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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
This book was recommended by a friend and I wasn't familiar with XJZ outside of this work. Iistened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent.
It features queer, poly, people with disabilities who aren't white. Yes. Love this. Let's read about people who aren't cis/white/het/etc.
This book gets three stars because I liked it. I didn't really like it (4 stars) or love it (5 stars). It was fun reading and I wanted to know what happened next. Some things I didn't like could be specific choices aimed at making the novel YA. I probably would have liked it more had I read it as a teenager.
XJZ has room to grow as an author and I'm looking forward to seeing how the second compares.
Here are my main criticisms:
1. I like reading books from authors with Asian heritage, like Ken Liu, Fonda Lee, Nghi Vo, RF Kuang, and Liu Cixin. This book has Chinese... flavour? It misses something these other authors have that makes culture integral to the story. You could take this story, change the names and dress styles of the characters, and it wouldn't have made much difference. (I did Google it to better understand the historic references, which was interesting). It reminds me more of Brandon Sanderson's Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. I was hoping for something more, here. (I am super open to other perspectives on this. Happy to be wrong or have missed things.)
2. Lack of other female characters. Zetian is a Strong Female Character fighting the patriarchy...with other feminist men? The two other female pilots have different complex attitudes (cool), but why is Zetian the only lady woke to patriarchy? There are missed opportunities here.
2b. Lol @ Zetian being 18, mostly uneducated, and a fully formed social scientist amongst the brainwashed ladies. Fun and unrealistic.
2c. Why is Zetian brash around everyone else except the two other female pilots? It seemed inconsistent to me. I had many eye rolling moments at Zetian while reading. On reflection, I do like how her anger is a strength and weakness.
2d. Nitpicky for a fantasy/sci-fi/YA novel, but that is not how someone moves on from suicidal ideation and depression.
3. Saw the Big Twist coming almost from the start.
4. The narrative style reminded me a bit if ACOTAR ("I'm so gritty and dark, I did this to survive, also, sex") and The Empyrean. One I hated and one I loved, so I will split the difference on this.
Tl;dr - A fun contemporary read that lacks some of the sophistication that could have given the book the incisiveness the author seemed to be looking for.
It features queer, poly, people with disabilities who aren't white. Yes. Love this. Let's read about people who aren't cis/white/het/etc.
This book gets three stars because I liked it. I didn't really like it (4 stars) or love it (5 stars). It was fun reading and I wanted to know what happened next. Some things I didn't like could be specific choices aimed at making the novel YA. I probably would have liked it more had I read it as a teenager.
XJZ has room to grow as an author and I'm looking forward to seeing how the second compares.
Here are my main criticisms:
1. I like reading books from authors with Asian heritage, like Ken Liu, Fonda Lee, Nghi Vo, RF Kuang, and Liu Cixin. This book has Chinese... flavour? It misses something these other authors have that makes culture integral to the story. You could take this story, change the names and dress styles of the characters, and it wouldn't have made much difference. (I did Google it to better understand the historic references, which was interesting). It reminds me more of Brandon Sanderson's Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. I was hoping for something more, here. (I am super open to other perspectives on this. Happy to be wrong or have missed things.)
2. Lack of other female characters. Zetian is a Strong Female Character fighting the patriarchy...with other feminist men? The two other female pilots have different complex attitudes (cool), but why is Zetian the only lady woke to patriarchy? There are missed opportunities here.
2b. Lol @ Zetian being 18, mostly uneducated, and a fully formed social scientist amongst the brainwashed ladies. Fun and unrealistic.
2c. Why is Zetian brash around everyone else except the two other female pilots? It seemed inconsistent to me. I had many eye rolling moments at Zetian while reading. On reflection, I do like how her anger is a strength and weakness.
2d. Nitpicky for a fantasy/sci-fi/YA novel, but that is not how someone moves on from suicidal ideation and depression.
3. Saw the Big Twist coming almost from the start.
4. The narrative style reminded me a bit if ACOTAR ("I'm so gritty and dark, I did this to survive, also, sex") and The Empyrean. One I hated and one I loved, so I will split the difference on this.
Tl;dr - A fun contemporary read that lacks some of the sophistication that could have given the book the incisiveness the author seemed to be looking for.
why did no one tell me that this book is basically ‘here’s my boyfriend, and here’s my boyfriends boyfriend, and i’m their girlfriend’ ??
yall are fake
yall are fake
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
dark
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of my favourite books and one that I reread because it blows my mind EVERY single time. Eurgh it’s so great, that’s all I can say about it. Wu is truly an icon ✌
Not a lot of depth to it, but it’s YA, so… I don’t know, am I being too lenient on the book because of its genre? A number of things, like the romance, fall flat to me, but it’s not intended for my demographic to begin with…
This wasn’t for me. That said, I think it’s good for YA to have books with angry female characters that aren’t “reformed” into “letting go and finding peace”, so I’ll give it that.
This wasn’t for me. That said, I think it’s good for YA to have books with angry female characters that aren’t “reformed” into “letting go and finding peace”, so I’ll give it that.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Author was fond of time skips, and there was a lot going on. This book itself would be better as a duology or something. Unsatisfying ending: the takeover of huaxia felt unrealistic, and the twist in the epilogue leaves you hanging. Not sure if there's a sequel in the works
Otherwise, the world is very creative
Otherwise, the world is very creative
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence
Moderate: Torture