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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
This is the Owlcrate pick for September. It was a hard one for me to settle on the rating, because there is some really good stuff in here. There were also some weak parts, though, and that brought the rating down for me.
I hate always complaining about the romances in YA, because I actually do like romantic stories. But for whatever reason, in YA they're largely not written very well. Character A meets character B and within the space of a few sentences they're in love! Bonus points if the romance is forbidden in some way. This exact same formula has been used so many times; I can't be the only one tired of it. Their very first scene where they make a connection, he's already caressing her and it looks like they might kiss. They barely know each other and she just told him a basic thing. Let's not forget how many times she says "he's not mine" or "he doesn't belong to me". He's a human being, not a possession. I guess you can claim cultural dissonance, but it's still really disconcerting to run across that language in YA in 2018. In my opinion, the romance could've been cut out entirely and nothing would have been lost.
The plot holes in this book are a little gaping too, if I'm being honest. This is a world where we have droids and space ships, not to mention tattoo removal where no traces are left behind, which would logically mean there's some pretty high-end technology. So why is it that our main character goes off as the princess's body double without some sort of listening device so the princess can know what's being said and done in her name? I can buy them trusting Amani with parties or going to see a grandmother, but having her stand in for Maram during an important meeting? The fate of her kingdom is at stake but they're okay with having a body double there listening in on important political talk and making life-changing decisions? Sorry, but I couldn't help thinking of how Amidala handled this situation so much better.
The world-building leaves a lot to be desired, too. This book only has three hundred pages to let the reader get to know the main character, watch her act as body double for the princess, work in some character growth and relationships building, have a rebellion build up, all while in an unfamiliar sci-fi environment. I don't mind learning from context clues, as that is the whole point of "show don't tell", but sometimes I was just lost. There is a character and his wife introduced where the wife is from some planet/moon/whatever that has never been mentioned before and never brought up again. The narrative isn't always consistent, either. Like the prince and the princess are in a politically arranged marriage, yet he's physically affectionate toward her and they seem to get along really well-- plus he's comfortable riling her up and she genuinely seems to care about him. But that closeness doesn't matter once Amani shows up, I guess.
All that being said, I did like all the political talk going on. I enjoyed the culture bits and there's a lot of really excellent social commentary in here. Sure it slaps you right in the face with it, but it's still great commentary and hopefully will spark good discussion. I may be in the minority when I say this, but I wish the book had focused more on the political talk and the social commentary rather than throw the generic YA rebellion plot in. So I guess I really liked the first part of the book, and that slowly started going downhill the farther I read.
It was written nicely and there were probably a lot of cultural things I didn't get because I'm not a part of it. I just feel like the world could've been fleshed out more and the politics and social commentary could've been taken farther.
I hate always complaining about the romances in YA, because I actually do like romantic stories. But for whatever reason, in YA they're largely not written very well. Character A meets character B and within the space of a few sentences they're in love! Bonus points if the romance is forbidden in some way. This exact same formula has been used so many times; I can't be the only one tired of it. Their very first scene where they make a connection, he's already caressing her and it looks like they might kiss. They barely know each other and she just told him a basic thing. Let's not forget how many times she says "he's not mine" or "he doesn't belong to me". He's a human being, not a possession. I guess you can claim cultural dissonance, but it's still really disconcerting to run across that language in YA in 2018. In my opinion, the romance could've been cut out entirely and nothing would have been lost.
The plot holes in this book are a little gaping too, if I'm being honest. This is a world where we have droids and space ships, not to mention tattoo removal where no traces are left behind, which would logically mean there's some pretty high-end technology. So why is it that our main character goes off as the princess's body double without some sort of listening device so the princess can know what's being said and done in her name? I can buy them trusting Amani with parties or going to see a grandmother, but having her stand in for Maram during an important meeting? The fate of her kingdom is at stake but they're okay with having a body double there listening in on important political talk and making life-changing decisions? Sorry, but I couldn't help thinking of how Amidala handled this situation so much better.
The world-building leaves a lot to be desired, too. This book only has three hundred pages to let the reader get to know the main character, watch her act as body double for the princess, work in some character growth and relationships building, have a rebellion build up, all while in an unfamiliar sci-fi environment. I don't mind learning from context clues, as that is the whole point of "show don't tell", but sometimes I was just lost. There is a character and his wife introduced where the wife is from some planet/moon/whatever that has never been mentioned before and never brought up again. The narrative isn't always consistent, either. Like the prince and the princess are in a politically arranged marriage, yet he's physically affectionate toward her and they seem to get along really well-- plus he's comfortable riling her up and she genuinely seems to care about him. But that closeness doesn't matter once Amani shows up, I guess.
All that being said, I did like all the political talk going on. I enjoyed the culture bits and there's a lot of really excellent social commentary in here. Sure it slaps you right in the face with it, but it's still great commentary and hopefully will spark good discussion. I may be in the minority when I say this, but I wish the book had focused more on the political talk and the social commentary rather than throw the generic YA rebellion plot in. So I guess I really liked the first part of the book, and that slowly started going downhill the farther I read.
It was written nicely and there were probably a lot of cultural things I didn't get because I'm not a part of it. I just feel like the world could've been fleshed out more and the politics and social commentary could've been taken farther.
adventurous
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:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not bad, but not anything exceptional. Everything just seemed kind of rushed.
Two stars for the awesome idea, one for the gorgeous cover.
Two stars for the awesome idea, one for the gorgeous cover.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I’m not even gonna lie, the first 40% of this put me in a mini reading slump. But the last chapter saved it!!
I definitely agree that Amani and Idris’s relationship progressed too fast, but I still think they’re cute. As for the actual plot of the story, it was a bit lacking in the first half, but picked up by the end. All and all, it wasn’t a bad read but not a favorite either.
I definitely agree that Amani and Idris’s relationship progressed too fast, but I still think they’re cute. As for the actual plot of the story, it was a bit lacking in the first half, but picked up by the end. All and all, it wasn’t a bad read but not a favorite either.
Un univers original et intrigant, avec des personnages complexes. Cela donne envie de lire la suite.