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A review by dostojevskijs
The Girl King by Mimi Yu
2.0
"People rarely want the things they get," Vrea said, her voice never losing its evasive, lilting quality, borne between cheer and melancholy. "But nevertheless, that gift is yours, and you must choose what to do with it."
I have been looking forward to reading this for a while, and I finally gave in. The result was... a little disappointing, to be honest. It wasn't like it was bad because it really wasn't. It was good. It just could've been so much better. Sometimes that somehow feels like worse. But that said, I did enjoy it.
The world itself was rather interesting; I was really into the magic and the lore of it all. But it often left me confused; Yu could've done a better job explaining it even in "casual passing". Sometimes I only figured it out after a random comment made me understand what a description had been trying to say. I'm guessing Yu had already decided on a sequel because of the plot in this one so I'm not entirely sure why she didn't spend more time building the world the book is set in. She mostly focused on the court and politics, I would've liked more about the world too.
Sadly, the characters fell a little flat for me. There was potential but there was nothing to really distinguish them as memorable or particularly interesting. I didn't care for them as much as I had assumed I would. If given more depth, they would have been really interesting. And the depth they were given should've been explored more. But maybe that's just me.
All in all, I'll read the sequel when it's available at my local library but I feel no rush to do so.
I have been looking forward to reading this for a while, and I finally gave in. The result was... a little disappointing, to be honest. It wasn't like it was bad because it really wasn't. It was good. It just could've been so much better. Sometimes that somehow feels like worse. But that said, I did enjoy it.
The world itself was rather interesting; I was really into the magic and the lore of it all. But it often left me confused; Yu could've done a better job explaining it even in "casual passing". Sometimes I only figured it out after a random comment made me understand what a description had been trying to say. I'm guessing Yu had already decided on a sequel because of the plot in this one so I'm not entirely sure why she didn't spend more time building the world the book is set in. She mostly focused on the court and politics, I would've liked more about the world too.
Sadly, the characters fell a little flat for me. There was potential but there was nothing to really distinguish them as memorable or particularly interesting. I didn't care for them as much as I had assumed I would. If given more depth, they would have been really interesting. And the depth they were given should've been explored more. But maybe that's just me.
All in all, I'll read the sequel when it's available at my local library but I feel no rush to do so.