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A review by willowbiblio
Zhara by S. Jae-Jones
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
"Why does any conqueror destroy the writings of the conquered?" Jiyi said in a grim voice. "If you erase their past, you deny them a future."
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This was actually a really interesting world filled with some deep lore and fun magic. However, in general I think Jae-Jones suffered from being so overly prescriptive with her characters and plot movement that she gave everything away really early on. I think had she trusted the readers ability to pick up on *much* more subtle clues, this would have been an enthralling read. It was almost like she felt her audience wouldn't get it if she didn't spell out every single nuance.
I thought both the emotions and dialogue were a bit juvenile even for the (likely) YA target audience. It was also a bit discordant that Jae-Jones had some near-constant innuendo occurring, but her main characters were too nervous to hold hands.
It wasn't believable that a major battle would take place in the middle of the city and no one would notice. There were a lot of odd plot holes and painfully obvious foreshadowing.
I think the structure is there for a really cool world to develop, but it's almost like Jae-Jones need to use *less* words and trust the reader to follow along. I'll continue reading the series if it's released and hope that she evolves and eases back a bit- that would make a world of difference!
-------------------
This was actually a really interesting world filled with some deep lore and fun magic. However, in general I think Jae-Jones suffered from being so overly prescriptive with her characters and plot movement that she gave everything away really early on. I think had she trusted the readers ability to pick up on *much* more subtle clues, this would have been an enthralling read. It was almost like she felt her audience wouldn't get it if she didn't spell out every single nuance.
I thought both the emotions and dialogue were a bit juvenile even for the (likely) YA target audience. It was also a bit discordant that Jae-Jones had some near-constant innuendo occurring, but her main characters were too nervous to hold hands.
It wasn't believable that a major battle would take place in the middle of the city and no one would notice. There were a lot of odd plot holes and painfully obvious foreshadowing.
I think the structure is there for a really cool world to develop, but it's almost like Jae-Jones need to use *less* words and trust the reader to follow along. I'll continue reading the series if it's released and hope that she evolves and eases back a bit- that would make a world of difference!