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lucybbookstuff's Reviews (376)
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Chose this for a little personal full-day readathon for International Asexuality Day! Even though Tori doesn't come out as ace until Heartstopper vol. 5. I still thought it might be interesting to get her backstory and see some of her journey to that point.
I read in the interview in the back that Oseman wrote this when she was quite young and didn't even know what asexuality was, much less that she (and Tori) identified as such, and looking back, she found so many ace-coded things in the book. I can 1000% relate to that, as I had basically the same experience myself and I often look back at my life and remember TONS of "ace-coded" moments. So I definitely still count this as an appropriate book for celebrating asexuality. ð
The 3.75 rating for this isn't a snub at all. It's pretty good for me with most YA these days. It did have some of those trappings of unrealistic YA scenarios. No teenager is organized or motivated enough to organize the Solitaire campaign lol. But it was a good, relatable depiction of mental health struggles that a lot of teens face.
Overall, I enjoyed it! And it was easy to blast through in a single day.
I read in the interview in the back that Oseman wrote this when she was quite young and didn't even know what asexuality was, much less that she (and Tori) identified as such, and looking back, she found so many ace-coded things in the book. I can 1000% relate to that, as I had basically the same experience myself and I often look back at my life and remember TONS of "ace-coded" moments. So I definitely still count this as an appropriate book for celebrating asexuality. ð
The 3.75 rating for this isn't a snub at all. It's pretty good for me with most YA these days. It did have some of those trappings of unrealistic YA scenarios. No teenager is organized or motivated enough to organize the Solitaire campaign lol. But it was a good, relatable depiction of mental health struggles that a lot of teens face.
Overall, I enjoyed it! And it was easy to blast through in a single day.
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Uuuggghhhh I was liking this a lot more than book 1 in the first half. I was more interested in what Citra and Rowan were up to (perhaps because they're on such different paths that I knew would lead back to each other eventually, and I generally like that storytelling device) and I really liked the new character of Greyson. The Thunderhead becoming more of a character was interesting, too.
But then. Neal ruined EVERYTHING bybringing Goddard back from the dead!!!! Invoking possibly my least favorite trope of all! Godddd. (Look back at the end of my book 1 review and find yourself saying "oh you poor dumb bitch." ðŦ ) And I'm not exaggerating when I say it ruined everything. It cheapened all of the building stakes and made me stop caring. After that happened, the only thing I still found interesting was Greyson, and at that point, he was barely on the page anymore. I came very close to DNFing around 75%. Which would have been unprecedented for me.
By the end, I'm interested enough in Greyson and the Thunderhead, and I guess whatever Faraday is up to. I'll read the final book, but I'm not in any hurry. It might be a few months.
Edit several weeks later: ...yeah, I'm definitely not finishing this series lol. Too much to read, too little time to spend it on anything I know I won't enjoy. I've also heard book 3 does NOT stick the landing. Sorry, Neil. I'll just watch the adaptation when it comes out.
But then. Neal ruined EVERYTHING by
By the end, I'm interested enough in Greyson and the Thunderhead, and I guess whatever Faraday is up to. I'll read the final book, but I'm not in any hurry. It might be a few months.
Edit several weeks later: ...yeah, I'm definitely not finishing this series lol. Too much to read, too little time to spend it on anything I know I won't enjoy. I've also heard book 3 does NOT stick the landing. Sorry, Neil. I'll just watch the adaptation when it comes out.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Thought it might not deliver 5 stars because I was afraid I'd be left wanting more and/or that I'd be comparing it to the movie (The Quiet Girl). But nope. It was perfect just as it was. And the film is a perfect adaptation.
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Okay. It boils down to this:
Very interesting concept. Good writing. A well-conceived world. A plot with plenty of intrigue.
But.
The characters were SO flat, it made the rest of it fall mostly flat as well.
I'll definitely keep reading the trilogy. I am interested in finding out where it goes. But I'm still quite disappointed. The main characters were so hollow, such empty vessels for the plot, I rolled my eyes at nearly everything they did. Nothing I'd learned about them made me feel any emotion about any of their decisions. And I certainly wasn't given even a shadow of a reason to root for a romance between them.
Good characterization and character development is the most important thing for me while reading, so it will never be a favorite if it's lacking that, even when the world and the plot are awesome.
I also saw a lot of the plot twists coming. If not from a mile away, then at least from several pages or sentences away. Nothing really blew my mind.Even when Rowan killed Goddard, which is one thing I actually didn't predict, I struggled to care, because Rowan's character was so weak, I could just as easily have believed he'd turn to the dark side.
Anyway. I am disappointed, but I'm still definitely intrigued and I intend to finish the trilogy! Hopefully, it will improve on some things from book 1. I do really like the world. The concept is very unique - a dystopian utopia basically. And I enjoy all the references to our "Age of Mortality." I also thought the writing was pretty good. Very clinical (though that was clearly a choice), yet still bingeable. I was never bored, per se, just not very gripped.
Lastly, I honestly have no idea at this point who the Big Bad could be (if there even is one), so that is kinda fun. I thought throughout this book that the possible villains were way too obvious. And thankfully, I was right. ðĪŠ I'm not in a hurry, but I'm looking forward to finding out how it will all go down!
Very interesting concept. Good writing. A well-conceived world. A plot with plenty of intrigue.
But.
The characters were SO flat, it made the rest of it fall mostly flat as well.
I'll definitely keep reading the trilogy. I am interested in finding out where it goes. But I'm still quite disappointed. The main characters were so hollow, such empty vessels for the plot, I rolled my eyes at nearly everything they did. Nothing I'd learned about them made me feel any emotion about any of their decisions. And I certainly wasn't given even a shadow of a reason to root for a romance between them.
Good characterization and character development is the most important thing for me while reading, so it will never be a favorite if it's lacking that, even when the world and the plot are awesome.
I also saw a lot of the plot twists coming. If not from a mile away, then at least from several pages or sentences away. Nothing really blew my mind.
Anyway. I am disappointed, but I'm still definitely intrigued and I intend to finish the trilogy! Hopefully, it will improve on some things from book 1. I do really like the world. The concept is very unique - a dystopian utopia basically. And I enjoy all the references to our "Age of Mortality." I also thought the writing was pretty good. Very clinical (though that was clearly a choice), yet still bingeable. I was never bored, per se, just not very gripped.
Lastly, I honestly have no idea at this point who the Big Bad could be (if there even is one), so that is kinda fun. I thought throughout this book that the possible villains were way too obvious. And thankfully, I was right. ðĪŠ I'm not in a hurry, but I'm looking forward to finding out how it will all go down!
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not gonna lie, I was mostly bored throughout this, but it was still easy enough to read that I decided to finish it. And I'm glad I did, there was definitely more intrigue by the end. I'm not in a rush to read the sequel, but I probably will eventually.
Honestly, it just boils down to taste. The setting is very cool and the concept is interesting (except for the overused trials/games trope, sigh), but it was just too YA for me. I found the main character and his closest friends so annoying and frustrating. I didn't really root for them because I couldn't stop rolling my eyes at them. I get that they're children, but I just can't deal with such constant childish behavior in my reading these days. ð Just a personal preference.
The book wasn't bad by any stretch, just not really what I'm into.
Some specifics:
- The world felt very confused. Is it another planet? Another universe? Is this the only country or planet in said universe? It seemed like that, even though it would have made more sense to me for this to be like the gods' plane of existence in OUR universe/world. WHY is their culture exactly like ours? Why the modern speech/tech/cultural references? I know it's not that deep lol but that all annoyed me so much.
- The three main characters being called Teo, Xio, and Niya was a poor choice. They all sound way too similar.
- Thank god Xio ended up being evil. It was hinted at, but I was still so bored with him being so pathetic. For that matter, I think there needed to be a lot more hints dropped about the evil plot. I didn't like being in dumbass Teo's unobservant head lol.
Honestly, it just boils down to taste. The setting is very cool and the concept is interesting (except for the overused trials/games trope, sigh), but it was just too YA for me. I found the main character and his closest friends so annoying and frustrating. I didn't really root for them because I couldn't stop rolling my eyes at them. I get that they're children, but I just can't deal with such constant childish behavior in my reading these days. ð Just a personal preference.
The book wasn't bad by any stretch, just not really what I'm into.
Some specifics:
- The world felt very confused. Is it another planet? Another universe? Is this the only country or planet in said universe? It seemed like that, even though it would have made more sense to me for this to be like the gods' plane of existence in OUR universe/world. WHY is their culture exactly like ours? Why the modern speech/tech/cultural references? I know it's not that deep lol but that all annoyed me so much.
- The three main characters being called Teo, Xio, and Niya was a poor choice. They all sound way too similar.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was quite frustrated for the first part of this because, based on the subject matter, I went in assuming it was going to be pretty deep, heavy lit fic. So I was confused when the tone was so light and fluffy. Not that that's a bad thing, but I also didn't love the writing style. Soooo many purposefully confusing sentences, and there's a lot of VERY unrealistic dialogue. Not a single human being talks like these people.
Once I was able to think of it from a different lens, I started enjoying it more. It definitely made me laugh out loud multiple times. The characters were loveable and the situation was outrageous in a fun way. By the end, I liked it. After the last page with the news clipping, I realized that this whole story makes a lot more sense when you think of it as a comedic play rather than a real-life story.
That said, the writing style still wasn't my favorite. And it also felt incredibly reductive about the topic of adoption. Like, yes, they're not all tragic, but it did seem to downplay that adoption is traumatic no matter what.
A fine book, though. Recommend to anyone who enjoys reads on the sillier, cozier side.
Once I was able to think of it from a different lens, I started enjoying it more. It definitely made me laugh out loud multiple times. The characters were loveable and the situation was outrageous in a fun way. By the end, I liked it. After the last page with the news clipping, I realized that this whole story makes a lot more sense when you think of it as a comedic play rather than a real-life story.
That said, the writing style still wasn't my favorite. And it also felt incredibly reductive about the topic of adoption. Like, yes, they're not all tragic, but it did seem to downplay that adoption is traumatic no matter what.
A fine book, though. Recommend to anyone who enjoys reads on the sillier, cozier side.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Very engaging and enlightening. Really enjoyed the audiobook. I think this could be a great resource for queer youth.
I thought Johnson might get into identifying as nonbinary and was looking forward to that, but it wasn't part of the book. Definitely possible that they came out as NB after publishing.
I thought Johnson might get into identifying as nonbinary and was looking forward to that, but it wasn't part of the book. Definitely possible that they came out as NB after publishing.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was going back and forth between 4.75 and 5 stars... but I sucked it up and gave it the full 5, because this book is simply outstanding. There were some worldbuilding issues, which was the only thing holding me back, but that doesn't take away from everything else that made it such a worthwhile read.
- The character work. Absolutely phenomenal. The arcs that these people go through. Omg. The main protagonist is very morally gray, but she really struggles with it and has such an impressive journey. I can't speak about the others without spoilers.Mamoru was so loveable, which made his arc so devastating. His death wasn't unexpected, but I was not expecting it so early, yet it didn't feel misused. It was so sad, but it was NOT for nothing. Takeru's arc was the biggest surprise, yet she dropped subtle hints throughout that there was more to him. She just made it so easy from Misaki's POV to hate him, so I was always second guessing myself with him.
- The action sequences. I'm not super into action, nor do I know a thing about martial arts, but she filled these scenes with such emotion and it was never just violence for the sake of violence. They always served the plot and the themes. PLUS they were super cool and badass.
- The prose. Some of the big picture writing was a bit off for me, but her prose was beautiful. Not too flowery, quite easy to read, drove the story well, and still delivered some absolutely stunning lines.
- The themes. I won't get too much into this, I'll just say that the themes were extremely well-explored. Thinking for oneself, learning to live with uncomfortable emotions, the lengths some go to protect their family... to name just a few.
- The emotion. My god, did this book make me feel things. Wang masterfully manipulated my emotions throughout. Exasperation, humor, affection, hatred, excitement, total devastation. It can be hard for a book to actually get tears not just TO my eyes, but OUT OF them. This book did it.
Like I said, my only issues were with worldbuilding. It's a very complex world that would take a very intelligent mind to create. But I could definitely feel that this was a prequel to a different series, which was written when the author was quite young, and she has since discontinued said series, citing worldbuilding issues. ð
Mainly, I didn't really understand the motivations of the Empire, and it was never fully explained. That was distracting and frustrating throughout.I couldn't understand the reasons behind keeping everyone SO in the dark about other countries' movements. It seemed weird that the people on the peninsula are expected to hold the fort against invaders, yet they know nothing about how to fight them. It also seems weird that this Empire is so protective of their secrets, yet they allow their people, and the people of most other countries, to come and go freely. That's not really conducive to keeping out information.
Also, this was more science fictiony than expected, which makes sense when I read about the Theonite series, BUT I felt that the modern tech didn't really serve a purpose in this book. All of that could have been reworked to have more classic fantasy explanations. But that wasn't a dealbreaker. Just felt unnecessary.
ANYWAY, all the positives absolutely outweigh the negatives. Such an incredible book, and accomplished so much for a standalone that is technically a prequel. Highly, highly recommend.
EDIT 2 months later: UGH I am downgrading it to 4.75. The more I've ruminated on it, the more I can't let it off the hook for all the worldbuilding issues. I do think all of these issues could be fixed if Wang ever reworks to the book to be a true standalone and disconnects it from the Theonite series. But for now, in this form, these issues do unfortunately take it down a notch for me.
- The character work. Absolutely phenomenal. The arcs that these people go through. Omg. The main protagonist is very morally gray, but she really struggles with it and has such an impressive journey. I can't speak about the others without spoilers.
- The action sequences. I'm not super into action, nor do I know a thing about martial arts, but she filled these scenes with such emotion and it was never just violence for the sake of violence. They always served the plot and the themes. PLUS they were super cool and badass.
- The prose. Some of the big picture writing was a bit off for me, but her prose was beautiful. Not too flowery, quite easy to read, drove the story well, and still delivered some absolutely stunning lines.
- The themes. I won't get too much into this, I'll just say that the themes were extremely well-explored. Thinking for oneself, learning to live with uncomfortable emotions, the lengths some go to protect their family... to name just a few.
- The emotion. My god, did this book make me feel things. Wang masterfully manipulated my emotions throughout. Exasperation, humor, affection, hatred, excitement, total devastation. It can be hard for a book to actually get tears not just TO my eyes, but OUT OF them. This book did it.
Like I said, my only issues were with worldbuilding. It's a very complex world that would take a very intelligent mind to create. But I could definitely feel that this was a prequel to a different series, which was written when the author was quite young, and she has since discontinued said series, citing worldbuilding issues. ð
Mainly, I didn't really understand the motivations of the Empire, and it was never fully explained. That was distracting and frustrating throughout.
Also, this was more science fictiony than expected, which makes sense when I read about the Theonite series, BUT I felt that the modern tech didn't really serve a purpose in this book. All of that could have been reworked to have more classic fantasy explanations. But that wasn't a dealbreaker. Just felt unnecessary.
ANYWAY, all the positives absolutely outweigh the negatives. Such an incredible book, and accomplished so much for a standalone that is technically a prequel. Highly, highly recommend.
EDIT 2 months later: UGH I am downgrading it to 4.75. The more I've ruminated on it, the more I can't let it off the hook for all the worldbuilding issues. I do think all of these issues could be fixed if Wang ever reworks to the book to be a true standalone and disconnects it from the Theonite series. But for now, in this form, these issues do unfortunately take it down a notch for me.
funny
informative
fast-paced
Very entertaining, and interesting to learn more about Bourdain. Especially since I think of him mostly in terms of his shows, and he wrote this before he even started making shows. It's easy to forget that famous chefs all had to start somewhere.
He's really great at telling stories and narrating. I zoned out quite a bit as usual, but I didn't often rewind, because his narrative voice is so clear, I still fully absorbed the gist.
Good stuff. ððŧ
He's really great at telling stories and narrating. I zoned out quite a bit as usual, but I didn't often rewind, because his narrative voice is so clear, I still fully absorbed the gist.
Good stuff. ððŧ
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this trilogy! It was very good and I'm glad I read it and own it. Yet there's something holding it back from being a real favorite.
The magic is really cool, the story is unique, and the writing is good. I really liked these characters. I even love them at points. But I'm not obsessed with them in the way I want to be. They didn't grab me as much as other characters from different fantasy series. And I think that's the main thing holding me back just a little bit.
I can definitely see where she left room to continue this story. And I'm glad she did, because it left me with some unanswered questions still gnawing at me.Who are Kell's parents? What happened to Lila's eye? What is Rhy going to do about having an heir?
I will definitely keep reading, but I'm gonna give it a fair amount of time. If only to wait for the paperback lol. (But mainly so I can spend some time getting really excited to reenter this world.)
The magic is really cool, the story is unique, and the writing is good. I really liked these characters. I even love them at points. But I'm not obsessed with them in the way I want to be. They didn't grab me as much as other characters from different fantasy series. And I think that's the main thing holding me back just a little bit.
I can definitely see where she left room to continue this story. And I'm glad she did, because it left me with some unanswered questions still gnawing at me.
I will definitely keep reading, but I'm gonna give it a fair amount of time. If only to wait for the paperback lol. (But mainly so I can spend some time getting really excited to reenter this world.)