Shadow Scale by Rachel HartmanMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
Before reading this, I thought maybe all the low ratings were due to high expectations, and I lowered mine, telling myself that I didn't mind if Seraphina was traveling a lot - she would meet new people and learn new things. But that didn't help. I still found myself beginning to hate this book during the second half but didn't understand why.
I was still expecting a generally positive fantasy story with worthy characters, new and old friendships, knowledge gathered and used for good, self-discovery, and triumph against the bad dragons and the bad people who don't like half dragons.
What bothered me about this book was that all the good characters and relationships were systematically poisoned or stripped away. There was so much potential, but the whole story became centered around a character who had been abused as a child and is now determined to punish the entire world with their insidious, advanced powers. They're mentally and emotionally abusive in that mind-twisty way that makes you question your own sanity.
This manipulative character takes over the entire book, derails all plot points, and steals all hope. They are so powerful that no one else can achieve anything. It's both frustrating and disturbing. I hated that I was experiencing this. It was far too close to ugly reality for me. The constant tearing down and the very personal vindictiveness really weighed on me. It left a bad taste in my mouth.
At least the right people triumph in the end. But the ending isn't nearly good enough. There's still too much loss. What was this, YA grimdark fantasy in disguise?
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