Reviews

Impostor Syndrome by Mishell Baker

mjfmjfmjf's review

4.0

Don't think this book is going to age well. It's just too obviously set in the current time. But it's done so well and so enjoyably. Even the subtle Groundhog Day reference was there. Confusing and somewhat a downer at times, but always pulling it out in a somewhat reasonable way. It's use of various sorts of mental illness as an attribute worked especially well in this one. A more enjoyable book than it should have been, so your mileage will probably vary. But definitely don't start with this one, it is a definite book 3. Also my copy was an advance readers copy, so there might have been some changes made in the published version.

line's review

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

jennms_qkw's review

I love Millie. I love Mishell Baker's creative use of fairies to interact with the disability community. Demons! Griffiths! All the magic! Millie has mental (Borderline Personality) diagnoses, and she lost some of her legs during a suicide attempt. In book 1, Borderline, she is introduced to the Arcadia Project, the organization that manages between the human world and fairy world. Every volume stands alone, yet builds on the story, and I was utterly shocked at the ending. There are so many appealing characters and memorable unappealing characters, moral dilemmas, problems-solving on the fly, and a giant heist.

izzymendes's review

3.0

oh my fucking god i read three (3) books for [redacted] and millie to not get together at the end? my fucking thirteenth reason

anyways, i'm so obsessed with them i made a playlist

izzymenzies's review

3.0

oh my fucking god i read three (3) books for [redacted] and millie to not get together at the end? my fucking thirteenth reason

anyways, i'm so obsessed with them i made a playlist

kwugirl's review

3.0

I enjoyed the caper but kind of missed the "here's a look into the head of someone with borderline personality disorder" parts of the previous books. I mean, fine for the parts that don't have it because the protagonist is practicing better habits, fine, but seemed like a underutilized opportunity in interactions with a new character that also has BPD. Also I was expecting things to go wrong but then they got tied up very very quickly and I suppose the series is at a close now. The unrequited crushes and such seemed to become a little out of character and inconsistent with previous positions. The banter with the prominent Unseelie characters were great, though.

setaian's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The conclusion to the Arcadia series and in some ways it's the most challenging.  

Not a bad book, but not even in the same ballpark as book one.  

chel_hop's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

nelsonseye's review against another edition

4.0

Impostor Syndrome was a strong close to a strong, though difficult to read in places, series. I found myself putting this one down a lot because of the situations the characters were in, and because I learned from [b:Borderline|25692886|Borderline (The Arcadia Project, #1)|Mishell Baker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1433843958l/25692886._SY75_.jpg|45522468] that there are no guarantees. Still, it was a gripping read, and I usually girded my loins and picked the book up again relatively quickly. Millie was overall a very sympathetic narrator, and her "trial" and final thoughts really worked. The other characters, while not as developed (the "curse" of first person POV), were also sympathetic (save for the Big Bad), and I was satisfied with the resolutions.

jedbird's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Confession: I understood none of the plan that took up 2/3 of the book. I am constitutionally indisposed to action and action sequences and find "fast-moving" stories boring. I can't keep character's convoluted plans and double-crosses clear in my head because I guess I just can't care about them.

I like character development, and there really wasn't any here, but there were characters I've become fond of. I'm glad to have seen the story through to its conclusion. The Hollywood and Arcadia of this series are interesting places, and I hope if the author returns to them, she will focus more on the characters and less on the frantic plotting.