just felt rushed or un-charged.

<i>Ruinsong</i> was still a good book, and I think I’d like it more the second time I read it, but as of right now it was just a meh read for me. It’s also worth noting, however, that I’m in a serious reading funk and nothing has been working for me, so maybe it’s not the book, maybe it’s just me! <3

Ruinsong was fine. It was a fairly fun and quick read, and I’m certainly not mad that I read it… but the storytelling left something to be desired. We’re ushered from one plot point to the next so quickly there isn’t time to get a grasp of the characters personality, relationships, or history. It feels like being told facts rather than watching a character evolve and grow. I don’t think this book was ready to be published yet.

Most disappointingly… this book isn’t a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera. At best, I would say this is loosely inspired by the Phantombut even then it is missing several key plot points. The Phantom is beloved for the darkness, complexity, and ultimate vulnerability shared between Christine and the Phantom. All of which is utterly missing from this “retelling.”

3.5 stars. This is a well written YA fantasy with intriguing world building. I loved the idea of magic through song and the power and limits that would come from that. I wish there were more books in this world so that we could explore these elements more deeply. The story as a whole could have used another book as it was a lot of foundation and then wham relationship and all the plot. There wasnt enough time spent with their relationship for it to have believable gravitas in their decision making. I also never quite connected with the characters, both of the main characters felt too self absorbed and pouty (but thats very believable teen girl so well done there).

Ruinsong is an amazing fantasy novel. The imaginative plot returns to contemplate days after reading. Evil twists will keep you connected to the end.

Did not fit the description.

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