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ninetalevixen 's review for:
Shadowsong
by S. Jae-Jones
Honestly, it feels like the plot was a whole lot of to-do and buildup that slips into quiet nothingness — there are so many threads left hanging, so many balls still up in the air, and so I found the ending wholly unsatisfying: anticlimactic, too neat, even trite.
Instead of expanding on the previous book, the narrative abruptly and inexplicably pivots from the previous book's Goblin King/Hades & Persephone, music, and legacies into. Some of it is explained but none of it felt fully explored.
Käthe still feels like an afterthought, basically literally sidelined for a lot of the book. Especially in comparison to Elisabeth's and Josef's narrative roles as well as their relationship, which was foundational to the plot — and the only bond I really believed in. Not to get into spoilers, but this really made it hard to sympathize or appreciate the tension of the climax.
The opening author's note was greatly appreciated since I actually didn't pick up on mental health themes from the first book, and of course I am here for #ownvoices representations of conditions like bipolar disorder. Although I'll defer to #ownvoices reviewers on the specifics, personally I felt as though there were just too many things going on in this book to ... I don't want to say do it justice but I'm not really sure how else to put it.
content warnings:
rep:
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CONVERSION: 5.4 / 15 = 2 stars
Prose: 3 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 4 / 10
Emotional Impact: 2 / 10
Development / Flow: 2 / 10
Setting: 6 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 3 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5
Rereadability: 1 / 5
Memorability: 2 / 5
Instead of expanding on the previous book, the narrative abruptly and inexplicably pivots from the previous book's Goblin King/Hades & Persephone, music, and legacies into
Spoiler
the Wild Hunt, secret societies, a mysterious string of deaths, the significance of names/souls, and Phantom of the Opera-esque themes/imageryKäthe still feels like an afterthought, basically literally sidelined for a lot of the book. Especially in comparison to Elisabeth's and Josef's narrative roles as well as their relationship, which was foundational to the plot — and the only bond I really believed in. Not to get into spoilers, but this really made it hard to sympathize or appreciate the tension of the climax.
The opening author's note was greatly appreciated since I actually didn't pick up on mental health themes from the first book, and of course I am here for #ownvoices representations of conditions like bipolar disorder. Although I'll defer to #ownvoices reviewers on the specifics, personally I felt as though there were just too many things going on in this book to ... I don't want to say do it justice but I'm not really sure how else to put it.
content warnings:
Spoiler
pre-canon parent death, past physical & emotional abuse, literal self-sacrifice, themes of madness/delusions, ableist languagerep:
Spoiler
MC with mental illness (Word of Author: bipolar disorder), MLM major character with mental illness, MLM Black minor character, M/M established relationship-----------
CONVERSION: 5.4 / 15 = 2 stars
Prose: 3 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 4 / 10
Emotional Impact: 2 / 10
Development / Flow: 2 / 10
Setting: 6 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 3 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5
Rereadability: 1 / 5
Memorability: 2 / 5