A review by hannahsophialin
The Girl King by Mimi Yu

2.0

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I wanted to like this book.


In fact, I wanted to love The Girl King. Sisters! Rivals! Betrayal! Family! War! Mimi Yu's debut smells of an action-packed adventure with sibling rivalry, magic and court politics that would be hard to put down. Bonus points for #OwnVoices.

But much disappointment has occurred.


Bookwyrms, much disappointment has indeed occurred. I spent loads of time deciding if I should continue trekking my way through The Girl King or calling it quits. Eventually, at 50% through, I decided to call it a day because we don't have time for books that aren't enjoyable.

We're not going to talk much about the problems involved.


"Slipskin" feels awfully weird for a shifter/werewolf influence, bookwyrms. Sure, it's "slipping" out of one's "skin" and into another "slipping" into another "skin." But is it just me, or do I think of something gross and slimy at the thought? 🤔

And let's not get started with "pink." I legit thought of newly born babies.

Vicky from Vicky Who Reads has this covered in more detail in her review. (I guarantee you her post is 100x more professional.)

I didn't connect with anything in The Girl King.


Sure, I went to at least halfway through the book, but it was a whole lot of back and forth reading between this book and another one. I didn't care about the storyline or the world, even though I could relate to some of the cultural influences included. Despite enjoying Lu's fierceness, I ultimately didn't care about Lu or any of the other characters involved. I found myself interested in continuing the book at some points, but at the same time, I didn't really care.

This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts