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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Chalk another one up for the awesomely interesting Asian-culture-inspired high fantasies!
The pacing on the one was pretty rough, to be honest. It started out well, and then slowed down terribly, and then rushed ahead like a spooked horse. And that's true of almost every single plot line, but it's particular true of the romance line between the older sister and the skinslip boy. Not to mention the sort of romance line between older sister and the pseudo-deity dude... The second one in particular had this epic potential for awkward hilarity, but no... we only get to see the budding 'romance' from one PoV and only for like one day of development (a chapter, max) before the world literally ends.
The world building was delightful, though. It's centered around a rather odd amalgamation of Asian lore, but it reworks the legends for it's own purposes very well. And the world is a rich and vibrantly multicultural one, naturally diverse in a way that very few YA's are (though this is becoming less and less glaring of an issue with the category).
It's a fantastic adventure story, with an expert dash of political intrigue, plus a couple different ghost stories all independently rendered and brought to full fruition, and it has a truly marvelous diversity of character mentalities. They all react to both trauma and bombshell news drops in very distinct ways that are always consistent with the characters' uniquely established psychologies.
Read it for the setting, love it for the psych, and roll with the rest of it.
Appropriate for ages 15 & up, it's not a strong recommend, but it's a solid one. It wouldn't be my first choice to give to anyone seeking my staff recs at the bookstore, but it might be my fourth. And if I saw someone just carrying it around, I would definitely comment on how it is a good choice.
The pacing on the one was pretty rough, to be honest. It started out well, and then slowed down terribly, and then rushed ahead like a spooked horse. And that's true of almost every single plot line, but it's particular true of the romance line between the older sister and the skinslip boy. Not to mention the sort of romance line between older sister and the pseudo-deity dude... The second one in particular had this epic potential for awkward hilarity, but no... we only get to see the budding 'romance' from one PoV and only for like one day of development (a chapter, max) before the world literally ends.
The world building was delightful, though. It's centered around a rather odd amalgamation of Asian lore, but it reworks the legends for it's own purposes very well. And the world is a rich and vibrantly multicultural one, naturally diverse in a way that very few YA's are (though this is becoming less and less glaring of an issue with the category).
It's a fantastic adventure story, with an expert dash of political intrigue, plus a couple different ghost stories all independently rendered and brought to full fruition, and it has a truly marvelous diversity of character mentalities. They all react to both trauma and bombshell news drops in very distinct ways that are always consistent with the characters' uniquely established psychologies.
Read it for the setting, love it for the psych, and roll with the rest of it.
Appropriate for ages 15 & up, it's not a strong recommend, but it's a solid one. It wouldn't be my first choice to give to anyone seeking my staff recs at the bookstore, but it might be my fourth. And if I saw someone just carrying it around, I would definitely comment on how it is a good choice.
This is one of those books that I realized, far too late, wasn't a standalone novel. Far too few pages left for everything that still needs to be wrapped up, and yep. Only the first book. I'm not sure why I hadn't realized it wasn't a standalone. The second book, Empress of Flames, isn't due out until early 2020, which is far too long to wait! I need to know what happens to these characters!
The Girl King is mainly the story of Lu, eldest daughter of the Emperor of the First Flame. She is expecting to be named heir, and when she isn't and her cousin (and bully) Set is named instead, she decides not to placidly accept the injustice. She runs away from court, intending to find allies to help her retake the throne. Lu is single-minded and selfish. She doesn't really pay attention to how her actions affect other people - she doesn't think twice about leaving her younger, more timid sister to face the court, their mother, and Set on her own. I know that we're supposed to be cheering for Lu in this book, but in D&D terms, she's a paladin. She might be right. She's not very likable. I had far more sympathy for Min, her sister.
Actually, thinking back on it, almost none of these characters did much thinking about how their actions affect other people. The leader of the refugee Gifted did, she had her people to think about. And the triad of rulers of the mythical city were looking out for their people. But Lu really only thinks of herself. Set definitely only thinks about himself. Min is set up to be more sympathetic but is stuck inside her own head. Nok is too consumed with his own private pity party to think much about other people. I love Nok, don't get me wrong, he was probably my favorite character, but he doesn't think much about other people other than his mentor.
I feel like it's reasonable to have one or two self-obsessed characters, but when it's everyone, I think that might be a writing issue. The story was still great, and I will definitely be reading the second book, but I'm hoping for some character growth and learning about empathy as the story progresses.
You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.
The Girl King is mainly the story of Lu, eldest daughter of the Emperor of the First Flame. She is expecting to be named heir, and when she isn't and her cousin (and bully) Set is named instead, she decides not to placidly accept the injustice. She runs away from court, intending to find allies to help her retake the throne. Lu is single-minded and selfish. She doesn't really pay attention to how her actions affect other people - she doesn't think twice about leaving her younger, more timid sister to face the court, their mother, and Set on her own. I know that we're supposed to be cheering for Lu in this book, but in D&D terms, she's a paladin. She might be right. She's not very likable. I had far more sympathy for Min, her sister.
Actually, thinking back on it, almost none of these characters did much thinking about how their actions affect other people. The leader of the refugee Gifted did, she had her people to think about. And the triad of rulers of the mythical city were looking out for their people. But Lu really only thinks of herself. Set definitely only thinks about himself. Min is set up to be more sympathetic but is stuck inside her own head. Nok is too consumed with his own private pity party to think much about other people. I love Nok, don't get me wrong, he was probably my favorite character, but he doesn't think much about other people other than his mentor.
I feel like it's reasonable to have one or two self-obsessed characters, but when it's everyone, I think that might be a writing issue. The story was still great, and I will definitely be reading the second book, but I'm hoping for some character growth and learning about empathy as the story progresses.
You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.
eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley
The Girl King is about an empire thrown into mayhem when the oldest of two siblings decides that she will create her own fate no matter the cost, leaving the younger sister with the consequences of her older sister’s decisions.
Lu, the oldest sister is strong-headed and knows what she wants. Min, the youngest, is very quiet and does as she is told but with such restraint comes a breaking point. They are both relatable since we have all had to decide at one point if what we want has too high of a risk and if we are willing to keep going despite the damage it has on others. We also have had times of being in someones shadow and wanting to break through. The characters are well developed and you really connect with them through her writing as she adds a few PoV which adds another layer to her already in depth characters.
The sibling rivalry was something I enjoyed because they didn’t really start off as rivals per say. Over the course of the book it builds and we get to see another side of the characters when everything begins to fall apart. The writing is wonderfully detailed as it adds depth to the world she surrounds us in. The one small thing I didn’t care for was the relationship building between two of the characters. It felt a little pushed but it’s such a minor thing that it didn’t make me love the book any less.
Filled with mystical beings, sibling rivalry, and secrets this book is nothing short of incredible. If you are a fan of Three Dark Crowns, Shadow of the Fox or just love fantasy, I would recommend this book. I have already ordered the UK version and a US signed copy because I love this book so much! I will anxiously be waiting for the second book. Seriously, if it isn’t on your TBR, add it!
The Girl King is about an empire thrown into mayhem when the oldest of two siblings decides that she will create her own fate no matter the cost, leaving the younger sister with the consequences of her older sister’s decisions.
Lu, the oldest sister is strong-headed and knows what she wants. Min, the youngest, is very quiet and does as she is told but with such restraint comes a breaking point. They are both relatable since we have all had to decide at one point if what we want has too high of a risk and if we are willing to keep going despite the damage it has on others. We also have had times of being in someones shadow and wanting to break through. The characters are well developed and you really connect with them through her writing as she adds a few PoV which adds another layer to her already in depth characters.
The sibling rivalry was something I enjoyed because they didn’t really start off as rivals per say. Over the course of the book it builds and we get to see another side of the characters when everything begins to fall apart. The writing is wonderfully detailed as it adds depth to the world she surrounds us in. The one small thing I didn’t care for was the relationship building between two of the characters. It felt a little pushed but it’s such a minor thing that it didn’t make me love the book any less.
Filled with mystical beings, sibling rivalry, and secrets this book is nothing short of incredible. If you are a fan of Three Dark Crowns, Shadow of the Fox or just love fantasy, I would recommend this book. I have already ordered the UK version and a US signed copy because I love this book so much! I will anxiously be waiting for the second book. Seriously, if it isn’t on your TBR, add it!
adventurous
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is exactly the fast paced, action filled fantasy I absolutely love.
How fast paced it is, however, also a downside. While the jumps in time and location don’t feel jarring, and the writing doesn’t make the events feel like they happened in the span of days when the narrative says weeks, an awful lot happens in only a few hundred pages. Plus, everything that happens is important. There’s no ‘filler’ to give the reader time to breathe, and so some of the major events almost feel unimportant.
I can only hope the next book raises the stakes and the scope of the politics to combat this, which the last chapter left me very hopeful for! I went into this hoping there’s be more politics and less fantasy, but even though it was the other way around I can’t complain.
Everything else in this is just amazing.
The characters are, yes, flawed and a little repetitive, but so distinct and their motivations are so well explained. Even the villains are likeable as characters while being horrible people - honestly even the good guys aren’t all that likeable as people.
The world feels real, and while I wish there’s been more palace time I appreciate that more time was spent establishing characters instead.
How fast paced it is, however, also a downside. While the jumps in time and location don’t feel jarring, and the writing doesn’t make the events feel like they happened in the span of days when the narrative says weeks, an awful lot happens in only a few hundred pages. Plus, everything that happens is important. There’s no ‘filler’ to give the reader time to breathe, and so some of the major events almost feel unimportant.
I can only hope the next book raises the stakes and the scope of the politics to combat this, which the last chapter left me very hopeful for! I went into this hoping there’s be more politics and less fantasy, but even though it was the other way around I can’t complain.
Everything else in this is just amazing.
The characters are, yes, flawed and a little repetitive, but so distinct and their motivations are so well explained. Even the villains are likeable as characters while being horrible people - honestly even the good guys aren’t all that likeable as people.
The world feels real, and while I wish there’s been more palace time I appreciate that more time was spent establishing characters instead.
adventurous
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Lu would be King, and will not let her gender, her parents or her sister stand in the way. When she is betrothed to a cousin (and a despicable and manipulative one at that) she circumvents her nations traditions in an attempt to win her own hand in marriage. After her betrothed attempts to murder her she flees into the wilds and must scrounge up some allies to save the throne - even if it takes a ghost army to do it.
This book is difficult to be brief about. It is the story of Lu - the girl who would be King; and her sister Min, who only ever wanted to be accepted, and approved of. It is the story of an ostracized orphan, Nokhai, who must grapple with personal losses and new transformations while on the run from persecutors he doesn't wholly fathom. It is a story of a Prince schooled in manipulation and deception, who seeks to rule the world. It is the story of a mysterious monk his search for a lost city, and mystical power. It is the story of a hidden and enchanted city - and the monarchs that rule it seeking to preserve their way of life from the brutality of the outside world - and I'm excited to see where Yu takes the series.
Lu is incredibly singleminded, but my heart is reserved for Nokhai and his parallel journey from ostracized orphan to a leader. Min, Lu's sister also has an interesting trajectory, I fear it will be that of a falling star (or supernova...) and that Min will be crushed under her sister's persistence.
I really enjoyed the world building, and seeing familiar tropes from a different mythology.
This book is difficult to be brief about. It is the story of Lu - the girl who would be King; and her sister Min, who only ever wanted to be accepted, and approved of. It is the story of an ostracized orphan, Nokhai, who must grapple with personal losses and new transformations while on the run from persecutors he doesn't wholly fathom. It is a story of a Prince schooled in manipulation and deception, who seeks to rule the world. It is the story of a mysterious monk his search for a lost city, and mystical power. It is the story of a hidden and enchanted city - and the monarchs that rule it seeking to preserve their way of life from the brutality of the outside world - and I'm excited to see where Yu takes the series.
Lu is incredibly singleminded, but my heart is reserved for Nokhai and his parallel journey from ostracized orphan to a leader. Min, Lu's sister also has an interesting trajectory, I fear it will be that of a falling star (or supernova...) and that Min will be crushed under her sister's persistence.
I really enjoyed the world building, and seeing familiar tropes from a different mythology.
dnf at page 285
the premise sounded so cool and i really wanted to love this, but unfortunately it didn't stand out against other ya fantasy books for me, especially when the plot really started dragging about halfway through. i did like Lu much more than the average warrior princess character but her story quickly got overshadowed by the love interest, whom i found pretty boring, and her sister, who intrigued me at first (she's the character archetype of the whiny shrinking violet who slowly finds her voice, but i thought Min felt more real than other characters like this), but as the story slowed down and started dragging on i got pretty sick of her. Mimi Yu's writing is nice, though, and i think definitely has potential so maybe i'll check back in with her a few books down the line!
the premise sounded so cool and i really wanted to love this, but unfortunately it didn't stand out against other ya fantasy books for me, especially when the plot really started dragging about halfway through. i did like Lu much more than the average warrior princess character but her story quickly got overshadowed by the love interest, whom i found pretty boring, and her sister, who intrigued me at first (she's the character archetype of the whiny shrinking violet who slowly finds her voice, but i thought Min felt more real than other characters like this), but as the story slowed down and started dragging on i got pretty sick of her. Mimi Yu's writing is nice, though, and i think definitely has potential so maybe i'll check back in with her a few books down the line!