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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A unique YA book with a very cool magic system.
Picture this you live in a flying city that is being attacked by a dragon....but that dragon is made of paper. In this story the main character is a young girl who has no memory of her past. She woke up next to her best friend, but anything before that is missing. She has the ability of a creator or someone who can manipulate paper into a variety of things. She hides this talent until she is found by another creator...and so the story begins.
On the other side there is a group of rebels who believe the sky cities should be free.
The book has two main POVs, I do wish the characters would have been more fleshed out because at time they felt a little flat. The world and magic system more than make up for that shortfall though.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC
Picture this you live in a flying city that is being attacked by a dragon....but that dragon is made of paper. In this story the main character is a young girl who has no memory of her past. She woke up next to her best friend, but anything before that is missing. She has the ability of a creator or someone who can manipulate paper into a variety of things. She hides this talent until she is found by another creator...and so the story begins.
On the other side there is a group of rebels who believe the sky cities should be free.
The book has two main POVs, I do wish the characters would have been more fleshed out because at time they felt a little flat. The world and magic system more than make up for that shortfall though.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC
It didn’t really grip me that much, plus I had to return my loan from the library before I could finish it. The world building created a fascinating place, but I found it hard to follow where different people were and where their allegiances lied.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received a free copy from the publisher via LibraryThing in return for a review; it's not an ARC since it came out in September. I'm not so good and out of practice with doing reviews, plus am out of practice, but here goes.
Rebel Skies is a Japanese inspired YA fantasy novel with a decidedly steampunk tone to it, reminding me heavily of Ghibli movies such as Castle in the Sky. The writing and especially magical system drew me in right away--while the tech isn't explained, the story revolves mostly around a pair of Crafters, people who can for some reason can control paper, animating sheets into ofuda to form weapons, tools, or even animals.
There is some mystery involved in how the sentient shikigami--paper monsters, often rampaging--were created in the past and part of the story revolves around the ruling princess's obsession with learning how to create them.
I did not expect several of the twists, nor the direction the two MCs relationship went, which was refreshing.
The bad part is that it does end on a cliffhanger; although I assume the author has made progress on the sequel, given that there is an excerpt at the end.
Quite recommend. The world building and magical systems are quite intriguing, and the writing doesn't feel like a debut novel. It's also refreshing to see a steampunk aesthetic that takes place outside of London 🙄. It is a fairly quick read; pair with themed music, warm saké or plum wine, and copious amounts of tea (I went with a bitter melon oolong). And sweet rice cakes.
Rebel Skies is a Japanese inspired YA fantasy novel with a decidedly steampunk tone to it, reminding me heavily of Ghibli movies such as Castle in the Sky. The writing and especially magical system drew me in right away--while the tech isn't explained, the story revolves mostly around a pair of Crafters, people who can for some reason can control paper, animating sheets into ofuda to form weapons, tools, or even animals.
There is some mystery involved in how the sentient shikigami--paper monsters, often rampaging--were created in the past and part of the story revolves around the ruling princess's obsession with learning how to create them.
I did not expect several of the twists, nor the direction the two MCs relationship went, which was refreshing.
The bad part is that it does end on a cliffhanger; although I assume the author has made progress on the sequel, given that there is an excerpt at the end.
Quite recommend. The world building and magical systems are quite intriguing, and the writing doesn't feel like a debut novel. It's also refreshing to see a steampunk aesthetic that takes place outside of London 🙄. It is a fairly quick read; pair with themed music, warm saké or plum wine, and copious amounts of tea (I went with a bitter melon oolong). And sweet rice cakes.
For a first book, this was amazing. I can't wait for the second one. I didn't enjoy the finale because I wanted to know more. I hope that Himura dies tho. And that Kurara can finally be the bad bitch she is and burn everything and everyone.
(3.75) I feel like the book cover does this book really dirty! The cover is giving 8+ section of the library not YA. This was a real hidden gem. Reviews saying studio ghibli vibes are very accurate. It was very fast paced, good world building and felt like watching a magical adventure film. I agree that the characters could have been more fleshed out but I think for how fast paced and plot heavy it was it makes sense. And I did still get a good sense of the characters in an overview sorta way like in a good action film
I loved the premise of this book and the magic system. I loved Akane and cannot wait to see how the next book progresses.
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No