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ninetalevixen 's review for:
The Black Veins
by Ashia Monet
content warnings:
rep:
★ 2.5 stars ★
NOTE: Lots of people like this book and it has plenty of selling points, so if you're interested in this book maybe check out some of the more positive reviews — especially from ownvoices readers!
Honestly, I think this reads like MG — which is not meant to be a putdown of MG or of this book but does explain why it didn't really work for me:
- Only one of the characters (Blythe) is really the "main" character; the rest are distinguishable by 1-2 archetypal personality traits each and relegated to sidekick status throughout. Not inherently bad, but it's not quite the ensemble-of-equals cast I was hoping for.
- Dialogue is either set to "wholesome pep talk" or "teenage banter/memes" or "exposition."
- Worldbuilding is presented in monologues and mini-lectures, carefully spelled out [pun intended]. (There are also a lot of jokes about fourth-wall breaks, I guess to balance it out?)
- The plot itself is pretty simplistic, with heavy foreshadowing and tropey twists. There's even.
- Morality is also presented as pretty simplistic, and of course Blythe is the ultimate judge of what's right or wrong. Villains are villains, apparently undeserving of any sympathy or redemption; they do bad things because they're bad people. Meanwhile, sometimes heroes mess up, but they're trying and of course they'll do better next time.
While Blythe is definitely a believable teenager and at heart a good person, I just didn't find her a very sympathetic protagonist. Part of might be that we're told so many times in the beginning that she's good at making friends because she's cute and friendly, that the fact that she doesn't have friends is a matter of choice, but to me this all came across as snobby, especially coupled with. Part of it is definitely that she's a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to swearing (direct quote: "What the fuck?! Watch your language!") and, more importantly, keeping secrets from the group. Lashing out is understandable, she's young and scared and under a lot of pressure, but she doesn't seem to have a ton of empathy for others either.
Of course protagonists don't have to be likable or always do the right thing — that would be boring — but there's gotta be a middle ground.
I do like the casual diversity of the cast. It's refreshing that some characters are specified as white since it subverts "assume white unless otherwise stated," though this is inconsistent; in some cases a character's ethnicity is unspecified and they're just described as having "copper skin" or something of the sort, and Cordelia is introduced as "East Asian" but. Also, I'm a little tired of the single Asian MC always being the hacker of the group.
The LGBTQIAP+ rep is pretty great too, very matter-of-fact since there's flirting but minimal actual romance (and) throughout. Though I wouldn't call it totally no-romance since certain characters are pretty infatuated — not to the point of eclipsing the action/adventure plot, but not insignificant.
I try not to hold minor language errors against the book or author, but there are just so many of them: missing or extraneous apostrophes, incorrect idioms/turns of phrase, and lots of good ol' fashioned typos. Plus a scene where dialogue is attributed to a character who isn't even present. These are particularly disappointing because I actually really liked the prose in the opening section and in certain descriptive scenes.
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CONVERSION: 7.2 / 15 = 2.5 stars
Prose: 3 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 4 / 10
Emotional Impact: 2 / 10
Development / Flow: 5 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: N/A
Spoiler
precanon loss of loved ones, blood, non-graphic violence, microaggressions, mentions of homophobia and transphobia, mind manipulation/control, ableist language (incl. "cr*zy"), off-page mass destruction leading to (civilian) injuries & deathsrep:
Spoiler
Black bisexual MC [Blythe] & family, Chinese-English MC [Cordelia], Puerto Rican-American MLM MC [Antonio], Black MC [Storm], trans male MC [Caspian], bisexual MC [Jay], Middle Eastern secondary character [Katia], agender minor character [Jamie], minor F/F relationship [Jamie's moms]★ 2.5 stars ★
NOTE: Lots of people like this book and it has plenty of selling points, so if you're interested in this book maybe check out some of the more positive reviews — especially from ownvoices readers!
Honestly, I think this reads like MG — which is not meant to be a putdown of MG or of this book but does explain why it didn't really work for me:
- Only one of the characters (Blythe) is really the "main" character; the rest are distinguishable by 1-2 archetypal personality traits each and relegated to sidekick status throughout. Not inherently bad, but it's not quite the ensemble-of-equals cast I was hoping for.
- Dialogue is either set to "wholesome pep talk" or "teenage banter/memes" or "exposition."
- Worldbuilding is presented in monologues and mini-lectures, carefully spelled out [pun intended]. (There are also a lot of jokes about fourth-wall breaks, I guess to balance it out?)
- The plot itself is pretty simplistic, with heavy foreshadowing and tropey twists. There's even
Spoiler
a classic villain monologue explaining their evil plan- Morality is also presented as pretty simplistic, and of course Blythe is the ultimate judge of what's right or wrong. Villains are villains, apparently undeserving of any sympathy or redemption; they do bad things because they're bad people. Meanwhile, sometimes heroes mess up, but they're trying and of course they'll do better next time.
While Blythe is definitely a believable teenager and at heart a good person, I just didn't find her a very sympathetic protagonist. Part of might be that we're told so many times in the beginning that she's good at making friends because she's cute and friendly, that the fact that she doesn't have friends is a matter of choice, but to me this all came across as snobby, especially coupled with
Spoiler
the way she judges the other Guardians as she meets them, from their appearance to their fears to their outlook on lifeOf course protagonists don't have to be likable or always do the right thing — that would be boring — but there's gotta be a middle ground.
I do like the casual diversity of the cast. It's refreshing that some characters are specified as white since it subverts "assume white unless otherwise stated," though this is inconsistent; in some cases a character's ethnicity is unspecified and they're just described as having "copper skin" or something of the sort, and Cordelia is introduced as "East Asian" but
Spoiler
her family is observed to be Chinese (solely based on appearance)The LGBTQIAP+ rep is pretty great too, very matter-of-fact since there's flirting but minimal actual romance (and
Spoiler
no romantic arcs!I try not to hold minor language errors against the book or author, but there are just so many of them: missing or extraneous apostrophes, incorrect idioms/turns of phrase, and lots of good ol' fashioned typos. Plus a scene where dialogue is attributed to a character who isn't even present. These are particularly disappointing because I actually really liked the prose in the opening section and in certain descriptive scenes.
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CONVERSION: 7.2 / 15 = 2.5 stars
Prose: 3 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 4 / 10
Emotional Impact: 2 / 10
Development / Flow: 5 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: N/A