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booksemmahasread's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Slavery, Violence, and Colonisation
btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? It's complicated
4.0
This felt like YA ADSOM meets Pokemon ethics, which is a very specific niche, but it worked.
The real star of this book is the world building - the dynamics of the political system, the concept of paper magic and shikigami, the flying ships and pirate-esque vibes of the crew - it was all so well developed, I felt like I was in the world. This is definitely where the ADSOM comparison come in - the depth of the world-building and the unique magic system made me feel like I was a part of the action.
Pokemon ethics is very specific, but the concept of these magical paper creatures, shikigami, having a master versus having autonomous thoughts feelings and the ethics behind it was a huge part of the story. What gives people the right to have governance over something/someone else? Because they're magical creature, why aren't they allowed the right to live freely? It provides interesting insight into a similar kind of ethics system and was a huge part of Kurara's story line. Honestly, one of the aspects of the story I found most interesting as her own history and shikigami history and autonomy was explored more.
I also liked the three POVs and how they contrasted each other in thought and end-goals, and how they helped to build the world. It felt like we got more of the larger picture as a result of the three POVs as well as different perspectives regarding politics and magic. That being said, I feel like this gave less time for character and relationship building - Kurara's POV was mostly ethics and Haru focused; Himura's POV looked more at Kurara's training and Crafters' knowledge limitations, as much of their history was lost; and the Interlude POV that was focused on the Sorabito people and the Sohma rebellion. There wasn't much room for the secondary characters as a result, and it felt like we didn't really get to the hearts of our three leads either because there was a lot to juggle.
While there was an overarching plot to this book, the end felt abrupt. We were left with a lot of loose ends, and while I know this is a trilogy, I felt like there wasn't anything solidly settled by the end and it felt unfinished as a result. I definitely will pick up the second book, as I'm so curious about the shikigami and exploring more of that magic system, but I do hope future instalments delve deeper into the characters and their relationships to one another.
TW: fire/fire injury, death, murder, injury detail, animal death (paper animal death, not dog), kidnapping (of sorts), slavery (of magical creatures), militaristic abuse of power; mentions war
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Pacing: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
ARC gifted by Tundra Books via Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.
The real star of this book is the world building - the dynamics of the political system, the concept of paper magic and shikigami, the flying ships and pirate-esque vibes of the crew - it was all so well developed, I felt like I was in the world. This is definitely where the ADSOM comparison come in - the depth of the world-building and the unique magic system made me feel like I was a part of the action.
Pokemon ethics is very specific, but the concept of these magical paper creatures, shikigami, having a master versus having autonomous thoughts feelings and the ethics behind it was a huge part of the story. What gives people the right to have governance over something/someone else? Because they're magical creature, why aren't they allowed the right to live freely? It provides interesting insight into a similar kind of ethics system and was a huge part of Kurara's story line. Honestly, one of the aspects of the story I found most interesting as her own history and shikigami history and autonomy was explored more.
I also liked the three POVs and how they contrasted each other in thought and end-goals, and how they helped to build the world. It felt like we got more of the larger picture as a result of the three POVs as well as different perspectives regarding politics and magic. That being said, I feel like this gave less time for character and relationship building - Kurara's POV was mostly ethics and Haru focused; Himura's POV looked more at Kurara's training and Crafters' knowledge limitations, as much of their history was lost; and the Interlude POV that was focused on the Sorabito people and the Sohma rebellion. There wasn't much room for the secondary characters as a result, and it felt like we didn't really get to the hearts of our three leads either because there was a lot to juggle.
While there was an overarching plot to this book, the end felt abrupt. We were left with a lot of loose ends, and while I know this is a trilogy, I felt like there wasn't anything solidly settled by the end and it felt unfinished as a result. I definitely will pick up the second book, as I'm so curious about the shikigami and exploring more of that magic system, but I do hope future instalments delve deeper into the characters and their relationships to one another.
TW: fire/fire injury, death, murder, injury detail, animal death (paper animal death, not dog), kidnapping (of sorts), slavery (of magical creatures), militaristic abuse of power; mentions war
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Pacing: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
ARC gifted by Tundra Books via Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Murder, Kidnapping, and Slavery
Minor: War
snowwhitehatesapples's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.
A strong debut that reminds of me Studio Ghibli’s films, Rebel Skies tells the tale of Kurara, a young servant girl who later becomes a Crafter on a flying ship to hunt wild shikigami in a world that also has sky cities and paper magic.
There are so many things that I love in this book. The first of which is obviously the amazing magic system and the blending of Asian culture and mythology. We’ve Crafters who are born with the ability to bring paper to life, and shikigami which are conjured paper beings that can potentially go wild. Though we don’t learn entirely of the rules to the paper magic, I think its introduction here allows the reader a solid enough understanding while leaving room for future learning and for the magic system to grow (both of which I’m hoping for as Rebel Skies will be part of a trilogy!).
Another aspect of the book that I love is definitely the rich imagery that brings the Rebel Skies world to life. Every part of it feels magical here and you can easily tell how much love and effort has gone into the worldbuilding. However, I’m sad to write that this doesn’t extend to the characters.
Although we’ve a wide cast of characters with distinct personalities and characteristics, they, unfortunately, don’t develop or change much throughout the story. The characters and consequently, the relationships between them, fall flat in comparison to the lush worldbuilding, acting much like devices just to bring the story forward. Sure, I did feel for them, especially when it came to the unexpected revelations and betrayals, but other than that, I didn’t care much for them. Nevertheless, there are still two other books left in this trilogy so I hope that the characters will grow, become more complex and have more depth and realism later on.
As mentioned earlier, Rebel Skies is a strong debut. It has potential to be better with its upcoming sequels and I have high hopes for the sequels. If you’re a fan of Asian-inspired fantasy, I’d recommend giving this book a read, though definitely keep in mind that this book is targeted towards teens/the younger side of the Young Adult category so the ‘sound’ of the narrative reflects that.
A strong debut that reminds of me Studio Ghibli’s films, Rebel Skies tells the tale of Kurara, a young servant girl who later becomes a Crafter on a flying ship to hunt wild shikigami in a world that also has sky cities and paper magic.
There are so many things that I love in this book. The first of which is obviously the amazing magic system and the blending of Asian culture and mythology. We’ve Crafters who are born with the ability to bring paper to life, and shikigami which are conjured paper beings that can potentially go wild. Though we don’t learn entirely of the rules to the paper magic, I think its introduction here allows the reader a solid enough understanding while leaving room for future learning and for the magic system to grow (both of which I’m hoping for as Rebel Skies will be part of a trilogy!).
Another aspect of the book that I love is definitely the rich imagery that brings the Rebel Skies world to life. Every part of it feels magical here and you can easily tell how much love and effort has gone into the worldbuilding. However, I’m sad to write that this doesn’t extend to the characters.
Although we’ve a wide cast of characters with distinct personalities and characteristics, they, unfortunately, don’t develop or change much throughout the story. The characters and consequently, the relationships between them, fall flat in comparison to the lush worldbuilding, acting much like devices just to bring the story forward. Sure, I did feel for them, especially when it came to the unexpected revelations and betrayals, but other than that, I didn’t care much for them. Nevertheless, there are still two other books left in this trilogy so I hope that the characters will grow, become more complex and have more depth and realism later on.
As mentioned earlier, Rebel Skies is a strong debut. It has potential to be better with its upcoming sequels and I have high hopes for the sequels. If you’re a fan of Asian-inspired fantasy, I’d recommend giving this book a read, though definitely keep in mind that this book is targeted towards teens/the younger side of the Young Adult category so the ‘sound’ of the narrative reflects that.
Thank you so much Pansing for sending me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review! Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin is available at all good bookstores.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Abandonment
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