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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Cursing
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Even though this book was barely over 350 pages, I couldn't breeze through it like I normally would. I was hopeful for an immersive YA Fantasy for a quick palate cleanser but I was wrong. This took me much longer to read because it didn't hold my attention.
The premise of this book had me immediately intrigued enough to rush and put a hold on it at the library. The plot just seemed a bit loose and scattered though I terms of the story. At first I was convinced that Huong and Jolie were romantic interests until it comes to light they are sisters. The whole school portion of the book feels like weird filler? It isn't really all that necessary or important. Huong seemed very one dimensional until the VERY end of the book.
Daphne and Lana feel wholly irrelevant the entire book even though they play a vital role in the end. All the characters really lacked depth. I was hoping we'd get more lore and background of the brothers and sisters but they can be completely summed up by power hungry siblings. That's it...
I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first half. I think the most interesting character was Ong Noi. I would be interested in reading a novella just about him. I'm giving it three stars because I still enjoyed the idea of the book and the character arc in the second half. I've just read much more impressive YA Asian inspired fantasies. I wouldn't recommend this one.
The premise of this book had me immediately intrigued enough to rush and put a hold on it at the library. The plot just seemed a bit loose and scattered though I terms of the story. At first I was convinced that Huong and Jolie were romantic interests until it comes to light they are sisters. The whole school portion of the book feels like weird filler? It isn't really all that necessary or important. Huong seemed very one dimensional until the VERY end of the book.
Daphne and Lana feel wholly irrelevant the entire book even though they play a vital role in the end. All the characters really lacked depth. I was hoping we'd get more lore and background of the brothers and sisters but they can be completely summed up by power hungry siblings. That's it...
I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first half. I think the most interesting character was Ong Noi. I would be interested in reading a novella just about him. I'm giving it three stars because I still enjoyed the idea of the book and the character arc in the second half. I've just read much more impressive YA Asian inspired fantasies. I wouldn't recommend this one.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
I enjoyed this story a lot. The story was fun to watch unravel even when I thought I was guessing the twists and turns. This book still managed to surprise me at parts. I loved the mythology and the heart of this story. Jolie is a great main character and I love her relationship with those around her. She doesn't always do what's right, but she is very loyal and caring even in times of turmoil and I loved that. I didn't love this book though. There were parts that didn't always feel earned and I felt the ending happened too quickly in a way.
Thank you Netgalley for access to an advance readers copy of this book.
Thank you Netgalley for access to an advance readers copy of this book.
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
informative
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:
Complicated
Beautiful, complex, layered, heartbreaking, riveting.
Modern retelling of Vietnamese Mythology.
This was so interesting, I enjoyed this book a lot. I look forward to future books in this series.
I now want to read even more Vietnamese mythological books.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
Modern retelling of Vietnamese Mythology.
This was so interesting, I enjoyed this book a lot. I look forward to future books in this series.
I now want to read even more Vietnamese mythological books.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Lost Queen is hard to define in a good way. Aimee Phan weaves a complex narrative between Vietnamese mythology and the modern world, not a retelling, not inspired by, and not a remix. A unique story for those who enjoy mythology and fantasy.
This is a Trung sisters retelling that ended up leaving me confused.
The book started strong. We meet Jolie, who had a freak swimming competition accident one year ago and her previous best friends are now mean girls who leave her miserable. Then at another swim meet, she saves a popular girl Huong and this starts a series of events where Jolie discovers more about her past. There are memories regained, reincarnation, true identities revealed, and time travel.
This book started off strong but then just fell apart. The second half was just a jumble of rushed action, decisions that didn’t make sense, reconciliations, betrayals, giving and receiving of magical elements with no explanation, and family dynamics filled with resentment but no depth. It felt rushed and completely confusing.
*Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC for an honest review. All opinions are my own*