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30something_reads's Reviews (820)
I'm on the precipice of a slump and unfortunately not sold on this. I cannot bring myself to pick it back up at the moment. There are a lot of things that are just feeling really disjointed to me.
I am not buying the 1920s Harlem setting (and that was a HUGE selling point for me). Something feels off about the way the time period is being used. It's so surface level? Like this book could have been set in any decade with some minor wording adjustments.
The characters are not really grabbing me either. And usually I can forgive some wonky world-building if the characters are engaging but neither are doing it for me.
And it might be knit-picky but I was reading via audio and with this being dual POV, they should have had two narrators because right now the single narrator is doing NOTHING to differentiate between the two FMCs. And with the POV switches mid-chapter, I cannot follow along very easily.
IDK. I may come back to this at a later time. But consider this a soft DNF for now.
I am not buying the 1920s Harlem setting (and that was a HUGE selling point for me). Something feels off about the way the time period is being used. It's so surface level? Like this book could have been set in any decade with some minor wording adjustments.
The characters are not really grabbing me either. And usually I can forgive some wonky world-building if the characters are engaging but neither are doing it for me.
And it might be knit-picky but I was reading via audio and with this being dual POV, they should have had two narrators because right now the single narrator is doing NOTHING to differentiate between the two FMCs. And with the POV switches mid-chapter, I cannot follow along very easily.
IDK. I may come back to this at a later time. But consider this a soft DNF for now.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
THIS is what I want when I'm looking for enemies to lovers in fantasy. Wow, wow, wow. The anger and hatred and tension between these two was INSANE and the slow burn is perfectly paced. I'm also a big fan of the "I don't want to save you from your darkness, I want to make you worse," energy that Kidan/Susenyos had.
This is a dark and twisty story with an entire cast of morally gray characters. And while I may not have always followed the worldbuilding, I was able to look past that because the characters were SO compelling (and a little depraved) that I just needed to know what they were going to do next.
I really enjoyed the audiobook but I wish I had the e-book/physical for annotating purposes because there were SO many quotable moments between Kidan and Susenyos.
This is a dark and twisty story with an entire cast of morally gray characters. And while I may not have always followed the worldbuilding, I was able to look past that because the characters were SO compelling (and a little depraved) that I just needed to know what they were going to do next.
I really enjoyed the audiobook but I wish I had the e-book/physical for annotating purposes because there were SO many quotable moments between Kidan and Susenyos.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
"To hear of people who can speak and love and reason and to still think that they are beasts, why, only a man could do that."
"Forgive me."
"Of course I will forgive you. Only a beast cannot forgive."
Just lovely.
This was a beautiful story about the importance of memory, grief, and forgiveness. I continue to be in awe of Nghi Vo's ability to pack such a punch in so few words.
Series Ranking
1. The Empress of Salt and Fortune 4.25⭐
2. When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain 4.5⭐
3. Into the Riverlands 3.25⭐
4. Mammoths at the Gates 4.5⭐
"Forgive me."
"Of course I will forgive you. Only a beast cannot forgive."
Just lovely.
This was a beautiful story about the importance of memory, grief, and forgiveness. I continue to be in awe of Nghi Vo's ability to pack such a punch in so few words.
Series Ranking
1. The Empress of Salt and Fortune 4.25⭐
2. When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain 4.5⭐
3. Into the Riverlands 3.25⭐
4. Mammoths at the Gates 4.5⭐
adventurous
fast-paced
I didn't dislike this one but it is my least favorite out of the series so far. As this series has progressed, I've preferred the moments that we spend within the secondary stories more so than the main plot that follows Chih and Into the Riverlands felt like it was mainly grounded in Chih's story.
Onto the next installment!
Series Ranking
1. The Empress of Salt and Fortune 4.25⭐
2. When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain 5⭐
3. Into the Riverlands 3.25⭐
Onto the next installment!
Series Ranking
1. The Empress of Salt and Fortune 4.25⭐
2. When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain 5⭐
3. Into the Riverlands 3.25⭐
emotional
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:
Yes
I loved it.
Rue is my autistic-coded baby.
Eli is such a simp. The biggest, sluttiest simp to ever exist.
They are both sad sacks with jagged edges.
And speaking of sad sacks, if Hark doesn't get a book, I will RIOT 😤
Rue is my autistic-coded baby.
Eli is such a simp. The biggest, sluttiest simp to ever exist.
They are both sad sacks with jagged edges.
And speaking of sad sacks, if Hark doesn't get a book, I will RIOT 😤
emotional
fast-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
Samir motherfucking Bianchi, everyone 😭♥️♥️♥️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Pregnancy
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse
Minor: Child abuse
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
I love Nghi Vo's storytelling.
This was such a lovely tale about how stories are passed down and how those stories can change based on whose perspective it is told.
Also, that tiger was hella romantic.
This was such a lovely tale about how stories are passed down and how those stories can change based on whose perspective it is told.
Also, that tiger was hella romantic.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
"Well, there you are, Rabbit." 🥲 I wasn't ready for that.
This was such a lush little delight.
I definitely think having the ebook on hand while I was listening to the audio helped. There are a lot of tense changes throughout the chapters and that was hard to grasp solely with the audio.
This was such a lush little delight.
I definitely think having the ebook on hand while I was listening to the audio helped. There are a lot of tense changes throughout the chapters and that was hard to grasp solely with the audio.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
What a surprising read! I am endeavoring to read through the shortlist for the '24 Ursula K Le Guin Fiction prize and I can see why this one is a contender.
Firstly, what this is NOT: A plot driven science fiction story
What this IS: Literary Fiction with a sci-fi setting.
A lovely and introspective meditation on humanity, our relationship with the world at large, and the passing of time told through a single day in the lives of six astronauts as they are orbiting Earth on one of the final space station missions of it's kind.
This was beautifully written.
More thoughts to come.
Firstly, what this is NOT: A plot driven science fiction story
What this IS: Literary Fiction with a sci-fi setting.
A lovely and introspective meditation on humanity, our relationship with the world at large, and the passing of time told through a single day in the lives of six astronauts as they are orbiting Earth on one of the final space station missions of it's kind.
This was beautifully written.
More thoughts to come.