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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
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
Unreadable main character who acted like she was 10 years old, not 100. Constant unnecessary swearing that pulled me out of the story repeatedly. 50 pages in, there is not really any plot yet and definitely no stakes. 50 pages of no plot with THIS main character = no.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely enjoyed reading this!
The language the FMC uses is something that either works for you or doesn't, it didn't bother me. She's immature and rude, and she flaunts it.
If you don't like sassy MC this book is not for you. If you do, you might have found an entertaining addition to your TBR :)
I personally would've preferred some more world building, but hopefully that'll be something the writer will further work on in book 2.
The language the FMC uses is something that either works for you or doesn't, it didn't bother me. She's immature and rude, and she flaunts it.
If you don't like sassy MC this book is not for you. If you do, you might have found an entertaining addition to your TBR :)
I personally would've preferred some more world building, but hopefully that'll be something the writer will further work on in book 2.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The writing style is off, the pacing is off, it's all just off!
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-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
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Now here comes the review…
DNF’d at 22% - my rating is based on what I have read so far.
I think the main problem I am having with this particular book is the way it is written, the style of prose. To me it is so incredibly impersonal and makes it so hard to actually form any sort of connection with the characters. I also disliked the juxtaposition of the flowery Courtly language, the somewhat more formal language and then the overall casual language and swears. It just felt a bit like whiplash going back and forth between all of these types of language within a paragraph or a few sentences. One sentence would be flowery and the next extremely crass. The marriage between styles of language here was just confusing.
Also, at 22%, there’s nothing happening in the story. There’s no forward motion, and all the characters are pretty forgettable. I have ZERO idea what Big Wang looks like even though he’s played an important role up to this point. Even our FMC gets lost in translation amongst the issues the different styles of language causes. Overall, just going to move on from this one before I hit book slump territory which is nearing.
On a positive note, the world sounded beautiful and magical, and I liked the element of Chinese mythology becoming the backdrop of this world.
DNF’d at 22% - my rating is based on what I have read so far.
I think the main problem I am having with this particular book is the way it is written, the style of prose. To me it is so incredibly impersonal and makes it so hard to actually form any sort of connection with the characters. I also disliked the juxtaposition of the flowery Courtly language, the somewhat more formal language and then the overall casual language and swears. It just felt a bit like whiplash going back and forth between all of these types of language within a paragraph or a few sentences. One sentence would be flowery and the next extremely crass. The marriage between styles of language here was just confusing.
Also, at 22%, there’s nothing happening in the story. There’s no forward motion, and all the characters are pretty forgettable. I have ZERO idea what Big Wang looks like even though he’s played an important role up to this point. Even our FMC gets lost in translation amongst the issues the different styles of language causes. Overall, just going to move on from this one before I hit book slump territory which is nearing.
On a positive note, the world sounded beautiful and magical, and I liked the element of Chinese mythology becoming the backdrop of this world.