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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I haven't read a book from her I don't like. Her diversity is incredible and the world's she builds are amazing. She's definitely my favorite author
slow-paced
This was probably one of the hardest books to get through I’ve read all year.
Conceptually, I understand the idea behind the story, emphasizing stereotypes to convey the narrative. However, it was frustrating. You have so many main characters that they all feel kind of forgotten, and the story itself feels so nonsensical that there’s no real sense of danger. It’s not grounded in anything, so the stakes feel so low that you’re just affronted by the caricatures the author has drawn.
To classify New York the way the author did, you have to have a very shallow impression of the city - or at least one that is defeatist and cynical.
Particularly with Staten Island, it leaned so hard into the stereotypes that it ruined what was already a negative read even further. There is racism and xenophobia and classism throughout nyc. It’s in every borough, everywhere you look if you look for it. However, at the same time, so is the good. I’ve met just as many people from SI who are accepting and embody the spirit of nyc as I have from anywhere else in the city, and the reverse is equally true.
I think that the plot relies so heavily on stereotypes that when you read them and know them to be false, it falls apart. Something within you rebels against the entire premise, and it makes the book a horridly sluggish read.
I only even gave it two stars because after the first chapter and interlude it at least became tolerable in terms of writing style.
Conceptually, I understand the idea behind the story, emphasizing stereotypes to convey the narrative. However, it was frustrating. You have so many main characters that they all feel kind of forgotten, and the story itself feels so nonsensical that there’s no real sense of danger. It’s not grounded in anything, so the stakes feel so low that you’re just affronted by the caricatures the author has drawn.
To classify New York the way the author did, you have to have a very shallow impression of the city - or at least one that is defeatist and cynical.
Particularly with Staten Island, it leaned so hard into the stereotypes that it ruined what was already a negative read even further. There is racism and xenophobia and classism throughout nyc. It’s in every borough, everywhere you look if you look for it. However, at the same time, so is the good. I’ve met just as many people from SI who are accepting and embody the spirit of nyc as I have from anywhere else in the city, and the reverse is equally true.
I think that the plot relies so heavily on stereotypes that when you read them and know them to be false, it falls apart. Something within you rebels against the entire premise, and it makes the book a horridly sluggish read.
I only even gave it two stars because after the first chapter and interlude it at least became tolerable in terms of writing style.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
slow-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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
medium-paced