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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Strong contender for my favorite book this year, this author is able to talk about serious topics, make you care about the characters, and create a frightening villain without resorting to grimdark or unpleasantness. Genuinely fun, fast paced, and exciting with a good sense of humor. There are probably too many side characters by the end, but it rarely feels like they are jammed in there. Definitely recommend!
DNF. Just was not for me. I wasn’t enjoying or connecting with the MC and I felt there was too much telling, and not enough showing.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
Very funny, kinda unserious at times and it’s a good pick me up and not too jarring for a read. A nice stand alone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
lighthearted
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
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
funny
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
mysterious
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:
No
Unfortunately disappointing.
For a book led almost entirely by plot, the plot sure was boring. I didn’t care about what was happening, and I didn’t feel like there were any stakes. It felt like there was almost no tension throughout the entire book, mostly because I didn’t care about both the plot and the characters. However, I feel that the disconnect with the characters is mostly due to a narration issue (and the characters being kind of boring, of course).
To explain, the narration style of this book had an interesting tone, and it was narrated more as if it were a fairy tale. I did like this unique aspect, and it really added to the mythological atmosphere the book seemed like it was trying to cultivate. Unfortunately, this narration was also third-person omniscient, and not written in a way that I really felt like I was in the character’s head. I didn’t feel what the character was feeling, I was just told what they were feeling/doing… so why should I care?
Moreover… Miuko as a character felt really uninteresting to me. For the first half of the book, she just constantly bumbles around, is scared of things, and has a continuous character arc of “nooo I won’t kill people!” The second half is more interesting because she grows a spine… but I still didn’t really care about her as a character—especially since the narration couldn't really make me connect with her. (Some of the other characters were slightly fun because they had charisma... but that was kind of it.)
Uninteresting plot, didn’t care about the characters (the most interesting—or at least fun—one was the villain, honestly), and it felt like there was no tension because I didn’t care.
The telling and not showing was a continuous issue throughout this book, too. While I admire Chee’s effort towards writing a feminist story… it just beats you over the head with it. Over and over again, with no sense of subtlety, the writing just goes “did you forget she’s a woman?? and people hate women?? and that women are oppressed?? did you forget?? did you forget??” Every chapter it must’ve been several times where the narration literally just tells you that—oop! Miuko shouldn’t be seen doing this thing or other because she’s a woman!!! Because she’s oppressed!!! I GET IT.
Absolutely no sense of natural integration into the story, and the writing was just bludgeoning me over the head with it.
I was close to DNFing in the first half of the book, but I really wanted to avoid DNFing a book again. The latter half was far more interesting than the first, with some actual drama going on, but at that point I only cared maybe 10% more than I did for the first half. The plot was interesting, but it was still bogged down by characters I didn't care about.
Overall, bored, bored, bored. The book built up an interesting atmosphere and world, but it couldn’t save itself from the writing. 2 stars.
For a book led almost entirely by plot, the plot sure was boring. I didn’t care about what was happening, and I didn’t feel like there were any stakes. It felt like there was almost no tension throughout the entire book, mostly because I didn’t care about both the plot and the characters. However, I feel that the disconnect with the characters is mostly due to a narration issue (and the characters being kind of boring, of course).
To explain, the narration style of this book had an interesting tone, and it was narrated more as if it were a fairy tale. I did like this unique aspect, and it really added to the mythological atmosphere the book seemed like it was trying to cultivate. Unfortunately, this narration was also third-person omniscient, and not written in a way that I really felt like I was in the character’s head. I didn’t feel what the character was feeling, I was just told what they were feeling/doing… so why should I care?
Moreover… Miuko as a character felt really uninteresting to me. For the first half of the book, she just constantly bumbles around, is scared of things, and has a continuous character arc of “nooo I won’t kill people!” The second half is more interesting because she grows a spine… but I still didn’t really care about her as a character—especially since the narration couldn't really make me connect with her. (Some of the other characters were slightly fun because they had charisma... but that was kind of it.)
Uninteresting plot, didn’t care about the characters (the most interesting—or at least fun—one was the villain, honestly), and it felt like there was no tension because I didn’t care.
The telling and not showing was a continuous issue throughout this book, too. While I admire Chee’s effort towards writing a feminist story… it just beats you over the head with it. Over and over again, with no sense of subtlety, the writing just goes “did you forget she’s a woman?? and people hate women?? and that women are oppressed?? did you forget?? did you forget??” Every chapter it must’ve been several times where the narration literally just tells you that—oop! Miuko shouldn’t be seen doing this thing or other because she’s a woman!!! Because she’s oppressed!!! I GET IT.
Absolutely no sense of natural integration into the story, and the writing was just bludgeoning me over the head with it.
I was close to DNFing in the first half of the book, but I really wanted to avoid DNFing a book again. The latter half was far more interesting than the first, with some actual drama going on, but at that point I only cared maybe 10% more than I did for the first half. The plot was interesting, but it was still bogged down by characters I didn't care about.
Overall, bored, bored, bored. The book built up an interesting atmosphere and world, but it couldn’t save itself from the writing. 2 stars.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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:
No