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sadetanssija's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
kunigunde's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
2.0
I was tempted to put down this book so many times, but kept going, because it was a book club reading for TWO different book clubs. Surely it would eventually appeal to me?
No, not me.
It has some elements that did get my attention. The tea ceremony (A Chinese style, in this book) is always a nice artistic touch, and the connection with conservation and secrecy was nice. The friendship between the two girls was nice, and it had me so hopeful that if this YA post-apocalyptic novel had a romance, it might actually be a gay one, for once! And at least, while there was no romance between the girls, there wasn't a romance at all. When the male antagonist arrived, I had so many worries.
But it's just slow, and it has quite a let-down at the end. This book builds up a grand adventure, the kind that would take place over your standard trilogy, and then just throws it away. Yes, it does make it different from most YA novels in the dystopic/post-apocalyptic genre, but not in a good way. It feels like I just wasted my time.
The book group leader said no sequel is planned, which is probably for the best. However, I might be persuaded to read the prequel, telling of the fall of society, if the reviews were good enough. The language in this book is rather poetic, and it is impressive that the author did her own translation. However, that jerking away of the plot left me to irritated that two stars is really the highest I'm going to go.
No, not me.
It has some elements that did get my attention. The tea ceremony (A Chinese style, in this book) is always a nice artistic touch, and the connection with conservation and secrecy was nice. The friendship between the two girls was nice, and it had me so hopeful that if this YA post-apocalyptic novel had a romance, it might actually be a gay one, for once! And at least, while there was no romance between the girls, there wasn't a romance at all. When the male antagonist arrived, I had so many worries.
But it's just slow, and it has quite a let-down at the end. This book builds up a grand adventure, the kind that would take place over your standard trilogy, and then just throws it away. Yes, it does make it different from most YA novels in the dystopic/post-apocalyptic genre, but not in a good way. It feels like I just wasted my time.
The book group leader said no sequel is planned, which is probably for the best. However, I might be persuaded to read the prequel, telling of the fall of society, if the reviews were good enough. The language in this book is rather poetic, and it is impressive that the author did her own translation. However, that jerking away of the plot left me to irritated that two stars is really the highest I'm going to go.
jolene_be's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
nadalien's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
peripetia's review against another edition
3.0
(Arvostelu suomeksi alempana)
The short version: I disliked this book more than I liked it, but the ending redeemed it a bit.
The long version, starting with the things I disliked:
The LANGUAGE. I read this book in Finnish, but I felt like I was reading a poorly translated book from English to Finnish. This book was written to be read in English. It includes so many poorly written lines and phrases that made perfect sense when I translated them into English in my head, and those translated phrases were the exact same that you find in every single fantasy and scifi book. The writing in general seemed to leaned into the Finnish setting more in the latter half of the book.
The lyricism has gained praise, but it was way over the top, to the point that it didn't make sense sometimes. In these parts the author took the opportunity to use Finnish to its full potential, which was great, but the descriptions were just... I don't know. Childish somehow. Like a teenager thinking that stuffing as many metaphors and innovative descriptions into their text makes it good writing. (I just recently read some of my own old writings and this is a sin I am guilty of as well)
The pacing was poor. The first and second halves of the book felt almost like different stories. Very little happens in the first part, and the plot begins in the second half. Even then it drags on. The plot happens during the last 20 pages or so.
What I liked:
I don't really like to read novels about the ecological destruction of the planet because it seems too realistic. This was cool, though. I liked the mix of cultures that had become the norm as time passed. The setting in Lapland was also cool when it was discussed in any way.
Overall I just didn't like reading this. It made me frustrated and bored. Still, I would recommend this with the caveat that you should read it in English.
Suomeksi:
En suoraan sanottuna tykännyt tästä kirjasta. Suurin ongelmani oli, että kieli oli anglismia anglismin perään. Käänsin kummallisen kuuloisia kohtia englanniksi päässäni ja katsos vaan, kuulostaa ihan siltä samalta shaibalta kuin mitä jokaisessa tusinafantasiakirjassa on.
Näistä voi olla eri mieltä, mutta pari kohtaa missä minun mielestäni oli huonoa kieltä:
"Meillä on määräyksemme", sanoo sotilas. En koskaan ole kuullut tuota suomeksi; "We have our orders" on liiankin tuttu. Tässä suomeksi sanottaisiin (minun mielestäni) jotain muuta, vaikka että "teemme vain työtämme" tai jotain mitä voisi kuulla paikallisen baarin portsarilta.
"Huvitatte minua, neiti Kaitio". Taas minusta outo, englanniksi olisi "You amuse me". Tämäkin on joka ikisessä fantasia- ja scifikirjassa. Suomeksi sanoisin itse esim. "Olette huvittava" tai jotain ihan muuta.
"Pystyin näkemään kuinka henkilölle X tehtiin näin" eli "I could see what/how". Mielestäni jälleen esim. "Näin mielessäni" olisi luonnollisempi.
Mutta nämä on tällaisia minun vinkumisiani.
"Lyyrisyys" oli itselleni aivan hirveää luettavaa. Tässä käyttäisin sanaa <i>cringe</i> – eli anglismia, tekopyhä kun olen :).
Juoni on hyvin hukassa ensimmäisen puoliskon verran, sitten alkaa tapahtua edes jotain, mutta itse juoni tapahtuu n. 20 viimeisen sivun aikana, vaikka toisaalta juonenpätkä jää auki. Loppu pelasti silti jonkun verran.
Olen yrittänyt lukea enemmän suomeksi, mutta tämä oli suoraan sanottuna ihan perseestä siltä kantilta. Jos haluan lukea englanniksi niin sitten luen englanniksi. Suomenkielistä kirjallisuutta olisi kiva lukea niin, että siinä käytettäisiin luonnollista ja kunnollista suomea.
The short version: I disliked this book more than I liked it, but the ending redeemed it a bit.
The long version, starting with the things I disliked:
The LANGUAGE. I read this book in Finnish, but I felt like I was reading a poorly translated book from English to Finnish. This book was written to be read in English. It includes so many poorly written lines and phrases that made perfect sense when I translated them into English in my head, and those translated phrases were the exact same that you find in every single fantasy and scifi book. The writing in general seemed to leaned into the Finnish setting more in the latter half of the book.
The lyricism has gained praise, but it was way over the top, to the point that it didn't make sense sometimes. In these parts the author took the opportunity to use Finnish to its full potential, which was great, but the descriptions were just... I don't know. Childish somehow. Like a teenager thinking that stuffing as many metaphors and innovative descriptions into their text makes it good writing. (I just recently read some of my own old writings and this is a sin I am guilty of as well)
The pacing was poor. The first and second halves of the book felt almost like different stories. Very little happens in the first part, and the plot begins in the second half. Even then it drags on. The plot happens during the last 20 pages or so.
What I liked:
I don't really like to read novels about the ecological destruction of the planet because it seems too realistic. This was cool, though. I liked the mix of cultures that had become the norm as time passed. The setting in Lapland was also cool when it was discussed in any way.
Overall I just didn't like reading this. It made me frustrated and bored. Still, I would recommend this with the caveat that you should read it in English.
Suomeksi:
En suoraan sanottuna tykännyt tästä kirjasta. Suurin ongelmani oli, että kieli oli anglismia anglismin perään. Käänsin kummallisen kuuloisia kohtia englanniksi päässäni ja katsos vaan, kuulostaa ihan siltä samalta shaibalta kuin mitä jokaisessa tusinafantasiakirjassa on.
Näistä voi olla eri mieltä, mutta pari kohtaa missä minun mielestäni oli huonoa kieltä:
"Meillä on määräyksemme", sanoo sotilas. En koskaan ole kuullut tuota suomeksi; "We have our orders" on liiankin tuttu. Tässä suomeksi sanottaisiin (minun mielestäni) jotain muuta, vaikka että "teemme vain työtämme" tai jotain mitä voisi kuulla paikallisen baarin portsarilta.
"Huvitatte minua, neiti Kaitio". Taas minusta outo, englanniksi olisi "You amuse me". Tämäkin on joka ikisessä fantasia- ja scifikirjassa. Suomeksi sanoisin itse esim. "Olette huvittava" tai jotain ihan muuta.
"Pystyin näkemään kuinka henkilölle X tehtiin näin" eli "I could see what/how". Mielestäni jälleen esim. "Näin mielessäni" olisi luonnollisempi.
Mutta nämä on tällaisia minun vinkumisiani.
"Lyyrisyys" oli itselleni aivan hirveää luettavaa. Tässä käyttäisin sanaa <i>cringe</i> – eli anglismia, tekopyhä kun olen :).
Juoni on hyvin hukassa ensimmäisen puoliskon verran, sitten alkaa tapahtua edes jotain, mutta itse juoni tapahtuu n. 20 viimeisen sivun aikana, vaikka toisaalta juonenpätkä jää auki. Loppu pelasti silti jonkun verran.
Olen yrittänyt lukea enemmän suomeksi, mutta tämä oli suoraan sanottuna ihan perseestä siltä kantilta. Jos haluan lukea englanniksi niin sitten luen englanniksi. Suomenkielistä kirjallisuutta olisi kiva lukea niin, että siinä käytettäisiin luonnollista ja kunnollista suomea.
maritbruin's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
medium-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
2.0
cranial's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful, quiet, measured tale. Falls a little flat in the closing pages as the protagonist 'remembers' all the hints the author left along the way. Trust your reader, please. Despite 2 or 3 preachy passages about the evils of our current societies' wasteful ways, Itaranta sucks you into the rhthym of her world and unfurls a story of living under military rule in an ecologically degraded world.