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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Idk why this took so long to get through, however I loved the drama and buildup. I did not like the ending as much, I wasn’t really satisfied, so it gets three stars
hmm! this ended up being just okay for me which is a lil disappointing bc ive decided to stan saft forever after DCTN and being a big lesbo, i was soooo excited for this as her first f/f adult title.
as always, prose and worldbuilding are top notch. saft is so good at building atmospheric settings and the world with its magic was interesting to be in. up until near the end, i also thought the political dynamics of the world were reasonably well built without being too dense or lost in itself.
thatt said, this left me wanting for several reasons. i found that the story seemed to struggle balancing in what i think it tried to present: a sort of locked room whodunit mystery, romance, and a Big Search for Something. or actually maybe i think this could felt more smooth had it been more character driven rather than plot. i think the foundations for more complex side characters were there but went unexplored with lorelei being the antisocial and understandably closed off narrator she is. when there's a cast, i really want to get to know them as a reader thru the MC whether her relationships to them are created or destroyed in the end. with lorelei though, i found that they were all quite stagnant. to me, her self isolation cuts the story off from being More. i just found myself really missing character interaction or dynamic establishment that wasn't just apprehension/hostility/solely plot progression.
same with sylvia and lorelei as the couple. i enjoyed them when i had them but i needed more of them. oddly enough, i kind of wish they argued more? i know that was most of their interactions lol but some of the most genuine points of connection they had to me was when they would sort of tell the other to get off that high horse lol or just get outta their own heads. i loved their rival secretly crushing dynamic and i just wanted more getting to know each other i guess lol. tell me more abt sylvia growing up lonely and her trauma from war! tell me more abt lorelei wanting to be a naturalist and settling for foklorist instead to get her foot in the door. show me how they complement each other in their fears and desires...a girl (me) wants to dream about them being the main focus of the story. side note but i also dont really get why this is an adult title tbh. like imo dctn was spicier and ngl i was excited to see how spicy we could get but this was very very tame u_u
in my toootally uninformed opinion, some of these issues could be helped by alternating povs. i think switching between sylvia and lorelei would have helped with the very different ways they approach the world as a result of status and upbringing.
these points dont detract from this being a good and solid read. i just dream about what it could be! the most Real point of critique i have is the ending. it was definitely rushed? or came off that way, leaving an ending with sorta troubling political implications and not imo, that much satisfaction for where the all the charas ended up. i was so enamored with dctn because of its interrogation of war in a ya fantasy so this direction really surprised me in how it sits kinda badly with me. the fears the people in the setting have about forced assimilation and imperialism are very valid so it was odd to see them kinda swept under the rug with we'll just hope wilhelm is not his dad and sylvia's new abilities cowing everyone into acceptance/obedience. like that's kinda yikes !! as a reader, i have no reason to trust wilhelm, even for the sake of avoiding conflict as sylvia says because theres so much violence to be had in impersialism beyond killing. in the end, lorelei gains some protection but is designated Office Worker and doesnt get to be a naturalist. ziegler wasnt all we thought her to be. maybe it wasnt the best way, but adelheid died without much understanding for her justified motives. heike?? it kind of feels like im being told 'well sometimes things just dont go yr way' which is just not something i like in fiction lol. all in all, it kind of makes me feel like what was the point of all the warning tales about power and themes of injustice if the status quo remains unaltered in the end?
as always, prose and worldbuilding are top notch. saft is so good at building atmospheric settings and the world with its magic was interesting to be in. up until near the end, i also thought the political dynamics of the world were reasonably well built without being too dense or lost in itself.
thatt said, this left me wanting for several reasons. i found that the story seemed to struggle balancing in what i think it tried to present: a sort of locked room whodunit mystery, romance, and a Big Search for Something. or actually maybe i think this could felt more smooth had it been more character driven rather than plot. i think the foundations for more complex side characters were there but went unexplored with lorelei being the antisocial and understandably closed off narrator she is. when there's a cast, i really want to get to know them as a reader thru the MC whether her relationships to them are created or destroyed in the end. with lorelei though, i found that they were all quite stagnant. to me, her self isolation cuts the story off from being More. i just found myself really missing character interaction or dynamic establishment that wasn't just apprehension/hostility/solely plot progression.
same with sylvia and lorelei as the couple. i enjoyed them when i had them but i needed more of them. oddly enough, i kind of wish they argued more? i know that was most of their interactions lol but some of the most genuine points of connection they had to me was when they would sort of tell the other to get off that high horse lol or just get outta their own heads. i loved their rival secretly crushing dynamic and i just wanted more getting to know each other i guess lol. tell me more abt sylvia growing up lonely and her trauma from war! tell me more abt lorelei wanting to be a naturalist and settling for foklorist instead to get her foot in the door. show me how they complement each other in their fears and desires...a girl (me) wants to dream about them being the main focus of the story. side note but i also dont really get why this is an adult title tbh. like imo dctn was spicier and ngl i was excited to see how spicy we could get but this was very very tame u_u
in my toootally uninformed opinion, some of these issues could be helped by alternating povs. i think switching between sylvia and lorelei would have helped with the very different ways they approach the world as a result of status and upbringing.
these points dont detract from this being a good and solid read. i just dream about what it could be! the most Real point of critique i have is the ending. it was definitely rushed? or came off that way, leaving an ending with sorta troubling political implications and not imo, that much satisfaction for where the all the charas ended up. i was so enamored with dctn because of its interrogation of war in a ya fantasy so this direction really surprised me in how it sits kinda badly with me.
adventurous
slow-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:
Complicated
Aburridísimo. Lo siento, lo intenté.
Esta es una combinación de Animales Fantásticos y El Hobbit, pero mal hecho 🙄.
Caminando y caminan y no pasa NADA. Hay CERO ambientación... y sé que la autora lo intenta, pero no me ambienta nunca! Hay seres... que están ahí... porque sí... Tratan de tocar el tema del imperialismo pero de manera TAN tibia, para después rematarla de peor manera posible?
La portada me vendió un libro gótico y oscuro, y pos queda ahí, en la portada, adentro no encontrarán NADA de eso.
2.5 netamente por la portada.
Esta es una combinación de Animales Fantásticos y El Hobbit, pero mal hecho 🙄.
Caminando y caminan y no pasa NADA. Hay CERO ambientación... y sé que la autora lo intenta, pero no me ambienta nunca! Hay seres... que están ahí... porque sí... Tratan de tocar el tema del imperialismo pero de manera TAN tibia, para después rematarla de peor manera posible?
La portada me vendió un libro gótico y oscuro, y pos queda ahí, en la portada, adentro no encontrarán NADA de eso.
2.5 netamente por la portada.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting book, and I liked it more than I thought I would. The mystery is well done enough (starts strong and peters out a bit, I'd say), the setting is neat (although it takes time to fully unfold - I wasn't sold until pretty far in). It's a fascinating choice to just...have Jewish people in your fantasy setting. Very quickly I was like "ah, an analogue for Jewish people" but then gradually I realized "this is not an analogue, they are Jewish" (I mean they are led and taught by rabbis and they have legends about a golem animated by the name of God). I almost don't think that another name was necessary, just call them Jewish?
I think in particular this worked for me because of Lorelai as the viewpoint character. Lorelai is mean, untrusting, antisocial, and deeply self-loathing; also brilliant, dutiful, altruistic and principled. Seeing her gradually dragged out of her armor by Sylvia was satisfying, and her negative qualities were consistent and deep enough enough that I bought some of her decisions that could have felt like plot-induced stupidity.
I think in particular this worked for me because of Lorelai as the viewpoint character. Lorelai is mean, untrusting, antisocial, and deeply self-loathing; also brilliant, dutiful, altruistic and principled. Seeing her gradually dragged out of her armor by Sylvia was satisfying, and her negative qualities were consistent and deep enough enough that I bought some of her decisions that could have felt like plot-induced stupidity.
Oh god okay buckle up.
The characters - supposed adults who have fought in an actual war - are childish and two dimensional. They make a modicum of development for the plot’s sake and then instantly go back to how they were at the start.
The plot - see this has so much potential. I love the setting and the idea. But it’s paced so poorly and explained so vaguely. It needed to be spread out over a longer amount of pages or at least be more detailed. At no point was I invested in the story because there just wasn’t enough there to get invested with. The book brings up topics of facism and imperialism but doesn’t actually tackle them. They’re just issues that people accept as part of life. I guess sure people are like that but in a story I want progress and development.
The romance - it’s not rivals to lovers. It’s a one sided hate that isn’t developing in any way. Randomly saying oh she is pretty doesn’t equal a developed relationship. Lorelai is unbearable and Sylvia reminds me of perfect Peter.
There’s also not enough academia to be a dark academia. Whenever a character does anything remotely academic all the others seem to roll their eyes. It’s a passing thought on the page.
Do not recommend sadly
The characters - supposed adults who have fought in an actual war - are childish and two dimensional. They make a modicum of development for the plot’s sake and then instantly go back to how they were at the start.
The plot - see this has so much potential. I love the setting and the idea. But it’s paced so poorly and explained so vaguely. It needed to be spread out over a longer amount of pages or at least be more detailed. At no point was I invested in the story because there just wasn’t enough there to get invested with. The book brings up topics of facism and imperialism but doesn’t actually tackle them. They’re just issues that people accept as part of life. I guess sure people are like that but in a story I want progress and development.
The romance - it’s not rivals to lovers. It’s a one sided hate that isn’t developing in any way. Randomly saying oh she is pretty doesn’t equal a developed relationship. Lorelai is unbearable and Sylvia reminds me of perfect Peter.
There’s also not enough academia to be a dark academia. Whenever a character does anything remotely academic all the others seem to roll their eyes. It’s a passing thought on the page.
Do not recommend sadly