Take a photo of a barcode or cover
smokeandmirrors 's review for:
The King's Men
by Nora Sakavic
Interesting... This was a wild series that I'm still trying to make sense of my experience with lmfao. Sports anime by way of gang drama and the saddest blorbo backstories in the world. I mean the gang stuff certainly stretched my suspension of disbelief at times but I think if you've gotten this far you're at least somewhat down to be stretched aren't you. Some book 3 points:
- The gang stuff really ramped up. I know what I just said about being down to be stretched but I don't know that the increased presence worked for me - the trouble is that with all the elements which have been introduced the story really wants to pivot away from sports towards gang drama, and you can really tell. Maybe my real dissatisfaction is that I didn't love the resolution "our blorbos get on the good side of the meanest gang member" but I CAN'T think of any alternative that doesn't involve pivoting entirely to becoming a gang drama series. Idk I'm just yapping!
- Semi-relatedly, I think it was a cowardly move to kill Riko. I want a redemption arc for that psychopathic weirdo. If knife-wielding friend-choking drugged-up maniac Andrew gets one I think Riko could have gotten one as well!! Standing by this!!
- And somewhat relatedly to that, this book felt quite dismissive of Kevin in a way that made me SAD... He's going through it! He's annoying but he's still going through it... I think I read in another review that there was a version of this series where Kevin/Riko were tortured exes and omg that would solve both of these points perfectly. GIVE THAT TO ME
- I came into this series knowing about the fandom and I have to say the shippy stuff was wayyy more low key than I expected. Obviously intentional and after a point it would have been weird to see an Andreil heart to heart because the rest of the book hadn't set that up, but I still kind of want to see a shippier version of this book. Everything we got felt very sublimated which makes sense as Neil seems to sublimate everything into the drive to play more made up stickball but I'm a romantic at heart I fear
I think that's it. Oh except last point Jeremy was in the book for like 2 seconds and I understand completely why he and Jean got shipped relentlessly even before book 4 came out. Couple made in fandom heaven. I'll probably pick up book 4 at some point
- The gang stuff really ramped up. I know what I just said about being down to be stretched but I don't know that the increased presence worked for me - the trouble is that with all the elements which have been introduced the story really wants to pivot away from sports towards gang drama, and you can really tell. Maybe my real dissatisfaction is that I didn't love the resolution "our blorbos get on the good side of the meanest gang member" but I CAN'T think of any alternative that doesn't involve pivoting entirely to becoming a gang drama series. Idk I'm just yapping!
- Semi-relatedly, I think it was a cowardly move to kill Riko. I want a redemption arc for that psychopathic weirdo. If knife-wielding friend-choking drugged-up maniac Andrew gets one I think Riko could have gotten one as well!! Standing by this!!
- And somewhat relatedly to that, this book felt quite dismissive of Kevin in a way that made me SAD... He's going through it! He's annoying but he's still going through it... I think I read in another review that there was a version of this series where Kevin/Riko were tortured exes and omg that would solve both of these points perfectly. GIVE THAT TO ME
- I came into this series knowing about the fandom and I have to say the shippy stuff was wayyy more low key than I expected. Obviously intentional and after a point it would have been weird to see an Andreil heart to heart because the rest of the book hadn't set that up, but I still kind of want to see a shippier version of this book. Everything we got felt very sublimated which makes sense as Neil seems to sublimate everything into the drive to play more made up stickball but I'm a romantic at heart I fear
I think that's it. Oh except last point Jeremy was in the book for like 2 seconds and I understand completely why he and Jean got shipped relentlessly even before book 4 came out. Couple made in fandom heaven. I'll probably pick up book 4 at some point