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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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:
Complicated
dark
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
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
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
I really liked this book's premise. I can't decide if I'm happy it was just one book or if I wish it had been a series to give the events more time to unfold and readers more time to get to know the characters, but it was an enjoyable read regardless.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book seemed tailor-made for me: linguistics, classics, translation based magic, academia, colonialism and leftist politics. But the characters are nothing but mouthpieces so that Kuang can deliver introductory overviews of various theories of revolution and colonialism without filtering them through each characters personality or motivations, in one of the most irritatingly violations of show don't tell. Beyond the lackluster characters and predictable plot (bar one moment near the last third of the novel that suprised me and gave me hope), the magic system, so beautifully inventive in theory, lacks follow through in worldbuilding---it wholeheartedly replaces steam without thought for the unique properties of this silver translation magic and how those properties would actually change the course of history. Kuang can write; her prose is beautiful and engaging, which kept me going through the whole novel, even as a sense of dread descended over me that "maybe this book actually isn't very good..." I would say the novel would have made a good manifesto or thesis paper on linguistics or translation, but the information presented wasn't ever more than a long-winded introduction to much more interesting theory.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated