Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsUgh. Let me cite the ways Vinna was a walking, overdone, unrealistic hypocrite.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 1, 2022
First, Vinna literally got all preachy and indignant about people's, especially when it came to choices of her Shields (Enoch's coven, who she marked with her magic when they were training), when they got to Sentinel City. This while she had, for the last two books, kept referring to, calling Mateo by his LAST name, even after he specified preferring to be called "Mateo" or "Teo." Yeah, consistent and respectful were the last adjectives/descriptors to be applied to Vinna.
Secondly, how is someone who is so NOT commanding,intimidating, or impressive in appearance supposed to demand respect and fear from complete strangers who have similar,possibly greater, powers as herself, when she projects juvenile, potty-mouth intimidation tactics with major attitude and zero positive personality? Vinna was, to me, a walking/talking contradiction of a Lead Female Character who (I think) the writer wanted to be so awesome, powerful and loveable that this realm of Sentinels couldn't resist. Sure, but not the way she projected herself. She was on an ego trip, (who describes herself as having eyes nose and mouth she knew guys found irresistible, and she was proud of, without coming across as narcissistic?), taunting people who were strangers, that she didn't know the abilities of, even though she was powerful? Her guys were out cold! Gah! Vinna was clueless socially, and d-bombed her way through everything. I did a word search: there were 503 instances, in different speech forms, of f*** in the 384 pages in this book. In one chapter that had her dropping the f-bomb a few too many times, I went back and counted thirteen she used or thought, with a few more from her male harem - oops, sorry. Her Chosen. Apologies, but when a LFC comes across so unlikable, she becomes unattractive In my eyes, and her looks weren't in the upper stratosphere, no matter how pretty she might have been. When she opened her mouth, and was socially awkward to boot, yeah, but no.
I'm of the opinion the writer was trying to make her an awesome heroine who was as attractive as she was powerful. The powerful came through - her personality and attitude were nails across a chalkboard. I get it that Ivy Asher likes to swear in real life. She's supposed to be creating a certain type of character, whom people and supernatural beings she encounters are supposed to be listening to, engaging with, and be respectful of simply because of her powerful abilities. Instead, Vinna sounds like a twenty-two year old female with powers acting like she's fifteen with a major chip and zero f***s to give them. With a male harem of seven pretty to handsome former mageś, a wolf shifter, and a lamia, she could be a twenty-first century entertainer with too much attitude and over-the-top sex drive. Two stars. I ignored the red flags in the first two books for the exciting storyline. However, she became too much of an over-the-top LFC. I literally abhorred her by the end.
