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adjarosz_112's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
fkeenan's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.0
rokinjaguar's review against another edition
I really started off liking this book. Elanna’s internal struggles seemed complex and interesting, and I liked Jahan a lot! I had high hopes!
Unfortunately, Elanna’s internal struggles are just nonstop cycling the same thing, that I ended up getting really sick of it, and that led to me souring on the book as a whole. I liked how much the book focused on Elanna’s thought processes and feelings and psychology… until I didn’t anymore. Part of it was that Elanna was like a broken record, panicking internally about the same thing again and again. It also kind of felt like her thoughts/views sometimes didn’t fit in with the world/her history. For the most part I totally understood why she was the way she was, but there would also be parts where I felt like she felt a certain way bc the author wanted her to, not bc it made sense for her to feel that way. For example, she and this woman training to be a surgeon have a short conversation about how women are unfairly looked down on in STEM fields, essentially. It’s not that the sentiment is wrong or that they wouldn’t feel frustrated by it, but the way they talk about it feels very much like modern thoughts. Like they’re two women having a heart to heart at the corporate break room. It felt way too on the nose for the world building.
The closer I looked, the more the book fell flat, and I was so disappointed that I just didn’t want to read it anymore, it kept irritating me in small ways.
All that being said, there were some great ideas in there, and I adore Jahan. It just felt amateur to me. To be fair to the author, apparently it’s her debut novel. If she comes out with a new series a few years down the line, I may give her another shot, but not this series.
Unfortunately, Elanna’s internal struggles are just nonstop cycling the same thing, that I ended up getting really sick of it, and that led to me souring on the book as a whole. I liked how much the book focused on Elanna’s thought processes and feelings and psychology… until I didn’t anymore. Part of it was that Elanna was like a broken record, panicking internally about the same thing again and again. It also kind of felt like her thoughts/views sometimes didn’t fit in with the world/her history. For the most part I totally understood why she was the way she was, but there would also be parts where I felt like she felt a certain way bc the author wanted her to, not bc it made sense for her to feel that way. For example, she and this woman training to be a surgeon have a short conversation about how women are unfairly looked down on in STEM fields, essentially. It’s not that the sentiment is wrong or that they wouldn’t feel frustrated by it, but the way they talk about it feels very much like modern thoughts. Like they’re two women having a heart to heart at the corporate break room. It felt way too on the nose for the world building.
The closer I looked, the more the book fell flat, and I was so disappointed that I just didn’t want to read it anymore, it kept irritating me in small ways.
All that being said, there were some great ideas in there, and I adore Jahan. It just felt amateur to me. To be fair to the author, apparently it’s her debut novel. If she comes out with a new series a few years down the line, I may give her another shot, but not this series.
meganbarnhart's review against another edition
3.0
It was okay...I could never really get into to the story and it took me WAY TOO LONG to finish. I felt like there was a lot of potential with the characters and history, but they were all pretty flat. I found El to be super wishy-washy and not very convincing.
namaenani's review against another edition
4.0
The plot kicks off right away with the problem and main characters being introduced in the first two or three chapters. I enjoyed how certain aspects of the story were kept a mystery, as the main character kept secrets from the reader by trying to keep them a secret from herself, as a means of survival.
theultimatecalpal's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
applezing's review against another edition
4.0
I really didn’t like this book when I first started reading. The main character was so unhappy and I felt bad for her being so helpless! But...obviously given the rating...it grew on me.
njar's review against another edition
3.0
I was so excited to read The Waking Land when I first heard about it. I was immediately drawn in by the synopsis, and had high hopes for it. But while I did enjoy it, it unfortunately didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
I liked Elanna’s character development, how she overcame her fear of her magic and began to see through the lies and hatred that she’d been taught during the time she was held prisoner. I enjoyed the romance despite feeling that it was a little rushed, but I didn’t feel like there was enough development of the other characters besides the love interest, Jahan, and I didn’t feel a particular connection to a lot of them. I thought that there wasn’t enough development of the relationships between them and Elanna.
While I loved the concept of the magic and the world that it is set in, as well as the focus on nature, I thought that it didn’t live up to its full potential because of the lack of world building at the beginning of the book which lead to a bit of confusion at times. The writing style, however, was beautiful, and I found it very easy to be able to read the book in a few sittings.
Despite the issues that I had with The Waking Land, I did enjoy it as a whole, and if there is a sequel, I will definitely make sure to pick it up now that the world has been established!
More on my blog, The Anatomy of a Bookworm!
I liked Elanna’s character development, how she overcame her fear of her magic and began to see through the lies and hatred that she’d been taught during the time she was held prisoner. I enjoyed the romance despite feeling that it was a little rushed, but I didn’t feel like there was enough development of the other characters besides the love interest, Jahan, and I didn’t feel a particular connection to a lot of them. I thought that there wasn’t enough development of the relationships between them and Elanna.
While I loved the concept of the magic and the world that it is set in, as well as the focus on nature, I thought that it didn’t live up to its full potential because of the lack of world building at the beginning of the book which lead to a bit of confusion at times. The writing style, however, was beautiful, and I found it very easy to be able to read the book in a few sittings.
Despite the issues that I had with The Waking Land, I did enjoy it as a whole, and if there is a sequel, I will definitely make sure to pick it up now that the world has been established!
More on my blog, The Anatomy of a Bookworm!
femkey's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
readaroundtherosie's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating- 4.5/5
A new fantasy series for the older end of YA, The Waking Land is a vivid and engrossing story about the fight for freedom and a united nation. This novel has everything from magic, to romance, and revolution.
SO MUCH HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK. So much character development and world building- I certainly didn't expect the full extent of it. I felt like I hardly had time to breathe.
There were some characters who I felt should have had more page time, but I'm sure we'll see more from them in the rest of the series. Overall a very strong first book of a new trilogy.
A new fantasy series for the older end of YA, The Waking Land is a vivid and engrossing story about the fight for freedom and a united nation. This novel has everything from magic, to romance, and revolution.
SO MUCH HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK. So much character development and world building- I certainly didn't expect the full extent of it. I felt like I hardly had time to breathe.
There were some characters who I felt should have had more page time, but I'm sure we'll see more from them in the rest of the series. Overall a very strong first book of a new trilogy.