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sofiadanielle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-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
4.25
Picked up this book at B&N on a complete whim; haven’t heard about it previously, but the promise of a mix of Avatar:TLA and Pokemon was certainly interesting enough!
Here to say I wasn’t disappointed. The story certainly fulfilled its promise of the shows it said it would invoke. The world build was pretty phenomenal to me, and my interest was invested in the characters. It was interesting to see pieces of real-life cultures (from Korea, China, Japan and the Philippines) get woven into the characters written. It was cool to get to see a Pinoy lead in a fantasy world, too! This novel was entrancing and had me in tears twice; so, certainly emotional, too.
The only quip I have, hence the rating not being higher, being that the beginning was a bit slow. I had a bit of a hard time figuring out the time period, as well (if the story took place in some time modern, or maybe a couple centuries ago, before industrialization, etc.) The balance between four (sometimes five) POVs was good, but I agree with the reviews that stated that there were pieces of each character’s backstory missing as you read. I don’t fault Krueger for the lack of back story, I suppose, but I do hope a second book follows and gives the reader a more in depth look to these characters!
I do also want to add, the LGBT+ characters/story line was so refreshing and felt so unforced. Krueger was also unafraid to regard colonialism and its many sides, both as the colonizer and as the colonized, and the intricate feelings it can invoke in someone trying to move past all that.. Really commend Krueger for how he treated those characters and themes!
Here to say I wasn’t disappointed. The story certainly fulfilled its promise of the shows it said it would invoke. The world build was pretty phenomenal to me, and my interest was invested in the characters. It was interesting to see pieces of real-life cultures (from Korea, China, Japan and the Philippines) get woven into the characters written. It was cool to get to see a Pinoy lead in a fantasy world, too! This novel was entrancing and had me in tears twice; so, certainly emotional, too.
The only quip I have, hence the rating not being higher, being that the beginning was a bit slow. I had a bit of a hard time figuring out the time period, as well (if the story took place in some time modern, or maybe a couple centuries ago, before industrialization, etc.) The balance between four (sometimes five) POVs was good, but I agree with the reviews that stated that there were pieces of each character’s backstory missing as you read. I don’t fault Krueger for the lack of back story, I suppose, but I do hope a second book follows and gives the reader a more in depth look to these characters!
I do also want to add, the LGBT+ characters/story line was so refreshing and felt so unforced. Krueger was also unafraid to regard colonialism and its many sides, both as the colonizer and as the colonized, and the intricate feelings it can invoke in someone trying to move past all that.. Really commend Krueger for how he treated those characters and themes!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, War, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts
cinnamonandpancakes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence
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