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inkandplasma
Full review to come 24th June: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/06/24/hani-and-ishus-guide/
Rating: 4.5 stars
Thanks to Hodder Children's Group for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Content Warnings: racism, Islamophobia, biphobia, parental abandonment, toxic friendship.
This book was so cute. I knew that I loved Adiba Jaigirdar's writing from loving her debut, THE HENNA WARS, so I was excited for this one particularly because fake dating is one of my favourite tropes - I read so much fake dating fanfiction, you wouldn't believe me if I said how much. I ended up reading this entire book in one day, plowing through its incredibly readable prose so I could find out more about these characters I'd already grown to adore. While this did give me all the wonderful and fluffy feelings that I wanted from a sapphic fake dating story, it also had emotional depths to it that hit me hard.
The way that the biphobia is included in the plot was incredible, and very validating. The microaggressions were threaded through in the same insidious way that they usually appear from friends and family, but were equally highlighted and called out. I liked that Adiba Jaigirdar showed how these biphobic attitudes don't just come from strangers but can come from the people whose opinions matter the most to us. Equally, HANI AND ISHU'S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING showed Islamophobia from Hani's toxic friends, and it was extremely discomforting to read the way that Hani rationalised and justified their attitudes - which is so important for teenagers to see in their fiction. I really loved the way that Hani's approach to practicing Islam was portrayed. I can't comment on 'accuracy' of any of the rep but I really liked that Hani chose her path herself, and throughout the book we saw several different ways of practicing Islam from the different Muslim characters.
Both POVs were really well done. Both Hani and Ishu had such distinct personalities and voices, and I loved seeing everything through both of their eyes and experiences. Hani and Ishu really reminded me of the sunshine and the grumpy one trope. Their relationship felt authentic and like it had real chemistry between them. Their relationship built from acquaintances to friends to love in a way that was really believable and I fell in love right alongside them. I loved the slow burn feeling to it and the complicated feelings always brought out by the fake dating trope. This is such an easy comfort read and I highly recommend it.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Thanks to Hodder Children's Group for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Content Warnings: racism, Islamophobia, biphobia, parental abandonment, toxic friendship.
This book was so cute. I knew that I loved Adiba Jaigirdar's writing from loving her debut, THE HENNA WARS, so I was excited for this one particularly because fake dating is one of my favourite tropes - I read so much fake dating fanfiction, you wouldn't believe me if I said how much. I ended up reading this entire book in one day, plowing through its incredibly readable prose so I could find out more about these characters I'd already grown to adore. While this did give me all the wonderful and fluffy feelings that I wanted from a sapphic fake dating story, it also had emotional depths to it that hit me hard.
The way that the biphobia is included in the plot was incredible, and very validating. The microaggressions were threaded through in the same insidious way that they usually appear from friends and family, but were equally highlighted and called out. I liked that Adiba Jaigirdar showed how these biphobic attitudes don't just come from strangers but can come from the people whose opinions matter the most to us. Equally, HANI AND ISHU'S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING showed Islamophobia from Hani's toxic friends, and it was extremely discomforting to read the way that Hani rationalised and justified their attitudes - which is so important for teenagers to see in their fiction. I really loved the way that Hani's approach to practicing Islam was portrayed. I can't comment on 'accuracy' of any of the rep but I really liked that Hani chose her path herself, and throughout the book we saw several different ways of practicing Islam from the different Muslim characters.
Both POVs were really well done. Both Hani and Ishu had such distinct personalities and voices, and I loved seeing everything through both of their eyes and experiences. Hani and Ishu really reminded me of the sunshine and the grumpy one trope. Their relationship felt authentic and like it had real chemistry between them. Their relationship built from acquaintances to friends to love in a way that was really believable and I fell in love right alongside them. I loved the slow burn feeling to it and the complicated feelings always brought out by the fake dating trope. This is such an easy comfort read and I highly recommend it.
Full review available on my blog on July 3rd: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/07/03/subject-twenty-one/
Thanks to Del Rey for the review copy of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Content Warnings: death during childbirth, imprisonment, discrimination.
A.E Warren’s writing is unbelievably compelling and readable. I blazed through most of this book in an evening, forcing myself to stop and sleep, and it was the first thing I reached for the next morning so I could finish it. It’s not especially long, but the pacing is fantastic and I’m glad it wasn’t dragged out any more than it needed. I’m so excited for the sequel, THE HIDDEN BASE, and I’ll be jumping into it as soon as I get my hands on it. The plot is so gripping. I couldn’t predict what was happening, and while the book had some heartbreaking moments, it also had moments that were poignant and hilarious.
The prose is easy to read, and very voicey. Elise’s voice comes through so strongly, and her personality is so distinct and easy to love. She’s the perfect main character, with complicated motivations that made me never quite sure what she would do next. The whole cast was endearing; Samuel, Luca and Kit in particular. They made for such a strong cast, and the relationship between Elise and Kit was so perfect. It developed so naturally, and I loved watching them work through their mistrust and become friends.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a dystopia with such a unique concept. The genetic alterations and Reparations made for a fascinating world. The Sapiens are the ‘lowest’ class of humans with no genetic alterations, and they are expected to pay for the crimes their ancestors committed in the past – driving the world to destruction so that the only safe place to live is one of four bases. Those Reparations mean that the Sapiens live highly restricted lives, even down to what they’re allowed to eat and build their houses from. Their lives are heavily controlled, and they’re never allowed more than a day’s worth of water so they can’t leave the base they’re assigned to. Unlike a lot of dystopia protagonists (in my opinion, at least) Elise is unhappy with her lot in life but she’s not the rebel character I’m used to seeing. Instead she’s endlessly curious. She wants to know more about the world and protect her little brother, to keep her head down and avoid trouble as much as she can, stumbling into things bigger than she could have expected.
Thanks to Del Rey for the review copy of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Content Warnings: death during childbirth, imprisonment, discrimination.
A.E Warren’s writing is unbelievably compelling and readable. I blazed through most of this book in an evening, forcing myself to stop and sleep, and it was the first thing I reached for the next morning so I could finish it. It’s not especially long, but the pacing is fantastic and I’m glad it wasn’t dragged out any more than it needed. I’m so excited for the sequel, THE HIDDEN BASE, and I’ll be jumping into it as soon as I get my hands on it. The plot is so gripping. I couldn’t predict what was happening, and while the book had some heartbreaking moments, it also had moments that were poignant and hilarious.
The prose is easy to read, and very voicey. Elise’s voice comes through so strongly, and her personality is so distinct and easy to love. She’s the perfect main character, with complicated motivations that made me never quite sure what she would do next. The whole cast was endearing; Samuel, Luca and Kit in particular. They made for such a strong cast, and the relationship between Elise and Kit was so perfect. It developed so naturally, and I loved watching them work through their mistrust and become friends.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a dystopia with such a unique concept. The genetic alterations and Reparations made for a fascinating world. The Sapiens are the ‘lowest’ class of humans with no genetic alterations, and they are expected to pay for the crimes their ancestors committed in the past – driving the world to destruction so that the only safe place to live is one of four bases. Those Reparations mean that the Sapiens live highly restricted lives, even down to what they’re allowed to eat and build their houses from. Their lives are heavily controlled, and they’re never allowed more than a day’s worth of water so they can’t leave the base they’re assigned to. Unlike a lot of dystopia protagonists (in my opinion, at least) Elise is unhappy with her lot in life but she’s not the rebel character I’m used to seeing. Instead she’s endlessly curious. She wants to know more about the world and protect her little brother, to keep her head down and avoid trouble as much as she can, stumbling into things bigger than she could have expected.
Full review available on my blog on July 1st: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/07/01/the-dragon-of-jin-sayeng/
Thanks to Orbit for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Content Warnings: violence, non-graphic rape, mutilation, threat, death, animal death.
I never got around to reviewing THE WOLF OF OREN-YARO or THE IKESSAR FALCON so some of these points are more about the series as a whole than THE DRAGON OF JIN-SAYENG specifically. Especially when it comes to the characters. All of the characters, but particularly the main cast, are so complex. There’s no black and white moral stands to take. Instead I found myself flipping back and forth throughout the series between loving and hating so many of the characters. Even Tali, our beloved protagonist, had me desperately loving her in one chapter and being furious with her the next. It was incredible, K.S. Villoso has created characters so real that they’ve got more complexity and depth than some real people I’ve met.
THE DRAGON OF JIN-SAYENG is one of the most action packed books I’ve ever read, holy shit. Every chapter had me gasping out loud at plot twists and reveals that I didn’t see coming, and it felt like there was something happening on every few pages. It felt like threads I didn’t even realise were there suddenly pulled tight and I could see the epic scale of everything that had been unfolding over the entire trilogy, and I was overwhelmed by how clever the entire series had been.
This book was not a happy-go-lucky story. It was downright dire in a lot of places, and I remember telling my fiance ‘everything is awful’ on several occasions. It was never an overwhelming misery-fest though, the whole story was well balanced and the awful moments were necessary for the tone of the whole series. THE DRAGON OF JIN-SAYENG delves into the cost of breaking the cycle, and the self-sacrifice required to develop a nation and move past its history. Talyien is desperate to improve conditions for her people, to fix the problems in her nation and save lives. She’s desperate to move out of her father’s shadow, no matter the cost, and it’s that desperation that makes for such a sharp and brutal storyline. I wanted so badly for everything to be fixed, and so her uphill battle had me on an emotional rollercoaster until the last page. The ending wasn’t quite what I had envisioned, or what I wanted, but it was an incredible ending to an incredible series and K.S. Villoso has solidified herself as a master of fantasy writing and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Thanks to Orbit for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Content Warnings: violence, non-graphic rape, mutilation, threat, death, animal death.
I never got around to reviewing THE WOLF OF OREN-YARO or THE IKESSAR FALCON so some of these points are more about the series as a whole than THE DRAGON OF JIN-SAYENG specifically. Especially when it comes to the characters. All of the characters, but particularly the main cast, are so complex. There’s no black and white moral stands to take. Instead I found myself flipping back and forth throughout the series between loving and hating so many of the characters. Even Tali, our beloved protagonist, had me desperately loving her in one chapter and being furious with her the next. It was incredible, K.S. Villoso has created characters so real that they’ve got more complexity and depth than some real people I’ve met.
THE DRAGON OF JIN-SAYENG is one of the most action packed books I’ve ever read, holy shit. Every chapter had me gasping out loud at plot twists and reveals that I didn’t see coming, and it felt like there was something happening on every few pages. It felt like threads I didn’t even realise were there suddenly pulled tight and I could see the epic scale of everything that had been unfolding over the entire trilogy, and I was overwhelmed by how clever the entire series had been.
This book was not a happy-go-lucky story. It was downright dire in a lot of places, and I remember telling my fiance ‘everything is awful’ on several occasions. It was never an overwhelming misery-fest though, the whole story was well balanced and the awful moments were necessary for the tone of the whole series. THE DRAGON OF JIN-SAYENG delves into the cost of breaking the cycle, and the self-sacrifice required to develop a nation and move past its history. Talyien is desperate to improve conditions for her people, to fix the problems in her nation and save lives. She’s desperate to move out of her father’s shadow, no matter the cost, and it’s that desperation that makes for such a sharp and brutal storyline. I wanted so badly for everything to be fixed, and so her uphill battle had me on an emotional rollercoaster until the last page. The ending wasn’t quite what I had envisioned, or what I wanted, but it was an incredible ending to an incredible series and K.S. Villoso has solidified herself as a master of fantasy writing and I can’t wait to see what comes next.