Review: Engaging read.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 12, 2013
“Jed’s dead. These are the words that transform seventeen year old Cecelia Rivermire’s quiet life into a manhunt. A manhunt to kill the man that murdered her only friend. A manhunt to kill the man that murdered her first love. In this quest for revenge, however, she’ll soon discover that everything she’s ever known has been a lie, including everything she thinks she knows about herself…”With such words opening the blurb I was immediately drawn to this book. I devoured the story in a day, then breathed while I mulled over my review. The Blue Eyed General is a difficult review for me to write. I feel like I have a love hate relationship with this book. I waited a couple weeks after reading to see if I still felt the same way.First I found that I absolutely couldn’t stop thinking about it. I will definitely be reading the second instalment . The world building was superb. Rebecca wove the descriptions seamlessly into the plot. I am a lover of Anime and I could see this easily as a graphic manga. Cecilia’s story was compelling. She drew me right in with her emotions and quest for vengeance. I found the plot intriguing, as well, and it was executed well enough to keep me pretty engaged. The opening was very strong and kept me engaged throughout.Second I had issues with the main and supporting characters. I will admit I do not read a lot of YAs, so I am wondering if the characters should be so immature. There were times I wanted to smack Cecelia due to her immature behaviour. She had seemed so kick ass, powerful and revered I had thought she would have be more decisive and firm. She was quick to anger, readily drawing her sword and acting aggressively at the slightest taunt, and in some instances for no logical reason. She is also very egotistical and this did not really draw me toward her. But then I had to pause and consider that it may be normal for a seventeen year old to behave so?  But despite this she managed to pull through as a likable character, and such flaws made her relatable. I was still cheering for her and I remained invested in her journey throughout the book.The supporting characters were flat for me. At times they seemed overly immature and their interaction forced. I did like Brey very much and I liked the tension between him and Cecila. I will read the other series to see how they develop.I think that is what gets me so much about this book. There are clear things I did not like about it. Things I ranted about such as the copious amount of exclamation marks that peppered the pages. But I assure you the minute the second installment releases I will be buying it. I found myself wondering, weeks after, what will happen and what could be the possible resolution. It is for this reason, this interest to know more, how invested I have become in Cecilia’s journey I am giving this book a rating of 4.