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mv33sv5's Reviews (78)
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Emotionally gruelling. Perfectly portrays what it feels like to suffer from eating disorders.
Harrowing to read and realise that many people you loved as a child hating doing those things.
Harrowing to read and realise that many people you loved as a child hating doing those things.
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Denial is a river in Egypt, your husband has autism!
Anyway, they really don’t do romance like this anymore.
Anyway, they really don’t do romance like this anymore.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly, this one has me feeling very conflicted. Taking inspiration from history is one thing, but copy pasting entire passages of history and using them as a way to develop your characters is icky to say the least.
I already felt a bit apprehensive when Kuang decided to name her Nikara (aka China) provinces after the zodiac animals. It feels so superficial. Then the exams, the institution.. It just takes away from the world building because it feels like no world building at all. It’s just China renamed and slightly altered.
The invasion of Shanghai, or should I say Khurdalain didn’t irk me as bad as that one of Nanjing aka Golyn Niis. We don’t see what actually happened, but we get the story through observation and retellings. It’s literally just the Rape of Nanjing pasted into the narrative in order to make Rin mad. It feels so disrespectful to the victims. Again, drawing inspiration from historical events is one thing, but watering down said events and putting them word for word in your book to push the narrative forward is beyond detached from reality.
Later, Kuang uses Unit 731 and the name of a real doctor who served in it. This is where I lost all my willingness to see past it. Then the ‘bombing’ of Japan…
The writing is good, because it’s an R.F. Kuang book, but I wish she’d just put more thought into the moral question of copy pasting real tragedies as a plot device.
Not sure if I’m going to continue this series, as right now I’m a bit conflicted.
I already felt a bit apprehensive when Kuang decided to name her Nikara (aka China) provinces after the zodiac animals. It feels so superficial. Then the exams, the institution.. It just takes away from the world building because it feels like no world building at all. It’s just China renamed and slightly altered.
The invasion of Shanghai, or should I say Khurdalain didn’t irk me as bad as that one of Nanjing aka Golyn Niis. We don’t see what actually happened, but we get the story through observation and retellings. It’s literally just the Rape of Nanjing pasted into the narrative in order to make Rin mad. It feels so disrespectful to the victims. Again, drawing inspiration from historical events is one thing, but watering down said events and putting them word for word in your book to push the narrative forward is beyond detached from reality.
Later, Kuang uses Unit 731 and the name of a real doctor who served in it. This is where I lost all my willingness to see past it. Then the ‘bombing’ of Japan…
The writing is good, because it’s an R.F. Kuang book, but I wish she’d just put more thought into the moral question of copy pasting real tragedies as a plot device.
Not sure if I’m going to continue this series, as right now I’m a bit conflicted.
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Would’ve loved to have seen more of Geiger’s work, but overall this was pretty solid!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It amazes me how Suzanne managed to tie in everything so well. Every few chapters there’d be little lore bombs connecting to the earlier books.
To say I’m wrecked after reading this is an understatement. I feel empty. I had just about dried my tears when that damn epilogue finished me right off.
To think that all this merely happened because Snow couldn’t get over his damn one year situationship. Crazy.
Once again, this book shines light on how easy it is for propaganda to be spread, reality to be altered and the public to be manipulated. Now, more than ever, it is important to recognise this and educate ourselves, to not take everything at face value, but to be critical and question things.
To say I’m wrecked after reading this is an understatement. I feel empty. I had just about dried my tears when that damn epilogue finished me right off.
To think that all this merely happened because Snow couldn’t get over his damn one year situationship. Crazy.
Once again, this book shines light on how easy it is for propaganda to be spread, reality to be altered and the public to be manipulated. Now, more than ever, it is important to recognise this and educate ourselves, to not take everything at face value, but to be critical and question things.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The plot holes are plotting and hole-ing in this one. But once again, just like the first book, the enjoyment I felt reading it, bumped its score quite a bit.
More predictable than the first book, but still good enough.
Also, Scarlett still has not an inkling of personality and I fear we’re in too deep for it to develop anymore.
More predictable than the first book, but still good enough.
Also, Scarlett still has not an inkling of personality and I fear we’re in too deep for it to develop anymore.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No