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A review by hopereads123
Divining the Leaves by Shveta Thakrar
2.0
I really should have looked into the author before requesting this arc. I read Star Child, and it was not my vibe. But, if you liked Star Child, you may like this book, too.
For reference, I am not super familiar with Indian mythology. Every creature and mythology aspect is presented as if you already know it, and, for sure, some people will. But, I didn't, and I didn't always have access to internet to look things up. I knew enough to get a vague understanding of what was happening (thank you Aru Shah books – great middle-grade fantasy with Indian mythology, if you're looking for that), but it was still very confusing.
Then, we get to the plot. Was there a plot? Kinda, maybe, who knows? It definitely wasn't a normal plot structure, and that made me feel like nothing was happening. I didn't feel much tension or suspense, and the stakes felt nonexistent. Since nothing was explained that well, it was really hard to get invested in this book.
Ridhi was a fine character. She wasn't super unique, but she did have a perfume business, which was a really cool idea. Nilish annoyed me to no end. He wasn't a consistent character, for instance, he mocked Ridhi for her love of plants but got a crush on a different character who loved plants simply because she was hot. Go character depth! I felt no sympathy for Nilesh, and his character growth felt forced.
I also didn't notice much difference between the two characters' perspectives despite them being very different people. I had a really hard time knowing who we were focusing on at the moment, and they may have confused me at some pivotal moments in the book, or as pivotal as it could be without a clear plot.
The writing style was also just hard to understand. The author used a lot of complex words to describe nothing. While I appreciate books with interesting language, I needed a dictionary way more often than I would have liked. There were lots of instances where a more recognizable word would have sufficed, which definitely annoyed me.
TLDR; The mythology was confusing, the big words every two sentences were confusing, the plot was confusing, and the characters were confusing. If you have ever wondered how much a book can truly confuse you, make sure to try this out!
In all seriousness, this book felt like it needed more fleshing out. The plot, the characters, and the romances all felt like they were missing something. Just because a book is YA doesn't mean it has to be any less impactful than other books.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
For reference, I am not super familiar with Indian mythology. Every creature and mythology aspect is presented as if you already know it, and, for sure, some people will. But, I didn't, and I didn't always have access to internet to look things up. I knew enough to get a vague understanding of what was happening (thank you Aru Shah books – great middle-grade fantasy with Indian mythology, if you're looking for that), but it was still very confusing.
Then, we get to the plot. Was there a plot? Kinda, maybe, who knows? It definitely wasn't a normal plot structure, and that made me feel like nothing was happening. I didn't feel much tension or suspense, and the stakes felt nonexistent. Since nothing was explained that well, it was really hard to get invested in this book.
Ridhi was a fine character. She wasn't super unique, but she did have a perfume business, which was a really cool idea. Nilish annoyed me to no end. He wasn't a consistent character, for instance, he mocked Ridhi for her love of plants but got a crush on a different character who loved plants simply because she was hot. Go character depth! I felt no sympathy for Nilesh, and his character growth felt forced.
I also didn't notice much difference between the two characters' perspectives despite them being very different people. I had a really hard time knowing who we were focusing on at the moment, and they may have confused me at some pivotal moments in the book, or as pivotal as it could be without a clear plot.
The writing style was also just hard to understand. The author used a lot of complex words to describe nothing. While I appreciate books with interesting language, I needed a dictionary way more often than I would have liked. There were lots of instances where a more recognizable word would have sufficed, which definitely annoyed me.
TLDR; The mythology was confusing, the big words every two sentences were confusing, the plot was confusing, and the characters were confusing. If you have ever wondered how much a book can truly confuse you, make sure to try this out!
In all seriousness, this book felt like it needed more fleshing out. The plot, the characters, and the romances all felt like they were missing something. Just because a book is YA doesn't mean it has to be any less impactful than other books.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.