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A review by rachaelarsenault
Hex You by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
My vlog review can be found here:
https://youtu.be/s9n2CiC47_0
An in-depth written review is posted here:
https://medium.com/@rachaellawrites/a-plodding-pace-and-disappointing-erasure-an-in-depth-review-of-hex-you-68e1cf32dc35
But for an abridged version, here are the main points. Spoilers ahead!
What I Liked:
-Mercy dies.
What I Didn't Like:
-The writing style remains lacking for both authors, and many of Hunter's chapters sounded like P.C. Cast's writing, not Kristin's, which is strange to say the least.
-The Chosen One subplot made no sense and had absolutely no buildup in previous books.
-Xena being immortal, being able to perform magic, and being able to tell prophecy all came out of nowhere and was only revealed when it was most convenient.
-The pacing is extremely slow. Characters spent most of the book talking and speculating.
-Mercy is a passive, spoiled character who is coddled even into death.
-Hunter's ending is presented as bittersweet but ultimately full of hope and promise. In reality, it's extremely empty, sad, and honestly a queer person's worst nightmare. She is magically bound to the small, homophobic town that she specifically made plans to escape.
-Hunter's sexuality is, in fact, entirely erased from this book.
-There is a "joke" in which Kylie (a white woman) asks Mercy (a white woman) if Khenti (a brown man) is her familiar, AKA her pet.
-Emily (a brown woman) apologizes to Mercy (a white woman) for cultural appropriation.
Overall, this series was poorly written, poorly plotted, the world-building falls apart at the slightest examination and requires extensive cultural appropriation and insensitivity, and the way the authors approached issues of race, sexuality, addiction, mental health, etc. is consistently careless and harmful. I do not recommend this book or the series as a whole.
https://youtu.be/s9n2CiC47_0
An in-depth written review is posted here:
https://medium.com/@rachaellawrites/a-plodding-pace-and-disappointing-erasure-an-in-depth-review-of-hex-you-68e1cf32dc35
But for an abridged version, here are the main points. Spoilers ahead!
What I Liked:
-Mercy dies.
What I Didn't Like:
-The writing style remains lacking for both authors, and many of Hunter's chapters sounded like P.C. Cast's writing, not Kristin's, which is strange to say the least.
-The Chosen One subplot made no sense and had absolutely no buildup in previous books.
-Xena being immortal, being able to perform magic, and being able to tell prophecy all came out of nowhere and was only revealed when it was most convenient.
-The pacing is extremely slow. Characters spent most of the book talking and speculating.
-Mercy is a passive, spoiled character who is coddled even into death.
-Hunter's ending is presented as bittersweet but ultimately full of hope and promise. In reality, it's extremely empty, sad, and honestly a queer person's worst nightmare. She is magically bound to the small, homophobic town that she specifically made plans to escape.
-Hunter's sexuality is, in fact, entirely erased from this book.
-There is a "joke" in which Kylie (a white woman) asks Mercy (a white woman) if Khenti (a brown man) is her familiar, AKA her pet.
-Emily (a brown woman) apologizes to Mercy (a white woman) for cultural appropriation.
Overall, this series was poorly written, poorly plotted, the world-building falls apart at the slightest examination and requires extensive cultural appropriation and insensitivity, and the way the authors approached issues of race, sexuality, addiction, mental health, etc. is consistently careless and harmful. I do not recommend this book or the series as a whole.