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claireviolet's review against another edition
3.5
this is so fun and charming! the book feels like it wants to be grand and sweeping, in a way that reminds me of the way i felt when i was on the edge of twenty. i think the execution was just okay and that the five povs really bled into one another since every character’s voice was so similar to the rest, but i want more books to be overly ambitious and to swing big as bravely as li does here. i look forward to reading whatever she writes next.
hamtaro's review
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
3.5
cgnick's review against another edition
Poorly written, repetitive and self-absorbed. Seems like it's been written by AI, repeating the same foreshadowing thought ("China or USA") in almost every chapter. I did not care about any of the characters.
vagabondophelia's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
nakaawang's review against another edition
3.0
i don't personally relate to the diaspora. i'm a full-blooded filipino who lives in the philippines. but the conversations about colonization, about the europeans and the western conquerors claiming pieces of a culture that isn't theirs, i relate to that.
the heist itself was amazing. truly. but strangely enough, and against my expectations when i first went into this book, i found myself absolutely engrossed in the characters. i'm not obsessed with them the way i usually am with other books i've loved, but they're more like museum paintings i personally identify with and find enthralling, but i won't be proclaiming my love for them to the world. they'll remain in my head, i'll always be thinking about them and how wonderfully written and developed they were. (NOTE: i absolutely ADORED alex and irene's dynamic. the CHEMISTRY?? the etl realness??? they're amazing).
overall, this was SO so good. portrait of a thief's the only 2022 book that i was looking forward to last year. the cover hooked me and the plot never let me go. i'm so happy to find that i was not disappointed, at all :))
grace d. li, ily queen.
the heist itself was amazing. truly. but strangely enough, and against my expectations when i first went into this book, i found myself absolutely engrossed in the characters. i'm not obsessed with them the way i usually am with other books i've loved, but they're more like museum paintings i personally identify with and find enthralling, but i won't be proclaiming my love for them to the world. they'll remain in my head, i'll always be thinking about them and how wonderfully written and developed they were. (NOTE: i absolutely ADORED alex and irene's dynamic. the CHEMISTRY?? the etl realness??? they're amazing).
overall, this was SO so good. portrait of a thief's the only 2022 book that i was looking forward to last year. the cover hooked me and the plot never let me go. i'm so happy to find that i was not disappointed, at all :))
grace d. li, ily queen.
marciajhamm's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Redundant use of phrasing, flat characters, unpredictable plot in the worst way
scam_likely's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kuporeads's review
emotional
informative
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
patrickdunlap's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25