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815 reviews by:
marta_correia
I have been wantig to read this book for quite a few years, glad I finally got to it!
Really enjoyed the world building, wich was, for me, the strongest part of this book! It also has a strong and interestig main character, Maris, with the story beig split in three parts according to life and world changing events in wich she is strongly involved. With this structure, I think the a bit of fluidity was lost and I would have liked to actually know more about Maris's travels - it would be nice to have some of them in a compilation of short stories or novellas, if not in this book.
The three different plots are all interconnected and rely heavily on the topics of (flyer) politics, social status/class dynamics and discrimination.
I particularly liked the ending and it was gratifying to accompany the main character throughout almost her entire life. You get to experience characters coming and going, changing, geting old and being born... As it happens in real life!
As a final note, this book is really tame on graphic violence, death and gore, wich, with George R. R. Martin being one of the authors, surprised me and in a good way. I love him and his work (not only A Song o Ice and Fire, I have read more from him), but he does like to write some pretty heavy stuff...
All in all, really liked it, recommend if you like a mix of fantasy and scifi, the concept of humans flying and poltical intrigue!
Really enjoyed the world building, wich was, for me, the strongest part of this book! It also has a strong and interestig main character, Maris, with the story beig split in three parts according to life and world changing events in wich she is strongly involved. With this structure, I think the a bit of fluidity was lost and I would have liked to actually know more about Maris's travels - it would be nice to have some of them in a compilation of short stories or novellas, if not in this book.
The three different plots are all interconnected and rely heavily on the topics of (flyer) politics, social status/class dynamics and discrimination.
I particularly liked the ending and it was gratifying to accompany the main character throughout almost her entire life. You get to experience characters coming and going, changing, geting old and being born... As it happens in real life!
As a final note, this book is really tame on graphic violence, death and gore, wich, with George R. R. Martin being one of the authors, surprised me and in a good way. I love him and his work (not only A Song o Ice and Fire, I have read more from him), but he does like to write some pretty heavy stuff...
All in all, really liked it, recommend if you like a mix of fantasy and scifi, the concept of humans flying and poltical intrigue!
I loved this book! If Goodreads allowed half stars, this would be a 4.5.
The Night Circus is an atmospheric wonderful read! I really liked the writing and the characters and concept are quite original. The reader is immersed in a world of beauty and wonder, that can at times become frightening. The magic in this story is very much present and is integral to it, but by the way it is written and used you can almost believe it to be part of our reality, from very subtle things to otherworldly events! The scenes in the Cirque de Rêves were absolutely amazing, I could feel myself there: the smells, the noises, the ambience, the mystery, the sense of wonder and awe...
The cast of characters was quite interesting and each had their own backstory, arc and development, witch I appreciated a lot. In fact, I only wish we could have more from quite a few of them outside this book! The two main characters were interesting enough, I actually liked the development of their relationship, but were not the central point of the book for me, or even the characters I found more interesting or compelling.
The plot is slow, yes, but I feel that even so something is always happening or about to happen, there is a constant crescendo of tension, you never have all the pieces of the puzzle, you are constantly guessing at some element or other of the story and I loved that! The more this book sits with me, the more I like it!!! This is a story I actually want to re-read, as I am sure I will like it as much, if not even more.
I recommend this to any reader who likes historical fiction mixed with magical elements, stories with an heavy emphasis on the world building and atmosphere, a slower plot with some vague elements to it, that leave room for interpretation form the reader, making it a very personal and unique journey!
Now, onto The Starless Sea!!!
The Night Circus is an atmospheric wonderful read! I really liked the writing and the characters and concept are quite original. The reader is immersed in a world of beauty and wonder, that can at times become frightening. The magic in this story is very much present and is integral to it, but by the way it is written and used you can almost believe it to be part of our reality, from very subtle things to otherworldly events! The scenes in the Cirque de Rêves were absolutely amazing, I could feel myself there: the smells, the noises, the ambience, the mystery, the sense of wonder and awe...
The cast of characters was quite interesting and each had their own backstory, arc and development, witch I appreciated a lot. In fact, I only wish we could have more from quite a few of them outside this book! The two main characters were interesting enough, I actually liked the development of their relationship, but were not the central point of the book for me, or even the characters I found more interesting or compelling.
The plot is slow, yes, but I feel that even so something is always happening or about to happen, there is a constant crescendo of tension, you never have all the pieces of the puzzle, you are constantly guessing at some element or other of the story and I loved that! The more this book sits with me, the more I like it!!! This is a story I actually want to re-read, as I am sure I will like it as much, if not even more.
I recommend this to any reader who likes historical fiction mixed with magical elements, stories with an heavy emphasis on the world building and atmosphere, a slower plot with some vague elements to it, that leave room for interpretation form the reader, making it a very personal and unique journey!
Now, onto The Starless Sea!!!
Girls of Paper and Fire was an average fantasy, with average characters and average plot.
I enjoyed it, however, in my opinion and while I 200% value de representation and the themes present in this story, there is too much hype surrounding this book. Didn't find anything about it truly original or mind-blowing.
The big thing about Girls of Paper and Fire is the fact that is a Malaysian inspired fantasy with a f/f romance and those are both things that I do consider important and under-represented in "eastern literature" (UK, Europe and North America, because those are the authors I have been reading fantasy from and I can only talk about what I know and read), despite the fact that I cannot speak on a personal level for either representation, I found both aspects to be well done.
Our main character, Lei, was likeable enough. I really liked how she tried to reach all the other girls as a friend, how she cared about them and didn't let her situation and all the violence squash her kindness and worry for them (and people in general). On the other hand, I found her immature at times (sure, she came from a remote village and has no real knowledge of many things, but as she also had been trough a lot, I expected her to be more mature and rational in some situations). That said, there is some good character development by the end. The romantic relationship she develops was well paced for me, it didn't bother me (which is a win on itself), but honestly, it didn't make that much of a diference regarding the plot either.
As for said plot, the concept is not new, I felt it lacked a bit and I was not surprised with any of the twists. By no means it was bad, but it had potential to be better and the ending was underwhelming.
The King. The bad guy. Well... Again, had potential, but fell flat for me: he was simply a tyrant, a deranged spoiled child that basically no one liked but no one dared cross just because he was the divine all powerful king (reminded me of Joffrey, only there was no Tyrion to slap him good). I don't like characters that are evil just for the sake of being evil.
As for the castes, honestly, I am not sure how I feel... I could not picture the Demons clearly, all I could create in my mind were Zootopia (the movie) characters, and the concept bothered me because personally all I could see was a representation of "reverse" speciesism used to represent racism, xenofobia and classism all in one (and that is an entire discussion that could go on for days!). As the story went on I got used to it, but it was still weird and it didn't click with me.
The world and the cultural aspects were interesting and I quite enjoyed them, but I wanted more!! It all felt too confined to the palace and I think there were opportunities to explore them further through the other girls (whom I wish we had gotten the change to know more about). I really see a chance to create a rich, expansive and diverse universe in the next books.
Overall, giving all the merit to its accomplishments and representation, I guess I was expecting something more complex and hard hitting. It is great to see more diverse fantasy in terms of cultural and sexual identity representation, particularly if they are so successful - it means that there will be more and more people finding a story to relate to - but that shouldn't stop readers from being critical.
As a fantasy it was enjoyable, but average, a little above 3*, not enough to round it to a 4*. Do recommend for its original setting and LGBT+ representation. I will pick up the next volume and support Natasha Ngan's work!
I enjoyed it, however, in my opinion and while I 200% value de representation and the themes present in this story, there is too much hype surrounding this book. Didn't find anything about it truly original or mind-blowing.
The big thing about Girls of Paper and Fire is the fact that is a Malaysian inspired fantasy with a f/f romance and those are both things that I do consider important and under-represented in "eastern literature" (UK, Europe and North America, because those are the authors I have been reading fantasy from and I can only talk about what I know and read), despite the fact that I cannot speak on a personal level for either representation, I found both aspects to be well done.
Our main character, Lei, was likeable enough. I really liked how she tried to reach all the other girls as a friend, how she cared about them and didn't let her situation and all the violence squash her kindness and worry for them (and people in general). On the other hand, I found her immature at times (sure, she came from a remote village and has no real knowledge of many things, but as she also had been trough a lot, I expected her to be more mature and rational in some situations). That said, there is some good character development by the end. The romantic relationship she develops was well paced for me, it didn't bother me (which is a win on itself), but honestly, it didn't make that much of a diference regarding the plot either.
As for said plot, the concept is not new, I felt it lacked a bit and I was not surprised with any of the twists. By no means it was bad, but it had potential to be better and the ending was underwhelming.
The King. The bad guy. Well... Again, had potential, but fell flat for me: he was simply a tyrant, a deranged spoiled child that basically no one liked but no one dared cross just because he was the divine all powerful king (reminded me of Joffrey, only there was no Tyrion to slap him good). I don't like characters that are evil just for the sake of being evil.
As for the castes, honestly, I am not sure how I feel... I could not picture the Demons clearly, all I could create in my mind were Zootopia (the movie) characters, and the concept bothered me because personally all I could see was a representation of "reverse" speciesism used to represent racism, xenofobia and classism all in one (and that is an entire discussion that could go on for days!). As the story went on I got used to it, but it was still weird and it didn't click with me.
The world and the cultural aspects were interesting and I quite enjoyed them, but I wanted more!! It all felt too confined to the palace and I think there were opportunities to explore them further through the other girls (whom I wish we had gotten the change to know more about). I really see a chance to create a rich, expansive and diverse universe in the next books.
Overall, giving all the merit to its accomplishments and representation, I guess I was expecting something more complex and hard hitting. It is great to see more diverse fantasy in terms of cultural and sexual identity representation, particularly if they are so successful - it means that there will be more and more people finding a story to relate to - but that shouldn't stop readers from being critical.
As a fantasy it was enjoyable, but average, a little above 3*, not enough to round it to a 4*. Do recommend for its original setting and LGBT+ representation. I will pick up the next volume and support Natasha Ngan's work!
A Japanese inspired fantasy that I enjoyed very much!
While not having the most original concept, it is one that I truly enjoy. I found the story compelling, the cast of characters wholesome and with good enough development (not only the two main characters, but also the side characters), the world building to be solid (thank you for the glossary!) and appealing.
I didn't fall in love with any of the characters but I didn't dislike any of them either, none of them stood out to me either way. The romance is very light, so it didn't bother me a whole lot, however I would still have preferred it to be non existent... It always somehow gets "in the way" of the main plot and that usually annoys me.
I would have liked to see stronger female presence - I am hoping that the second book will bring more valuable "non-male" characters.
I cannot speak for the representation of Japanese culture and it's accuracy, for I know nothing about it beyond the basics. All I can say is that I liked it a lot: the ambience conveyed by the author, the cultural aspects, the mythology, the magic systems. All in all that was definitely one of the most enjoyable features of this novel for me (as I have read very few fantasies inspired by Japanese and similar cultures) and it never felt forced.
The ending bumped the story a bit up as I wasn't quite expecting some of the events and revelations (however, I'm in awe of the survival rates of the "good guys").
Overall, a rich and enjoyable fantasy that left me looking forward for the next volume: 3.5*, do recommend!
While not having the most original concept, it is one that I truly enjoy. I found the story compelling, the cast of characters wholesome and with good enough development (not only the two main characters, but also the side characters), the world building to be solid (thank you for the glossary!) and appealing.
I didn't fall in love with any of the characters but I didn't dislike any of them either, none of them stood out to me either way. The romance is very light, so it didn't bother me a whole lot, however I would still have preferred it to be non existent... It always somehow gets "in the way" of the main plot and that usually annoys me.
I would have liked to see stronger female presence - I am hoping that the second book will bring more valuable "non-male" characters.
I cannot speak for the representation of Japanese culture and it's accuracy, for I know nothing about it beyond the basics. All I can say is that I liked it a lot: the ambience conveyed by the author, the cultural aspects, the mythology, the magic systems. All in all that was definitely one of the most enjoyable features of this novel for me (as I have read very few fantasies inspired by Japanese and similar cultures) and it never felt forced.
The ending bumped the story a bit up as I wasn't quite expecting some of the events and revelations (however, I'm in awe of the survival rates of the "good guys").
Overall, a rich and enjoyable fantasy that left me looking forward for the next volume: 3.5*, do recommend!
This was a punch to the gut... I felt physically affected by it: chills, tears, twisting in my stomach, flinching.
The main theme of this book is one I am very sensitive to, not because I have personal experience with it (thankfully!!!), but because how much it scares me that it happens all the time, to anyone and how frequently the abusers get away with it not once but repeatedly...
Overall the plot and the characters are not new concepts, but why should they? The normalcy of these teenagers lives and troubles (family, school, parties, sex and relationships) in contrast with the frequent occurrence of verbal and physical abuse are exactly what makes you stop, think and flinch. How bitch and slut are just a way of referring to a girl, how drawing dicks and boys making sex jokes is so ok, but drawing vulvas and girls joking around about sex would be oh so shocking, how women's bodies, particularly young women's, are like public property: everyone looks, everyone comments, everyone takes pictures and shares, everyone thinks they can touch, all without consent...
Note: Be aware of all the TW going into this book.
The main theme of this book is one I am very sensitive to, not because I have personal experience with it (thankfully!!!), but because how much it scares me that it happens all the time, to anyone and how frequently the abusers get away with it not once but repeatedly...
“I live in a world where not being molested as a child is considered luck.”...and despite how horrifying this reality is, people still make jokes about it! Rape scares the shit out of me. It baffles me how some people are so insensitive to it (including educated, informed people, even some of my friends), that they don't even think about how damaging it is to toss a rape joke like it is nothing, like it is a laughing matter.
Overall the plot and the characters are not new concepts, but why should they? The normalcy of these teenagers lives and troubles (family, school, parties, sex and relationships) in contrast with the frequent occurrence of verbal and physical abuse are exactly what makes you stop, think and flinch. How bitch and slut are just a way of referring to a girl, how drawing dicks and boys making sex jokes is so ok, but drawing vulvas and girls joking around about sex would be oh so shocking, how women's bodies, particularly young women's, are like public property: everyone looks, everyone comments, everyone takes pictures and shares, everyone thinks they can touch, all without consent...
“But boys will be boys, our favorite phrase that excuses so many things, while the only thing we have for the opposite gender is women, said with disdain and punctuated with an eye roll.”In the end, Alex's avenging journey and inner struggles, the writing and the emotional effect it had on me were what made this a 5* for me!
Note: Be aware of all the TW going into this book.
This book was mind bending!
I found the concept interesting, as time travel and timelines is something that, for now, no one actually knows how it works. The timelines are constantly splitting with each decision the character makes and by the end the mess is real!!! The tension is pretty high throughout the novel, I really liked the different timelines and you never knew what you were getting with each new one.
The main character has an interesting development and moments, but his inner monologue gets repetitive and with it the moral of the story gets a bit tiring. Also, unfortunately, I was spoiled for the mystery of the first part of the story and the audiobook wasn't great (the narrator made terrible voices for the female characters).
All in all, I really liked both the concept and the thriller aspect of the story, and was satisfied with the ending.
Will read more from Blake Crouch and do recommend Dark Matter - going into it knowing as little as possible would be the best way to experience it!
I found the concept interesting, as time travel and timelines is something that, for now, no one actually knows how it works. The timelines are constantly splitting with each decision the character makes and by the end the mess is real!!! The tension is pretty high throughout the novel, I really liked the different timelines and you never knew what you were getting with each new one.
The main character has an interesting development and moments, but his inner monologue gets repetitive and with it the moral of the story gets a bit tiring. Also, unfortunately, I was spoiled for the mystery of the first part of the story and the audiobook wasn't great (the narrator made terrible voices for the female characters).
All in all, I really liked both the concept and the thriller aspect of the story, and was satisfied with the ending.
Will read more from Blake Crouch and do recommend Dark Matter - going into it knowing as little as possible would be the best way to experience it!
This was an enjoyable YA fantasy, with an interesting world and main character!
I particularly liked the concept of the magic system with the witches and the heartless, but we don't get to know a lot about it. The plot really is mainly centred around the interactions of the cast of characters and the political as social intrigue of the world - I wish we had more world building and history.
What I liked most about the main character was her humor and general attitude! The rest was all a bit predictable, with a so not surprising plot twist in the end.
Recommend if you like fantasy with court centred plots and an uncomplicated intrigue!
I particularly liked the concept of the magic system with the witches and the heartless, but we don't get to know a lot about it. The plot really is mainly centred around the interactions of the cast of characters and the political as social intrigue of the world - I wish we had more world building and history.
What I liked most about the main character was her humor and general attitude! The rest was all a bit predictable, with a so not surprising plot twist in the end.
Recommend if you like fantasy with court centred plots and an uncomplicated intrigue!
Really enjoyed it and that ending!!! Whaaaat???? What do you meeeeaaannnn?!?!?!
Consistent pace, interesting plot that keeps you guessing, compeling characters and pretty cool scientific (and historical) inventions and speculations. I was only less interested in the more political parts, but they had to be there for all of it to make sense, so by no means I find it unnecessary or something of the sort, it just made it a 4 insted of a 5 star read.
The audiobook is definitely a 10/10 production, highly recommend!!!
Next, please...
Consistent pace, interesting plot that keeps you guessing, compeling characters and pretty cool scientific (and historical) inventions and speculations. I was only less interested in the more political parts, but they had to be there for all of it to make sense, so by no means I find it unnecessary or something of the sort, it just made it a 4 insted of a 5 star read.
The audiobook is definitely a 10/10 production, highly recommend!!!
Next, please...
