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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Okay but where’s the sequel!!!!!!!
This is an incredible fantasy, one that grapples with imperialism/colonialism in a way most “fantasy royal befriends commoners on a quest for their rightful throne” absolutely skip over. Unsurprisingly, colonialism and imperialism is not solved in this first installment but it mentioned, it is not shoved under the rug, assumed that all the displaced and exploited people would be happy to help the rich royal descendent of the people who had murdered their families and communities.
I felt I owed the book more than just endless screaming so there you go a review at midnight talking about imperialism.
Also the first fantasy I’ve read mentioning menstruation in conjunction with magic since a Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho. Hell yeah.
This is an incredible fantasy, one that grapples with imperialism/colonialism in a way most “fantasy royal befriends commoners on a quest for their rightful throne” absolutely skip over. Unsurprisingly, colonialism and imperialism is not solved in this first installment but it mentioned, it is not shoved under the rug, assumed that all the displaced and exploited people would be happy to help the rich royal descendent of the people who had murdered their families and communities.
I felt I owed the book more than just endless screaming so there you go a review at midnight talking about imperialism.
Also the first fantasy I’ve read mentioning menstruation in conjunction with magic since a Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho. Hell yeah.
"For years, he'd ignored it in favor of his disbelief, his resentment, his fury. He'd let all that coil around it like a knot of scar tissue, calcify into a shell. Kept the whole thing like a stone in his gut, named it grief"
I actually loved this book so much.
I loved the dynamic between Min and Lu, both being justified in their actions- Min desperate for the attention she never got as a child, finally given a power that could make people see just how special she is, Lu, cold, proud and confident, faced with the realities of her families imperialism and forced to work with people who would prefer her bloodline dead. I have no idea who I'm going to root for in the next book because I spent the last few chapters screaming about how proud I was for both of them. I loved Nokhai too, of course, but it was so refreshing to have two uniquely strong female protagonists leading the main conflict of the story that they out shone him a little imo.
The setting was wonderful, I loved the descriptions of the courts and political systems, even though I'll admit it made the first hundred pages or so quite slow going. Reading books with fantasy settings outside of the usual western inspired mythos is so exciting and refreshing. I loved the location, the magic system the gods and the Kith aaaaaa The ending was so bittersweet and perfect, I'm so excited to see where this goes!
I actually loved this book so much.
I loved the dynamic between Min and Lu, both being justified in their actions- Min desperate for the attention she never got as a child, finally given a power that could make people see just how special she is, Lu, cold, proud and confident, faced with the realities of her families imperialism and forced to work with people who would prefer her bloodline dead. I have no idea who I'm going to root for in the next book because I spent the last few chapters screaming about how proud I was for both of them. I loved Nokhai too, of course, but it was so refreshing to have two uniquely strong female protagonists leading the main conflict of the story that they out shone him a little imo.
The setting was wonderful, I loved the descriptions of the courts and political systems, even though I'll admit it made the first hundred pages or so quite slow going. Reading books with fantasy settings outside of the usual western inspired mythos is so exciting and refreshing. I loved the location, the magic system the gods and the Kith aaaaaa The ending was so bittersweet and perfect, I'm so excited to see where this goes!
(2.5 stars) *I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review*
This is one of those books just on the better side of “okay” that it’s hard to talk about. Was it bad? Nope. Did I love it? Nah.
The book follows three viewpoints: Lu, Min, and Nokhai. Of the three of them, I thought Min’s viewpoint chapters had the most interesting plot. Lu and Nok’s journey was more predictable and didn’t grab me, but I wasn’t sure where Min was going to go, which was cool.
There was definitely some interesting stuff with Lu having to confront the oppression and genocide her family’s power was built on, and the background of the royal family hinted at some political intrigue possibilities. But I feel like Lu’s character growth was mostly in having the same conversation many different times, and not as much in emotionally confronting the truth about her family. I could have used more slam-you-in-the-face emotion, as well as more rounded development. Lu is a very physically strong, fight you with a sword, refuse to cry because that’s "weak", kind of person. I thought the book would challenge more of her assumptions about what being a good leader is and present different options from this, but we didn’t get as much as I expected.
And I didn’t like the brief scene when soldier tries to rape Nok. It’s true that rape between men happens, and can be written about with the care that any serious subject deserves. But I feel that if you have space to write in a gay rapist, then — especially considering that gay men are stereotyped as rapists by bigots irl — you should make space elsewhere to write in at least one good gay character so we know you don’t think that’s what gay men are like. And there aren't any other LGBTQ characters in this book at all. Like, in that case, just get rid of the attempted-rape scene — it’s not like it was a plot point or was ever addressed again.
I did get more invested in the story as the book went on. Though I’m frustrated that it wasn’t better, I’m somewhat interested in how things will develop in the sequel, if I read it.
This is one of those books just on the better side of “okay” that it’s hard to talk about. Was it bad? Nope. Did I love it? Nah.
The book follows three viewpoints: Lu, Min, and Nokhai. Of the three of them, I thought Min’s viewpoint chapters had the most interesting plot. Lu and Nok’s journey was more predictable and didn’t grab me, but I wasn’t sure where Min was going to go, which was cool.
There was definitely some interesting stuff with Lu having to confront the oppression and genocide her family’s power was built on, and the background of the royal family hinted at some political intrigue possibilities. But I feel like Lu’s character growth was mostly in having the same conversation many different times, and not as much in emotionally confronting the truth about her family. I could have used more slam-you-in-the-face emotion, as well as more rounded development. Lu is a very physically strong, fight you with a sword, refuse to cry because that’s "weak", kind of person. I thought the book would challenge more of her assumptions about what being a good leader is and present different options from this, but we didn’t get as much as I expected.
And I didn’t like the brief scene when soldier tries to rape Nok. It’s true that rape between men happens, and can be written about with the care that any serious subject deserves. But I feel that if you have space to write in a gay rapist, then — especially considering that gay men are stereotyped as rapists by bigots irl — you should make space elsewhere to write in at least one good gay character so we know you don’t think that’s what gay men are like. And there aren't any other LGBTQ characters in this book at all. Like, in that case, just get rid of the attempted-rape scene — it’s not like it was a plot point or was ever addressed again.
I did get more invested in the story as the book went on. Though I’m frustrated that it wasn’t better, I’m somewhat interested in how things will develop in the sequel, if I read it.
The Girl King has drama, action, magic and a splash of romance.
When I read the synopsis of the book, I thought I would like one sister more than the other. It surprised me that wasn't the case. I am always drawn to the person with magic ability over the warrior type. At the beginning of the book I did like Mim more than Lu, but as the book progress my opinion of Lu changed and I respected her more.
Mim is a character that divides my opinion.
I feel sorry for her as she is desperate for love from anyone. She is willing to be who ever they want her to be. In other part I find her annoying and that you can tell she is young .She is wiling to ignore facts that don't fit with the reality she wishes for. Also she is happy to blame other people for the situation she is in, and doesn't take responsibility for her own actions.
The evolution of Lu and Nokhai relationship thought out the book is one of my favourite element of the book. Especially for Lu side, the people she is friends with are servant. Nokhai isn't, and though there friendship makes her a better princess.
The Girl King added with a great twist and I can't wait to see what happens next.
My rating for The Girl King is 4.5 out of 5
When I read the synopsis of the book, I thought I would like one sister more than the other. It surprised me that wasn't the case. I am always drawn to the person with magic ability over the warrior type. At the beginning of the book I did like Mim more than Lu, but as the book progress my opinion of Lu changed and I respected her more.
Mim is a character that divides my opinion.
I feel sorry for her as she is desperate for love from anyone. She is willing to be who ever they want her to be. In other part I find her annoying and that you can tell she is young .She is wiling to ignore facts that don't fit with the reality she wishes for. Also she is happy to blame other people for the situation she is in, and doesn't take responsibility for her own actions.
The evolution of Lu and Nokhai relationship thought out the book is one of my favourite element of the book. Especially for Lu side, the people she is friends with are servant. Nokhai isn't, and though there friendship makes her a better princess.
The Girl King added with a great twist and I can't wait to see what happens next.
My rating for The Girl King is 4.5 out of 5
The last part was pretty entertaining, but I never felt a connection to any of the main characters. The story was interesting. It was almost like a legend or a fable. The story and world is what makes it, the characters just fulfill a need for the storytelling.
Wow okay. This is the first book in a long time I haven't fully enjoyed the whole book. It has everything a good fantasy needs. A murder, a good lie, a dysfunctional family, magic, two siblings on opposite sides, a false war, and an epic love separated by putting others first.
I didn't like any of the characters. At all. I couldnt connect with any of them, they are well fleshed out, had different qualities, and one was not like the other. But I just didn't like any of them at the start, until the middle, when I actually felt like I could connect with them and understand them and like them.
This book moved too slowly for me, and sometimes it moved too quickly and I had to go back and read it all over again. I was bored reading this, my interest wasnt piqued until around chapter 24. It took far too long for this book to get interesting. The plot is good, the characters are too. But I just couldnt love this book the way I wanted too.
But once I got to actually enjoy what I was reading the plot flowed better and I started liking the characters. It just sucks it to so long.
The ending of the book was great, absolutely amazing. I wished the entire book was as good as the ending was. I wasn't actually expecting it to end the way it did, and was truly surprised by some aspects. But I really loved it.
In saying this I don't want to put anyone off reading this book. It truly is a great book it just awhile for me to be interested.
I didn't like any of the characters. At all. I couldnt connect with any of them, they are well fleshed out, had different qualities, and one was not like the other. But I just didn't like any of them at the start, until the middle, when I actually felt like I could connect with them and understand them and like them.
This book moved too slowly for me, and sometimes it moved too quickly and I had to go back and read it all over again. I was bored reading this, my interest wasnt piqued until around chapter 24. It took far too long for this book to get interesting. The plot is good, the characters are too. But I just couldnt love this book the way I wanted too.
But once I got to actually enjoy what I was reading the plot flowed better and I started liking the characters. It just sucks it to so long.
The ending of the book was great, absolutely amazing. I wished the entire book was as good as the ending was. I wasn't actually expecting it to end the way it did, and was truly surprised by some aspects. But I really loved it.
In saying this I don't want to put anyone off reading this book. It truly is a great book it just awhile for me to be interested.
DNFing. I'm super disappointed. This sounded perfect for me but I just can't get into it.
If you read it I hope you enjoy it.
If you read it I hope you enjoy it.
The Girl King is a YA fantasy about two sisters who find themselves on opposite sides of a war for the throne. It has all the ingredients for a fantastic book: exiled royal, found magic, humans that turn into wolves, lost societies, and politics. However, very few of these ingredients were carried out to their full potential, making the book feel hollow and ultimately mediocre. The characters were fascinating, but none of them were given any sort of development from start to finish. The magic system felt confusing, the politics dry.
Moreover, I don’t know if this was intentional, but there were startling similarities to A Song of Ice & Fire, mainly Arya and Sansa’s characters. Min might as well be Sansa, Lu might be Arya. There’s a cruel, stubborn, bratty prince (Joffrey), and a queen who loves nothing more than power and occasionally her children (Cersei). The plot involves a royal who is forced into exile, who must raise an army of outsiders to invade and win back the throne (Daenerys), and one of the main magic systems involves people turning into animals (warging). Some scenes felt familiar too. There were way too many similarities for me to keep ignoring them.
I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Moreover, I don’t know if this was intentional, but there were startling similarities to A Song of Ice & Fire, mainly Arya and Sansa’s characters. Min might as well be Sansa, Lu might be Arya. There’s a cruel, stubborn, bratty prince (Joffrey), and a queen who loves nothing more than power and occasionally her children (Cersei). The plot involves a royal who is forced into exile, who must raise an army of outsiders to invade and win back the throne (Daenerys), and one of the main magic systems involves people turning into animals (warging). Some scenes felt familiar too. There were way too many similarities for me to keep ignoring them.
I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced