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bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was a really good contemporary YA book and a really bizarre take on Twelfth Night. I’ll start with the first bit.
The Last True Poets of the Sea is a book about grief. It’s about history. It’s about trauma. It’s about how people carry those things with them from generation to generation. It has some beautifully complicated and at times tragic sibling relationships. It has a teen sapphic romance that feels realistic for the characters and where they are in their lives.
It also has most of the things that one might expect from a Twelfth Night retelling: A love triangle, a shipwreck, a character named Toby, twins…
But all of those parts of the story are remixed to a degree that didn’t really make sense to me. The shipwreck and the twins (and the gender stuff) are in the past. The love triangle is completely different because Violet falls for Liv first and Orion is for some reason straight. Toby is Violet’s uncle rather than Liv’s. Most of the subplots are cut completely, which makes sense but was still sad (well, I didn’t really miss Malvolio, but I wanted a proper Sir Andrew character, goddammit!).
The book still works despite these changes to the source material, and they were obviously make deliberately. They just bugged me as a fan of the original play who enjoys seeing new takes on it.
I also have a couple little nitpicks:
Liv refers to herself and Violet as anagrams. This makes sense thematically, but the names Violet and Olivia are NOT anagrams. This was very confusing because the author could have actually given them names that used all of the same letters!
Also, this is a very white book. It makes sense because it’s set in small-town Maine—maybe the whitest part of the US—but why was Violet always remarking on the fact that random side characters were white people when she and all the other characters were also white people? Very odd.
The Last True Poets of the Sea is a book about grief. It’s about history. It’s about trauma. It’s about how people carry those things with them from generation to generation. It has some beautifully complicated and at times tragic sibling relationships. It has a teen sapphic romance that feels realistic for the characters and where they are in their lives.
It also has most of the things that one might expect from a Twelfth Night retelling: A love triangle, a shipwreck, a character named Toby, twins…
But all of those parts of the story are remixed to a degree that didn’t really make sense to me. The shipwreck and the twins (and the gender stuff) are in the past. The love triangle is completely different because Violet falls for Liv first and Orion is for some reason straight. Toby is Violet’s uncle rather than Liv’s. Most of the subplots are cut completely, which makes sense but was still sad (well, I didn’t really miss Malvolio, but I wanted a proper Sir Andrew character, goddammit!).
The book still works despite these changes to the source material, and they were obviously make deliberately. They just bugged me as a fan of the original play who enjoys seeing new takes on it.
I also have a couple little nitpicks:
Liv refers to herself and Violet as anagrams. This makes sense thematically, but the names Violet and Olivia are NOT anagrams. This was very confusing because the author could have actually given them names that used all of the same letters!
Also, this is a very white book. It makes sense because it’s set in small-town Maine—maybe the whitest part of the US—but why was Violet always remarking on the fact that random side characters were white people when she and all the other characters were also white people? Very odd.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug use, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia
averyrembish's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Cursing, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Medical content, Outing, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Drug use, Homophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
audreyreadz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Alcohol
rachelcotter1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
mitacaparos's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
shirazj's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
aiyam's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. Drake’s take on the meaning of grief, how it affects life and what we’re meant to do with it hit me hard. I’m obsessed with this author and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Violet is the new love of my life. Reformed party girl trying to atone for her sins and work her way out of the disaster her brother has created for their family is my new favorite kind of girl. She is such a genuine person who feels all her emotions so strongly, I ached when she expressed herself, I felt her words as strongly as she did.
All the people she meets in Lyric are amazing. They’re funny and quirky and the perfect mix of side character while having their own lives off page. Liv Stone might be my second favorite character in the book, surprise surprise. She’s just so interesting and sweet and I can so see why Violet falls for her.
All in all, the writing is gorgeous and the plot is heartbreaking in the best way. Such a great debut, can’t wait to see more from this author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
rosequeen_02's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual content
alittlebitheather's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Violet is struggling after her brother's suicide attempt. In an effort to curtail her erratic behavior, her parents send her to the small town of Lyric, Maine to stay with her uncle for the summer. After a touch of rebellious behavior, Violet settles into the quiet way of life, that is, until Orion and Liv come into her life. Both struggling from the loss of a mutual party in their life, Violet feels drawn to the two in a way she's never felt drawn to any person in her life. As they investigate some of Violet's family history, the love triangle falls away and all Violet can see is Liv. A beautiful book about loss, love, healing, and friendship, Julia Drake's The Last True Poets of the Sea is perfect for fans of books like All the Bright Places and History is All You Left Me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Suicide attempt
books_and_mags's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Suicide attempt