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readsbylou's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. I’ve read all 3 twice now, and each one still leaves me breathless with the twists. I hated Belle all throughout and I was extremely mad when Maia forgave her for KILLING HER!
aprilalwayswithabook's review against another edition
2.0
I waffled on 2 and 3 stars. The idea of this book was great and the plot points, but it was so messy and so hard to follow and a really strict and good editor could have really made a difference.
alibrareads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
I held out hope for most of this book that it would eventually give me the Sailor Moon vibes that the author promised, but it did not. Yes the girls can manipulate elements, but even that wasn’t shown off in a reliably engaging way, and the dynamic between them is certainly not like the Sailor Senshi. It did give a “depressed Avengers” vibe though, which was not really fun to read about but at least that comparison felt accurate.
Maia was… Useless. Obviously there’s an appeal to reading about a heroine who is struggling to master their powers/their fears, and who isn’t just super powerful right out the gate. But she spent the entire book being terrified and not even trying to use her fire abilities at all. It wasn’t like she was trying and just didn’t have control, she literally didn’t use it except SORT OF accidentally in two brief instances that weren’t battles (one to arrest a fall early in the book, and another after she just wakes up from being unconscious and suddenly a house is on fire). She manages to actively use her fire powers ONCE, 14 pages from the end of the book, and it lasts for SINGLE page. Really disappointing. She also has the gall to judge and lecture the other Effigies about their work ethic and how they deal with their responsibility when, again, she spent the whole book being afraid, or literally running away, or cowering, etc.
Almost nothing gets resolved or revealed by the end, honestly. And I just felt my confusion growing during the final confrontation with the bad guy Saul. The worldbuilding felt haphazard and things felt half-explained. The Effigies aren’t likable… The main character isn’t likable… Half of this book was spent trying to wrangle all the Effigies together and then the other half was trying to follow these clues that Natalya, the previous fire Effigy, left behind and wondering who killed her but not feeling like any significant progress is made. The girls don’t feel like a team whatsoever and they’re all moody and difficult and obtuse and this was just not what I was hoping for.
I like that the Effigies are each from different parts of the world and not just America. I love the cover of this book. Theoretically I like the idea of this book: I love Sailor Moon, I like Marvel films. My hypothesis before reading this was that it would objectively not be the most well-written, but that I personally would have a good time reading it. The first part was true, the second part was not, sadly. I was blue-balled the whole time waiting to fall in love with cool element-slinging girl-bosses, and it never happened. And I’m bummed about it!
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/w0L-m_Rxk7M
Maia was… Useless. Obviously there’s an appeal to reading about a heroine who is struggling to master their powers/their fears, and who isn’t just super powerful right out the gate. But she spent the entire book being terrified and not even trying to use her fire abilities at all. It wasn’t like she was trying and just didn’t have control, she literally didn’t use it except SORT OF accidentally in two brief instances that weren’t battles (one to arrest a fall early in the book, and another after she just wakes up from being unconscious and suddenly a house is on fire). She manages to actively use her fire powers ONCE, 14 pages from the end of the book, and it lasts for SINGLE page. Really disappointing. She also has the gall to judge and lecture the other Effigies about their work ethic and how they deal with their responsibility when, again, she spent the whole book being afraid, or literally running away, or cowering, etc.
Almost nothing gets resolved or revealed by the end, honestly. And I just felt my confusion growing during the final confrontation with the bad guy Saul. The worldbuilding felt haphazard and things felt half-explained. The Effigies aren’t likable… The main character isn’t likable… Half of this book was spent trying to wrangle all the Effigies together and then the other half was trying to follow these clues that Natalya, the previous fire Effigy, left behind and wondering who killed her but not feeling like any significant progress is made. The girls don’t feel like a team whatsoever and they’re all moody and difficult and obtuse and this was just not what I was hoping for.
I like that the Effigies are each from different parts of the world and not just America. I love the cover of this book. Theoretically I like the idea of this book: I love Sailor Moon, I like Marvel films. My hypothesis before reading this was that it would objectively not be the most well-written, but that I personally would have a good time reading it. The first part was true, the second part was not, sadly. I was blue-balled the whole time waiting to fall in love with cool element-slinging girl-bosses, and it never happened. And I’m bummed about it!
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/w0L-m_Rxk7M
christinawegner's review against another edition
1.0
Whining, fangirling, whining, fangirling, whining, Reddit, whining, oh it turns out 35% of the way into the book that the main character is a POC!, a possible romance??, whining, Reddit, fangirling, whining, someone else whining, again with the weird maybe romance, whining, whining, teen vogue!, someone else whining again, reference to fangirling but not actually doing it this time, romance, whining.
There, now I've saved you reading this awful book. You're welcome.
There, now I've saved you reading this awful book. You're welcome.
luuleggelibri's review against another edition
4.0
A light read. Some drama but not too much. Some romance but not too much (and I'm thankful for it). I loved how superhero-y and girl-power-y it was (but I would have loved more superpowers stuff). I loved the girls-team (even if it was still at the very beginning)! It kept me breathless for a while with my mouth open. It's enjoyable, engaging, not demanding, I'm going to read the sequel!
bookishneverland's review against another edition
4.0
I thought it was a slower start than I'm used to in Young Adult books. But I really enjoyed this book. This definitly has a Pacific Rim feel to it with the use of the Phantoms. I'm a fan, and can't wait for the second book to come out!!
littlbearr's review against another edition
5.0
reading this book has made my month 100%. the characters are so funny and strong. i'm finding it hard to find books that are relatively good, and this book was amazing. i can't wait for next november i'm going cRaZy!
booksandladders's review against another edition
Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
DNF @ 35%
I made it farther than my typical 25% before DNF-ing only because I am reviewing it on Books Are My Fandom for one of our BAMF Reviews, but I just couldn't read anymore. Thinking about going back to it is making me want to cry. I was bored and I feel like with a book that has destructo-beasts and girls with superpowers, I should be ENTHRALLED not wondering how Jurassic Park was still made in 1991 when the world had been taken over by beasts in 1865. The world-building was not the greatest in this and I felt like a lot of what happened was Very Convenient™ rather than helping to bring the novel along.
If you want to read a really similar book (at least from the first bit), I would recommend checking out [b:Steelheart|17182126|Steelheart (Reckoners, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1357576738s/17182126.jpg|21366540] by Brandon Sanderson. At least I could get through that one. (That makes it sound bad, I really enjoyed Steelheart).
Books and Ladders | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
DNF @ 35%
I made it farther than my typical 25% before DNF-ing only because I am reviewing it on Books Are My Fandom for one of our BAMF Reviews, but I just couldn't read anymore. Thinking about going back to it is making me want to cry. I was bored and I feel like with a book that has destructo-beasts and girls with superpowers, I should be ENTHRALLED not wondering how Jurassic Park was still made in 1991 when the world had been taken over by beasts in 1865. The world-building was not the greatest in this and I felt like a lot of what happened was Very Convenient™ rather than helping to bring the novel along.
If you want to read a really similar book (at least from the first bit), I would recommend checking out [b:Steelheart|17182126|Steelheart (Reckoners, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1357576738s/17182126.jpg|21366540] by Brandon Sanderson. At least I could get through that one. (That makes it sound bad, I really enjoyed Steelheart).
Books and Ladders | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
marie64's review against another edition
4.0
Wow! This was unexpectedly good! It was in my bookshelf for so long and I should have read it sooner! It's not the deepest book or the most original story, but it's enthralling, hard to put down and made me forget I was reading. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.
I definetely recommand it to anyone who wants to read a nice and easy fantasy read, coming of age story where the main characters learns to control her powers and navigate a mysterious organisation
I definetely recommand it to anyone who wants to read a nice and easy fantasy read, coming of age story where the main characters learns to control her powers and navigate a mysterious organisation
readerjenn's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
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
4.0