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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
An interesting fantasy tale! It wasn't quite my cup of tea, but it has a lot of great elements.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can't believe this is the first book by Killjoy that I read. It is a lovely YA about transness, gender, and power. The different approaches to "anarchism" explored in the book are fascinating, I enjoyed it!
Nothing that blew my mind, but a fun read for anybody wanting to read a book about witches
Nothing that blew my mind, but a fun read for anybody wanting to read a book about witches
I will hold off on rating this until after bookclub. That said, I don’t think I was meant to be the target audience for this story. Perhaps 10 years ago, I would’ve vibed a lot more with the themes and characters, but I didn’t really connect with any of the characters or story. To me, it feels like when I read stories about characters in high school (or sometimes even college at this point).
Hex’s leaving the coven to join the knights also felt a little predictable. I was a tad surprised there’s all this buildup of contention between Lorel and Hex and then the latter sorta peaces out midway through. Hex does come back later, but idk. Another thing I appreciated seeing in the interpersonal dynamics here is how characters related to each other, even if they didn’t particularly like one another. Hex struggles with her feelings towards Lorel when she’s leaving; and we also see Dite oscillating between lashing out at Lorel and showing a more vulnerable side.
Many of the revelations the protagonist has about their gender identity feel important to this character’s development but also lacked enough nuance/complexity that their self-discovery journey just didn’t interest me very much. I also felt like Lorel’s inner monologues and anxiety distracted me from understanding the plot because their identity crisis was mentioned so often. I understand that gender identity is a big issue for some people, but I don’t feel like there was a good balance between plot and character development. There is a lot of telling instead of showing, which I just find a lot less intriguing as far as story-telling mechanics goes. I also feel like there was an incongruence with the amount of violence that happens in the plot and the nonchalance with how it’s discussed. That might be more of a narrator issue than how it came across in writing, but I felt like there would be very graphic acts of death and harm done to the characters and it felt flippantly mentioned in one sentence (if that), then they seemed to move on kind of quickly in some cases?
I don’t think this was a bad story, just not particularly for me. I don’t feel particularly compelled to pick up any more books in the series if the characters and plot don’t become more complex. <\spoiler>
Spoiler
At this point of my life, I’ve reconciled with many of the issues characters at those points in life struggle with and it’s just very hard to relate to at nearly 31. Now I have different problems lol a lot of the conflict between the characters felt very juvenile— even when Lorel realizes Hex has her own problems and Lorel had been too concerned with her own insecurities and anxieties to realize that there might be more under the surface of Hex’s tormenting. Her relationship with Hex’s friend Dite (I have no idea how any of these names are spelled bc I listened to the whole thing) felt more nuanced, and I appreciated that. However, these discoveries in the nuance of how emotions work (within herself and others) just feels like something I recognized a long time ago, so the realization is kind of underwhelming. The thought patterns of all the characters just feel very young, and I guess I just don’t have as much patience for that in book characters as I used to.Hex’s leaving the coven to join the knights also felt a little predictable. I was a tad surprised there’s all this buildup of contention between Lorel and Hex and then the latter sorta peaces out midway through. Hex does come back later, but idk. Another thing I appreciated seeing in the interpersonal dynamics here is how characters related to each other, even if they didn’t particularly like one another. Hex struggles with her feelings towards Lorel when she’s leaving; and we also see Dite oscillating between lashing out at Lorel and showing a more vulnerable side.
Many of the revelations the protagonist has about their gender identity feel important to this character’s development but also lacked enough nuance/complexity that their self-discovery journey just didn’t interest me very much. I also felt like Lorel’s inner monologues and anxiety distracted me from understanding the plot because their identity crisis was mentioned so often. I understand that gender identity is a big issue for some people, but I don’t feel like there was a good balance between plot and character development. There is a lot of telling instead of showing, which I just find a lot less intriguing as far as story-telling mechanics goes. I also feel like there was an incongruence with the amount of violence that happens in the plot and the nonchalance with how it’s discussed. That might be more of a narrator issue than how it came across in writing, but I felt like there would be very graphic acts of death and harm done to the characters and it felt flippantly mentioned in one sentence (if that), then they seemed to move on kind of quickly in some cases?
I don’t think this was a bad story, just not particularly for me. I don’t feel particularly compelled to pick up any more books in the series if the characters and plot don’t become more complex. <\spoiler>
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
No
A lovely start to a young witch's journey. Relatable to any girl trying to find their path. Many compelling and enjoyable characters with a familiar conflict between those seeking power and those it aims to oppress.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes