Member Review
Review by
Michelle D, Reviewer
The Reckless Oath We Made is Bryn Greenwood's sophomore's novel. After the massive success of her first novel, All the Ugly and Wonderful ThingsAll the Ugly and Wonderful Things (which I personally loved), the expectations on this new novel are incredibly high. Bryn Greenwood delivers. No question about it.
This is a very different book from her first novel. I read a few other reviews before typing my thoughts about my experience with the story. Yes, it is a love story. It is just not an ordinary love story. Zee is struggling to survive in Wichita, KS in any possible way. Her family was marked from the start, as her father spent life in prison until his death. Her mother is dysfunctional, her sister enmeshed in an unhealthy relationship with the father of her son, Marcus.
Zee meets Gentry one day, and he introduces himself in a peculiar way. Gentry is not an ordinary man. He has his own quirks and perks for you to discover, but above all, Gentry speaks in Middle English. This is where the book almost lost me. I do not have an issue with that kind of language after reading all the Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) books. I just found it a bit mind-bending to swap from modern English to Middle English in the same book. I hesitated for half a day considering to continue or giving up. I did not want to give up! I have been waiting a while for this book, and I was given an ARC from NetGalley. I decided to trust Bryn Greenwood, and I kept going. I should have known better than to doubt the Lady Greenwood. I was rewarded with an outstanding story about love, loyalty, and acceptance.
In Greenwood's universe, princesses can be waitresses with frizzy hair and thick thighs, and champions do not require to be "oh-so-hot" and filthy-rich. She writes about real people struggling with real issues (including drugs, jail, mental health), and still is capable of delivering a fairy tale. Don't fool yourself thinking All the Ugly and Wonderful Things was not a love story as well. It was, just like her new book. There is abuse, there are drugs, there are criminals, just like in her first book. The romance part is just more prominent, and the characters are both age-appropriate.
If you are on the fence of reading this book due to the Middle English part of it, I invite you to give it a chance. She is so talented and made it work using a lighter version of it well adapted for modern readers (English is my second language, and I got it. I believe you can get it too). This story is filled with real emotions and struggles. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons in exchange for an honest review.
#BrynGreenwood #TheReclessOathWeMade
This is a very different book from her first novel. I read a few other reviews before typing my thoughts about my experience with the story. Yes, it is a love story. It is just not an ordinary love story. Zee is struggling to survive in Wichita, KS in any possible way. Her family was marked from the start, as her father spent life in prison until his death. Her mother is dysfunctional, her sister enmeshed in an unhealthy relationship with the father of her son, Marcus.
Zee meets Gentry one day, and he introduces himself in a peculiar way. Gentry is not an ordinary man. He has his own quirks and perks for you to discover, but above all, Gentry speaks in Middle English. This is where the book almost lost me. I do not have an issue with that kind of language after reading all the Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) books. I just found it a bit mind-bending to swap from modern English to Middle English in the same book. I hesitated for half a day considering to continue or giving up. I did not want to give up! I have been waiting a while for this book, and I was given an ARC from NetGalley. I decided to trust Bryn Greenwood, and I kept going. I should have known better than to doubt the Lady Greenwood. I was rewarded with an outstanding story about love, loyalty, and acceptance.
In Greenwood's universe, princesses can be waitresses with frizzy hair and thick thighs, and champions do not require to be "oh-so-hot" and filthy-rich. She writes about real people struggling with real issues (including drugs, jail, mental health), and still is capable of delivering a fairy tale. Don't fool yourself thinking All the Ugly and Wonderful Things was not a love story as well. It was, just like her new book. There is abuse, there are drugs, there are criminals, just like in her first book. The romance part is just more prominent, and the characters are both age-appropriate.
If you are on the fence of reading this book due to the Middle English part of it, I invite you to give it a chance. She is so talented and made it work using a lighter version of it well adapted for modern readers (English is my second language, and I got it. I believe you can get it too). This story is filled with real emotions and struggles. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons in exchange for an honest review.
#BrynGreenwood #TheReclessOathWeMade
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