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bananatricky's review
3.0
A (very) short story
I only downloaded the free book to get an idea of Mr Kristoff's writing as I read a favourable review of The Lotus War series.
The world building is good, based in a modern world where Shogun are at war with (presumably) the West and the earth is polluted.
I feel these books are not going to have happy endings ...
I only downloaded the free book to get an idea of Mr Kristoff's writing as I read a favourable review of The Lotus War series.
The world building is good, based in a modern world where Shogun are at war with (presumably) the West and the earth is polluted.
I feel these books are not going to have happy endings ...
call_me_elle's review
emotional
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
awexis's review
4.0
Um, who is Tora Miho again? Is she mentioned in the first book, Stormdancer? Cause I really can not remember it. >.<
But oh well, this short novella (only 20 pages) is good. Though there is no action scene whatsoever. I find it a sad. I'm sad for Miho. :(
But oh well, this short novella (only 20 pages) is good. Though there is no action scene whatsoever. I find it a sad. I'm sad for Miho. :(
mishlist's review
1.0
Languid, strangely formal and characters totally devoid of personality. Nothing new here people - 'Praying for Rain' reminds me of every other story I've picked up that takes an Asian setting, garnished with glaring details of rice cakes and lotuses, and dumps a heroine with a secret into it - which is not to say that I find it disrespectful but it's so unimaginative. As a prequel, the series probably has heaps of room to improve - though it would have rocked to see Miho in some future prediction of Japan or an alternate reality that didn't take its inspiration from the Edo period (my guess). I'm not feeling 'Stormdancer' though so won't be able to find out 1.4 stars
lpcoolgirl's review
5.0
Such a great short story, but it was like, we knew that things were going to go bad, so yeah, sad ending!
666prada's review
1, Stormdancer ★★★★ and ½
2, Kinslayer ★★★ and ¾
3, Endsinger ★★★★ and ¼
the short story starts with Miho, a girl gifted with the kenning falling in love with a boy working in the refinery.
other than the story of Miho, it paints the perfect picture of this dying city, where people are being blind to the destruction they cause, that the animals are dying out, the sky became red like blood, that these people they hunt and execute aren't doing any harm, that the pointless war is never going to end. it gives a good glimpse of this dark, greasy, Japanese-inspired world the lotus wars trilogy is set in.
and, the tale of Miho, is a sad one. despite it being only 20 pages, the feels are very real and raw, her thoughts, how he describes Rei, what she wants convey emotions perfectly. we only get bits of their backstories, but those are enough to make them understandable. the whole story has such a melancholic vibe, you can sense from the start that this isn't gonna have a happy ending.
other books by Jay Kristoff
The Nevernight Chronicle
1, Nevernight ★★★ and 3/4
Lifelike
1, Lifel1k3 ★★★
The Illuminae Files (cowritten with Amie Kaufman)
1, Illuminae ★★★★ and 1/2
2, Gemina ★★★★
3, Obsidio ★★★
Aurora Cycle (cowritten with Amie Kaufman)
1, Aurora Rising ★★
2, Kinslayer ★★★ and ¾
3, Endsinger ★★★★ and ¼
the short story starts with Miho, a girl gifted with the kenning falling in love with a boy working in the refinery.
other than the story of Miho, it paints the perfect picture of this dying city, where people are being blind to the destruction they cause, that the animals are dying out, the sky became red like blood, that these people they hunt and execute aren't doing any harm, that the pointless war is never going to end. it gives a good glimpse of this dark, greasy, Japanese-inspired world the lotus wars trilogy is set in.
and, the tale of Miho, is a sad one. despite it being only 20 pages, the feels are very real and raw, her thoughts, how he describes Rei, what she wants convey emotions perfectly. we only get bits of their backstories, but those are enough to make them understandable. the whole story has such a melancholic vibe, you can sense from the start that this isn't gonna have a happy ending.
other books by Jay Kristoff
The Nevernight Chronicle
1, Nevernight ★★★ and 3/4
Lifelike
1, Lifel1k3 ★★★
The Illuminae Files (cowritten with Amie Kaufman)
1, Illuminae ★★★★ and 1/2
2, Gemina ★★★★
3, Obsidio ★★★
Aurora Cycle (cowritten with Amie Kaufman)
1, Aurora Rising ★★
kittyg's review
4.0
A wonderful 20 page addition to the series which gives a little snippet into the life of someone who has the Kenning. I really like this series and as sad as this little snippet is it's also very beautiful and as wonderfully written as the books so I would recommend it if you have read book 1 :)
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