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bhprice's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
"The Cerulean" by Amy Ewing offers a captivating tale with commendable character development and a promising world. The narrative unfolds with a good pace, and the relationships, particularly between Sera and Leela, are a highlight, creating a sense of camaraderie that readers can appreciate.
The strength of the characters and their growth is evident, and the potential for a richly developed world is apparent. However, the world-building felt somewhat lacking, leaving readers craving a deeper understanding of the religious aspects that play a significant role in the story. The intentional vagueness about the history of the City in the Sky creates a sense of mystery, but it also leaves gaps in understanding that could have been filled to enhance the overall experience.
As the story progresses, the anticipation builds towards the end, where major tension and intriguing plot points emerge. It's this last quarter of the book that truly grabs the reader's attention, making it clear that the real substance lies in the latter part. The earlier portions of the book, while not without merit, could have been more succinctly summarized to maintain a consistently engaging pace.
While the prospect of a sequel is exciting, there's a lingering feeling that the first and second books could have been seamlessly combined. The narrative doesn't necessarily require excessive exposition, and some sections felt like they were included to meet a word count rather than to advance the plot.
Despite these observations, the potential for an enthralling continuation is undeniable. The hints of an uprising and the mysterious developments with Sera's purple mother and Leo and Agnes meeting their grandmother promise an engaging second installment. If the sequel delivers on the potential established in this book, it could elevate the overall experience, making the series a cohesive and compelling read.
In conclusion, "The Cerulean" sets the stage for an intriguing saga, with room for improvement in world-building and pacing. With high hopes for the sequel, readers may find the combined narrative of both books to be a more satisfying and cohesive experience.
j_action's review against another edition
2.0
I wont lie, I did pick up this book because of the cover. I needed an audiobook to listen too on the drive to a work conference. While I will say that the ebook was done well, the story wasn't what I expected.
The premise of an entire society of women sounded intriguing, but the way it was done was strange. Each family consisted of an orange, purple and green mother (a triad). Each mother was responsible for a different aspect of raising their daughter; orange for prayer, purple for emotional and green for education. Alright - I could get behind that. The part that threw me a little bit was the fact that the MC was somehow STRAIGHT in a society that didn't have men at all. And it wasn't a slow discovery, she decided she loved men once she saw her first man on Kaolin after she was kidnapped by a man. I don't know about you, but attraction would not be the first thing on my mind.
Once Sera is on the planet below (which is never actually named), most of the story jumps between four perspectives: Sera, Leela, Agnus and Leo. The story continues both in Kaolin and the "City in the Sky". What an original name!
There are some interesting parts that did make me want to finish the book, but once I got to the end I noticed that nothing big had really happened. I think the biggest reason why I finished this book was because I didn't have any other audiobooks downloaded.
Note to self while travelling: Download more than one audiobook... just in case.
The premise of an entire society of women sounded intriguing, but the way it was done was strange. Each family consisted of an orange, purple and green mother (a triad). Each mother was responsible for a different aspect of raising their daughter; orange for prayer, purple for emotional and green for education. Alright - I could get behind that. The part that threw me a little bit was the fact that the MC was somehow STRAIGHT in a society that didn't have men at all. And it wasn't a slow discovery, she decided she loved men once she saw her first man on Kaolin after she was kidnapped by a man. I don't know about you, but attraction would not be the first thing on my mind.
Once Sera is on the planet below (which is never actually named), most of the story jumps between four perspectives: Sera, Leela, Agnus and Leo. The story continues both in Kaolin and the "City in the Sky". What an original name!
There are some interesting parts that did make me want to finish the book, but once I got to the end I noticed that nothing big had really happened. I think the biggest reason why I finished this book was because I didn't have any other audiobooks downloaded.
Note to self while travelling: Download more than one audiobook... just in case.
alongreader's review
4.0
Amy Ewing is definitely able to build new worlds, and convey them well without getting caught up in endless exposition. That said, I could have used a little more explanation of the Cerulean, but it'll probably come in the next book. I enjoyed getting to know Sera, Agnes and Leo and I'll be looking out eagerly for their next outing.
I wasn't surprised when (Spoiler Character) turned out to be evil...it happens so often that the real surprise would be seeing a (Character type) who wasn't evil at this point. Maybe I'm being unfair and there'll be a twist later, but for now, I'm not surprised.
I'll keep a close eye out for the rest of the series.
I wasn't surprised when (Spoiler Character) turned out to be evil...it happens so often that the real surprise would be seeing a (Character type) who wasn't evil at this point. Maybe I'm being unfair and there'll be a twist later, but for now, I'm not surprised.
I'll keep a close eye out for the rest of the series.
hellolauradarling's review
3.0
Meg. I like her writing style and voice, but not crazy about the plot. Almosted DNFed, but managed to finish.
mortuarymorticia's review
1.0
DNF @ 10%.
Basically, the moment I realized this beautiful concept about a sapphic, all-female, polyamorous society was actually about a straight girl who
“isn’t like her lesbian society” & then.
she has a straight coming out story.
Big oof.
This book broke my heart.
Basically, the moment I realized this beautiful concept about a sapphic, all-female, polyamorous society was actually about a straight girl who
“isn’t like her lesbian society” & then.
she has a straight coming out story.
Big oof.
This book broke my heart.
read_withtay's review against another edition
2.0
3/5 stars.
**Trigger warning for talk about suicide and sexuality issues**
QUICK THOUGHTS:
• I went into this book having want to read something by this author as I’ve heard of the Jewel series but haven’t read it yet.
• The plot itself was interesting enough. There’s Sera, and Agnes, Leo and Laia(?) and it switches between these POVs, though it’s all in 3rd person. The audio was a good representation of the characters too. It was quick and I enjoyed that.
• This book did have some problems though. First, the whole sexuality thing with Sera was kind of a mess. She lives on a planet inhabited by females and they’re attracted to one another, but then she goes to a different planet, sees a man, and is like ‘wow I like men’. Like, what the heck. My rating was definitely affected by this.
• I also had a problem with the whole forced suicide thing. I’ve seen many shows where someone is sacrificed (AHS immediately comes to mind) but this was this girl is chosen and pushed off of the side of the island city to break the tether. It just seemed weird to me and I didn’t like that.
• Also the Murloc was voiced like Gollum. Literally the weirdest thing ever when he talked.
**Trigger warning for talk about suicide and sexuality issues**
QUICK THOUGHTS:
• I went into this book having want to read something by this author as I’ve heard of the Jewel series but haven’t read it yet.
• The plot itself was interesting enough. There’s Sera, and Agnes, Leo and Laia(?) and it switches between these POVs, though it’s all in 3rd person. The audio was a good representation of the characters too. It was quick and I enjoyed that.
• This book did have some problems though. First, the whole sexuality thing with Sera was kind of a mess. She lives on a planet inhabited by females and they’re attracted to one another, but then she goes to a different planet, sees a man, and is like ‘wow I like men’. Like, what the heck. My rating was definitely affected by this.
• I also had a problem with the whole forced suicide thing. I’ve seen many shows where someone is sacrificed (AHS immediately comes to mind) but this was this girl is chosen and pushed off of the side of the island city to break the tether. It just seemed weird to me and I didn’t like that.
• Also the Murloc was voiced like Gollum. Literally the weirdest thing ever when he talked.
meganac's review against another edition
I must have marked this to-read before there were many reviews on it - I'm sure I wouldn't have chosen to read it had I seen the reviews first. I'm disappointed because the world-building is incredible, but I'm DNFing this 50 pages in.
Aside from the writing being a bit juvenile, this book is basically about a girl from a floating world of polyamorous lesbians. You know that stereotype about YA main characters always having something special about them? Yeahhhh.
Scanning the rest of the book and the reviews, I noticed racist themes and another character whose point of interest is their sexuality, and I decided my time is better spent elsewhere.
Aside from the writing being a bit juvenile, this book is basically about a girl from a floating world of polyamorous lesbians. You know that stereotype about YA main characters always having something special about them? Yeahhhh.
Spoiler
This MC is the only straight person in her society.Scanning the rest of the book and the reviews, I noticed racist themes and another character whose point of interest is their sexuality, and I decided my time is better spent elsewhere.
siennasan's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
3.5