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leahharlann's reviews
85 reviews
Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
Just could not get into it. The setting and descriptions were incredible and lush, and I loved the mythological aspects, but I didn't care about Simi and the boy's missions. The pacing also felt so slow, even at about 100 pages in it felt like hardly anything had happened. Simi is also very passive once she sets out on her quest, things happening to her more often than not.
I want to give this a second chance at some point because I hate the thought of leaving it at DNF when the setting is so great, but who knows.
I want to give this a second chance at some point because I hate the thought of leaving it at DNF when the setting is so great, but who knows.
Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
What tries to be a diverse book celebrating Day of the Dead and recognizing cystic fibrosis is a woefully disrespectful story that trivializes and misrepresents Dia de los Muertos, and fails to recognizes the terrible history of Spanish missions in California.
When grievances were brought to the author's attention, she deflected or even doubled down. There is now a non-apology on her website, but it took way too long to appear and is tucked away. PLEASE do not use this book as a cultural lesson on Dia de los Muertos.
When grievances were brought to the author's attention, she deflected or even doubled down. There is now a non-apology on her website, but it took way too long to appear and is tucked away. PLEASE do not use this book as a cultural lesson on Dia de los Muertos.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Death and Child death
Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan
Major Character Death
Minor Character Death
Suicide/Self Sacrifice
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This reviewer received a digital ARC from Netgalley.
I loved the first book (Daughter of the Moon Goddess) and was thrilled to be able to read Heart of the Sun Warrior before official release! The sequel has just as many fantastical adventures as the first, with Xingyin traveling across the immortal realm to stop a new evil that threatens her loved ones. As someone who's enjoyed a few Chinese wuxia and xianxia dramas in my day, this story sits with the best of them. There's interpersonal drama, a despicable villain with a power that threatens even immortals, choosing between duty and love, making the honorable choices, and the raw honesty of the toll being a hero can take.
The early events of the book that set up the eventual plot that drives the majority of the book felt a little disjointed in pacing, but as someone who enjoys CDramas it fell within the kind of storytelling I've seen before so it didn't feel that out of place to me. Tan continually references and connects back to the first book, weaving the two together to make it feel like one long and continuous story where the characters grow even further.
Regarding the romance: I'm not going to lie, I was a little disappointed with the love triangle in DotMG. It felt like Wenzhi was introduced just as a tool to hurt Xingyin before being discarded, with Liwei as the de facto endgame despite the glaring issues.So when Tan brought back Wenzhi with INCREDIBLE character growth and put him on even footing with Liwei for real this time, I was thrilled. I cried when he died. I cried when his rebirth was revealed. I cried a lot. His redemption arc is right up there with Prince Zuko from ATLA for me. Tan did an excellent job presenting doubts and conflicts to Xingyin's relationships; not just trials to overcome, but very real differences in values and responsibilities that make you question if love really is enough to overcome everything. I normally dislike love triangles, but I give HotSW the award of 'Only Love Triangle I Will Ever Recommend' even though it generally ran alongside the main plot instead of being part of it.
I loved the first book (Daughter of the Moon Goddess) and was thrilled to be able to read Heart of the Sun Warrior before official release! The sequel has just as many fantastical adventures as the first, with Xingyin traveling across the immortal realm to stop a new evil that threatens her loved ones. As someone who's enjoyed a few Chinese wuxia and xianxia dramas in my day, this story sits with the best of them. There's interpersonal drama, a despicable villain with a power that threatens even immortals, choosing between duty and love, making the honorable choices, and the raw honesty of the toll being a hero can take.
The early events of the book that set up the eventual plot that drives the majority of the book felt a little disjointed in pacing, but as someone who enjoys CDramas it fell within the kind of storytelling I've seen before so it didn't feel that out of place to me. Tan continually references and connects back to the first book, weaving the two together to make it feel like one long and continuous story where the characters grow even further.
Regarding the romance: I'm not going to lie, I was a little disappointed with the love triangle in DotMG. It felt like Wenzhi was introduced just as a tool to hurt Xingyin before being discarded, with Liwei as the de facto endgame despite the glaring issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Murder, and War