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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-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
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
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
are you looking for a painfully clunky attempt at exploring contemporary socio-political themes, resulting in a deeply uncomfortable read?
read this if you enjoyed: Avatar: The Last Airbender (actually don't, just rewatch the show, and save yourself the trouble of having to disassociate the series from this book.
rep: Sapphic MC and LI; I got Achillean vibes from the prince and ambassador but?
cw: nothing really? everything supposedly *dark* is so lacklustre. it'll make sense if you read the book.
Ranka is a monster. A butcher. She's so fearsome, and fierce, and cool. She likes going for long walks in the snow where she can conveniently tell anyone who might be listening to her thoughts everything they need to know about the background to the story for page after page after page, and she hates her enemies so much she's desperate to make friends with every one of them she meets. She's so vicious and consumed with vengeance that she's happy to sit around doing nothing for days, weeks at a time. A little light training here and there. Bit of light banter. Fear her, because she's going to destroy the world. or something?
Reading The Ones We Burn, I couldn't help thinking about modern trad publishing as an industry. It seems now if an author has a viral following on Twitter or TikTok, agents and publishing houses are all too keen to snap up their debut, regardless of quality, in order to cash in on their popularity before it wanes (and... has it waned in this case.) The urgency with which the publishing house wants to take the book to print, to get le monies, means appropriate time and care isn't/can't be given to editing, and to developing the story properly, or to improving the writing quality. This means we've got Mary Sue (sorry, Ranka), wandering around doing nothing for almost 200 pages, reminiscing about her former glory days (which would have made a far more interesting, action-packed book imo), while we're told again and again and again by the clunky narrative just how incredible she is and how everyone should be afraid of her. because she's just the best! 500 pages passes slowly when everything is over-narrated, to the point where the book reads like a detailed outline rather than an immersive novel.
honestly, this book is unnecessarily long, which means it's incredibly expensive. in this economy I'd recommend saving your money (and the trees. poor precious trees, dying for this). comments from people better informed notwithstanding, this book is just painfully boring and poorly written. stay far away and invest your money in something that'll actually make you happy. don't be like me. be smarter than me.
CAWPILE: 1.4 (1*)
favourite aspect: that it's over. I know that sounds harsh but seriously...
a wish: for books to be published on merit rather than social media virality.
disclaimer: please look to reviews by BIPOC and Jewish reviewers as to their opinions on the racism and/or antisemitism included in this book. I'm neither so I won't share any thoughts. I encourage you to look at what those reviewers are saying to get a sense of whether you want to try this book or not.
read this if you enjoyed: Avatar: The Last Airbender (actually don't, just rewatch the show, and save yourself the trouble of having to disassociate the series from this book.
rep: Sapphic MC and LI; I got Achillean vibes from the prince and ambassador but?
cw: nothing really? everything supposedly *dark* is so lacklustre. it'll make sense if you read the book.
Ranka is a monster. A butcher. She's so fearsome, and fierce, and cool. She likes going for long walks in the snow where she can conveniently tell anyone who might be listening to her thoughts everything they need to know about the background to the story for page after page after page, and she hates her enemies so much she's desperate to make friends with every one of them she meets. She's so vicious and consumed with vengeance that she's happy to sit around doing nothing for days, weeks at a time. A little light training here and there. Bit of light banter. Fear her, because she's going to destroy the world. or something?
Reading The Ones We Burn, I couldn't help thinking about modern trad publishing as an industry. It seems now if an author has a viral following on Twitter or TikTok, agents and publishing houses are all too keen to snap up their debut, regardless of quality, in order to cash in on their popularity before it wanes (and... has it waned in this case.) The urgency with which the publishing house wants to take the book to print, to get le monies, means appropriate time and care isn't/can't be given to editing, and to developing the story properly, or to improving the writing quality. This means we've got Mary Sue (sorry, Ranka), wandering around doing nothing for almost 200 pages, reminiscing about her former glory days (which would have made a far more interesting, action-packed book imo), while we're told again and again and again by the clunky narrative just how incredible she is and how everyone should be afraid of her. because she's just the best! 500 pages passes slowly when everything is over-narrated, to the point where the book reads like a detailed outline rather than an immersive novel.
honestly, this book is unnecessarily long, which means it's incredibly expensive. in this economy I'd recommend saving your money (and the trees. poor precious trees, dying for this). comments from people better informed notwithstanding, this book is just painfully boring and poorly written. stay far away and invest your money in something that'll actually make you happy. don't be like me. be smarter than me.
CAWPILE: 1.4 (1*)
favourite aspect: that it's over. I know that sounds harsh but seriously...
a wish: for books to be published on merit rather than social media virality.
disclaimer: please look to reviews by BIPOC and Jewish reviewers as to their opinions on the racism and/or antisemitism included in this book. I'm neither so I won't share any thoughts. I encourage you to look at what those reviewers are saying to get a sense of whether you want to try this book or not.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
It was a long one but it was worth it. It is a wonderful tale of witches and magic, betrayal, and queer longing. I would read it again and I would recommend it to others.
emotional
funny
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:
Yes
This book very much reads as a debut novel but I loved it. I wasn't the target audience but I am glad I picked it up to give it a shot. If teen me had found this book it would have meant the world to them. These character and their struggles and coming out the other side was a story young me needed but older me whose made it to that other side was just able to read it and enjoy it. I will say that while ai liked it I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. It's not that. It's messy and campy when the tone should be serious. When it's time for it to be serious the writing can be filled with one liners or bits that wreck the tense. So yeah, book has flaws but I loved it.
I couldn’t keep trying and read this book, I was just forcing myself and didn’t have a good.
The story wasn’t bas or anything, it just wasn’t for me
The story wasn’t bas or anything, it just wasn’t for me
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes