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mattiedancer's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Writing: 4⭐️/5
The writing is very well done. I found it fascinating, captivating, and well-thought-out, especially the first half of the novel. Several moments of truly stunning prose stuck with me, and where it lacked, it didn’t lack for too much. Occasionally, a few scenes relied heavily on exposition or felt a bit repetitive, but it didn’t interfere greatly with my enjoyment of the novel.
It’s worth noting that S. Jae-Jones includes a note on the language used in the novel. While there were a few moments where perhaps the writing wasn’t perfectly smooth, I understand that it was likely a bit of a translation issue.
Characters: 4⭐️/5
**Contains Spoilers**
I really did love the characters. I liked Han’s himbo character. I loved reading about Zhara’s abilities. I liked the side characters and the attention given to them. That being said, one of the only things that struck me as odd was Zhara’s stepsister, Suzhan. We get so little consistent characterization of her. She acts young, and then mature, soft and innocent and then ruthless. And, while her betrayal is justified, her actions beforehand just don’t seem to coincide with how she’s explained.
Plot: 3.75⭐️/5
Alright, so the plot starts off marvellously! I love Zhara and Han’s meeting outside the bookstore, how quickly they ignite interest in each other, and how swiftly we see each character’s background and backstories: I loved all of that. And then, about halfway through the novel, the plot starts to fall off. Progressively, the story felt more and more untied, as though it lost its way. Or never had a strong sense of where it wanted to go. I also really didn’t love getting so much exposition in the epilogue explaining to us what happened to our beloved characters.
World 4.5⭐️/5
The world is really cool. I love how magic is described in the novel, I love the emphasis on books, and I adored how vibrant each moment in the world felt.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Fans of young adult fantasy novels
- Fans of YA looking for a cute romance
Content Warnings?
Death, sexual harassment, kidnapping, death of parent, emotional abuse, physical abuse, child abuse, gaslighting, confinement, body horror, grief, gore, toxic relationship, violence, war
Post-Reading Rating: 3.25⭐️/5
A lot of potential but it kind of fell apart around the middle of the book. It was still good, but not nearly as good as the beginning.
Final Rating: 3.75⭐️/5
Final Rating: 3.75⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Body horror, Classism, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Grief
mirrorstorm_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Overall a really fun read. Loved the Sailor Moon influence in the story. The plot was interesting (a touch predictable) but the ending seemed a bit rushed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and War
drtx_bwt's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Death of parent
Minor: Lesbophobia and Violence
scrubsandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If you love a Cinderella retelling crossed with Sailor Moon, with almost an anime-esque storyline, this is the one for you. Bonus for queer side characters and a himbo male love interest.
It was a cute story, I laughed a whole lot at many moment, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. This one is a good one if you’re looking for an East Asian setting that would make for a quick easy read without an overly convoluted plot. The climax though seemed to drag one and a few twists were more on the predictable side.
It was a cute story, I laughed a whole lot at many moment, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. This one is a good one if you’re looking for an East Asian setting that would make for a quick easy read without an overly convoluted plot. The climax though seemed to drag one and a few twists were more on the predictable side.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, War, and Homophobia
Minor: Confinement and Vomit
maidmarianlib's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Strong world with interesting characteristics, very diverse in gender expressions, fun but mild connections to Cinderella
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
4.25
Content Warnings: body horror, gore, death, child abuse, ableism, confinement, homophobia, transphobia, animal cruelty, death of parents, and genocide.
This is my first read by S. Jae-Jones and WOW it was great! Such beautiful and intricate world building, characters that are easy to relate to and love. We get to meet a cast of, mostly under 18 year old's, who are finding out they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Being a teen is hard enough but imagine trying to save the people you love from possession and destruction?
Fantastic read and I can't wait to see what will happen in the continuing books!
This is my first read by S. Jae-Jones and WOW it was great! Such beautiful and intricate world building, characters that are easy to relate to and love. We get to meet a cast of, mostly under 18 year old's, who are finding out they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Being a teen is hard enough but imagine trying to save the people you love from possession and destruction?
Fantastic read and I can't wait to see what will happen in the continuing books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Genocide, Confinement, Transphobia, Animal death, Violence, Body horror, Child death, Death of parent, Ableism, and Homophobia
ezwolf's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I feel like I've hit a bit of a wall with enjoying the books I've read recently, but this book was a fun and fast paced read.
The way the author used English to mimic how characters would have spoke in other languages was so interesting and gave it a unique quality. The magic system, while similar to others I've read about, still felt different than what I've read before.
I loved that both Zhara and Han had younger siblings that they were fighting to protect. And Xu! I loved Xu, they are probably my favorite character with Yuli coming in close second. Even though there was a romantic subplot with Zhara and Han, the friendship between them and Xu and Jiyi and eventually Yuli felt genuine and just as important as the romance. And the inclusion of queer characters was a delightful surprise.
The writing was a bit repetitive at times, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
The way the author used English to mimic how characters would have spoke in other languages was so interesting and gave it a unique quality. The magic system, while similar to others I've read about, still felt different than what I've read before.
I loved that both Zhara and Han had younger siblings that they were fighting to protect. And Xu! I loved Xu, they are probably my favorite character with Yuli coming in close second. Even though there was a romantic subplot with Zhara and Han, the friendship between them and Xu and Jiyi and eventually Yuli felt genuine and just as important as the romance. And the inclusion of queer characters was a delightful surprise.
The writing was a bit repetitive at times, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Blood, Body horror, Alcohol, Grief, Kidnapping, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Homophobia, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Animal death
chronicacademia's review
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Transphobia, Violence, Child abuse, Blood, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Medical content
chaptersofmads's review against another edition
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, Vomit, Domestic abuse, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Homophobia
trips's review
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
First, thank you NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and S. Jae Jones for an E-Galley of this book.
Jae-Jones has created a lush world that wonderfully combines fairy tales & magical girls (e.g., Sailor Moon). If you're a fan of either or both, you'll almost certainly enjoy this novel. If you're a fan of the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, you'll probably enjoy this as well!
The lush style of writing really allows for her characters to really come to life and feel at home within this Asian inspired fantasy. The struggles Zhara experiences with her newfound power, her complicated relationship with her stepmother and cute boys is refreshing. The topics covered are darker but presented in a lighter way good for YA readers. The rest of the cast are all charming and loveable, great himbo (lol) and LGBT representation. Also the BTS cameo made me laugh out loud.
There are some characters I was really hoping would get a bit more development (especially after one of them receives devastating news) but sadly this doesn't occur in this book, however I hope they will return in the next books in the series!
Now, for the one thing I didn't like: there are characters who start monologuing, for like, a while, to provide Zhara with exposition she wouldn't have otherwise. While I would agree it makes sense to provide information like this sometimes, it just happened a bit too much for my liking.
Regardless, I overall really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the sequel!!
Jae-Jones has created a lush world that wonderfully combines fairy tales & magical girls (e.g., Sailor Moon). If you're a fan of either or both, you'll almost certainly enjoy this novel. If you're a fan of the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, you'll probably enjoy this as well!
The lush style of writing really allows for her characters to really come to life and feel at home within this Asian inspired fantasy. The struggles Zhara experiences with her newfound power, her complicated relationship with her stepmother and cute boys is refreshing. The topics covered are darker but presented in a lighter way good for YA readers. The rest of the cast are all charming and loveable, great himbo (lol) and LGBT representation. Also the BTS cameo made me laugh out loud.
There are some characters I was really hoping would get a bit more development (especially after one of them receives devastating news) but sadly this doesn't occur in this book, however I hope they will return in the next books in the series!
Now, for the one thing I didn't like: there are characters who start monologuing, for like, a while, to provide Zhara with exposition she wouldn't have otherwise. While I would agree it makes sense to provide information like this sometimes, it just happened a bit too much for my liking.
Regardless, I overall really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the sequel!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Confinement
Moderate: Violence
Minor: War