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emiliaphrodite's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
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
3.5
i know i adore this book because no matter the scene, if characters are talking, i’m in love.
buttttttt now that i’m older, my perspective on this book has really changed. kai acts like a child when he’s a literal emperor, although he does have some self-awareness, and i appreciate that. i kid you not, the way thorne treats cress while they’re in the desert? that’s the way i treat my students in ELEMENTARY.
the biggest turn-around of all is that wolf is actually my favorite now, and he and scarlet genuinely feel like the most mature characters from the crew. tall, hulking, chivalrous? yes plzzzz 🤤
i read somewhere that there are a few microaggressions in the book, and now that they’ve been pointed out to me, I can’t unsee them. someone tell me why the linh family has a vietnamese last name, practices more japanese culture, but lives in china??? i understand they’re all united under the commonwealth now, but i would’ve appreciated not having to jump through the numerous logical leaps and bounds in order to excuse this extreme blurring of asian cultures.
that doesn’t even begin the notes on ableism scattered throughout the book. the words “crazy,” “lunatic,” and “psychotic” are tossed around way too easily. that’s just the beginning.
it’s giving white woman learns about racism and thinks she’s done something. and yes, she did, but she also clearly didn’t do her research. why is it that scarlet’s accent is only mentioned now when cinder and thorne would’ve noticed in their chapters immediately, but when they’re all in africa, the author doesn’t forget to mention the accents of the locals once? not to mention lunars likely have their own accents? overall, the world building was so poorly done that it’s easy to see why and how the author slipped up and failed to mention all these differing accents in the beginning.
i am not saying i don’t love this book. i really, genuinely do, and cresswell will always be adorable to me. but now that i’m older and my world view is different, things like this don’t just skip past the way they once did.
buttttttt now that i’m older, my perspective on this book has really changed. kai acts like a child when he’s a literal emperor, although he does have some self-awareness, and i appreciate that. i kid you not, the way thorne treats cress while they’re in the desert? that’s the way i treat my students in ELEMENTARY.
the biggest turn-around of all is that wolf is actually my favorite now, and he and scarlet genuinely feel like the most mature characters from the crew. tall, hulking, chivalrous? yes plzzzz 🤤
i read somewhere that there are a few microaggressions in the book, and now that they’ve been pointed out to me, I can’t unsee them. someone tell me why the linh family has a vietnamese last name, practices more japanese culture, but lives in china??? i understand they’re all united under the commonwealth now, but i would’ve appreciated not having to jump through the numerous logical leaps and bounds in order to excuse this extreme blurring of asian cultures.
that doesn’t even begin the notes on ableism scattered throughout the book. the words “crazy,” “lunatic,” and “psychotic” are tossed around way too easily. that’s just the beginning.
it’s giving white woman learns about racism and thinks she’s done something. and yes, she did, but she also clearly didn’t do her research. why is it that scarlet’s accent is only mentioned now when cinder and thorne would’ve noticed in their chapters immediately, but when they’re all in africa, the author doesn’t forget to mention the accents of the locals once? not to mention lunars likely have their own accents? overall, the world building was so poorly done that it’s easy to see why and how the author slipped up and failed to mention all these differing accents in the beginning.
i am not saying i don’t love this book. i really, genuinely do, and cresswell will always be adorable to me. but now that i’m older and my world view is different, things like this don’t just skip past the way they once did.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Cultural appropriation, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism
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