What makes a story, a good story?
Some may say it’s the characters, some say the plot or theme, and some may argue it’s the message. Maybe the ending, the beginning, or the middle. The voice, the style or the prose. But, what about how it all fits together? How everything combined can make it feel like a perfect game of Tetris?
Let’s dive in to find an answer.
That said, let me welcome you to this spoiler-free review series where the best of the best will be ranked as ‘Tetris-style’—What can I say? Gaming has a big chunk of me.
Note: I don’t intend to say that the parts make the whole. Sometimes, many things converge and end up producing a much greater result—or worse, for that matter. So, stay tuned!
W H A T I S A F F A I R E R O Y A L E ?
When Brie, the Princess Brie, opens her eyes in her hospital bed, the first thought she has is that she doesn’t recognize her lifetime doctor, nor the hospital itself, or the Princedom in Cordina—much less herself. It turns out she has lost every inch of her memory, and every inch of the people responsible.
But because finding culprits is justice’s favorite pastime, Brie’s father enlists an American to protect his daughter of the mysterious menace that now haunts his family, despite it sounding like the worst idea politics-wise.
The man’s name: Reeve MacGee.
A man with no quells with prohibition on so many levels.
**
Because I keep on confessing that I am a newbie at reading, I now come with vol. 2 of this story. It starts with the fact that Affaire Royale was my first romance novel, and Nora Roberts the one author I sought to fill me in on the job.
So here it goes, what was Affaire Royale to a romance virgin?
Tune in for the tale.
C h a r a c t e r s
For people who have read my previous reviews, it might not come as a surprise to know that I am a character-driven reader. I enjoy the complexity of emotions within them, and how they all connect the dots flawlessly while moving the story forward in a way that plot-driven novels can’t do for me—amongst other indescribable things it does to my being.
Having stated that, I want to emphasize that Affaire Royale was nothing like that for me.
And no, it wasn’t mind-blowing either.
I found the characters to be lacking the very thing that makes us human: flaws. No character messed up more than the plot needed to, and there was little to no conflict between them. Unless being a bland character in a sea of very strong, and very attractive characters is a sign of passionate conflict because then there was… not much of it either.
Interactions between characters were less than interesting, and they themselves couldn’t hold a 5 inches-deep bucket to save their name. If they were meant to be a mystery, it did the job better than expected.
The positive has to be… that Brie was not a damsel in distress?
Sort of.
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
P l o t
When stories mix mystery and romance, I am the first to be engaged.
And in this book, there was no exception to the rule.
For the first few chapters, when the premise rang loud and clear, I was hooked. I hadn’t experienced a story from the perspective of a princess with amnesia, and I looked forward to seeing how things were planned to unfold, knowing that she was aware she could trust no one. The stakes were high in my mind.
Then the plot started to slow, and unfortunately, not much except romance was going on despite the interesting premise. The mystery was forgotten, and the only thing worrying Brie, was a man named Reeve.
But what was I thinking? Romance has to lead the way in a romance novel, anyway. Right?
Well, I can’t tell how it is supposed to work, but my enjoyment level was barely average, and I don’t think that was meant to be the point. Perhaps romance is not for me?
The good thing: I wasn’t entirely sure of who the culprit was, so I guess the mystery is not completely obvious?
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
R o m a n c e
I am happy to say that this is the best this novel has to offer.
I can tell why many people love these types of romance novels, and why they love Nora Roberts in general. The love story was well written, from the very beginning and, almost to the very end. The tension was palpable, as was the chemistry, and the genuine connection between the protagonist couple. I did get the so-called ‘feels’ one is supposed to get in a romance novel, and for that I say: well done. Though sometimes I felt the love was developed on the faster end of the spectrum—which, to me, doesn’t quite get me going, but to some, it does.
The negative: There is nothing new to learn about romance or something new to consider in romantic interests going forward. There are even tightly defined roles of a woman and a man, and there is not much else to the relationship except passion and a few hobbies in common. Not to mention that there is some tinge of abuse going on, but I can’t tell if it's only meant to be a kink.
Is this what relationships are in real life?
If so, I get why people can’t stay with one person for too long.
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
W r i t i n g
I will continue my idea from the previous paragraph, and it has to do with how I get why people like these types of books. The writing is simple, to the point, has some punchy one-liners, and it's good enough to experience a romance of this level.
However, I found it didn’t suit my tastes much. I felt the writing had some structural issues with the plot, the characters, and the themes, which makes it feel more like fan fiction than a professionally written novel. No judgment to fan fiction, because I love it, but in this case, the writing didn’t seem to be up to par with my expectations. I feel I need something extra in my books, but I won’t go hard on those who don’t.
All in all, it’s okay.
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
T h e m e s
I was prepared to lower my standards for a romance novel because the chatter one hears on the internet doesn’t help raise them, but I wasn’t prepared as to how low it would go.
I was expecting abuse, because, as most know, it is something very coveted in today’s love interests, though it shouldn’t be. So, I was surprised to find that many more things can go wrong in a novel of this type.
So, yes, I was mistaken. Things can sink much lower than expected. And I don’t think it’s something that pertains to this novel only, but to the genre overall.
There is some sort of fetish with monarchy, riches, beauty, rationality, or strength of character, and none of them question the origin of it, or why we tend to idolize all of the above. I will delve into this further in my analysis, so be sure to read it when it comes out if you’re interested!
In summary, the themes are not exactly themes I’d be happy to show to my hypothetical daughter—or son— in a hypothetical future.
Verdict? N O T F O R M E
To make a long story short, this book is:
Not for me.
F i n a l t h o u g h t s
I know I sounded harsh on the criticism for this story, and maybe for the author in general, but I don’t mean this as an attack on Roberts at all. I am aware that she has a fanbase and that she has a prolific skill that has allowed her to find her niche and the people who adore it.
I am simply not one of them.
I can’t say I was entirely bored throughout the book, nor that it wasn’t steamy as some people might desire, because it was, but it wasn’t something I would read or recommend.
If you’re looking for a deep, emotional romance, with some sort of depth to the plot or some other questioning or developing of themes, I suggest you skip this novel for good. But if you’re looking to read something light, steamy and comfortable, by all means, give this book a try.
With all due respect for the author and the genre, I won’t pick Nora’s books again. Sorry.
But I still wish her a nice life. I do!
**
If you happened across this review and still have an inch of desire to buy this book, buy it here.
I hope you do enjoy it, despite being a little more conscious of the issues it presents.
If you don’t want to buy, but you think my blabber was interesting enough, follow me here.
Thanks a bunch!
Комментарии