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faerieontheshelf 's review for:
Stormdancer
by Jay Kristoff
More of a 3.5 stars -
I finished this a few days ago and have been mulling over it since because I don't like writing reviews on my phone (but that is what I'm doing now anyway, given I don't have my laptop).
I cannot deny that I did quite enjoy Stormdancer (I kept comparing it to HTTYD, actually), but I'm not blind to the fact that there are LOADS of things which really rubbed me the wrong way.
So, positives:
+ Writing style is digestible, wayyyy better than it was in Kristoff's newest work, Nevernight, which I just found totally unreadable due to the sheer overwhelming purple prose.
+ Buruu and Yukiko have such a cute bond, it's adorable
+ This steampunk world is pretty damn cool
Negatives:
- The story took freaking ages to happen like it was just exposition and dialogue for pages upon pages
- Wtf is with the Japanese honourifics, there is so much misuse of 'sama' and 'chan' - and the worst thing is that if research was done, it could've been so easily corrected.
- And don't get me started on 'hai' 'cos that wasn't used correctly EITHER
- And the author can say all they want about it not being set in actual Japan but a fantasy steampunk world, but when you go so far as to include Japanese mythology figures such as Izanami etc. instead of making new ones for this 'fantasy world' it is BASICALLY Japan so get the goddamn use of Japanese honourifics and words right. Please.
- ALSO, and it annoys me how I nearly forgot this, but I am so done with the 'omg love at first sight' thing Jesus Yukiko sees a samurai with green eyes and BAM. She then dreams about him BUT SHE DOESN'T REALLY KNOW HIM literally they've barely spoken lords above.
TLDR; writing a review on a phone is actually really hard. As for the book: an interesting concept with steampunk and Japanese culture, though sometimes you have to trudge through the waffle and all the silly inaccuracies.
I finished this a few days ago and have been mulling over it since because I don't like writing reviews on my phone (but that is what I'm doing now anyway, given I don't have my laptop).
I cannot deny that I did quite enjoy Stormdancer (I kept comparing it to HTTYD, actually), but I'm not blind to the fact that there are LOADS of things which really rubbed me the wrong way.
So, positives:
+ Writing style is digestible, wayyyy better than it was in Kristoff's newest work, Nevernight, which I just found totally unreadable due to the sheer overwhelming purple prose.
+ Buruu and Yukiko have such a cute bond, it's adorable
+ This steampunk world is pretty damn cool
Negatives:
- The story took freaking ages to happen like it was just exposition and dialogue for pages upon pages
- Wtf is with the Japanese honourifics, there is so much misuse of 'sama' and 'chan' - and the worst thing is that if research was done, it could've been so easily corrected.
- And don't get me started on 'hai' 'cos that wasn't used correctly EITHER
- And the author can say all they want about it not being set in actual Japan but a fantasy steampunk world, but when you go so far as to include Japanese mythology figures such as Izanami etc. instead of making new ones for this 'fantasy world' it is BASICALLY Japan so get the goddamn use of Japanese honourifics and words right. Please.
- ALSO, and it annoys me how I nearly forgot this, but I am so done with the 'omg love at first sight' thing Jesus Yukiko sees a samurai with green eyes and BAM. She then dreams about him BUT SHE DOESN'T REALLY KNOW HIM literally they've barely spoken lords above.
TLDR; writing a review on a phone is actually really hard. As for the book: an interesting concept with steampunk and Japanese culture, though sometimes you have to trudge through the waffle and all the silly inaccuracies.