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2.01k reviews by:
ninetalevixen
content warnings:
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+ CW, rep, comments from the author
This had a lot of potential, with great social themes and an interesting magic system, but unfortunately I was just totally lost for a lot of the book.
On a sentence level the prose is fine, yet I had trouble following the novel's progression. The cause-and-effect reactions, the connection between successive events/paragraphs confused me; sometimes I had little idea what was happening or why. A lot of the figurative language is ironic/sarcastic, which forced me to keep pausing to untangle its meaning. The characters take turns giving grand speeches and delivering grandiloquent lines, which kept distracting me from the narrative flow. It didn't help that there are quite a few errors that could've been caught with more proofreading (including repeated misspellings of major characters' names), which of course I try not to hold against the book but I'm only human.
With regard to worldbuidling, it all got a bit overwhelming at times because Miller leans toward less exposition than more. I appreciate the scarcity of infodumps, but I just didn't know how this kingdom and magic system worked. I really wish this aspect had been clearer, because I think there's some interesting trope subversion going on here with.
The major characters were introduced in very quick succession so I had trouble keeping them straight. Emilie's and Annette's voices sound so similar that sometimes I would forget which narrator was which/where/doing what. While I appreciated all the interpersonal relationships on a conceptual level, the romances in particular felt like they jump from slowly-developing to fully-fledged which was jarring.
Part of the problem might be the pacing. The plot also has a lot going on, with multiple storylines and romances sharing space on the page, so there's never a dull moment but there also isn't much space to breathe and settle into the world. I think this standalone might be trying for all the development of a series, which unfortunately didn't quite work.
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CONVERSION: 8.8 / 15 = 3 stars
Prose: 4 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 5 / 10
Emotional Impact: 5 / 10
Development / Flow: 3 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 5 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
Memorability: 4 / 5
Spoiler
precanon death of parents & siblings, grief & guilt, extreme societal queerphobia, major & minor character deaths, body horror/gore, classism, hazing, mind manipulation, mentions of torture, bloodlettingrep:
Spoiler
biromantic ace MC [Annette], FTM trans major character/love interest [Charles], biracial major character [Madeline], WLW major character [Coline], major & secondary F/F relationships, diverse minor characters including nonbinary and hard-of-hearing+ CW, rep, comments from the author
This had a lot of potential, with great social themes and an interesting magic system, but unfortunately I was just totally lost for a lot of the book.
On a sentence level the prose is fine, yet I had trouble following the novel's progression. The cause-and-effect reactions, the connection between successive events/paragraphs confused me; sometimes I had little idea what was happening or why. A lot of the figurative language is ironic/sarcastic, which forced me to keep pausing to untangle its meaning. The characters take turns giving grand speeches and delivering grandiloquent lines, which kept distracting me from the narrative flow. It didn't help that there are quite a few errors that could've been caught with more proofreading (including repeated misspellings of major characters' names), which of course I try not to hold against the book but I'm only human.
With regard to worldbuidling, it all got a bit overwhelming at times because Miller leans toward less exposition than more. I appreciate the scarcity of infodumps, but I just didn't know how this kingdom and magic system worked. I really wish this aspect had been clearer, because I think there's some interesting trope subversion going on here with
Spoiler
women's/midnight arts being underestimated but actually viable as fighting magic despite common "knowledge"The major characters were introduced in very quick succession so I had trouble keeping them straight. Emilie's and Annette's voices sound so similar that sometimes I would forget which narrator was which/where/doing what. While I appreciated all the interpersonal relationships on a conceptual level, the romances in particular felt like they jump from slowly-developing to fully-fledged which was jarring.
Part of the problem might be the pacing. The plot also has a lot going on, with multiple storylines and romances sharing space on the page, so there's never a dull moment but there also isn't much space to breathe and settle into the world. I think this standalone might be trying for all the development of a series, which unfortunately didn't quite work.
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CONVERSION: 8.8 / 15 = 3 stars
Prose: 4 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 5 / 10
Emotional Impact: 5 / 10
Development / Flow: 3 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 5 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
Memorability: 4 / 5
>> Buddy read with Haley!
RTC.
content warnings:
rep:
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CONVERSION: 10.67 / 15 = 4 stars
Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 8 / 10
Emotional Impact: 8 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 4 / 5
RTC.
content warnings:
Spoiler
rep:
Spoiler
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CONVERSION: 10.67 / 15 = 4 stars
Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 8 / 10
Emotional Impact: 8 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 4 / 5
Maybe I've just forgotten too much of what's already happened in this series, or maybe it's just that I never really connected with Emma (especially compared to Jess and Bells). Or maybe I'm burning out on dystopia again.
In any case, I had more trouble getting invested in this book than I would like to admit. While I know firsthand how frustrating it is to be constantly dismissed and sidelined, especially when you've already contributed so much to the team, Emma seemed too ready to resort to dramatic measures with minimal regard for her own safety or that of her friends, and not a moment's thought given to the adults' concerns possibly being valid or well-intentioned. Which turns the narrative into a binary "kids are right, adults are wrong if they don't completely agree" and isn't all that sympathy-inducing.
Probably I'll finish the series because the rep really is great and I care enough about some of the characters to want to see them get a happy ending, but at this point I honestly don't have very high hopes.
rep:
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CONVERSION: 8.4 / 15 = 3 stars
Prose: 4 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 6 / 10
Emotional Impact: 4 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 2 / 5
In any case, I had more trouble getting invested in this book than I would like to admit. While I know firsthand how frustrating it is to be constantly dismissed and sidelined, especially when you've already contributed so much to the team, Emma seemed too ready to resort to dramatic measures with minimal regard for her own safety or that of her friends, and not a moment's thought given to the adults' concerns possibly being valid or well-intentioned. Which turns the narrative into a binary "kids are right, adults are wrong if they don't completely agree" and isn't all that sympathy-inducing.
Probably I'll finish the series because the rep really is great and I care enough about some of the characters to want to see them get a happy ending, but at this point I honestly don't have very high hopes.
rep:
Spoiler
Latina aroace/questioning MC, Black trans bi/pan major character & love interest, Chinese- & Vietnamese-American bi secondary character, WLW secondary character, secondary established F/F relationship, diverse minor characters (including hijabi, nonbinary/genderqueer, demiromantic ace) & relationships (including F/F, M/M, M/F/M polyam)-----------
CONVERSION: 8.4 / 15 = 3 stars
Prose: 4 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 6 / 10
Emotional Impact: 4 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 2 / 5
3.5 stars
The fantasy elements are fascinating, unique enough to be memorable without being so out-there that it's too hard to figure out or keep track of everything going on. But I just didn't really like any of the characters?
Full review to come.
content warnings:
rep:
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CONVERSION: 9.5 / 15 = 3.5 stars
Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 7 / 10
Emotional Impact: 4 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: N/A
The fantasy elements are fascinating, unique enough to be memorable without being so out-there that it's too hard to figure out or keep track of everything going on. But I just didn't really like any of the characters?
Full review to come.
content warnings:
Spoiler
blood, violence, precanon parent deaths, grief, survivor's guilt, suicidal ideation, body image issues, major character deathrep:
Spoiler
gay Puerto Rican-American vegan MC with anxiety, Puerto Rican-American MC with anxiety, biracial (Dominican Republic/Caucasian) MLM major character, bi/pan major character, secondary F/F established relationship, WLW secondary characters, Black minor character, Korean-American genderqueer minor character-----------
CONVERSION: 9.5 / 15 = 3.5 stars
Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 7 / 10
Emotional Impact: 4 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: N/A
I received a finished proof through Caffeine Book Tours and the publisher, Orbit Books; all opinions are my own and honest.
I was initially a little hesitant to (literally) sign up for more of the brutal violence and heartbreak that I experienced in Jade City — it’s such an intense novel, so far outside my literary comfort zone. But Jade War just blew all my expectations out of the water, and I’m so glad I followed my instincts to give it a chance.
The sheer scope of this book is awe-inspiring: it seems to span so many years and so many experiences, but without scattering or overwhelming the narrative focus. Perhaps my favorite part of the expansion is that we get to see how Kekon fits in the wider world, including differing attitudes toward jade and the clans, some of the most incredible diaspora rep I’ve ever come across, and even higher stakes as the war between No Peak and the Mountain becomes more complex.
But at its heart, this series is still about the Kaul family and No Peak Clan, which is what I loved about Jade City and continued to hold my heart hostage in Jade War. More characters are introduced, allies and family members alike, and I honestly don’t know whether I’ll make it to the end of the series because I’m so scared for all of them. We get to see each of the Kauls grow up some more (to varying degrees) and — equally importantly — certain members of the family build the most wonderfully supportive relationships in one-on-one scenes that remind the reader that every character matters, every life matters. Every little action or conversation can make a difference.
Unlike many middle novels in other trilogies, not a single page of Jade War feels like filler. There’s a good balance between tense action scenes and soft character/relationship development, the best kind of emotional roller coaster; I can’t wait to see how all the plot threads come together to test the characters in the series finale.
I wish I could say more without getting into spoilers, but this really feels like the kind of story you have to read for yourself. No review from me could ever do justice to the experience.
content warnings:
rep:
I was initially a little hesitant to (literally) sign up for more of the brutal violence and heartbreak that I experienced in Jade City — it’s such an intense novel, so far outside my literary comfort zone. But Jade War just blew all my expectations out of the water, and I’m so glad I followed my instincts to give it a chance.
The sheer scope of this book is awe-inspiring: it seems to span so many years and so many experiences, but without scattering or overwhelming the narrative focus. Perhaps my favorite part of the expansion is that we get to see how Kekon fits in the wider world, including differing attitudes toward jade and the clans, some of the most incredible diaspora rep I’ve ever come across, and even higher stakes as the war between No Peak and the Mountain becomes more complex.
But at its heart, this series is still about the Kaul family and No Peak Clan, which is what I loved about Jade City and continued to hold my heart hostage in Jade War. More characters are introduced, allies and family members alike, and I honestly don’t know whether I’ll make it to the end of the series because I’m so scared for all of them. We get to see each of the Kauls grow up some more (to varying degrees) and — equally importantly — certain members of the family build the most wonderfully supportive relationships in one-on-one scenes that remind the reader that every character matters, every life matters. Every little action or conversation can make a difference.
Unlike many middle novels in other trilogies, not a single page of Jade War feels like filler. There’s a good balance between tense action scenes and soft character/relationship development, the best kind of emotional roller coaster; I can’t wait to see how all the plot threads come together to test the characters in the series finale.
I wish I could say more without getting into spoilers, but this really feels like the kind of story you have to read for yourself. No review from me could ever do justice to the experience.
content warnings:
Spoiler
graphic violence, blood, gore, on-page self-mutilation (cutting off ear), on-page murder, on-page suicide, mentioned rape, racist slurs (for fictional ethnicities), societal queerphobia & ableism, unplanned pregnancy & abortion, possible dubious consent, explicit sexual contentrep:
Spoiler
M/M relationship, MLM MC, bi/pan secondary character, diaspora (Kekonese-Espenian)
3.5 stars.
This was an engaging read, and I've always been an advocate for tropes being included in more diverse works; Kann does an amazing job reshaping them through a non-white / heterosexual / allosexual lens, which I would love to see more of in mainstream fiction. (And especially in the New Adult genre, to which this belongs!)
I'm not Black or ace myself so I can't speak to the specific representation here, but as a QPOC I did relate to a lot of Alice's struggles. I absolutely love that, at nineteen, she felt like she had pretty much figured out her sexuality — there's nothing wrong with novels about queer teens / young adults working through the specifics of their sexuality, but that's not everyone's story — and I even liked that she had to reexamine her self-identification. I also really loved that she talks to a counselor (therapist) and it isn't stigmatized or demonized. It doesn't bother me that, though I did feel like that question was abandoned somewhere along the way, rather than Alice deliberately choosing to let it go. (More about that in a bit.)
And this book is definitely intersectional, slipping in details of how different aspects of Alice's identity (Black, female, biromantic, asexual) affect her life. I really, really wanted to like the book for the representation alone. Though it's far from perfect, considering there are some scenes where Alice implies or straight-up whines that her life is harder than that of other marginalized individuals (saying "not to downplay others' struggles, but ..." comes across about as sincerely as "no offense, but ..."), or she dismisses others' choices (such as other asexual individuals who are okay with their allosexual partners having sex with other people to fulfill that desire). And despite her proclaimed certainty in her identity, Alice goes from "I don't need sex but I don't mind if it makes my partner happy" to "I don't ever want to have sex" seemingly arbitrarily; asexuality is a spectrum, yes, and individual attraction / arousal can change over a lifetime, but I do think this could have been better handled.
BUT. So many issues come up in this novel that I don't think are properly resolved, which bothers me since it almost implies that the romance storyline is the only one that really matters — especially with the epilogue being what it is. It's hard to say more without going into spoilers, but essentially it felt like Alice's non-romantic relationships were fixed with apologies rather than really addressing the underlying issues, her personal introspective journey ended abruptly as well, and the hooks of Takumi's backstory weren't explored (undermining).
Finally, this might just be a me thing, but although both Alice and Takumi are consenting adults and there's no objective ethical issue with their relatively small age gap, they're at very different stages of life (she's a college student, undeclared major; he's about to start teaching kindergarten) and this isn't addressed at all. Again, there's nothing technically wrong going on here, but [as a junior in college, who has typically been labeled "mature" for my age] I know I wouldn't be comfortable dating someone who already graduated and was getting settled into their career.
content warnings:
rep:
This was an engaging read, and I've always been an advocate for tropes being included in more diverse works; Kann does an amazing job reshaping them through a non-white / heterosexual / allosexual lens, which I would love to see more of in mainstream fiction. (And especially in the New Adult genre, to which this belongs!)
I'm not Black or ace myself so I can't speak to the specific representation here, but as a QPOC I did relate to a lot of Alice's struggles. I absolutely love that, at nineteen, she felt like she had pretty much figured out her sexuality — there's nothing wrong with novels about queer teens / young adults working through the specifics of their sexuality, but that's not everyone's story — and I even liked that she had to reexamine her self-identification. I also really loved that she talks to a counselor (therapist) and it isn't stigmatized or demonized. It doesn't bother me that
Spoiler
she never decides whether she's grayace / demisexual or still identifies as asexualAnd this book is definitely intersectional, slipping in details of how different aspects of Alice's identity (Black, female, biromantic, asexual) affect her life. I really, really wanted to like the book for the representation alone. Though it's far from perfect, considering there are some scenes where Alice implies or straight-up whines that her life is harder than that of other marginalized individuals (saying "not to downplay others' struggles, but ..." comes across about as sincerely as "no offense, but ..."), or she dismisses others' choices (such as other asexual individuals who are okay with their allosexual partners having sex with other people to fulfill that desire). And despite her proclaimed certainty in her identity, Alice goes from "I don't need sex but I don't mind if it makes my partner happy" to "I don't ever want to have sex" seemingly arbitrarily; asexuality is a spectrum, yes, and individual attraction / arousal can change over a lifetime, but I do think this could have been better handled.
BUT. So many issues come up in this novel that I don't think are properly resolved, which bothers me since it almost implies that the romance storyline is the only one that really matters — especially with the epilogue being what it is. It's hard to say more without going into spoilers, but essentially it felt like Alice's non-romantic relationships were fixed with apologies rather than really addressing the underlying issues, her personal introspective journey ended abruptly as well, and the hooks of Takumi's backstory weren't explored (undermining
Spoiler
Alice's coming-of-age-esque realization that she "makes everything about herself" but other people matter tooFinally, this might just be a me thing, but although both Alice and Takumi are consenting adults and there's no objective ethical issue with their relatively small age gap, they're at very different stages of life (she's a college student, undeclared major; he's about to start teaching kindergarten
Spoiler
and even almost got married to his college girlfriendcontent warnings:
Spoiler
acephobia, racism, sexual harassmentrep:
Spoiler
Black biromantic asexual/questioning MC & family, Japanese-American love interest, Tagalog-speaking secondary character, diverse minor characters.png)
This series continues to wow me with its diversity, themes of acceptance and equality, lovable scrappy characters, and playful plot. I adored Bells in the first book, so it was awesome to see his POV in this installment! From the flashbacks of childhood to small moments of everyday triumphs, I had a great time getting to know Bells and the rest of the Sidekick Squad better.
Honestly, though, I could've done without the recap of the previous book — I thought it was kind of an awkward length and depth: detailed enough that I wasn't sure whether this whole book was (mostly) just an alternate-POV version of [b:Not Your Sidekick|29904219|Not Your Sidekick (Sidekick Squad, #1)|C.B. Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460486105l/29904219._SY75_.jpg|50278232], condensed enough that I didn't feel like I was getting the full emotional impact that I would've hoped for. Don't get me wrong: the fresh new scenes (i.e., Bells with his family, at superhero camp, practicing his powers) is lots of fun! I just didn't love rehashing the scenes we already saw with Jess.
The teenagers-going-rogue / Resistance storyline also edges a lot closer to mainstream dystopian YA than I would prefer; there's nothing inherently wrong with it, it's just that I know what I like and the "overthrow the corrupt government" trope is not it.
All that said, this book is even more unputdownable than the first, and I'm really excited for the next one!
rep:
Honestly, though, I could've done without the recap of the previous book — I thought it was kind of an awkward length and depth: detailed enough that I wasn't sure whether this whole book was (mostly) just an alternate-POV version of [b:Not Your Sidekick|29904219|Not Your Sidekick (Sidekick Squad, #1)|C.B. Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460486105l/29904219._SY75_.jpg|50278232], condensed enough that I didn't feel like I was getting the full emotional impact that I would've hoped for. Don't get me wrong: the fresh new scenes (i.e., Bells with his family, at superhero camp, practicing his powers) is lots of fun! I just didn't love rehashing the scenes we already saw with Jess.
The teenagers-going-rogue / Resistance storyline also edges a lot closer to mainstream dystopian YA than I would prefer; there's nothing inherently wrong with it, it's just that I know what I like and the "overthrow the corrupt government" trope is not it.
All that said, this book is even more unputdownable than the first, and I'm really excited for the next one!
rep:
Spoiler
Black trans bi/pan MC, Asian-American (Chinese/Vietnamese) bisexual secondary character, Latinx aroace/questioning secondary character, WLW secondary character, F/F relationships
This was fun! The writing and plot are a little more simplistic than I like, but the reveals/twists are very satisfying (predictable, but well-executed). And I love the casual diversity; it's a little heavy-handed with one couple of explicit conversations about pronouns, but otherwise it's pretty matter-of-fact (and for a 2016 release, you could even call it ahead of its time). Each of the characters is so precious, I want to wrap them up in blankets and make the world safe and nice for them.
I can definitely see why everyone lauds this series — I couldn't put it down, and as I write this review I've actually already started the second book!
rep:
I can definitely see why everyone lauds this series — I couldn't put it down, and as I write this review I've actually already started the second book!
rep: