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charisanorris 's review for:
Wayfarer
by Alexandra Bracken
I have very mixed emotions about this book which why I have it 3.5 stars. There were things I liked and didn't like, but I think the biggest problem for me was that I no longer felt connected to the character like I did in Passenger (and that's probably just me and not the book, I'm not sure...I think if I had read them back to back I would feel differently), and I found myself struggling to get through the story.
So I'll break this review into (what I felt) were the pros and cons of this book.
Cons:
I'm starting with what I didn't like because I want to finish the review on a high note. I think what I disliked most was that there were certain scenes where I felt like the lines were taken straight from a Tumblr or Twitter SJW post. Now, I'm not saying a writer shouldn't project any of their political or social views into their work, that's part of what makes writing a platform for opinions and beliefs. But the way these parts were written, to me, felt less of providing a purpose to the story and more of just the author trying to squeeze in her social media posts. For example, the scene where we first meet Li Min and Nicholas thinks she wants to kiss him, Li Min voices that "it can be hard for men to believe they are not all gods walking the earth, as so many women are forced to fall at their feet." While a snarky response could be expected of Li Min given her personality, it felt more of a "let's throw in a typical aggressive feminist line that puts down men and treat it like girl power." The other example is when Julian is described as having his white male privilege near the end of the book when he can't understand why there are separate lines for treating white and black survivors. While I think this is important to address because that ignorance does exist, it just felt poorly executed or, again, like a social media post using the opportunity to #checkyourprivilage.
I didn't care for Sophia in Passenger and nothing in this book changed that sentiment. Li Min felt like a typical bland secondary girl character who has been through some rough times and now she's a badass.
I still feel like I don't completely grasp the astrolabe and the time travel concept in this series, but I'm not sure if that's because of the writing and development or just me.
Pros: I love the writing style that Alexandra has. Her descriptions and details leave no doubt that she puts her heart and soul into writing these books, and they feel very beautiful and rich. The longing between Etta and Nick is heart breaking and sweet and to finally have them reunite had me almost in tears. The plot twists surrounding Rose was definitely an added bonus and I'm glad the prologue allowed us to glimpse Etta searching for reconciliation and closure with her mother. Henry was a fantastic father and I'm so glad he turned out to be good and caring, as I was worried he would be a villain. Julian was hilarious and I'm glad we had to him to provide comedic relief alongside Etta's sassiness. And Etta is just hardcore and wonderful! I love her so much and she is very believable as a person. Her mixture of emotions, her weak times and strong times, her moments of fear and bravery, are what makes up an ideal heroine.
All in all, I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who is a fan of time travel and romance and adventure. I can also say these are books I would read again. While I didn't feel as connected to Wayfarer as I did with Passenger, I have to give Alexandra Bracken a round of applause for creating such a breathtaking world, and I look forward to reading her other works, starting with the continuation of The Darkest Minds series.
So I'll break this review into (what I felt) were the pros and cons of this book.
Cons:
I'm starting with what I didn't like because I want to finish the review on a high note. I think what I disliked most was that there were certain scenes where I felt like the lines were taken straight from a Tumblr or Twitter SJW post. Now, I'm not saying a writer shouldn't project any of their political or social views into their work, that's part of what makes writing a platform for opinions and beliefs. But the way these parts were written, to me, felt less of providing a purpose to the story and more of just the author trying to squeeze in her social media posts. For example, the scene where we first meet Li Min and Nicholas thinks she wants to kiss him, Li Min voices that "it can be hard for men to believe they are not all gods walking the earth, as so many women are forced to fall at their feet." While a snarky response could be expected of Li Min given her personality, it felt more of a "let's throw in a typical aggressive feminist line that puts down men and treat it like girl power." The other example is when Julian is described as having his white male privilege near the end of the book when he can't understand why there are separate lines for treating white and black survivors. While I think this is important to address because that ignorance does exist, it just felt poorly executed or, again, like a social media post using the opportunity to #checkyourprivilage.
I didn't care for Sophia in Passenger and nothing in this book changed that sentiment. Li Min felt like a typical bland secondary girl character who has been through some rough times and now she's a badass.
I still feel like I don't completely grasp the astrolabe and the time travel concept in this series, but I'm not sure if that's because of the writing and development or just me.
Pros: I love the writing style that Alexandra has. Her descriptions and details leave no doubt that she puts her heart and soul into writing these books, and they feel very beautiful and rich. The longing between Etta and Nick is heart breaking and sweet and to finally have them reunite had me almost in tears. The plot twists surrounding Rose was definitely an added bonus and I'm glad the prologue allowed us to glimpse Etta searching for reconciliation and closure with her mother. Henry was a fantastic father and I'm so glad he turned out to be good and caring, as I was worried he would be a villain. Julian was hilarious and I'm glad we had to him to provide comedic relief alongside Etta's sassiness. And Etta is just hardcore and wonderful! I love her so much and she is very believable as a person. Her mixture of emotions, her weak times and strong times, her moments of fear and bravery, are what makes up an ideal heroine.
All in all, I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who is a fan of time travel and romance and adventure. I can also say these are books I would read again. While I didn't feel as connected to Wayfarer as I did with Passenger, I have to give Alexandra Bracken a round of applause for creating such a breathtaking world, and I look forward to reading her other works, starting with the continuation of The Darkest Minds series.