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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nothing too special
3.5. For me, it definitely had zero Mulan vibes - it had one similar plot point: girl dresses up as boy and that was it. Her love interest knew she was a girl the entire time, she dressed up to join an engineering guild not an army, there's no real defined enemy because it's all about whose side everyone is really on, the friend(s) she makes definitely are not well-defined and don't feel like important relationships (one exists because he's an important character to the story itself and the other... I couldn't tell you any more than his name), it's just.... not a retelling in any fashion. There is one plot point that is the same. One. And zero of the same vibes. So calling it a Mulan retelling really does a disservice to this book because it isn't and it can stand on its own without that as a 'hook.'
I probably would've rated this three stars for being entertaining and not much else but I really enjoyed that ending quite a bit. I'm honestly sad to see this is a series because it threatens to undo the thing I liked most about it but it doesn't have to so I'm gonna choose to live in hope.
I probably would've rated this three stars for being entertaining and not much else but I really enjoyed that ending quite a bit. I'm honestly sad to see this is a series because it threatens to undo the thing I liked most about it but it doesn't have to so I'm gonna choose to live in hope.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Some of the most juvenile writing I’ve read to date. The world building was lackluster, the characters were transparent, the dialogue was cringe and shallow, and the FMC was clumsy, unfocused, and unrealistic.
While I appreciated that she didn’t end up with the love interest at the end, I wasn’t ever rooting for them. It was clear that he was an opp from the moment they met.
This was such a great read! I loved the fantasy world, built to be a silkpunk reimagining of Mulan mixed with Iron Widow and inspired by Chinese history - the Qing Dynasty, I think I read. The FMC, Ying is out to investigate her fathers murder by joining the Engineer’s Guild as a boy, as the guild - surprise - does not allow women into it. I did really enjoy her character and how she pushed to stay true to herself, despite losing that somewhere along the way.
The MMC, Ye-Yang, is the eighth prince of the High Command and has a lot of mystery surrounding him and his motivations for helping Ying get into the Engineer’s Guild. He has morally gray vibes due to how he acts as a politically minded person, but is very kind and gentle toward Ying at the same time.
“If I want to conquer the world, will you stand by my side?”
There are some convenient moments in the plot, that I think work well still since it is YA and I wish to see more of this world and go on a high speed airship chase/battle in the sky. Hopefully we see more of this world sometime soon!
“I was your sword, but you were never mine.”
FOUR AND A HALF STARS rounded up
Thank you to Viking Books and NetGalley for the eARC of the book. All thoughts are my own.
The MMC, Ye-Yang, is the eighth prince of the High Command and has a lot of mystery surrounding him and his motivations for helping Ying get into the Engineer’s Guild. He has morally gray vibes due to how he acts as a politically minded person, but is very kind and gentle toward Ying at the same time.
“If I want to conquer the world, will you stand by my side?”
There are some convenient moments in the plot, that I think work well still since it is YA and I wish to see more of this world and go on a high speed airship chase/battle in the sky. Hopefully we see more of this world sometime soon!
“I was your sword, but you were never mine.”
FOUR AND A HALF STARS rounded up
Thank you to Viking Books and NetGalley for the eARC of the book. All thoughts are my own.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Firstly, thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
Wow. I really, really enjoyed this book. Ying is an incredible main character and I loved being inside her head. She’s so strong and I lived reading her wrestle with her morality and her ambition.
The world itself is so cool. I really like the steampunk-fantasy setting and all of the political intricacies were so interesting to read.
All in all, this is probably one of my favorite reads of this year so far! It looks like this will be the first in a series, I can’t wait to see where else this world may go!
3.5⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Wow. I really, really enjoyed this book. Ying is an incredible main character and I loved being inside her head. She’s so strong and I lived reading her wrestle with her morality and her ambition.
The world itself is so cool. I really like the steampunk-fantasy setting and all of the political intricacies were so interesting to read.
All in all, this is probably one of my favorite reads of this year so far! It looks like this will be the first in a series, I can’t wait to see where else this world may go!
3.5⭐️ out of 5⭐️
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I just don’t care about this book
Aihui Ying witnesses her father's assignation. Obsessed with justice, she leaves her home behind, seeking out the killer.
Disguised as a son of her father's, Aihui gains entry to the engineer school - her father still a famous student. Desperate to learn more about him and forge a connection, Aihui cannot hide from the reality of his truths.
Balancing invisibility while motivated to show her father continues on her own abilities, Aihui must choose her own journey.
Disguised as a son of her father's, Aihui gains entry to the engineer school - her father still a famous student. Desperate to learn more about him and forge a connection, Aihui cannot hide from the reality of his truths.
Balancing invisibility while motivated to show her father continues on her own abilities, Aihui must choose her own journey.