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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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
I couldn't get into it. I will try again later.
medium-paced
La reine sirène est un roman déroutant qui propose une forme d’univers alternatif où le réalisme magique s’insère naturellement au monde sans qu’on en saisisse vraiment les clés. Mais c’est aussi un récit féministe fascinant, porté par une héroïne dont l’histoire d’émancipation est formidablement écrite par une autrice qui maîtrise les lectures à plusieurs niveaux d’interprétation et réussit à utiliser l’imaginaire comme un projecteur sur le monde. On ne saisit pas tout, si ce n’est l’essentiel: les monstres ne sont pas ceux qu’on croit. Et certains monstres ont plus que le droit d’exister, là où d’autres devraient penser à s’effacer.
Critique complète sur yuyine.be!https://yuyine.be/review/book/la-reine-sirene
Critique complète sur yuyine.be!https://yuyine.be/review/book/la-reine-sirene
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Incredibly talented audiobook narrator.
Vo's much better with her own, more original work. Her other novellas are like crumpled origami - transformed, yes, from the original, but more mangled than beautiful and the interesting shape is crushed by a heavy hand. This is better.
To be honest, I'm kind of bored with the Quiet Asian Girl is Actually Monstrous trope. This one is okay though, the setting is vivid and honestly best at the beginning of the book where it is more grounded. The prose is fine and less floral than she normally writes. The storyline with thr sister is pretty thin, but fine.
The surreal magical realism-y part of it is tricky though. It feels too locked in to really drift off into an unreal world of magic and wonder, but so many points the book is too floaty and disconnected. It's like living in a half world where nothing is true and nothing is real except for the stories you believe. And that in itself is an interesting concept but I'm not sure I like the execution.
Vo's much better with her own, more original work. Her other novellas are like crumpled origami - transformed, yes, from the original, but more mangled than beautiful and the interesting shape is crushed by a heavy hand. This is better.
To be honest, I'm kind of bored with the Quiet Asian Girl is Actually Monstrous trope. This one is okay though, the setting is vivid and honestly best at the beginning of the book where it is more grounded. The prose is fine and less floral than she normally writes. The storyline with thr sister is pretty thin, but fine.
The surreal magical realism-y part of it is tricky though. It feels too locked in to really drift off into an unreal world of magic and wonder, but so many points the book is too floaty and disconnected. It's like living in a half world where nothing is true and nothing is real except for the stories you believe. And that in itself is an interesting concept but I'm not sure I like the execution.
dark
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
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
casually magical and strange. the world building is vague and feels very “vibe” based to the point that i almost reads as metaphorical (allegorical?) rather than an established system. this strategy of uncertainty could work for the benefit of the novel, but, in this case, i think it detracts.
this world building issue in combination with the lack of emotional focus made this a bit of a boring read. it’s unclear who and what we are truly meant to care most about. what is lilu truly yearning for? this was highlighted for me with the split emotional climax,half with her sister in san francisco and half with emmaline on set. it was also felt with the character of greta who comes and goes, yet is involved with the highest point of action in the story. everything felt like glimpses rather than a cohesive emotional arc.
additionally, the framing of jane as one of lilu’s greatest artistic collaborators and loves made me wish we got that story instead.
there were many beautiful ideas (the dolls in particular i LOVED). however, moments aren’t enough to carry the story for me.
this world building issue in combination with the lack of emotional focus made this a bit of a boring read. it’s unclear who and what we are truly meant to care most about. what is lilu truly yearning for? this was highlighted for me with the split emotional climax,
there were many beautiful ideas (the dolls in particular i LOVED). however, moments aren’t enough to carry the story for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury