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3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I wanted to give this 2 stars as Goodreads defined it as "it's ok" which was how I felt about this book but then I thought I actually like the ending so here we are.
Trigger warning: Rape and suicide.
It's actually really hard to review this book without comparing to 2 other books it reminded me of; one which I found infuriating and the other which I loved a lot. So let's just start with the things I don't like:
The prose drives me nuts! I have no problems with the alternating chapters but JANIE IS IRRITATING like pls gurl speak normally my head hurts. I really hate her chapters but at the same time I couldn't stop reading them because I want to know what happened to her and her chapters were about the past, which is like the book I liked. But seeing that her chapters were more irritating, they shared 2 similarities to the book I didn't like which was she's got to stop being so damn unnecessary lyrical and them fairy tales. But I'll take back her re-written fairy tales because I actually like the parallels she draws to her life.
Micah's chapters are a lot more clearer like omgosh thank you for being sane although he as a character is not considering he keeps forgetting the events that happened before. Similarities to the book I like, not really much except I like reading his chapters and he narrates the present. Similarities to the book I don't like, he's an unreliable narrator seeing that he doesn't remember half of what happened. I don't really have problems with unreliable narrators but man the similarity is strong in this one because I read something like it already.
Overall as a book, I was pretty meh about it even if I read it like a madman and I think that's mainly because I either found a drive to read or I'm just trying to drown myself in other stories to distract me from melancholy feelings a certain movie gave me. I do like Janie's journal sections as there are little doodles around her re-written fairy tales and I thought those were cool. Not a huge fan of the whole toxic friendship. Also, I already figured out what happened to Janie at some point before the end so yay I'm not so dumb after all.
And that's about it. Oh, and I got this book when I bought it from someone selling it secondhand on Twitter.
Trigger warning: Rape and suicide.
It's actually really hard to review this book without comparing to 2 other books it reminded me of; one which I found infuriating and the other which I loved a lot. So let's just start with the things I don't like:
The prose drives me nuts! I have no problems with the alternating chapters but JANIE IS IRRITATING like pls gurl speak normally my head hurts. I really hate her chapters but at the same time I couldn't stop reading them because I want to know what happened to her and her chapters were about the past, which is like the book I liked. But seeing that her chapters were more irritating, they shared 2 similarities to the book I didn't like which was she's got to stop being so damn unnecessary lyrical and them fairy tales. But I'll take back her re-written fairy tales because I actually like the parallels she draws to her life.
Micah's chapters are a lot more clearer like omgosh thank you for being sane although he as a character is not considering he keeps forgetting the events that happened before. Similarities to the book I like, not really much except I like reading his chapters and he narrates the present. Similarities to the book I don't like, he's an unreliable narrator seeing that he doesn't remember half of what happened. I don't really have problems with unreliable narrators but man the similarity is strong in this one because I read something like it already.
Overall as a book, I was pretty meh about it even if I read it like a madman and I think that's mainly because I either found a drive to read or I'm just trying to drown myself in other stories to distract me from melancholy feelings a certain movie gave me. I do like Janie's journal sections as there are little doodles around her re-written fairy tales and I thought those were cool. Not a huge fan of the whole toxic friendship. Also, I already figured out what happened to Janie at some point before the end so yay I'm not so dumb after all.
And that's about it. Oh, and I got this book when I bought it from someone selling it secondhand on Twitter.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy via Edelweiss for review purposes.
I've heard fantastic things about Amy Zhang's writing since her debut [b:Falling into Place|18163646|Falling into Place|Amy Zhang|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393613084s/18163646.jpg|25526485]. I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of This is Where the World Ends and experience her beautiful writing firsthand.
This book contains rape, so if that is something that triggers you I would avoid this book.
Janie and Micah have known each other for a long time. They were best friends and also polar opposites. But Janie, on her way to high school, keeps their friendship a secret. As they navigate their unhealthy relationship, Janie then goes missing and Micah is left to pick up the pieces of what she left behind and to figure out where and why she's gone.
There were certain aspects of Janie's personality I enjoyed. She was carefree, a dreamer and imaginative, and so full of life, but the way she treated Micah was emotionally manipulative. Micah was a bit of a dull character, so I never really emotionally connected with him. Their relationship is toxic. This is Where the World Ends portrays a very unhealthy and very manipulative relationship between Janie and Micah. Janie does not treat Micah like a friend, and so I was never really behind their 'romance'. I'm not sure we are supposed to be.
This is Where the World Ends is written with dual narratives, Janie and Micah, but Micah's chapters alternative between 'Then' and 'Now', and Micah's 'Now' chapters were very confusing and disjointed and thus made it very difficult to read and follow what was going on.
This is Where the World Ends also deals with a very sensitive topic - rape. It's not exactly a perfect portrayal but I think it highlights the grief that comes with such an ordeal. Though at times I felt that it was used just as a plot device.
I think the reason I enjoyed this book so much was the beautiful metaphorical writing by Zhang, and I will be sure to keep an eye out for any new books that she writes.
I've heard fantastic things about Amy Zhang's writing since her debut [b:Falling into Place|18163646|Falling into Place|Amy Zhang|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393613084s/18163646.jpg|25526485]. I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of This is Where the World Ends and experience her beautiful writing firsthand.
This book contains rape, so if that is something that triggers you I would avoid this book.
Janie and Micah have known each other for a long time. They were best friends and also polar opposites. But Janie, on her way to high school, keeps their friendship a secret. As they navigate their unhealthy relationship, Janie then goes missing and Micah is left to pick up the pieces of what she left behind and to figure out where and why she's gone.
There were certain aspects of Janie's personality I enjoyed. She was carefree, a dreamer and imaginative, and so full of life, but the way she treated Micah was emotionally manipulative. Micah was a bit of a dull character, so I never really emotionally connected with him. Their relationship is toxic. This is Where the World Ends portrays a very unhealthy and very manipulative relationship between Janie and Micah. Janie does not treat Micah like a friend, and so I was never really behind their 'romance'. I'm not sure we are supposed to be.
This is Where the World Ends is written with dual narratives, Janie and Micah, but Micah's chapters alternative between 'Then' and 'Now', and Micah's 'Now' chapters were very confusing and disjointed and thus made it very difficult to read and follow what was going on.
This is Where the World Ends also deals with a very sensitive topic - rape. It's not exactly a perfect portrayal but I think it highlights the grief that comes with such an ordeal. Though at times I felt that it was used just as a plot device.
I think the reason I enjoyed this book so much was the beautiful metaphorical writing by Zhang, and I will be sure to keep an eye out for any new books that she writes.
I just really wasn't a fan of this one. Janie pissed me off, Micah irritated me, and whilst I know it was meant to be non-linear, I struggled to keep track of everything that was going down.
It is most poetically written book I have read in a really long time.
You know what? This was a good story. I liked it, I liked the story.
However, I did think Zhang overdid the whole "unique, quirky girl" trope. Janie Vivian was Alaska Young on steroids. It didn't help that her "quirkiness" seeped through Zhang's writing style. Reading this book was like being pelted in the face with unnecessary metaphors, to the point that it really got on my nerves. I don't mind reading about weird manic pixie dream girls from time to time, but I wouldn't have gotten annoyed if the story was just told to me normally. If it was told from third-person past tense or whatever, Janie's quirkiness and love of metaphors wouldn't have bothered me, not as much anyway.
Also, I really hope no one who reads this romanticizes Janie and Micah's relationship, because it was toxic as hell. I also hope that Zhang wrote it like that on purpose and didn't expect readers to consider them as an actual romantic couple or whatever.
I would've given this a 4, this was a story worth rating 4 stars. But I had to take off 1 star for the aforementioned reasons.
However, I did think Zhang overdid the whole "unique, quirky girl" trope. Janie Vivian was Alaska Young on steroids. It didn't help that her "quirkiness" seeped through Zhang's writing style. Reading this book was like being pelted in the face with unnecessary metaphors, to the point that it really got on my nerves. I don't mind reading about weird manic pixie dream girls from time to time, but I wouldn't have gotten annoyed if the story was just told to me normally. If it was told from third-person past tense or whatever, Janie's quirkiness and love of metaphors wouldn't have bothered me, not as much anyway.
Also, I really hope no one who reads this romanticizes Janie and Micah's relationship, because it was toxic as hell. I also hope that Zhang wrote it like that on purpose and didn't expect readers to consider them as an actual romantic couple or whatever.
I would've given this a 4, this was a story worth rating 4 stars. But I had to take off 1 star for the aforementioned reasons.