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leyl's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a favorite series when I was a teen and I'm finally giving it the re-read treatment.
Several things in this book feel out of touch. And not just released in 2002 out of touch. But like 40+ year old writer using phrases like "football on the nintendo" or "hentai posters" or using the word "macking" to mean "kissing."
Then there's the sensitivity issues. This has:
-fat people as a shorthand for immoral
-the only people of color are beautiful, but in an exotic way
-a super surface level critique of imperialism allegory while at the same time "travellers" from other lands are the only ones who can be the savior
-1/2 of the poc rep is killed to advance the emotional journey of the white protag
It was a fun adventure then and still is tbh a fun adventure, it's just soooo plot-driven and overwritten. Nothing is important except the outcome of the final climax.
A lot of people have oopinions about the 2nd person Journal perspective. It's honestly fine though. And then a lot of people hate the Mark/Courtney chapters. But I loved them then and love them now. They do a great job of groubding the story of the fantasy main plot without Bobby having to nonstop reference pop culture himself.
I don't think I'd reccomend it to anyone past its target demo. but I would reccomend it to young readers who love sci-fi/fantasy and have already blown through the long long long list of MG/YA (and even adult) sci-fi/fantasy in the years since 2002.
(Anyhow, I'm gonna continue the series because i do remember it getting better)
Several things in this book feel out of touch. And not just released in 2002 out of touch. But like 40+ year old writer using phrases like "football on the nintendo" or "hentai posters" or using the word "macking" to mean "kissing."
Then there's the sensitivity issues. This has:
-fat people as a shorthand for immoral
-the only people of color are beautiful, but in an exotic way
-a super surface level critique of imperialism allegory while at the same time "travellers" from other lands are the only ones who can be the savior
It was a fun adventure then and still is tbh a fun adventure, it's just soooo plot-driven and overwritten. Nothing is important except the outcome of the final climax.
A lot of people have oopinions about the 2nd person Journal perspective. It's honestly fine though. And then a lot of people hate the Mark/Courtney chapters. But I loved them then and love them now. They do a great job of groubding the story of the fantasy main plot without Bobby having to nonstop reference pop culture himself.
I don't think I'd reccomend it to anyone past its target demo. but I would reccomend it to young readers who love sci-fi/fantasy and have already blown through the long long long list of MG/YA (and even adult) sci-fi/fantasy in the years since 2002.
(Anyhow, I'm gonna continue the series because i do remember it getting better)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Slavery, Trafficking, War, and Suicide
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