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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
I mean it was... fine?
Starting off with the positive: I think the storyline was good. I always enjoy when the different pieces of information revealed over time start slotting together to allow the plot to form itself fully, which it did a few times. It definitely kept me invested.
Now, the rest was pretty mediocre.
I didn't really care about any of the characters, they all felt quite bland. There was way too much telling rather than showing when it came to their personalities and motives. The majority of the character building is just: "Ayla wanted X. But now... she also wants Y?!" without any good reasoning for why she wants Y. It's not very compelling.
Crier was also pretty meh. She could've been interesting but I feel that the Automa stuff wasn't executed well, which really detracted from her character. The Automae just felt like humans to the point where the author had to keep reminding us of the differences between them. That's supposed to be something we can feel throughout the story, not something you have to spell out every few pages.
And then there's their relationship. It wasn't developed very well and I couldn't find myself rooting for them to get together. I was more invested in the whole ARM thing but it kept getting ignored in favour of more of the author telling us that they like each other rather than showing it.
Because of this, I think the romance really took away from the interesting parts of the book. Every time the story got interesting it was interrupted by Ayla or Crier monologuing about their feelings, which probably appeals to some people, but since I didn't care much about either of them it was pretty boring.
I see people calling this "enemies to lovers" but I dunno, I never once got the impression that Crier saw Ayla as an enemy, it was very one-sided. Even then Ayla warmed up to her very quickly.
TL;DR Plot was good, characters not so much. I still want to read the second book to find out how the story concludes though.
Starting off with the positive: I think the storyline was good. I always enjoy when the different pieces of information revealed over time start slotting together to allow the plot to form itself fully, which it did a few times. It definitely kept me invested.
Now, the rest was pretty mediocre.
I didn't really care about any of the characters, they all felt quite bland. There was way too much telling rather than showing when it came to their personalities and motives. The majority of the character building is just: "Ayla wanted X. But now... she also wants Y?!" without any good reasoning for why she wants Y. It's not very compelling.
Crier was also pretty meh. She could've been interesting but I feel that the Automa stuff wasn't executed well, which really detracted from her character. The Automae just felt like humans to the point where the author had to keep reminding us of the differences between them. That's supposed to be something we can feel throughout the story, not something you have to spell out every few pages.
And then there's their relationship. It wasn't developed very well and I couldn't find myself rooting for them to get together. I was more invested in the whole ARM thing but it kept getting ignored in favour of more of the author telling us that they like each other rather than showing it.
Because of this, I think the romance really took away from the interesting parts of the book. Every time the story got interesting it was interrupted by Ayla or Crier monologuing about their feelings, which probably appeals to some people, but since I didn't care much about either of them it was pretty boring.
I see people calling this "enemies to lovers" but I dunno, I never once got the impression that Crier saw Ayla as an enemy, it was very one-sided. Even then Ayla warmed up to her very quickly.
TL;DR Plot was good, characters not so much. I still want to read the second book to find out how the story concludes though.
I feel like as the general story goes I do like it, I just didn't think it was filled out enough to be impactful. I am curious what happens next, but there were so many storytelling choices that put me off.
We weren't really ever shown anything. If the characters were met with a problem they instantly solved it by just thinking about it. Several of the more exciting scenes happened off page. And the constant use of flashbacks, especially about Ayla's past felt lazy to me.
I also didn't buy the relationship between Crier and Ayla. They had so few moments actually together but we got sooo many moments of them thinking about how they feel so weird around the other one.
The bones of the story are promising and interesting, but I wish more care had been put into the execution of it.
We weren't really ever shown anything. If the characters were met with a problem they instantly solved it by just thinking about it. Several of the more exciting scenes happened off page. And the constant use of flashbacks, especially about Ayla's past felt lazy to me.
I also didn't buy the relationship between Crier and Ayla. They had so few moments actually together but we got sooo many moments of them thinking about how they feel so weird around the other one.
The bones of the story are promising and interesting, but I wish more care had been put into the execution of it.
I found the premise interesting, but I didn't like the writing. It sometimes felt like it was trying to be "artsy" and beautiful just for the sake of it, even if it didn't bring anything to the scene.
It was also a bit to black and white. The bad guys were bad guys and they had no redeeming qualities, which I'm not very interested in reading.
It was also a bit to black and white. The bad guys were bad guys and they had no redeeming qualities, which I'm not very interested in reading.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
"Humanity is how you act, my lady... Not how you were made."
a fascinating read, i couldn't put this down.
for being about human cyborg (??? ish???) beings, this leans way more towards fantasy than scifi (which i prefer anyhow). a historical timeline of the end of the human reign into the start of the automae reign was an incredibly strong hook of a start to this fast-paced story.
the political intrigue for both sides really heightened the tension and mystery. the political machinations and endless scheming keep you guessing about who to trust and how both ayla and crier can navigate their way out of these treacherous waters of the power-hungry.
i loved the motif of a fox throughout - kinok saying the fox is his favorite prey, ayla wearing the fox mask, the story about the fox and the bear, and crier using the fox moniker. just a really fun detail that is an efficiently impactful use of symbolism.
ayla and crier - enemies to lovers (maybe), but one of them didn't know they were actually enemies 🤭 iconic. the futile resistance, the heart wants what it wants.
“If longing is madness, then none of us are sane.”
i'm definitely picking up book 2 as soon as i finish the rest of my sapphic september reads !
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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