Reviews tagging 'Blood'

If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang

7 reviews

716a_m's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


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butteredtoastinbed's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

 I really loved this book for a number of reasons. The main thing I loved the most was the characters and how real they felt, and in turn how much I rooted for them. I really did care for all of the main (and secondary) characters a lot, and even rooted for the main romantic relationship to bloom (which is very rare for me!). 
The supernatural element added such a fun twist too and I really loved that part of the story, and I also loved going along with the characters to complete their tasks, it was such a fun read. I haven’t read many Asian-influenced books but this one was really interesting and really transported me there with the characters. I felt their hardships and successes and I overall had such a great time reading.
I took a break in the middle of reading this book, but it was very easy for me to get back into it and feel just as involved in the story as I did before I left, which I think shows how engaging and unique this story is.
The only negative I can think of is that I’m not a huge fan of the “teenagers make a big speech and the adults suddenly realise they’re wrong and everything turns out perfectly” trope, which did happen to an extent near the end, but even so, the ending was bittersweet and didn’t turn out unrealistically fine which I really appreciated and made the ending really great.
Overall, I really loved this book and I definitely would recommend it as I think it is well worth the read. I think I would like to reread it at some time in the future, as well, to go back to the world, and the characters too.

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sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

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

4.0


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cameronreads's review against another edition

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2.5

I read this book as a break between high fantasies and I think it worked well for that. It was a fun easy read, despite its important discussions of elitism in private education, and enjoyable enough. I think our main character really felt like a teenager in her thought processes and decision making and I really enjoyed that - it made the book feel very realistic. I could feel her growing throughout the book and starting to realise that she was just a kid as well, although this was subtle. The other characters didn’t have quite as much depth though - Henry especially felt like he’d do anything the main character asked and was just kind of magically there whenever he was needed, making him feel more like a tool for the plot than a fleshed out character. I did like the concept of the romance between them; academic rivals to lovers is always fun, but because Henry was just kind of down for whatever the main character needed the tension was really only felt from Alice’s side. 
There was also something slightly off about the pacing right at the beginning of the book (although for the most part it was fine), with magical powers developing all of a sudden and characters just accepting it without a second thought and immediately moving on with their lives. I don’t necessarily have a problem with there being no explanation for the powers (although due to personal preference I would have rather had one) but it did just feel like a very quick onset and acceptance. 
I liked what this book was saying about private schools and I think it was successful for the most part - it wasn’t the most nuanced view but it wasn’t really trying to be so that’s not necessarily a problem. I like that Alice found a way to help others in her situation at the end, which was a nice cumulation of her character growth. 
I also thought it had interesting points about academics and self worth, in fact I wish it had delved into it a bit deeper. There’s a point where Alice realises that she actually does have potential to have deeper relationships with her classmates and she’s accidentally isolated herself, but she moves on quite quickly. She almost has a great conversation with Chanel about why they aren’t better friends and I thought they’d come back to it nearer the end but never do. 
Essentially, I really liked the concept of this book, and if it had been delved into a bit deeper and the characters had been fleshed out a little more, I think I would have really enjoyed it. 

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serendipity421's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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dianavdavidson_'s review against another edition

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

2.0

The premise is interesting, but I wasn’t satisfied with not knowing where the invisibility powers come from, or why Alice is literally the only one in the story world who has a superpower. I didn’t find the rivals-to-lovers arc (one-sided) particularly believable but I do nonetheless ship Henry and Alice (I wanted more! Too little, too late). Listening to the audiobook made the book sound thrilling, I’ll give you that. And the descriptions of Beijing were amazing. 


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nisha_27's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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