You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by readingthroughinfinity
The Girl King by Mimi Yu
3.0
TWs for attempted rape, domestic violence, emotional abuse/manipulation, violence, and on-page death.
This was the first book I finished in 2019 and I think my expectations were too high, because I ended up being disappointed. The plot wasn't as cohesive as it could have been and elements of the world-building seemed to be dropped in at random more than halfway through the story, rather than introduced in the beginning. Pacing was also an issue, and Nok was the only character I felt invested in toward the final chapters of the book. There's an attempted rape scene that I had issues with because it really didn't need to be there. At all. It added nothing to the plot, and was never mentioned again by any of the characters afterwards, or challenged in any way. It also paints the only potentially queer character in the novel as a predator and abuser.
Having said all that, the book did some things really well. The Asian-inspired folklore was rich and enjoyable, and I really liked the fact that there was an Asian-based naming system for all characters, as it served to deepen the world-building. The narrative itself had moments of excellence, particularly the descriptions of the palace and colours. On the whole, the concept for this book had a lot of potential, but the execution wasn't great.
This was the first book I finished in 2019 and I think my expectations were too high, because I ended up being disappointed. The plot wasn't as cohesive as it could have been and elements of the world-building seemed to be dropped in at random more than halfway through the story, rather than introduced in the beginning. Pacing was also an issue, and Nok was the only character I felt invested in toward the final chapters of the book. There's an attempted rape scene that I had issues with because it really didn't need to be there. At all. It added nothing to the plot, and was never mentioned again by any of the characters afterwards, or challenged in any way. It also paints the only potentially queer character in the novel as a predator and abuser.
Having said all that, the book did some things really well. The Asian-inspired folklore was rich and enjoyable, and I really liked the fact that there was an Asian-based naming system for all characters, as it served to deepen the world-building. The narrative itself had moments of excellence, particularly the descriptions of the palace and colours. On the whole, the concept for this book had a lot of potential, but the execution wasn't great.