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mitslits 's review for:
Fate of Flames
by Sarah Raughley
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Folks. I'm going to level with you. This is some hot garbage.
Two out of the main four girls are unbearable, and one of them just so happens to be the main character. I'm convinced the only reason Chae Rin is somewhat likeable is because she's Toph But Older. Lake is fine. Lake can stay.
Belle, however, is boring. Incredibly boring. And for some ungodly reason, she's the one our main character looks up to the most, even though by all rights, that should be Natalya. I don't know why it isn't Natalya. Speaking of the main character, Maia has to be one of my least favorite protags I've encountered in a while. She's whiny, a coward, and a massive hypocrite. She begs everyone to keep fighting and judges them for not doing so -- and yet runs away every chance she's given. Seriously. She's not an asset to any of these battles. She can't even use her powers, which is the only reason the Sect sends these girls into battle.
The Sect sucks. They don't know how to run anything. They should have been defunded and restructured decades ago, because apparently they've been messing things up for a while now. Also! The love interest? Holy cow, he's even more boring than Belle. He's the blandest character, and there is absolutely zero chemistry between him and Maia. I can't think of a single scene where their interactions were even charming.
And honestly, what is up with everyone having multiple names? Lake/Victoria, Maia/Marian/Natalya, Aiden/Rhys, Nick/Saul/Alice?? WHY?
Two out of the main four girls are unbearable, and one of them just so happens to be the main character. I'm convinced the only reason Chae Rin is somewhat likeable is because she's Toph But Older. Lake is fine. Lake can stay.
Belle, however, is boring. Incredibly boring. And for some ungodly reason, she's the one our main character looks up to the most, even though by all rights, that should be Natalya. I don't know why it isn't Natalya. Speaking of the main character, Maia has to be one of my least favorite protags I've encountered in a while. She's whiny, a coward, and a massive hypocrite. She begs everyone to keep fighting and judges them for not doing so -- and yet runs away every chance she's given. Seriously. She's not an asset to any of these battles. She can't even use her powers, which is the only reason the Sect sends these girls into battle.
The Sect sucks. They don't know how to run anything. They should have been defunded and restructured decades ago, because apparently they've been messing things up for a while now. Also! The love interest? Holy cow, he's even more boring than Belle. He's the blandest character, and there is absolutely zero chemistry between him and Maia. I can't think of a single scene where their interactions were even charming.
And honestly, what is up with everyone having multiple names? Lake/Victoria, Maia/Marian/Natalya, Aiden/Rhys, Nick/Saul/Alice?? WHY?