See Me by Wendy HigginsPublished by: Self Published on March 15, 2014
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 248
Source: Purchased
Book Details
Rating: ★★★½
The author of the Sweet Evil trilogy from HarperTeen brings you a Young Adult modern folktale full of Irish magic and romance.
While most seventeen-year-old American girls would refuse to let their parents marry them off to a stranger, Robyn Mason dreams of the mysterious McKale in Ireland, wondering how he’ll look and imagining his Irish accent. Prearranged bindings are common for magical families like her own, however when she travels to the whimsical Emerald Isle she discovers there’s more to her betrothal and McKale’s clan than she'd been led to believe.
What starts as an obligatory pairing between Robyn and McKale morphs over time into something they both need. But one giant obstacle stands in the way of their budding romance: a seductive and deadly Fae princess accustomed to getting what she wants—and what she wants is McKale as her plaything. Love, desire, and jealousies collide as Robyn’s family and McKale’s clan must work together to outsmart the powerful Faeries and preserve the only hope left for their ancient bloodlines.
See Me was a cute story with a very sweet and interesting romance!
I really liked the “arranged marriage” aspect of this book; it made it feel very different. Rather than just stumbling upon McKale and falling in love with him, Robyn is introduced to him and expected to marry him! So the book is about Robyn managing this expectation, trying to keep an open mind, and gradually falling in love with him anyway. I’ve seen some review where people despise this aspect. They hate the arranged marriage and they hate that Robyn is kind of okay with it. So I guess opinions will vary and all that jazz.. If you think it will bother you, I don’t recommend the book. But I found it kind of fun and unique.
I have some mixed feelings about the second half of the book. On the one hand, I REALLY like how the romance progressed. It got super sweet! I love how you can clearly see McKale’s character development. He went from being a shy, tentative, hesitant guy, to one with a lot more confidence. It was an excellent progression. I wasn’t crazy about McKale in the beginning because he was a bit boring, but as he got more confident I found myself really loving him! There were some great parts of the romance that had me giggling with giddiness and excitement!
But, on the other hand, I feel like the non-romance part of the plot really lulled in the middle. Things got a bit boring and uneventful. I was also disappointed that the Faeries are never really explored. Even after reading the book, I feel like they’re a mysterious bunch just off to the side. I never really understood their role in the universe, what they do, or what their lives are like. They clearly weren’t the focus of the story, but they were so interwoven in the plot that it was weird we got so little information about them.
Overall, I’d say See Me was quirky and fluffy. It has a few ridiculous moments, but I suppose that was part of its charm. It doesn’t have the best world building in the universe and some plot points may really piss people off, but they mostly didn’t bother me.
I recommend this book if…
- You want a fun, sweet, fluffy romance.
- You like the idea of a successful arranged marriage.
- You like Irish things.
I DO NOT recommend it if…
- You’re an insanely passionate feminist. The Leprechaun society sees women as belonging in the kitchen and not on the sports field (as one example).
- You want incredible faerie world building (it’s lacking in this book).
The Verdict
Hmm, I am not a hardcore feminist but I do hate women being considered less than in books. But this does sound like some fun fluff.
Really like the website design
Yeah it’s kind of interesting here. I mean I didn’t think they were super anti-female or anything (though some reviewers felt that way). Here’s an example:
In the Irish clan, men played sports and women didn’t. So when the MC (female) joined in on a sports game, they were really shocked and surprised.. and kind of laughed because they thought she’d be shit. BUT, they didn’t stop her from playing “because she’s a woman”. They did let her play and she proved them wrong.
So they do have preconceived notions about women, but they didn’t necessarily prevent women from doing things, so they did kind of adapt. So it’s not really hardcore anti-women stuff.
And thanks!!!
I actually really like the sound of this novel! 🙂 I’m the kind who likes the sweet, soft-spoken and loving guy, and though it doesn’t delve much into the whole concept of faeries, it still does seem like a wonderfully entertaining read! 😀 The sound of Robyn and McKale’s romance, and I don’t really mind that the female protagonist is happy with her place as well 🙂
Wonderful review, Ashley!! 😀
Yeah I like the sweet guys too! Sometimes I need a break from the overly confident bad boy, and this book was PERFECT for that.
Glad you liked it. I beta read this book a while back and it really didn’t grab me. I wonder if it’s changed since I read it. I might have to get a copy and see!
Aw, bummer! I do wonder how much has changed since you read it.
I’ll take it 😉 I probably like my books with better world-building than it sounds like this one has (especially where Fae things are concerned), but some days I just need quirky and fluffy. Today might be one of those days . . .
Yeah I know what you mean. Sometimes quirky and fluffy is exactly what you want!
I am of Asian Indian heritage so arranged marriages were done a lot in my family. I am one of the few who married for love. But I haven’t heard that as common for the Irish. Sounds like an interesting book for that aspect. Lovely cover too.
Well in the book, the arranged marriage thing is actually brought on by the Fae (rather than the Irish). But yes, it is interesting. 🙂
I’m not a feminist, and I think the arranged marriage aspect gives it a bit of a different take on things and could be interesting..sometimes I get bored with boy meets girl, girl meets another boy and love triangle ensues..lol. I might put this one on the TBR pile. 🙂
I totally agree! Sometimes I just want something that’s not totally conventional, even if it is something I might hate in real life, haha.
Maybe I’m weird, but I kinda like storylines that involve an arranged marriage where they learn to genuinely love each other anyway. I think it’s so cool because so often there are the stories that go “BUT I LOVE SOMEONE ELSE WAAAAAAHH!” – which can get tiring to read haha.
Love the new layout. Makes the reviews look less… tiny (if that makes any sense? Since the field isn’t as wide, so it looks longer). 😀
Yeah I totally agree! I think it’s a very different way of approaching a romance. It’s kind of refreshing.
And thanks!! 😀
Greay review. I love the way you laid everything out!
I haven’t read the book and I was on the fence if I would or not. I think your review inclined me to do so but only when I’m looking for something light. Thanks!
Awesome! 😀 Thanks for stopping by!
I was really surprised that See Me was so different from Sweet Evil. McKale was the total opposite of Kaidan. See Me was really cute and it was a pleasant alternative to the conflict-packed trilogies that usually make up the YA fantasy genre. I loved the tentative relationship that Robyn and McKale started with and the way it grew into love.
The misogyny in the leprechaun hierarchy seems really infuriating and I’d probably skip this one JUST because of how that would be promoting men and attempting to oppress women. I can sort of understand why she would make the culture like that to an extent, but it’s a fictional world so it’d never HAVE to be like that. The romance sounds so cute and so does the character development, though, because I know how good Wendy is at building her romances, although it does end up taking over a lot of the plot and making the actual action seem a little less intense.
Fantastic review, Ashley! <33
Boy am I glad I didn’t request this! I’m not a big fan of romance, but I do like the occasional fluffy read. I might save this one for when I’m actually in the mood for a romance. I do like the idea of the Irish heritage, but at the same time the lack of world building would bug me. I think I’ll hold off on this one for a while!