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earlgreydugong's review
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was kind of hard to read at first after knowing the canon events of vol 6 but made for a fun read anyways in between waiting for new volumes. Just think of it as a high quality fan fiction.
lbarsk's review against another edition
5.0
IT WAS SO UTTERLY CHARMING. SARAH REES BRENNAN CAN DO NO WRONG. Cannot wait for the sequel coming out in May!
God I love Seiji and Nicholas so much. Aiden and Harvard are a little tougher for me to fall head-over-heels for because you KNOW angst makes me unhappy but I do also love best friends-to-lovers so I’ll take it tbh.
God I love Seiji and Nicholas so much. Aiden and Harvard are a little tougher for me to fall head-over-heels for because you KNOW angst makes me unhappy but I do also love best friends-to-lovers so I’ll take it tbh.
anyajulchen's review against another edition
1.0
Boring, simple and disappointing. I can't believe this is based of on one of the works of Pacat.
The writing is too simple and lacks the basics of profundity to create a psychological ambient. The pacing is too slow for the simple plot, the characters whole personality is one characteristic and the "conflict" is so lame, even for a young adult novel.
And I find funny how the description of the books has nothing to do with the actual content. A waste of time and money.
The writing is too simple and lacks the basics of profundity to create a psychological ambient. The pacing is too slow for the simple plot, the characters whole personality is one characteristic and the "conflict" is so lame, even for a young adult novel.
And I find funny how the description of the books has nothing to do with the actual content. A waste of time and money.
donttellmomwhatimreading's review against another edition
4.0
Ah sweet, sweet idiots the lot of them. This story is told from multiple POV. Aiden, desperately in love with his best friend who has no idea, battling how to navigate friendship, secret feelings and teamwork. Harvard, an idiot unaware of Aiden’s love for him that basically everyone can see. Trying to be a good captain and putting the weight of too much on himself. Nicholas, struggling to belong when so many people show they care for him. Trying desperately to be a good friend to his socially inept roommate. Seiji, autistic coded homie who’s special interest is fencing. Unaware of his skill at friendship, despite his social struggles. He works hard to show he is a good teammate to improve his fencing. 🤺
puali's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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
2.5
I wanted to like this novel as much I loved the comics, but it just wasn’t for me.
What most threw me off was the writing style. I was pretty disappointed when I learned that this novel was written by somebody other than Pacat. The difference in writing styles between Pacat and Brennan was so much that the characters felt like caricatures of themselves. There was just too much of a disconnect for me to overlook
The story itself was cute, though nothing to write home about. There was also little to no fencing, which completely misses the mark when writing a Fence novel…
What most threw me off was the writing style. I was pretty disappointed when I learned that this novel was written by somebody other than Pacat. The difference in writing styles between Pacat and Brennan was so much that the characters felt like caricatures of themselves. There was just too much of a disconnect for me to overlook
The story itself was cute, though nothing to write home about. There was also little to no fencing, which completely misses the mark when writing a Fence novel…
drakoulis's review against another edition
3.0
Actually both books are 3.5 stars, but since I liked the sequel slightly more, I'm giving 3 to Striking Distance and 4 to Disarmed.
It's an interesting approach of the Fence universe by Sarah Rees Brennan, but I'm torn between loving the Seiji and Nicholas chapters and being indifferent about the Harvard and (especially) Aiden ones.
I just can't sympathize with Aiden projecting his abandonment insecurities by being a jerk and hiding behind a mask of rudeness to everyone.
Seiji and Nicholas's cluelesness about the world in the other side is everything and their relationship is hilarious !
It's an interesting approach of the Fence universe by Sarah Rees Brennan, but I'm torn between loving the Seiji and Nicholas chapters and being indifferent about the Harvard and (especially) Aiden ones.
I just can't sympathize with Aiden projecting his abandonment insecurities by being a jerk and hiding behind a mask of rudeness to everyone.
Seiji and Nicholas's cluelesness about the world in the other side is everything and their relationship is hilarious !
distant_ships's review against another edition
5.0
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this series-- I love how this author developed the characters from the graphic novel--such an interesting take on Seiji!
lunarchfey's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5 stars
I honestly loved this. I was already a Sarah Rees Brennan fan (pro tip: read In Other Lands) and a lot of that same style popped off the page here. I had trouble putting it down. I was reading it on my phone while out for lunch. There were several laugh-out-loud moments, at least one moment of helpless sobbing, and just generally a good time.
As a note: this really should be read AFTER reading the four graphic novels, as it picks up immediately after. It's not a novelization of them, it's a sequel and continuation. Probably you could just pick up the novel, but the graphic novels are good and nice to look at, so reading them will help.
It was pretty trope-heavy: if you like things 'feeling like' fanfic, going heavy into YEARNING and fake dating, that sort of thing, you'll have a grand time. If you want more realism and nuance and high stakes, for sure not the book for you. There is virtually no 'plot' to speak of and very little fencing. The characters are somewhat exaggerated, almost to the point of caricature at times, but this does a much better job than the graphic novels of grounding them, expanding them, making them real people with backstories and emotions. Again, like In Other Lands, Brennan has this way of making exaggerated and sometimes unlikeable characters very likeable, giving them depth and making you care about them, and she didn't disappoint in that here.
I am picking up the next book immediately and really hoping that
Also, I'm not generally a fan of misunderstanding-slash-miscommunication as a plot or conflict driver, which... this book had in spades. I still liked it a lot overall but that's holding me back from a five star rating. Still, it was one of the most memorable reads I've picked up lately with strong writing and the good good feelings, so it gets a pass.
I honestly loved this. I was already a Sarah Rees Brennan fan (pro tip: read In Other Lands) and a lot of that same style popped off the page here. I had trouble putting it down. I was reading it on my phone while out for lunch. There were several laugh-out-loud moments, at least one moment of helpless sobbing, and just generally a good time.
As a note: this really should be read AFTER reading the four graphic novels, as it picks up immediately after. It's not a novelization of them, it's a sequel and continuation. Probably you could just pick up the novel, but the graphic novels are good and nice to look at, so reading them will help.
It was pretty trope-heavy: if you like things 'feeling like' fanfic, going heavy into YEARNING and fake dating, that sort of thing, you'll have a grand time. If you want more realism and nuance and high stakes, for sure not the book for you. There is virtually no 'plot' to speak of and very little fencing. The characters are somewhat exaggerated, almost to the point of caricature at times, but this does a much better job than the graphic novels of grounding them, expanding them, making them real people with backstories and emotions. Again, like In Other Lands, Brennan has this way of making exaggerated and sometimes unlikeable characters very likeable, giving them depth and making you care about them, and she didn't disappoint in that here.
I am picking up the next book immediately and really hoping that
Spoiler
Harvard & Aiden get a resolution in the next one, oh my god.Also, I'm not generally a fan of misunderstanding-slash-miscommunication as a plot or conflict driver, which... this book had in spades. I still liked it a lot overall but that's holding me back from a five star rating. Still, it was one of the most memorable reads I've picked up lately with strong writing and the good good feelings, so it gets a pass.
fersssss's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0