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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I felt the description of disease and gore unappealing because there is a significant amount of violence. But I understand the choice due to the disease being central to the plot.
adventurous
dark
sad
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
I read this book out of curiosity because there was a free ARC at work. I knew about the reviews, I knew about the problems this book was called out for, and I have a habit of wanting to investigate it for myself.
There was no reverse racism. There was no blood libel. Other reviews speak on it better here and here (for some reason it's linking back to my own review, but just scroll to Latitude's review of it)
What there was was repetition and a book that could have been a lot shorter and a lot better if Mix didn't need to hammer in the same point over and over for several paragraphs at a time. The moments where Ranka's emotional victories and losses should've felt good, should've felt painful, just fell flat, rang hollow. There wasn't much earned because there was so much being TOLD. I know Ranka had an abusive childhood and that her mother figure is clearly manipulating her, but let me understand that myself. Do not tell me the same thing several times.
She was touted as a Zuko-esque redemption arc and I think that made it suffer. Doing the narrative from the tormented character's perspective, who has done bad things and will do bad things, makes it tough for the audience to like them. But I was not give n the opportunity to dislike and ultimately "fall" for Ranka. I was told to like her because every bad thing she'd done had forced sympathy.
The twins and Percy were where this book really, really shined. They were lovely and fun and full of life and a complex story. Which was fully explored, thankfully. I wasn't left wanting more or curious or unsatisfied. I was sad, honestly, at the end when I realized I wouldn't go with Percy, or Galen, on whatever journey they'd be having together. I did end up getting attached to each of then, even if Ranka annoyed the life out of me at time.
Not great, but not bad. I did enjoy my time with it.
There was no reverse racism. There was no blood libel. Other reviews speak on it better here and here (for some reason it's linking back to my own review, but just scroll to Latitude's review of it)
What there was was repetition and a book that could have been a lot shorter and a lot better if Mix didn't need to hammer in the same point over and over for several paragraphs at a time. The moments where Ranka's emotional victories and losses should've felt good, should've felt painful, just fell flat, rang hollow. There wasn't much earned because there was so much being TOLD. I know Ranka had an abusive childhood and that her mother figure is clearly manipulating her, but let me understand that myself. Do not tell me the same thing several times.
She was touted as a Zuko-esque redemption arc and I think that made it suffer. Doing the narrative from the tormented character's perspective, who has done bad things and will do bad things, makes it tough for the audience to like them. But I was not give n the opportunity to dislike and ultimately "fall" for Ranka. I was told to like her because every bad thing she'd done had forced sympathy.
The twins and Percy were where this book really, really shined. They were lovely and fun and full of life and a complex story. Which was fully explored, thankfully. I wasn't left wanting more or curious or unsatisfied. I was sad, honestly, at the end when I realized I wouldn't go with Percy, or Galen, on whatever journey they'd be having together. I did end up getting attached to each of then, even if Ranka annoyed the life out of me at time.
Not great, but not bad. I did enjoy my time with it.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
dark
emotional
funny
tense
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
The characters lowkey pissed me off but also I love them and I love lesbians. It was basically the plot of descendants but sad and gay.
I’m just feeling really meh about the writing and characters and what seems like a pretty obvious plot so far. I think it’s just a bit too young YA for me as an adult.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
What a great time. As the story unfolds and things get revealed, you really do start sitting at the edge of your seat and start biting away at your nails. I would love to see more of what this world has to offer, but I’m still satisfied nonetheless!
This was one of my most anticipated releases back in 2022, and yet, as these things tend to go, I'm only just now getting to it. I don't think it was a bad thing to have waited this long, though, and I ended up still really enjoying it. Admittedly, it did take me a bit to get into the story. While I was intrigued by the set-up and by Ranka as a character, I found myself just liking the book and not being super invested necessarily. However, by around 60% of the book, this completely changed, and I found myself loving it, loving Ranka, and feeling for her as she went through the rather traumatic events of the book.
In the end, this connection to the characters and their growth is what made me enjoy the book as much as I did. The plot itself is rather straightforward, though it has some twists and turns. However, what ended up mattering more was how Ranka herself experienced the plot, as someone who isn’t necessarily the most clever of characters. These twists then seemed to take on a different form, as their effect on me as a reader was more based on how they affected Ranka instead of how brilliant a plot twist it was. Overall, this story of growth and watching Ranka learn to pick herself first and become something more than the weapon/tool she was made to be was one I loved. I can’t wait to see what else Mix writes in the future!