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eggcatsreads's Reviews (480)
I was hoping for a thriller, but it wound up more of a supernatural monster and "we need to appease this monster for our prosperity" sacrifices and giving the main character trauma that's just too convenient to the point it gets boring. On top of too many character POVs to the point it's hard to tell who is saying what and what they're doing.
AND the ending is too abrupt. You get a line of dialogue in the middle of the ending action, and then then the book is finished. There's no ending, no conclusion. It just stops.
AND the ending is too abrupt. You get a line of dialogue in the middle of the ending action, and then then the book is finished. There's no ending, no conclusion. It just stops.
I got a bit bogged down in the middle with the schooling and everything, where it felt like I myself was going to Babel - but that's not a mark against the book I just realized I'm not super into academia-focused novels.
I will also say it's absolutely INSANE to me how two completely different series has, essentially, the same exact ending. I don't even mean that in a bad way, it just blew my mind to see the similarities between this novel and The Poppy War trilogy, especially with it having the exact same ending.
RF Kuang likes her themes of "this issue is culturally wide and run by powers bigger than you could imagine and can't be solved by one person, so they won't" and I appreciate that tbh. It's honestly a breath of fresh air compared to some fantasy novels that tackle Really Hard Issues with the entire society and then just, somehow, solve them with minimal effort.
I will also say it's absolutely INSANE to me how two completely different series has, essentially, the same exact ending. I don't even mean that in a bad way, it just blew my mind to see the similarities between this novel and The Poppy War trilogy, especially with it having the exact same ending.
RF Kuang likes her themes of "this issue is culturally wide and run by powers bigger than you could imagine and can't be solved by one person, so they won't" and I appreciate that tbh. It's honestly a breath of fresh air compared to some fantasy novels that tackle Really Hard Issues with the entire society and then just, somehow, solve them with minimal effort.
If you like books that explore this time period of witch-hunting and paranoia, this is a good book for you. The writing can be a bit hard to get into if you're not into that sort of thing, but if you are it flows beautifully. Some of the quotes could be a bit cringy, and there were a few points that felt slightly too modern of a viewpoint in comparison to everything else, but otherwise a great read.
It felt like a neighbor or a companion novel to Hour of the Witch, except in a different country and the two women have the most different personalities - and yet they're in a similar situation. Both women have something that shoves them to the edges of society, which opens them up for scrutiny - and even, accusations of witchcraft.
It felt like a neighbor or a companion novel to Hour of the Witch, except in a different country and the two women have the most different personalities - and yet they're in a similar situation. Both women have something that shoves them to the edges of society, which opens them up for scrutiny - and even, accusations of witchcraft.
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Maddy did nothing wrong.
(Also the audiobook is phenomenal, it's more like a story podcast with the voice actors and how well they put it together. Highly recommend.)
(Also the audiobook is phenomenal, it's more like a story podcast with the voice actors and how well they put it together. Highly recommend.)
Post a spoiler with no context: Light Yagami
(Don't worry, this is such a non-spoiler spoiler that it only makes sense (if you know who Light Yagami is, I mean) on the literal last page of the book, and not a second before that)
(Don't worry, this is such a non-spoiler spoiler that it only makes sense (if you know who Light Yagami is, I mean) on the literal last page of the book, and not a second before that)
I was discussing books we had read years ago with a coworker and I brought up this book. (And had a hell of a time even finding it since when I had read it Goodreads did not exist). I loved this. I remember finding it in my library while I was in high school, and DEVOURING this book. I couldn't put it down - I was glued to the pages - claustrophobia with an almost-can't-believe plot??? I was HOOKED.
The fact that the main plot of this book takes place in the elevator, and it's the character's internal dialogues that really brings the book to life/sets the entire plot. I think I read this book once, over 10 years ago, and YET I was still able to give almost a play-by-play of the entire novel to a coworker to suggest it to her. Phenomenal.
If I can find it somewhere I'm Absolutely reading this again.
The fact that the main plot of this book takes place in the elevator, and it's the character's internal dialogues that really brings the book to life/sets the entire plot. I think I read this book once, over 10 years ago, and YET I was still able to give almost a play-by-play of the entire novel to a coworker to suggest it to her. Phenomenal.
If I can find it somewhere I'm Absolutely reading this again.