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ninetalevixen
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I may watch the TV show then try the book again. (Don't @ me, this works for me sometimes, okay.) But currently I'm just overwhelmed and confused, since in the opening three chapters we've visited three different time periods with three different POV characters; I have no idea what's happening or who I should be paying attention and/or getting attached to, and little interest in pushing through to find out.
(Also, I know that 6% may look like I haven't given this book much of a chance, so I'd just like to point out that she is thicc.)
(Also, I know that 6% may look like I haven't given this book much of a chance, so I'd just like to point out that she is thicc.)
This was on my TBR because I've been actively looking for New Adult protagonists outside the Romance genre — nothing against Romance, I'm just not often in the mood for it —and I was intrigued by the combination of pirates and faeries. But this is much heavier on the (heteronormative, innuendo-laden) romance than I was hoping for; I also find the protagonists irritatingly arrogant and I'm not all that convinced about their chemistry.
I should stop picking up books just because ellias compares them to The Raven Cycle. Like, I already knew that I have a very low tolerance for horror, and I'm not all that into the Southern Gothic aesthetic. The writing style also felt too dense, though that may just be a mismatch with my mood at the time.
Honestly, I just do not care about these random Avonlea inhabitants whom we've never met or even heard of before, so it was pretty much impossible for me to get invested in this collection of short stories.
DNF at 3%. I might come back to this over the summer, it's just not the kind of thing I feel like reading currently.
Not yet ready, I suppose. Admittedly I gave up after just the meandering first chapter; I'll probably try again later on. In the meantime, I'm reserving judgment.
DNF.
I actually haven't read the first book (didn't realize this was a sequel when I picked it up, though it became pretty obvious once I started — a lot of things were casually skimmed by in that "you know what I'm talking about, we've covered this in the previous book" way), but I have a feeling that wouldn't improve the experience.
My first big complaint was the way Dom and her best friend (who, by the way, is the incarnation of the "I don't know why we're friends but I'm so lucky we are! She's prettier and boys like her more than me" trope) ditch each other for guys. No, having a boyfriend should not make your best friend your "second choice." That's not how healthy relationships work.
Totally minor detail, but I really disliked the part where Guy dismisses all the other premed students as "in it for money or prestige, or come from medical families" whereas Dom is the "real deal." As someone who comes from a kind of medical family myself, I resent the implication that such a background makes our pursuit of medicine somehow less valid. Sure, we may have an outside inclination, even an advantage, but that doesn't mean we don't have to work for it. (Whew, this was a lot to write for a throwaway compliment, but there you have it.)
I actually haven't read the first book (didn't realize this was a sequel when I picked it up, though it became pretty obvious once I started — a lot of things were casually skimmed by in that "you know what I'm talking about, we've covered this in the previous book" way), but I have a feeling that wouldn't improve the experience.
My first big complaint was the way Dom and her best friend (who, by the way, is the incarnation of the "I don't know why we're friends but I'm so lucky we are! She's prettier and boys like her more than me" trope) ditch each other for guys. No, having a boyfriend should not make your best friend your "second choice." That's not how healthy relationships work.
Totally minor detail, but I really disliked the part where Guy dismisses all the other premed students as "in it for money or prestige, or come from medical families" whereas Dom is the "real deal." As someone who comes from a kind of medical family myself, I resent the implication that such a background makes our pursuit of medicine somehow less valid. Sure, we may have an outside inclination, even an advantage, but that doesn't mean we don't have to work for it. (Whew, this was a lot to write for a throwaway compliment, but there you have it.)
DNF at 23%
It's not that it's the worst thing I've ever read, but I'm throwing in the towel at the phrase "hugged her hips and thighs in all the right places." Yikes.
Partial credit for a wlw relationship and some Chinese culture, but the former felt like it was happening in a bubble (none of the concerns that contemporary wlw face, e.g. wondering if your crush even likes girls) and the latter felt exoticised even in Jane's POV chapters. While I get that both girls are to varying extents "outsiders" to the beliefs and community, it's not just some mystical backdrop for your real life. So I'll be shelving this as LGBTQIA rep but not Asian rep.
ETA: Apparently the author's personal experience with Chinese culture is from her wife, which explains (but doesn't excuse) how it's incorporated into the story. Since there are so many better novels out there, for LGBT+ rep and/or for Asian(-American) rep, I wouldn't recommend this one.
It's not that it's the worst thing I've ever read, but I'm throwing in the towel at the phrase "hugged her hips and thighs in all the right places." Yikes.
Partial credit for a wlw relationship and some Chinese culture, but the former felt like it was happening in a bubble (none of the concerns that contemporary wlw face, e.g. wondering if your crush even likes girls) and the latter felt exoticised even in Jane's POV chapters. While I get that both girls are to varying extents "outsiders" to the beliefs and community, it's not just some mystical backdrop for your real life. So I'll be shelving this as LGBTQIA rep but not Asian rep.
ETA: Apparently the author's personal experience with Chinese culture is from her wife, which explains (but doesn't excuse) how it's incorporated into the story. Since there are so many better novels out there, for LGBT+ rep and/or for Asian(-American) rep, I wouldn't recommend this one.
DNF.
The portrayal of fandom, fanfic, teenagers, Internet friendship, and even diversity (race/sexuality/etc.) was lacking, imo. As an Asian teen girl pretty heavily involved in fandom, so many things about this narrative bother me, to the point where I didn't get much farther past the introduction of all the main characters. Maybe some people will enjoy this book, but I'm definitely not one of them.
The portrayal of fandom, fanfic, teenagers, Internet friendship, and even diversity (race/sexuality/etc.) was lacking, imo. As an Asian teen girl pretty heavily involved in fandom, so many things about this narrative bother me, to the point where I didn't get much farther past the introduction of all the main characters. Maybe some people will enjoy this book, but I'm definitely not one of them.
