This was cooler than I anticipated. I wish the summary for this book didn't start with "What would you do for the one true love?" kinda thing. Made it seem like more of a romance than it actually was. I enjoyed the parts that were not a romance the best, of course, though the romance wasn't awful. A little too easy and too fast...echoes of Twilight...and I do not say that in a complimentary fashion. However, I dug the other relationships quite a lot. Jonah and Zoe. Jonah and Rufus. Zoe and Dallas. Zoe and Val. Val and Gloria. It was cool to have all of those be such well-realized parts of the story. ♥

Very nearly DNF'd the book before 50 pages due to animal cruelty but decided to persist on unless I saw any more. Luckily, that scene was the only scene containing it and I was able to finish the book. Overall the book was just okay and I'd give it 2.5 stars. The main character was rather annoying at first, but grew on me later in the book. There was a lackluster "inta-love" and the story had two main storylines that did converge nicely. Was not at all surprised at the "twist." Story ended in a way that I am satisfied with the ending without picking up any subsequent books.

I overall really enjoyed this! I thought the characters were really nicely fleshed out. The paranormal aspects were really well balanced with the real things. My biggest issue was actually the writing itself. It felt (I’m struggling to find the right word) corny? Pretentious? Juvenile! That’s the word. It felt juvenile at times. I think it could have been a little bit more mature and poetic. I liked the authors, albeit imperfect, use of modern technology and social media. I’m really felt like the author put in the effort to connect with the audience, something I feel is often lacking on ya. My other main issue was the insta love. So much insta love. I feel like it very much could have been phrased as not “in love”. The good thing is I wasn’t really reading for the romance so I let it slide.

Things I loved: the mystery and suspense! The author nailed the suspense aspect and really managed to let out secrets at just the right time. He kept the pages turning.
I loved the characters. They have so much depth and I can see development occurring throughout the series.
The description of the Lowlands. I found the whole underworld to be so fascinating.


Definitely will be continuing with the series.

3,5/5 stars

This book is a weird mix between contemporary and urban fantasy. I did enjoy this book and I might continue the series.

Pros: unique mix of fantasy and contemporary, great family dynamics, absolutely great side characters, a bounty hunter from hell (= a character I haven't seen in other books before)

Cons: the romance didn't really interest me all that much, partially predictable plot twists

I really like the idea behind this book, as well as some of the more imaginative contents. There were also a lot of analogies which I found to be quite witty and / or thoughtful. Otherwise, however, this book wasn’t really for me.

While still in the first half of this book, I could not figure out whether I couldn’t get into it because of the narrative style, or because I simply could not get attached to any of the characters. But as I continued reading, I realized that it’s a combination of the two. While, like the story itself, I liked the idea behind the characters, something about the way this book was narrated kept me from immersing myself into the world and caring for any of the personages, even though I really really wanted to.

Another factor was the dialogue (which I suppose is categorized under narrative style anyway), and how characters would take an exaggerated amount of time sometimes to get to the point, or to tell other characters something important.

I also really disliked Zoe, spending the first few chapters growling and shaking my head at her actions. X, on the other hand, I found to the likeable for the most part, and I would not mind reading more about him. The only downside to his character, in fact, was the insta-love he shares with Zoe. I am not a believer of love at first sight, and this will definitely have affected how I experienced this book.

Overall, it was an alright book, and I have noticed that many people loved it to pieces (and many who have yet to read it will likely love it as well). As for me, I left the experience disappointed, and unsure as to whether I will read the sequel when it’s released, or not.

Disons plutôt 2,5 étoiles.
Je suis mitigée ! Dans l’ensemble, je ne peux pas dire que je n’ai pas aimé ce livre, ce serait entièrement faux. J’ai vraiment aimé X, Ripper et toute la partie avec les Terres du Bas. Non, ce qui pêche ici, en plus d'une romance mal amenée et très clichée, c’est le personnage de Zoé. Alors c’est sans doute moi qui n’aime pas ce genre de personnage, mais je l’ai trouvé profondément égoïste et pas très futée. Du coup, j'ai eu un peu de mal à comprendre son point de vue. J'ai vraiment et largement préféré les parties dans lesquelles X se bat pour connaître la vérité sur sa naissance. J'aurais mis un 5 étoiles s'il n'y avait pas eu Zoé et cette romance que je n'ai pas trouvé crédible. Ma chronique complète sur Songe d'une nuit d'été : https://songedunenuitdete.com/2018/09/17/les-ames-perdues-t01-les-terres-du-bas-de-jeff-giles/

Based on the review from my favorite BookTubers, I was so excited to read this book. From the synopsis, I also thought that it's going to be interesting and thrilling. I liked the first hundred pages, it was great, but when then as I got into the middle part of the book, I was...bored.

This book actually made me not want to read any book at all, which is bad, because then I got into a reading slump for months. So then I decided that I didn't like this book as much as I wanted to. The ending of the book is okay, I guess. It is still full of action, but that just doesn't cut it for me.

I'm the kind of reader who will love any romance in a book, it's very rare for me to find a romance that I don't like, especially if it's the main characters' romance. But in this book, I DO NOT LIKE THE ROMANCE AT ALL! It's what you called insta-love and I just don't like it.

I also don't like the main character, Zoe. I don't know why, but I just don't. I couldn't connect with her, and I just couldn't put myself on her shoes. It was like I'm resenting it. Other characters, I kind of like. X's friends on Lowlands, Ringer and the other guy (I can't remember his name) were awesome. I was more interested on their stories rather than Zoe's.

I couldn't picture the Lowlands at all. In my mind it's just...a pit of hell and a cell. That's all.

Overall, I gave this book a 3/5 stars. This is the first book in a series, but I don't know if I'll ever continue this series.