RITA Reader Challenge Review

RITA Reader Challenge: Teardrop by Lauren Kate

B-

Title: Teardrop
Author: Lauren Kate
Publication Info: Delacorte October 2013
ISBN: 978-0385742658
Genre: Young Adult

Book Teardrop I didn't receive a RITA® Reader Challenge 2014 review for this book, so I'm compiling quotes from reviews online and using the grade average from Goodreads as a substitute.

This book has a 3.75 review average, which I'm interpreting as a B-. This story was nominated for the RITA® in the Paranormal Romance category.

The summary:

Never, ever cry…

Seventeen-year-old Eureka won't let anyone close enough to feel her pain. After her mother was killed in a freak accident, the things she used to love hold no meaning. She wants to escape, but one thing holds her back: Ander, the boy who is everywhere she goes, whose turquoise eyes are like the ocean. And then Eureka uncovers an ancient tale of romance and heartbreak, about a girl who cried an entire continent into the sea. Suddenly her mother's death and Ander's appearance seem connected, and her life takes on dark undercurrents that don't make sense. Can everything you love be washed away?

And here are the review quotes, linked to the original sources:

Amber Skye wrote:

The premise is unique. Lost underwater civilizations and romance? Count me in. Kate possesses a creative style and confidently weaves vivid images. However, I will say that some of her descriptions go a little too far. Jammed packed with metaphors and adjectives, her phrases often left me a little winded.

It's not that I didn't enjoy Teardrop. I just hoped for more originality. The plot was a little drawn out and could easily have been so much more. Love triangles aren't as entertaining as they used to be. Not sure if I'll check out the sequels. (2 stars)

Once Upon wrote:

In all, this book was amazing. I haven’t read something this exciting and brilliant in a while. It’s a long book but it never felt long while reading it. The mystery was captivating and kept me coming back for more. I am truly excited for the next in the series!!! I must now read every one of Lauren’s books. I loved her style and the flow of the book was perfection. (5 stars)

♥ ĸαяα ♥ wrote:

I've never thought that Lauren Kate was a brilliant writer–having struggled through all three books of her Fallen series. I persevered, though, and found that I didn't hate this. Not like I had thought I would when I picked it up. Was it good? No, it wasn't good by any stretch of the imagination, and many times, I could feel my attention slipping. The main character, seventeen-year-old Eureka, has been suffering ever since her mother died in accident and she survived. Her grieving process was realistic, don't get me wrong, but boring, too. At points I thought that this novel should have been written in first person point of view because of the constant internal monologue that Eureka had. The first few chapters, especially, were tough to get through. Throughout the novel there were paragraphs of reminiscing about old, happier times, which became dull and pointless, when I would have rather of gotten to the main storyline.

In a nutshell: The cover is gorgeous; the insides fell flat. (2 stars)

Tania wrote:

Overall, I enjoyed it quite a bit! The premise is definitely unique, and since I've always been a fan of Atlantean inspired stories, I felt like this was a fresh take on the mythology.

I felt like the dialogue felt natural and flowed well, and I liked Eureka's interactions with the different people in her life. (However, some of the side characters were in danger of being walking stereotypes.)

Some of Kate's descriptive scenes were also quite lovely to read, and I thought her romance scenes were handled nicely.

Some of the pacing felt a little clunky, and I did feel frustrated at times by how passive the main character was (in addition to some of her questionable decision-making), but I did get a good sense of how “broken” she was by grief.

Despite these minor quibbles, I found this to be a quick, entertaining read, and I look forward to seeing what happens in the next volume! (5 stars)


This book is available from Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Kobo | All Romance eBooks

Comments are Closed

  1. Jazzlet says:

    That is a beautiful cover.

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