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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
3.5 Stars
The beginning dragged but I'm excited to continue!
The beginning dragged but I'm excited to continue!
My reviews are first published on [a cup of tea and an armful of books].
This novel follows Min and Lu, two sisters whose paths are spread out before them. Lu is destined to become the first female Emperor, and all of her lessons are preparing her to take over from her father when he deems her ready. Min is her younger sister, seemingly destined to be forever in Min's shadow. But when their father betrays Lu and passes the throne to a male cousin, suddenly Min has the potential to have more power that her sister. As Lu flees her home and becomes a fugitive, Min discovers something inside of herself that she begins to nurture. Power comes in many forms.
The Girl King starts with a prologue, something I both love and hate in equal turn. Prologues can work to set the tone of the book, but I don't think that the prologue in The Girl King did it any favors. It actually made it very hard to get into the story. It starts with characters we don't see in the next chapter, so I was left wondering what the point of the prologue was and who the people were. Eventually it ties into the rest of the book, but when the main plot of the book involves Lu and Min, I really felt like the novel should have started with them.
The three main characters of The Girl King were Lu, Min, and Nokhai. Lu and Nokhai traveled together through most of the book, while Min was on her own. I thought they were all well-developed, with my favorite being Nokhai. I wish that more of this story had been spent on his past and shapeshifting abilities––it looks like he may have more attention on him in book two from where I think the story is going––because I found his past the most interesting. Nok teaches Lu about the wider world that makes up the empire, as well as what her family has done to keep their legacy. I did find myself getting frustrated by Lu, however; she didn't want to believe a lot of what people were telling her, oftentimes running into danger and situations that she could have avoided. She had no world smarts in a world full of people who detested her family and everything she stood for. Add being a fugitive on top of that and she just made so many mistakes that should have gotten her killed. Thankfully by the time the novel ended she and Nok were working together.
My favorite part of this novel is the ancient China-fantasy vibe! I think the world was really interesting and touched on legit problematic elements that aren't always touched on to this extent in young adult fantasy novels. Lu is confronted with the reality of the colonizing that her family has inflicted on others in this book, with Nok not letting her forget that legacy because he's a part of it too. It's definitely something that she has to deal with before she can really understand who she is and where she is going. The element of betrayal in the court was so great to read. You know from the synopsis that her father gives the throne to someone else, but that's just scratching the surface of the betrayal in this book. There were a few moments that totally surprised me. It made the book a bit more violent than I expected, but it also made it fit in with the time that it's set in.
The Girl King is an interesting start to a new world, but ultimately I was disappointed. I really loved the world: Shapeshifters, including one of the protagonists; mountain adventures; and an Asian inspired world that has really vibrant characters and an interesting magic system. It's really too bad that the plot meandered far too long. I think if the pace had been picked up, I really would be touting how great this book is. I think this will appeal to a lot of people, but it just didn't jive with me. I may pick up the second book in the future though, because there are elements I'd like to see that were hinted at the end of the novel.
This novel follows Min and Lu, two sisters whose paths are spread out before them. Lu is destined to become the first female Emperor, and all of her lessons are preparing her to take over from her father when he deems her ready. Min is her younger sister, seemingly destined to be forever in Min's shadow. But when their father betrays Lu and passes the throne to a male cousin, suddenly Min has the potential to have more power that her sister. As Lu flees her home and becomes a fugitive, Min discovers something inside of herself that she begins to nurture. Power comes in many forms.
The Girl King starts with a prologue, something I both love and hate in equal turn. Prologues can work to set the tone of the book, but I don't think that the prologue in The Girl King did it any favors. It actually made it very hard to get into the story. It starts with characters we don't see in the next chapter, so I was left wondering what the point of the prologue was and who the people were. Eventually it ties into the rest of the book, but when the main plot of the book involves Lu and Min, I really felt like the novel should have started with them.
The three main characters of The Girl King were Lu, Min, and Nokhai. Lu and Nokhai traveled together through most of the book, while Min was on her own. I thought they were all well-developed, with my favorite being Nokhai. I wish that more of this story had been spent on his past and shapeshifting abilities––it looks like he may have more attention on him in book two from where I think the story is going––because I found his past the most interesting. Nok teaches Lu about the wider world that makes up the empire, as well as what her family has done to keep their legacy. I did find myself getting frustrated by Lu, however; she didn't want to believe a lot of what people were telling her, oftentimes running into danger and situations that she could have avoided. She had no world smarts in a world full of people who detested her family and everything she stood for. Add being a fugitive on top of that and she just made so many mistakes that should have gotten her killed. Thankfully by the time the novel ended she and Nok were working together.
My favorite part of this novel is the ancient China-fantasy vibe! I think the world was really interesting and touched on legit problematic elements that aren't always touched on to this extent in young adult fantasy novels. Lu is confronted with the reality of the colonizing that her family has inflicted on others in this book, with Nok not letting her forget that legacy because he's a part of it too. It's definitely something that she has to deal with before she can really understand who she is and where she is going. The element of betrayal in the court was so great to read. You know from the synopsis that her father gives the throne to someone else, but that's just scratching the surface of the betrayal in this book. There were a few moments that totally surprised me. It made the book a bit more violent than I expected, but it also made it fit in with the time that it's set in.
The Girl King is an interesting start to a new world, but ultimately I was disappointed. I really loved the world: Shapeshifters, including one of the protagonists; mountain adventures; and an Asian inspired world that has really vibrant characters and an interesting magic system. It's really too bad that the plot meandered far too long. I think if the pace had been picked up, I really would be touting how great this book is. I think this will appeal to a lot of people, but it just didn't jive with me. I may pick up the second book in the future though, because there are elements I'd like to see that were hinted at the end of the novel.
"I wasn't made to torment you...I wasn't made for you at all. I was made for me."
Love this line!
This is an impressive debut novel and Mimi Yu is one to watch. The Girl King is a Chinese inspired fantasy with a fully fleshed world, nuanced characters, magic, unexpected twists, and a dash of brutality. Royal sisters Lu and Min have always been opposites. Lu is brave and fierce, raised to be her father's heir and skilled in combat. Min is quiet, pushed toward traditional femininity, and often overlooked. But when their father instead betroths Lu to her cousin and makes him the heir, a series of events will lead to the sisters becoming rivals in a battle for the throne. Lu allies herself with Nokhai, a wolf shapeshifter, while her sister must contend with their cousin and the creepy priest who advises him.
Lu and Min are fascinating characters, and we get to see their arcs develop through the story in interesting ways. Nokhai and Lu dislike each other at first, but eventually learn from each other and become close. I don't want to say much about Min's arc, but she has several disturbing yet compelling interactions at court. I did think the book was a tad long and meandered at times, but overall the author has crafted an interesting and compelling story that sets the stage for future books in the series. I received a review copy of this book via Net-Galley. All opinions are my own.
Love this line!
This is an impressive debut novel and Mimi Yu is one to watch. The Girl King is a Chinese inspired fantasy with a fully fleshed world, nuanced characters, magic, unexpected twists, and a dash of brutality. Royal sisters Lu and Min have always been opposites. Lu is brave and fierce, raised to be her father's heir and skilled in combat. Min is quiet, pushed toward traditional femininity, and often overlooked. But when their father instead betroths Lu to her cousin and makes him the heir, a series of events will lead to the sisters becoming rivals in a battle for the throne. Lu allies herself with Nokhai, a wolf shapeshifter, while her sister must contend with their cousin and the creepy priest who advises him.
Lu and Min are fascinating characters, and we get to see their arcs develop through the story in interesting ways. Nokhai and Lu dislike each other at first, but eventually learn from each other and become close. I don't want to say much about Min's arc, but she has several disturbing yet compelling interactions at court. I did think the book was a tad long and meandered at times, but overall the author has crafted an interesting and compelling story that sets the stage for future books in the series. I received a review copy of this book via Net-Galley. All opinions are my own.
This was a solid 3.5 - maybe I did it a disservice reading it back to back with Poppy War.
The cover art was gorgeous. Yu has a very beautiful and piercing quality to their writing that wowed and unnerved me equally. I wanted to love this book but I didn't.
Here are a few of my thoughts:
-I wish the relationship had been developed more between the sisters.
-I was not a fan of the romance.
-I really wish Min had grown up at some point.
-I did actually enjoy most of Lu's storyline and almost wish it could have been only about her.
Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me but I’m interested in seeing where the second book takes us.
Overall I woud still recommend this book to fantasy lovers.
Thank you to NetGalley, Mimi Yu and Orion Publishing Groupfor providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Here are a few of my thoughts:
-I wish the relationship had been developed more between the sisters.
-I was not a fan of the romance.
-I really wish Min had grown up at some point.
-I did actually enjoy most of Lu's storyline and almost wish it could have been only about her.
Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me but I’m interested in seeing where the second book takes us.
Overall I woud still recommend this book to fantasy lovers.
Thank you to NetGalley, Mimi Yu and Orion Publishing Groupfor providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
So, normally I don't like to throw shade at other books in my reviews, but here I feel the comparison is impossible to ignore, and my celebration of this book is fed by my disappointment in another. So here we go.
This book is what I was hoping for when I picked up Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone. I made no secret of my disappointment in what I was offered there, especially when I had such high hopes for it. A YA fantasy that's not set in a european-based world! Excitement and action and intrigue, an interesting and intrepid female protagonist! A touch of romance, a splash of super creative worldbuilding based on a non-western mythology!
The Girl King offers all these things in spades. The Asian-inspired world was a refreshing change from the norm. The magic was natural and integrated, the characters rich and well-rounded, and yet the action never took a pause to explain a complex piece of world building or to linger on romantic conundrums. Every tidbit of information was skillfully woven into the story in such a way that by the end I was left feeling breathless, almost longing for a moment's pause.
It's a story of imperial intrigue, colonial destruction of indigenous peoples and their religions and beliefs, of two princesses who couldn't be more different, of a young empress in the making having to face up to the colonial legacy of her father adn grandfather, trying to make amends to the people most hurt by her empire.
My critiques are few - there were a few moments where I felt the hectic pace of the story (how is this book over 400 pages? It read like half that) skipped over what could have been important moments by not being in the right POV character when tehy happened. It felt like some scenes were cut and the edges were not quite stitched back together properly. Large chunks of time are skipped over a couple of times with no effective time jump, leaving me feeling like maybe my copy was missing a few pages. The early chapters felt hectic, frenetic almost, though I'm not sure I can really count that a criticism, given it's already quite a large book and I generally like the faster pacing. I'm not sure how I would change it, only that the first quarter left me feeling a little discombobulated and unsure where things were heading. There's also a huge WTF NO moment but I won't go into that cause spoilers and also getting an emotional response isn't a bad thing. I'm just mad about it.
Overall I definitely recommend this for anyone who's looking for an exciting fantasy romp that feels less like a Tolkein ripoff and more like a genuinely diverse fantasy tale. This book should be way more hyped than it is. It's everything Children of Blood and Bone promised, but it's actually well written and skillfully crafted.
This book is what I was hoping for when I picked up Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone. I made no secret of my disappointment in what I was offered there, especially when I had such high hopes for it. A YA fantasy that's not set in a european-based world! Excitement and action and intrigue, an interesting and intrepid female protagonist! A touch of romance, a splash of super creative worldbuilding based on a non-western mythology!
The Girl King offers all these things in spades. The Asian-inspired world was a refreshing change from the norm. The magic was natural and integrated, the characters rich and well-rounded, and yet the action never took a pause to explain a complex piece of world building or to linger on romantic conundrums. Every tidbit of information was skillfully woven into the story in such a way that by the end I was left feeling breathless, almost longing for a moment's pause.
It's a story of imperial intrigue, colonial destruction of indigenous peoples and their religions and beliefs, of two princesses who couldn't be more different, of a young empress in the making having to face up to the colonial legacy of her father adn grandfather, trying to make amends to the people most hurt by her empire.
My critiques are few - there were a few moments where I felt the hectic pace of the story (how is this book over 400 pages? It read like half that) skipped over what could have been important moments by not being in the right POV character when tehy happened. It felt like some scenes were cut and the edges were not quite stitched back together properly. Large chunks of time are skipped over a couple of times with no effective time jump, leaving me feeling like maybe my copy was missing a few pages. The early chapters felt hectic, frenetic almost, though I'm not sure I can really count that a criticism, given it's already quite a large book and I generally like the faster pacing. I'm not sure how I would change it, only that the first quarter left me feeling a little discombobulated and unsure where things were heading. There's also a huge WTF NO moment but I won't go into that cause spoilers and also getting an emotional response isn't a bad thing. I'm just mad about it.
Overall I definitely recommend this for anyone who's looking for an exciting fantasy romp that feels less like a Tolkein ripoff and more like a genuinely diverse fantasy tale. This book should be way more hyped than it is. It's everything Children of Blood and Bone promised, but it's actually well written and skillfully crafted.
The only thing I didn't like about The Girl King is that I read it before the next book is out! Very invested in the fates of [redacted for spoilers]. Its just so cool to see unflinching women of colour ruling the world (Mimi and her characters both) - and I can't wait to hear more about this revived magic system. Long live the Girl King!!!
THAT ENDING I AM SCREAMING I can’t wait for book 2 ajdskkdjdjdj
(rtc!)
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I literally only heard of this book 5 minutes ago but that was more than enough time for me to decide that I NEED THIS SO MUCH
(rtc!)
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I literally only heard of this book 5 minutes ago but that was more than enough time for me to decide that I NEED THIS SO MUCH
I got 74%ish done with this book. I've been trying to get through it for what seems like months, I like the characters and the story. But I cant bring myself to finish it maybe because I've been at it for months xD