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— 3 stars —
I enjoyed this one. It was not as much a page turner as I thought it would be, but it was a nice, long walk. I love the characters in this book, both of them have captured my heart. I understood Tina’s struggles too much, as they could be similar to mine, especially when she struggled putting herself out there, scared of getting hurt. The relationship felt extremely realistic. It was a smooth ride and I loved it developed into something more. I also really liked Blake’s father, Adam.
I enjoyed this one. It was not as much a page turner as I thought it would be, but it was a nice, long walk. I love the characters in this book, both of them have captured my heart. I understood Tina’s struggles too much, as they could be similar to mine, especially when she struggled putting herself out there, scared of getting hurt. The relationship felt extremely realistic. It was a smooth ride and I loved it developed into something more. I also really liked Blake’s father, Adam.
—————————————◆ buddy read with the Rosende Reads book club.
— 3.5* stars —
A cute, touching ennemies-to-lovers romance with great rep (trans mc, bi mc, both being poc), that was amazing for the most part but unfortunately went a bit meh for me at around 70%, mainly because it lacked a little bit of the energy there was from the beginning. It also felt pretty long to read at times, making me feel like I wasn't making any progress whatsoever. I did like how it ended, and I think it was pretty perfect for them.
I loved both Maria and Jay so much. Maria is such a snarky, confident, incredible woman. She's strong, she knows her worth, and I love that. She was empowering. She was amazing in every way. They were touching, grew around each other, they learned from their mistakes, and they learned to trust and be vulnerable around people they care about. I liked that a lot.
It was also nice to get glimpses of Tina, Blake and Adam too, from [b:Trade Me|23566506|Trade Me (Cyclone, #1)|Courtney Milan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449233225l/23566506._SY75_.jpg|43165556].
A cute, touching ennemies-to-lovers romance with great rep (trans mc, bi mc, both being poc), that was amazing for the most part but unfortunately went a bit meh for me at around 70%, mainly because it lacked a little bit of the energy there was from the beginning. It also felt pretty long to read at times, making me feel like I wasn't making any progress whatsoever. I did like how it ended, and I think it was pretty perfect for them.
I loved both Maria and Jay so much. Maria is such a snarky, confident, incredible woman. She's strong, she knows her worth, and I love that. She was empowering. She was amazing in every way. They were touching, grew around each other, they learned from their mistakes, and they learned to trust and be vulnerable around people they care about. I liked that a lot.
It was also nice to get glimpses of Tina, Blake and Adam too, from [b:Trade Me|23566506|Trade Me (Cyclone, #1)|Courtney Milan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449233225l/23566506._SY75_.jpg|43165556].
—————————————◆ buddy read with the Dragons & Tea book club.
—————————————◆ buddy read with the Dragons & Tea book club.
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
— 4.5 stars* —
The Magnolia Sword is a book I adored. It is a very well researched and compelling retelling of Mulan, from an own voices Chinese perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, the depiction of the world the story is set, and of course the characters.
Going into this book, I was a bit dubious, mainly because of the cover. I know, you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover. But though it's pretty, it doesn't highlight what's really going on in this book, and feels too clean, at least in my opinion.
I loved seeing this version of Mulan, which I know mostly through Disney. I loved that it was layered with not only the fact that Mulan goes to war and gets wind up into this 'there's a traitor and we must find it' plot, but there was also this family feud/duel thing going on that was absolutely captivating. It's more than just cross-dressing and war. It is a story about family, tradition, treason, finding yourself, exploring the world, and it is also about love and what you must do: follow your head, or follow your heart. The reactions felt real, the way she was able to fight, yet wanted to fulfill her promise and get home safe. How her duty became more important.
I love the interactions between all the characters, and the MC & LI were the cutest. I was swooning and I honestly had such a great time. I also love the importance of friendship in this book, and how the story unfolds itself. The world feels very vast and large, and distances felt real.
At times, it did feel a bit of info-dumping, but it was also fascinating. The author's note shows that she did loads of research, and the little nerd in me who loves facts thought it was really interesting and appreciated it.
I knocked down ‘a star’ because the ending felt rushed unfortunately, and almost to good to be true, but wow, what a blast I had reading this book. I was tempted to pick it up again as soon as I reached the ending, so that is saying something! I will definitely be re-reading this one in the future.
The Magnolia Sword is a book I adored. It is a very well researched and compelling retelling of Mulan, from an own voices Chinese perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, the depiction of the world the story is set, and of course the characters.
Going into this book, I was a bit dubious, mainly because of the cover. I know, you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover. But though it's pretty, it doesn't highlight what's really going on in this book, and feels too clean, at least in my opinion.
I loved seeing this version of Mulan, which I know mostly through Disney. I loved that it was layered with not only the fact that Mulan goes to war and gets wind up into this 'there's a traitor and we must find it' plot, but there was also this family feud/duel thing going on that was absolutely captivating. It's more than just cross-dressing and war. It is a story about family, tradition, treason, finding yourself, exploring the world, and it is also about love and what you must do: follow your head, or follow your heart. The reactions felt real, the way she was able to fight, yet wanted to fulfill her promise and get home safe. How her duty became more important.
I love the interactions between all the characters, and the MC & LI were the cutest. I was swooning and I honestly had such a great time. I also love the importance of friendship in this book, and how the story unfolds itself. The world feels very vast and large, and distances felt real.
At times, it did feel a bit of info-dumping, but it was also fascinating. The author's note shows that she did loads of research, and the little nerd in me who loves facts thought it was really interesting and appreciated it.
I knocked down ‘a star’ because the ending felt rushed unfortunately, and almost to good to be true, but wow, what a blast I had reading this book. I was tempted to pick it up again as soon as I reached the ending, so that is saying something! I will definitely be re-reading this one in the future.
— 3 stars —
(edit: rating this down to 3 instead of 3.5 because the more I think about it, the more I realize I actually didn't really enjoyed it enough for a higher rating)
It was an okay read.
Leah was a bit annoying at times, and I didn’t understand her super cynical (and sometimes mean, without apologizing) behavior all the time, but I liked seeing her dealing with her struggles and feelings, which was somewhat relatable. And seeing all the characters once again was nice, even though some of them felt different from the memories I had of them.
However, I guess I was expecting way more (especially with the plot, that was pretty much non-existent) and I was disappointed. I also had some issues with one particular scene and the ending felt kinda rushed...
(edit: rating this down to 3 instead of 3.5 because the more I think about it, the more I realize I actually didn't really enjoyed it enough for a higher rating)
It was an okay read.
Leah was a bit annoying at times, and I didn’t understand her super cynical (and sometimes mean, without apologizing) behavior all the time, but I liked seeing her dealing with her struggles and feelings, which was somewhat relatable. And seeing all the characters once again was nice, even though some of them felt different from the memories I had of them.
However, I guess I was expecting way more (especially with the plot, that was pretty much non-existent) and I was disappointed. I also had some issues with one particular scene and the ending felt kinda rushed...
— 3 stars —
quick thoughts:
I liked it way more than I thought I would. Having Edward’s perspective on things creates an entire new story, and brings a lot to the initial narrative. He’s fascinating. Some moments were definitely eye-roll worthy, but there were also times I felt like being able to have his thoughts, knowledge of that world and his insight brought depth and make me understand more of what was going on in the first book. I also very much enjoyed seeing more of the Cullens! I love them and seeing the love they have for each other and how they care about each other is heartwarming.
There are also little easter eggs hidden that foreshadow some later events, and even if they felt kind of random and maybe fan service, I liked seeing them here and there.
Like many people I think, reading Twilight was what really got me into books, what made me love reading when I was younger. I remember reading it over and over and over again, patiently waiting for the sequel to come out. This one... I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. But it was a good surprise, and it brought back some good memories. Nostalgia hit hard with this one.
quick thoughts:
I liked it way more than I thought I would. Having Edward’s perspective on things creates an entire new story, and brings a lot to the initial narrative. He’s fascinating. Some moments were definitely eye-roll worthy, but there were also times I felt like being able to have his thoughts, knowledge of that world and his insight brought depth and make me understand more of what was going on in the first book. I also very much enjoyed seeing more of the Cullens! I love them and seeing the love they have for each other and how they care about each other is heartwarming.
There are also little easter eggs hidden that foreshadow some later events, and even if they felt kind of random and maybe fan service, I liked seeing them here and there.
Like many people I think, reading Twilight was what really got me into books, what made me love reading when I was younger. I remember reading it over and over and over again, patiently waiting for the sequel to come out. This one... I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. But it was a good surprise, and it brought back some good memories. Nostalgia hit hard with this one.
