Barbara Rayne

This is a book about a girl who was never given the chance to be happy. What little happiness she does find is hard-earned and well deserved. I've always liked this type of storyline. Life is hard and I like it when characters work for their word count. It makes me root for them all the harder, and you defiantly sympathise with Nette in this book. She is good natured, strong willed, and likeable. Though from a very different genre, she reminded me a lot of Scarlett O'Hara in her ability to show more face disappointment head on, straighten her back, and get on with the difficult task of getting on-to hell with society's (or the nobility's) opinion. I found myself really hoping that the next chapter would bring a lasting happiness, and this kept the pages turning.

It is very easy to fall into pace with Nette, since the story is told in the first person from her point of view. You are never left wondering what she is thinking, as you are in her head every step of the way. The story starts when she is very young. Too young, in fact, to understand what is happening around her. The reader, like Nette, must face the unknown assailants and figure it out. It then follows her amazing and prophecied life.

The story is fast paced and engaging, and there is a colourful cast of supporting charters. I particularly loved Raul. The only thing that kept it from being a 5 stars (other than that I am very chincy with my 5 stars) is that it felt a little rushed at times-I would have liked a little more explanation of the whos, hows and whys-and Rayne has a habit of dropping particles that takes some getting used to. This should in no way discourage readers. It is a fun and imaginative book that is well worth the read. I'll definitely be up for reading another of Rayne's books in the future. show less

First, let me say that "Nette" was a wonderfully imaginative story. It really kills me to not give this book a glowing review because you can tell the author had a ton of passion while writing it. I did find myself wanting to finish to find out what happened, even though i knew what would. The author, Barbara rayne, had a certain message she wanted to get through to people about how hate is bad. Ok. I agree with that. But then why is it fine for Nette to hate and brutally kill those who show more wronged her? If Rayne wants to teach love and forgiveness it could have been done a bit more tactfully, and with less gore. The gore also makes me tend to think this book is NOT for all ages.

Another thing that bothered me is that it was never explained why Nette had brown eyes or why she was chosen for all of those things. The writing/editing was so bad that I thought they were purposefully making Nette's speech staccato. This was until I realized all of the characters had errors in their speech. It was extremely distracting to me. Also, I was bothered by a couple of the lines in the story. One was when Raul tells his mother to stop speaking to him as if he is "retarded". The story is set 100 years in the future and people still talk like that?

I am giving this book 2 stars because it was lacking in too many areas in my opinion. The story itself saved it from being a total disaster. I know this sounds harsh, but I have to be honest! show less

It took me a little longer to start this book than I would have liked but once I did I couldnt put it down! I read the entire book in one evening.
It isn't exactly what I was expecting from the description. Honestly it sounded a bit more dystopian to me. To me it is more of a fantasy novel. I dont normally enjoy fantasy but as I said already I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down.
I found Nette both interesting and relateble. It was nice to see a strong female lead that wasn't show more too perfect or too dysfunctional to root for. There was some romance but not so much that that becomes the main point of the book.
Honestly I dont knowwhat else to say other than go read it! Trust me you will enjoy it. show less

In a society where gender is easy to tell by eye color, males have brown eyes and females have blue eyes, what would happen if a female was born with brown eyes?

The prophecy states the girl born with brown eyes will kill the king and become the Queen. If everyone is so happy to be free, why do they think Nette is the devil?

From the age of 5, Nette has known pain, in numerous ways, including the death of her parents. Luckily she is found by her grandfather, and she learned to become a show more fearless warrior. She would learn to fight to the death, without any regret for those who had caused harm, whether to herself or to others. As Queen, she vowed she would help the people in many ways. But there were those who did not want her to rule and would try to dethrone her, spreading rumors and lies, causing mistrust and seeking revenge.

Very well written with a great cast of characters, from those that love and want to protect Nette to the most evil and deceitful . Keeps you reading to see what would happen next and what will become of Nette, the girl born with brown eyes. A few spelling errors that could easily be corrected, but overall a very good read. show less