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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
This was a fun and enjoyable read, I definitely enjoyed a fantasy setting that took inspiration from a period/time that wasn't "medieval Western Europe". But I did find the characters a bit prone to the "protagonist magically thinks racism and imperialism are bad despite being the daughter of the Emperor" trope. Also it's possible to show these things as bad without having one character literally tell another that they are bad. Probably slightly more of a YA book than I was after? But good for a quick and entertaining read.
I'm getting a little tired of the "sisters raised differently and eventually at odds/war with each other" thing. This would have been two stars for that, and because we spend far too much time with Lu and Nok and Min and less time understanding the world or the beliefs (there are some interesting twists on the Shangri-La plot, for example). But I'm giving it three because even with that, there's something about Lu that I found appealing and I'm holding out hope that we learn more about this world in Book 2.
eARC provided by publisher.
eARC provided by publisher.
An enjoyable fantasy adventure with compelling characters. I liked how the point-of-view switched between the trio of main characters because this revealed details of the story to the reader, giving hints of what was to come for the other characters not in the same scene/situation.
When I began reading this book, I didn't know it was part of a series. I honestly thought it was a stand-alone novel. But of course it ends with things wide-open and now I'm ready for the next book!
When I began reading this book, I didn't know it was part of a series. I honestly thought it was a stand-alone novel. But of course it ends with things wide-open and now I'm ready for the next book!
Rating: 3.5 stars
Hmph, I feel really deflated writing about this book because I was really excited to read it & it turned out just to be “okay”. I did really enjoy the dramatic ending; the big scene that was being built up the whole way through the book was really good & there were a couple of good surprises, I just wish the rest of the book was as intense & fast paced as the ending. Mimi Yu is a good writer & I love the idea of the story, I just wish the book had had more to it; there wasn’t enough to the story to fill 488 pages so despite the story being good, it just felt incredible dragged out. I’ve preordered the sequel but I’m not sure if I’ll still be interested by the time March comes around.
⚠️ Violence, gory sword fights, murder, animal slaughter, parental death/murder, hunting, genocide of a fictional community, imprisonments in labour camps, discussions of infertility & panic attacks (secondary character) ⚠️
Possible extended review to follow.
Hmph, I feel really deflated writing about this book because I was really excited to read it & it turned out just to be “okay”. I did really enjoy the dramatic ending; the big scene that was being built up the whole way through the book was really good & there were a couple of good surprises, I just wish the rest of the book was as intense & fast paced as the ending. Mimi Yu is a good writer & I love the idea of the story, I just wish the book had had more to it; there wasn’t enough to the story to fill 488 pages so despite the story being good, it just felt incredible dragged out. I’ve preordered the sequel but I’m not sure if I’ll still be interested by the time March comes around.
⚠️ Violence, gory sword fights, murder, animal slaughter, parental death/murder, hunting, genocide of a fictional community, imprisonments in labour camps, discussions of infertility & panic attacks (secondary character) ⚠️
Possible extended review to follow.
adventurous
dark
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
FULL Review on the blog! https://literaryleisha.wordpress.com/2019/01/15/review-the-girl-king-by-mimi-yu-blog-tour/
*This was sent to me for free in exchange for a review.
The plot is definitely a slow one, especially at the beginning. At the start, I was intrigued and hopeful but the middle chunk of the book was just too slow. There’s a lot of build-up and background information going on. (I read the ARC – which is an uncorrected proof. How much of this ended up in the final copy, I don’t know) It did feel unnecessarily long in places, with editing down it could’ve been great. The last 150-200 pages were the best, they were gripping and interesting – I was really engrossed at this point. At almost 500 pages, it really needed to pick up before then. It was pretty long winded, I feel it would’ve been better condensed down.
The world-building; simplistic and minimal. There are hints and glimpses of the world but not enough, in my opinion. The parts of the world and magic we did see, were so interesting and cool – I just wish there was more to it! Hopefully, the sequel will enlighten us.
As with a lot of YA, it has its tropes. A lot of the plot twists and turns were pretty predictable. Nothing was particularly surprising, there was no ‘shock factor’ because you could see what was going to happen.
Nothing was overly original, it wasn’t bad at all. Just nothing new, really. It’s the same fantasy story of the royal claiming back their throne – just with a slightly different setting.
*This was sent to me for free in exchange for a review.
The plot is definitely a slow one, especially at the beginning. At the start, I was intrigued and hopeful but the middle chunk of the book was just too slow. There’s a lot of build-up and background information going on. (I read the ARC – which is an uncorrected proof. How much of this ended up in the final copy, I don’t know) It did feel unnecessarily long in places, with editing down it could’ve been great. The last 150-200 pages were the best, they were gripping and interesting – I was really engrossed at this point. At almost 500 pages, it really needed to pick up before then. It was pretty long winded, I feel it would’ve been better condensed down.
The world-building; simplistic and minimal. There are hints and glimpses of the world but not enough, in my opinion. The parts of the world and magic we did see, were so interesting and cool – I just wish there was more to it! Hopefully, the sequel will enlighten us.
As with a lot of YA, it has its tropes. A lot of the plot twists and turns were pretty predictable. Nothing was particularly surprising, there was no ‘shock factor’ because you could see what was going to happen.
Nothing was overly original, it wasn’t bad at all. Just nothing new, really. It’s the same fantasy story of the royal claiming back their throne – just with a slightly different setting.
3.75 stars
This book included some cliche fantasy character tropes, but I thought the story itself went in a unique direction, and I was hooked by the end. I particularly enjoyed the four(?) different POVs we get to read from. I felt invested in all of them, which is a rare occurrence! Looking forward to book 2.
This book included some cliche fantasy character tropes, but I thought the story itself went in a unique direction, and I was hooked by the end. I particularly enjoyed the four(?) different POVs we get to read from. I felt invested in all of them, which is a rare occurrence! Looking forward to book 2.
I was lucky enough to get a pre release copy of this book from my local book club and I am so glad I did because I loved this book so much it was just absolutely incredible and I can’t wait to read the next one
Wonderful well written book, strong female lead from the start and not shy about it ! Great pacing, didn’t want to put this down and can’t wait for more ! A real epic on fantasy and a rising star. I look forward to many more books , I am excited if they are all this good !
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes