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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
TW: ableist slurs, vomiting, menstruation, graphic violence, drug use, genocide, attempted rape
That was one hell of a ride y'all. And now I need to recover and prepare my heart for the next book.
I love it, I love the characters. I love the way that this book is written, seeing the different characters grow into themselves, seeing them start as one thing and become another right before my eyes.
Wow. This was beautiful and I can't wait for the next book and I'm so nervous and excited for it. Like come break my heart Mimi Yu.
That was one hell of a ride y'all. And now I need to recover and prepare my heart for the next book.
I love it, I love the characters. I love the way that this book is written, seeing the different characters grow into themselves, seeing them start as one thing and become another right before my eyes.
Wow. This was beautiful and I can't wait for the next book and I'm so nervous and excited for it. Like come break my heart Mimi Yu.
"I am going to win back my throne."
See, here's the thing. I've read this book before. Many times. Hundreds of times, it feels like. [b: The Girl King|35105833|The Girl King (The Girl King, #1)|Mimi Yu|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1527081500s/35105833.jpg|56413055] sounded good, but it does absolutely nothing that hasn't already been done by countless YA Fantasy books.
What we have here is another young woman looking to reclaim her throne. She journeys around with standard Hot Dude™ and hopes to recruit the Yunians, a group of people with magic, to her cause. It's not a short journey, either. I was ready to forgive the book for being so long because I thought it was a standalone, but it turns out we can expect at least one sequel.
» The Characters
The book is written in third person, which probably doesn't help us warm to the characters. This was a real problem for me. I couldn't care about anyone.
The three third-person perspectives are that of Lu, badass warrior and heir to the throne, her sister Min, younger and weaker and - for the most part - used as a pawn by everyone in the book, and Nok, a slipskin who can sometimes become a wolf. Nok feels interchangeable with most YA fantasy love interests; Lu feels interchangeable with most YA fantasy badass heroines. Only Min remotely stood out, though perhaps for the wrong reasons. Her naivete and self-pity quickly grew tiring.
They never really liked me, she thought, not for the first time, but still, it stung. No one does.
» The
What is with these journeys? Long, dull treks in which the heroine and potential lover must spend so much time together-- oh my, what could happen?
Thankfully, we returned to the palace for Min's perspective in between Lu's journeying or else I might have died of boredom.
» The Twists/Reveals
Obviously, I'm not going to give anything away, but there is NOTHING that comes as a surprise in this book. The earlier twist can be guessed in the first couple of chapters, and come on, did anyone reading this really believe for a second that
Spoiler
Nok was gone for goodI really expected something more from [b: The Girl King|35105833|The Girl King (The Girl King, #1)|Mimi Yu|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1527081500s/35105833.jpg|56413055]. Unfortunately, it is almost indistinguishable from other YA fantasy books. Give it a few weeks and this will have blended into all the rest in my mind. If you are on the lookout for fantasy inspired by East Asia, I recommend [b: The Poppy War|35068705|The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)|R.F. Kuang|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1515691735s/35068705.jpg|56364137], [b: Girls of Paper and Fire|34433755|Girls of Paper and Fire (Girls of Paper and Fire, #1)|Natasha Ngan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518109125s/34433755.jpg|55540701] or [b: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns|33958230|Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress, #1)|Julie C. Dao|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496338822s/33958230.jpg|53186285] instead.
CW: Attempted rape; murder; addiction.
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3.5 stars actually.
The concept behind this book intrigued me.
The characters were unique in their own way - Lu is ferocious, Nok is a bit of wimp who has integrity who grows a backbone, and Min begins as a minor character (she never felt major to me) and her personal journey was probably just as much as Nok, which is to say, it was more than Lu's. The main cast has promise.
The plot as well has promise and it was interesting. Except, it was weakened by the lack of bond between Lu and Min. Which is interesting on its own as both Lu and Min think of each other - Min of Lu more than Lu of Min - but there's never a deeper sense of relationship between the two. Especially for sisters with the kind of complex familial relationship that these two have.
While this one was as exciting as others in the same kind of category, nor as emotionally driven, I am willing and planning to read the next one.
The concept behind this book intrigued me.
The characters were unique in their own way - Lu is ferocious, Nok is a bit of wimp who has integrity who grows a backbone, and Min begins as a minor character (she never felt major to me) and her personal journey was probably just as much as Nok, which is to say, it was more than Lu's. The main cast has promise.
The plot as well has promise and it was interesting. Except, it was weakened by the lack of bond between Lu and Min. Which is interesting on its own as both Lu and Min think of each other - Min of Lu more than Lu of Min - but there's never a deeper sense of relationship between the two. Especially for sisters with the kind of complex familial relationship that these two have.
While this one was as exciting as others in the same kind of category, nor as emotionally driven, I am willing and planning to read the next one.
Thank you so much to Gollancz for sending me a free copy of this book to review!
When I first heard about this book in 2018 I knew I was going to have to read it, I mean, who wouldn't? Shapeshifting wolves?! Asian inspired fantasy world?! Sibling rivalry?! Uhh...yes please! I'm so thankful to Gollancz for giving me the opportunity to review this book, and to Mimi Yu for writing it.
From the very first page we are thrust into an engaging, suspenseful read, and this book got gradually more and more intense. I cried, I whooped with joy, I had my hand over my mouth, I was hooked & at one point I just didn't want to carry on because I could feel my heart breaking. This book will make you feel every emotion possible and you will love Mimi for it!
We meet Lu & Min, two sisters who are very different from the get go. Lu is the eldest sister, who is set to be new Emperor, only it doesn't quite turn out that way. Min is the youngest sister, always in Lu's shadow. I had quite strong feelings of dislike towards Lu at the beginning, she seemed pretty selfish and so sure that she has a right to be the new Emperor, she didn't like being told different. Min was my favourite at the start, she seemed really innocent and like she just would go with the flow of whatever happened. Lu was always her fathers favourite, while Min was always her mother's favourite and it soon becomes clear why!
Along the journey we also meet Nokhai, oh my precious Nokhai. From the get go I knew I was going to fall in love with him. Nok is a shapeshifting wolf who is fighting his own battles and trying to figure out who he really is, when he is thrown into the path of Princess Lu when she goes on the run after being branded a traitor for apparently killing her father, the Emperor. I loved Nok's journey from the start to the end of the book.
This story is told in three different POVs for each chapter, Lu, Nok & Min. At first, it was a little confusing whose chapters were whose, but as the story goes on you get used to how each of the characters comes across and then it's easy to tell whose chapter it is. I loved Nok's chapters from the start to the end, I loved his journey and seeing his character develop into the badass wolf that he deserves to be, although he had his challenges he got there in the end and I am so happy, and I love Nok, I'm not ashamed to admit it! Lu, as I said above, I didn't like her at the start, she came across cocky and pretty selfish but as the story progressed she became so badass, I loved her in the end. At first, I think sweet little Min was my favourite, that soon changed and after her marriage to Set I just couldn't stand her character. It was almost like Lu and Min had a complete character change with each other.
The writing in this book is completely captivating. From the very first line I was hooked and I didn't want to put this book down at night to sleep, I just wanted to keep reading and reading. It was fast paced, a few of the chapters were a little bit longer than the others but I never got bored of the content, I would sit and read and before I knew it I'd read 90 pages, this book is one of the most suspensful, engaging, emotional books I've read and it's up there in my Top 5 favourite books EVER. The writing had such a nice flow to it and it was descriptive enough that I could just imagine it all without being too much description.
I really loved the banter in this book between Lu & Nok, I feel their characters just fit so well together and I'm SHIPPING IT, with my whole heart and everything that I am. Overall, I really really am in love with this book, the characters and the content are on a different level to anything I've read. A masterpiece by Mimi for her first ever novel and I will now have her on auto-buy.
Trigger/content warnings: animal death, murder, attempted rape, menstration descriptions, emotional/verbal/physical abuse, intense violence, war themes, addiction, trauma, death of a parent, death of a family member.
When I first heard about this book in 2018 I knew I was going to have to read it, I mean, who wouldn't? Shapeshifting wolves?! Asian inspired fantasy world?! Sibling rivalry?! Uhh...yes please! I'm so thankful to Gollancz for giving me the opportunity to review this book, and to Mimi Yu for writing it.
From the very first page we are thrust into an engaging, suspenseful read, and this book got gradually more and more intense. I cried, I whooped with joy, I had my hand over my mouth, I was hooked & at one point I just didn't want to carry on because I could feel my heart breaking. This book will make you feel every emotion possible and you will love Mimi for it!
We meet Lu & Min, two sisters who are very different from the get go. Lu is the eldest sister, who is set to be new Emperor, only it doesn't quite turn out that way. Min is the youngest sister, always in Lu's shadow. I had quite strong feelings of dislike towards Lu at the beginning, she seemed pretty selfish and so sure that she has a right to be the new Emperor, she didn't like being told different. Min was my favourite at the start, she seemed really innocent and like she just would go with the flow of whatever happened. Lu was always her fathers favourite, while Min was always her mother's favourite and it soon becomes clear why!
Along the journey we also meet Nokhai, oh my precious Nokhai. From the get go I knew I was going to fall in love with him. Nok is a shapeshifting wolf who is fighting his own battles and trying to figure out who he really is, when he is thrown into the path of Princess Lu when she goes on the run after being branded a traitor for apparently killing her father, the Emperor. I loved Nok's journey from the start to the end of the book.
This story is told in three different POVs for each chapter, Lu, Nok & Min. At first, it was a little confusing whose chapters were whose, but as the story goes on you get used to how each of the characters comes across and then it's easy to tell whose chapter it is. I loved Nok's chapters from the start to the end, I loved his journey and seeing his character develop into the badass wolf that he deserves to be, although he had his challenges he got there in the end and I am so happy, and I love Nok, I'm not ashamed to admit it! Lu, as I said above, I didn't like her at the start, she came across cocky and pretty selfish but as the story progressed she became so badass, I loved her in the end. At first, I think sweet little Min was my favourite, that soon changed and after her marriage to Set I just couldn't stand her character. It was almost like Lu and Min had a complete character change with each other.
The writing in this book is completely captivating. From the very first line I was hooked and I didn't want to put this book down at night to sleep, I just wanted to keep reading and reading. It was fast paced, a few of the chapters were a little bit longer than the others but I never got bored of the content, I would sit and read and before I knew it I'd read 90 pages, this book is one of the most suspensful, engaging, emotional books I've read and it's up there in my Top 5 favourite books EVER. The writing had such a nice flow to it and it was descriptive enough that I could just imagine it all without being too much description.
I really loved the banter in this book between Lu & Nok, I feel their characters just fit so well together and I'm SHIPPING IT, with my whole heart and everything that I am. Overall, I really really am in love with this book, the characters and the content are on a different level to anything I've read. A masterpiece by Mimi for her first ever novel and I will now have her on auto-buy.
Trigger/content warnings: animal death, murder, attempted rape, menstration descriptions, emotional/verbal/physical abuse, intense violence, war themes, addiction, trauma, death of a parent, death of a family member.
DNF page 58. Nothing I haven't read before. It doesn't bring anything new to the table and instead rehashes a lot of YA fantasy fiction.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes