Toads and Diamonds

So boring. Boring, boring, boring.

Objectively, it's a good book. The writing is pleasantly inoffensive, the world is fully realized with lots of background and descriptions (which, now that I think about it, contributed to the boring for me). There's a strong friendship and sisterly bonds between the two stepsisters and, even though they are very different, their love and respect for each other is obvious.

However, I just didn't care. The book was at its best when the sisters were together and that was for probably less than a quarter of the book. I didn't really care about either girl, they were just there in a very static way. And the story feels like it never goes anywhere, like I'm slogging through it and barely getting anywhere. (Though, that's not accurate, it's a very quick book to read, probably because my eyes kind of glaze over during paragraphs of descriptions - especially if what's being described is clothes - and very little sinks in.) Also, I couldn't help but wonder what the point of it all was by the end, because very little had changed in the world and/or in the characters lives. (About the only thing that had changed was the romance-y stuff.)