Scan barcode
laurentined's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-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
5.0
All the yearning and heartache of Nghi Vo with the darkness and vague supernatural elements of She Who Became the Sun. Let it be known there's nearly no plot here. Events happening in order? Yes. Defined character motivation with any sense of urgency? Not till the last minute. For those who want an exceedingly slow epic that's entirely focused on the coming of age of two legends.
The epistolary second person is really great. The slow building love between two stubborn warriors engaging. Tons of wry humor between two people who know each other to their core. An amazing cultural tapestry backdrop.
This is going in my personal canon of classics for sapphic fantasy.
The epistolary second person is really great. The slow building love between two stubborn warriors engaging. Tons of wry humor between two people who know each other to their core. An amazing cultural tapestry backdrop.
This is going in my personal canon of classics for sapphic fantasy.
isa_books's review
I've left this one on my desk for ages, but have not really felt the urge to get back to it. Might read it again sometime when I'm actually in the mood for this specific type of book, but not now.
It wasn't bad btw, just too much of a mood reader
It wasn't bad btw, just too much of a mood reader
theaprilwitch's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
finnishelderberry's review
DNF Pg 93
I may come back to this I just got very confused and the story was Not At all what I thought it was.
I may come back to this I just got very confused and the story was Not At all what I thought it was.
mousie's review
Really slow paced (each chapter is one character's POV and rhen the other character's narrations via long letters) and character-centric, not plot centric, which wasn't what I thought it would be based on the blurb. World building als seems to be mixing together a bunch of asian cultures together which is a little off to me
lulu_bean's review
4.0
Wlw book!
It is more romance heavy than action adventure epic heavy which can feel a little misleading if you read the back of the book. It does get action adventure-y later on in the book. This book has some of the prettiest descriptions of love of read like the language used to describe it had me highlighting and annotating so much.
I can see why some people weren’t crazy about the writing style (it being told via someone writing an extremely long letter to another) but I enjoyed it. It did take me a bit to get into because I’m not use to the authors writing style but once I got into it I finished the book pretty quickly.
Quote light spoiler below:
“The sky is full of stars beyond number, each one representing a life. And yet and all those lives beyond number, and all those millions of years, live by those before us, and all their shared experience, none have loved so thoroughly as we.”
lunaballz's review
4.0
The story itself is really inventive and intriguing, I was looking forward to seeing what happened next the entire time I was reading. I also loved the format: it's mostly a letter from Shefali to Shizuka recounting how they got to their current separation, with a few chapter in between focusing on Shizuka in current time.
My big problem with it is the weird combination of different Asian cultures. Other people have explained it more eloquently so I'll just say that it was weird and offputting.
Otherwise I actually enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the sequel
My big problem with it is the weird combination of different Asian cultures. Other people have explained it more eloquently so I'll just say that it was weird and offputting.
Otherwise I actually enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the sequel
christie_esau's review
4.0
At times, a smidge hard to follow because of the epistolary format (the letters aren't dated and switch a bit between time), but overall a lovely novel. Slow burn when it comes to the fantasy components and also a lifelong love story. Great book!
emilyrandolph_epstein's review
4.0
The prose are lush and gorgeous and conjure fantastic imagery and the tone is at once mythical and intimate. I loved the characters to bits. However, I found it a bit difficult to get into the story. The use of second person viewpoint didn't entirely make sense to me and I think I old have liked it better in 1st or 3rd. That said, I would definitely recommend to lovers of epic fantasy with an lgtbq+ twist.