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kaiyakaiyo's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
done! I’ve decided that I really dislike novellas. they always feel rushed, incomplete. there is soooo much going on here, but it feels like the author just shoves info into our brain and starts the story. there was also a lot of repetitive language; how many times can one person write the word “broken” before it loses meaning. I didn’t have time to love any of the characters, or even dislike any. they were such bare sketches that I felt nothing as they moved through the story. maybe novella-lovers like the shortcut to action, but I just like buildup, showing vs telling. probably a me issue
pacing and char development issues aside, this is a really interesting world that could be great with some building, and girl/dragon is my new favorite sapphic trope. the kisses were A1!!!! would’ve liked some more logistics on how a dragon lady fucks a regular lady but maybe im just unimaginative. anyways, this took me a while to get into, and even longer to finish; not sure why i keep picking up novellas. last time, for real!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Sexual content, Colonisation, Blood, and Body horror
gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
3.75
This novella takes a well known classic and puts its own unique spin and cast of characters into it. This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a FxF romance and is inspired by Vietnamese myths and stories, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
If I really enjoyed this book why the 3.75 star and not a 4 star read? Well as much as I enjoyed it I did get lost with the world at times. It felt like I was meant to have some background knowledge that I did which left me wondering if we are in a whole different world, earth, or something between the two. There was a lot of reference to the past and whilst you can just take them and roll with it, it had me curious and wanting to know what had happened then, which took me away from the current story. Now a lot of this issue could just be that I'm unaware of Vietnamese myths and that could answer everything, but just know you might be a little out of the loop when reading this.
Despite that I did overall enjoy the book and it is something I want to read again. It has a wonder cast of characters, something that I really enjoyed was that wisdom and character growth was shared among younger and older characters.
I recommend this book for those who are wanting something different from their fairy tale retellings. It is a fun read that takes you to a whole different world that feels familiar and different all at the same time. It also has a diverse cast of characters that you will come to love.
If I really enjoyed this book why the 3.75 star and not a 4 star read? Well as much as I enjoyed it I did get lost with the world at times. It felt like I was meant to have some background knowledge that I did which left me wondering if we are in a whole different world, earth, or something between the two. There was a lot of reference to the past and whilst you can just take them and roll with it, it had me curious and wanting to know what had happened then, which took me away from the current story. Now a lot of this issue could just be that I'm unaware of Vietnamese myths and that could answer everything, but just know you might be a little out of the loop when reading this.
Despite that I did overall enjoy the book and it is something I want to read again. It has a wonder cast of characters, something that I really enjoyed was that wisdom and character growth was shared among younger and older characters.
I recommend this book for those who are wanting something different from their fairy tale retellings. It is a fun read that takes you to a whole different world that feels familiar and different all at the same time. It also has a diverse cast of characters that you will come to love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Death
strange_little_ranger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, and Slavery
Minor: Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Violence
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