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eva_reads_sometimes's review against another edition
1.0
Oh dear, do I have thoughts on this one:
Either I’m too autistic for this book or Natasha Ngan needs to work on her writing really bad because I cannot for the life of me understand how Lei got “I’m on your side! Save me! It’s possible for my child to be born without being the king’s heir if you sneak me out of the palace!” from a couple of seconds of eye contact with the queen. How do you get all that just from looking at someone’s face in complete silence? For all you know she was thinking “Why is he making this dirty Paper bitch touch me?” (Lei ends up being right though, of course, because Natasha’s got themes she wants to push.)
I find Lei’s willingness to posthumously forgive Madam Himura entirely because “she too is a lost woman” disturbing. Forgiveness is all well and good, but forgiving the woman who knowingly sent a bunch of teenagers off to be raped every night (and later killed one of those teenagers) because she’s a woman is completely unthinkable to me. The things Himura did undermines the attempt at a feminist message because forgiving sexual abuse enablers is pretty damn unfeminist imo.
I’d also like to know what possessed Ngan to make half the chapters in first person perspective and the other half in third person perspective. Maybe to try to separate the character voices, but personally I found it annoying having to readjust to the new style every other chapter.
The fact that all of Aoki’s character growth happens off-page is kinda disappointing. Aoki was a pretty interesting character in book 1 and I was excited to see whether she’d grow to understand why the king’s reign was actually awful, and I was excited to see that journey. But we don’t. We get the shock of the king trying to kill her and then immediately cut to several months later when she’s apologising to Lei for everything. This isn’t a fatal flaw with the book, just a missed opportunity for what could’ve been a very interesting character arc.
Finally, I hate that Blue and Lova get paired up at the last second with no explanation. Once again, we skip over Blue’s growth and go straight from her cussing out Lei for being a lesbian to her making eyes at another woman. It’s so fast it’s almost whiplash-inducing.
And I think that’s it. The stuff I haven’t talked about is stuff I barely have opinions on because I found it boring. It’s been a while since I’ve had this little fun with a book.
Either I’m too autistic for this book or Natasha Ngan needs to work on her writing really bad because I cannot for the life of me understand how Lei got “I’m on your side! Save me! It’s possible for my child to be born without being the king’s heir if you sneak me out of the palace!” from a couple of seconds of eye contact with the queen. How do you get all that just from looking at someone’s face in complete silence? For all you know she was thinking “Why is he making this dirty Paper bitch touch me?” (Lei ends up being right though, of course, because Natasha’s got themes she wants to push.)
I find Lei’s willingness to posthumously forgive Madam Himura entirely because “she too is a lost woman” disturbing. Forgiveness is all well and good, but forgiving the woman who knowingly sent a bunch of teenagers off to be raped every night (and later killed one of those teenagers) because she’s a woman is completely unthinkable to me. The things Himura did undermines the attempt at a feminist message because forgiving sexual abuse enablers is pretty damn unfeminist imo.
I’d also like to know what possessed Ngan to make half the chapters in first person perspective and the other half in third person perspective. Maybe to try to separate the character voices, but personally I found it annoying having to readjust to the new style every other chapter.
The fact that all of Aoki’s character growth happens off-page is kinda disappointing. Aoki was a pretty interesting character in book 1 and I was excited to see whether she’d grow to understand why the king’s reign was actually awful, and I was excited to see that journey. But we don’t. We get the shock of the king trying to kill her and then immediately cut to several months later when she’s apologising to Lei for everything. This isn’t a fatal flaw with the book, just a missed opportunity for what could’ve been a very interesting character arc.
Finally, I hate that Blue and Lova get paired up at the last second with no explanation. Once again, we skip over Blue’s growth and go straight from her cussing out Lei for being a lesbian to her making eyes at another woman. It’s so fast it’s almost whiplash-inducing.
And I think that’s it. The stuff I haven’t talked about is stuff I barely have opinions on because I found it boring. It’s been a while since I’ve had this little fun with a book.
nadyme's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I thought this tied up the series nicely, but I almost wonder if this could have been a duology instead. I obviously am just a peasant, have never written a book, -let alone a trilogy- but I wonder if the story would have felt more succinct and held its direction if it was a duology.
It took me a bit to get invested in this one (granted, it had been a year since I read the second book in the series, so that’s on me), because I struggling with the pacing and the “fluff” if that makes sense.
However, towards the latter half of the book, I did feel more pulled in, especially since there was a lot more action happening (which is funny, because I’m historically not a “pew pew action war” honey).
Anyway, I loved the rotating POVs of Lei and Wren, and felt their voices were much more pronounced and distinct in this book. I loved that representation of them coming more into themselves 🥹 The climax of the war, the aftermath, and seeing our favorite characters wrangle with that was done tactfully and lovingly.
Overall, I am glad I read this trilogy and think it would do well if optioned and adapted for tv or film! Give us an all-API cast & adapt this YA fantasy!
I thought this tied up the series nicely, but I almost wonder if this could have been a duology instead. I obviously am just a peasant, have never written a book, -let alone a trilogy- but I wonder if the story would have felt more succinct and held its direction if it was a duology.
It took me a bit to get invested in this one (granted, it had been a year since I read the second book in the series, so that’s on me), because I struggling with the pacing and the “fluff” if that makes sense.
However, towards the latter half of the book, I did feel more pulled in, especially since there was a lot more action happening (which is funny, because I’m historically not a “pew pew action war” honey).
Anyway, I loved the rotating POVs of Lei and Wren, and felt their voices were much more pronounced and distinct in this book. I loved that representation of them coming more into themselves 🥹 The climax of the war, the aftermath, and seeing our favorite characters wrangle with that was done tactfully and lovingly.
Overall, I am glad I read this trilogy and think it would do well if optioned and adapted for tv or film! Give us an all-API cast & adapt this YA fantasy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, War, and Violence
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
lara88's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
janagaton's review against another edition
4.0
This definitely wasn't my favorite of the trilogy, as it took me about 200 pages to feel fully immersed into the story/world again, and I'm not a fan of there being a fight/war scene in almost every chapter, but the second half of the book redeemed it for me. Wren & Lei are one of my favorite YA couples ever, and I absolutely loved the "Three Months Later" section at the end where we follow them during the calm afterrr the storm. It feels so good to finish a series, and I will undoubtedly be rereading it a couple years from now.
roastytoasty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
jonisbookquest's review against another edition
4.0
3,5*
Al bij al een goed einde van de trilogie blijft, dat trouw blijft aan zijn thema's. Ik moet wel zeggen dat ik het eerste en tweede deel net wat beter vond en ik hier het element van de verrassing wat miste.
Al bij al een goed einde van de trilogie blijft, dat trouw blijft aan zijn thema's. Ik moet wel zeggen dat ik het eerste en tweede deel net wat beter vond en ik hier het element van de verrassing wat miste.
peyton_'s review against another edition
3.0
This is definitely better than the second book, but still not my favourite teen series. I don’t like the romance between Wren and Lei as it feels forced, needy, and unhealthy. I do like some of the side characters. The action moved right along which was nice. The ending felt really drawn out and unnecessary. I was so happy when it finally ended. I’m glad to have completed this series.
kellyanne98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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
5.0
charlibirb's review against another edition
3.5
Above average series, but not stellar. Lots of good points about this book - interesting world, interesting characters, but the writing left a bit to be desired, and the plot was a bit predictable.