Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp's Reviews > These Infinite Threads

|| 3.0 stars ||

I am, unfortunately, quite disappointed. After absolutely adoring the first book, I went in with rather high expectations, which this book did not seem to be able to meet at all.

The most glaring issue for me would be the romance. We had something that felt so real and vivid between Alizeh and Kamran, only for it to now be replaced with something so cliche as another carbon copy of the enemies to lovers trope.
I don’t have anything against Cyrus personally, he even seemed a rather sympathetic character in his own way, but I wasn’t able to really feel for him as he reads as yet another stereotypical broody, tortured hero. He was the kind of love interest I have read a million times before and, consequently, his unoriginal romance with Alizeh was one that I could not find much interest in. It just felt forced.

It’s not even that I find either Kamran or Cyrus more objectively likeable than the other, it’s not that. Cyrus might even win that contest, actually. It’s just that Cyrus felt like such a flat, simple character that he was unable to awaken any feeling or emotion within me.
It might also be because we don’t get to read from Cyrus’ persective at all, while we continue to read from Kamran’s, that I felt so unable to connect with him, which leads me to believe that this was a strange and rather ill-adviced choice from the author.

Perhaps this strange choice of POVs is a hint that Kamran is indeed still meant to be endgame, but if that is to be the case, I’m possibly even unhappier about the events of this book.
I did not need a second love interest. It cheapens the love between Kamran and Alizeh a lot, and so, even if they do end up together, it will now no longer feel as truthful as it did before. After all, Alizeh seemed to have forgotten about Kamran so easily, I no longer believe her feelings for him to be genuine.
Not to mention, Kamran’s easy resolve to denounce and mistrust Alizeh in this book also makes me unsure whether I even want them to be together anymore…

I don’t know. This sequel just kind of ruined the romance for me entirely, no matter what happens at this point. Neither Cyrus or Kamran satisfy me as a love interest right now.

Worst of all, Alizeh has disappointed me as well. Whereas she was so painfully compassionate and caring in the first book, to the point of my falling utterly in love with her, she seemed more like a caricature of herself now.
Instead of being kindhearted while still remaining strong and intelligent, she was now too naive, too silly, too overwrought with emotion, too dramatic; she no longer seemed real or admirable, she now almost felt like a joke… One I even found a little irritating.

Last but not least… Where on earth was the plot?? Why was it literally non-existent?? I’d even say this book was actually rather boring at times… It was definitely a far cry from the ever intriguing and constantly gripping experience I had with the first book. What a letdown.


'This Woven Kingdom' series:
1. This Woven Kingdom - 5.0 stars
2. These Infinite Threads - 3.0 stars