>> May 2020 pick for Read Voraciously Book Club.

content warnings:

Spoiler

epidemic (avian flu), drugging & kidnapping, precanon parent death, off-page parent death, grief, animal testing & deaths (monkeys), classism, major character death

rep:

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Taipei setting, Taiwanese MC [Jason Zhou], Desi major characters [Arun & mother], Filipino major character [Victor], Asian WLW major characters [Iris & Lingyi], established minor F/F relationship

★ 2.5 stars ★

Thematically, this book is brilliant. It's a dystopia(ish) that could definitely happen, given the current state of climate change and capitalist greed; Pon has also populated it with diverse characters who straddle the YA/NA boundary. My family is from Taiwan, so I loved the Taipei setting, particularly all the mentions of familiar and beloved street food.

But I just couldn't get behind the characters. I don't like any of them very much, in part because I couldn't seem to get a read [pun intended] on any of their individual personalities or principles. None of them really felt "real" to me, so I wasn't invested in their struggles ... or their relationships.

Also, the plot and pacing just felt off to me? I don't know, I just didn't get a sense of urgency or even progression really, then suddenly it was all over.

Spoiler

Too easily, I might add; I know there's a sequel and not everything was totally fixed, but the ending just felt too idealistic, even with the revelation that the villain is an irredeemable megalomaniac. And I was ready to throw the book across the room when Zhou picked the girl over his alleged found family.

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CONVERSION: 6.55 / 15 = 2.5 stars

Prose: 3 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 2 / 10
Emotional Impact: 2 / 10
Development / Flow: 4 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
Rereadability: 2 / 5
Memorability: 2 / 5

2.5 stars.

Intense and dark, really dense in a good way. Doesn't pull any punches - a wild ride from start to end.

It's been a while since I read the first book so it took me a few chapters to remember what was happening, but I think that part of the plot is incorporated pretty naturally into the beginning of this story, clear and helpful without being an overt recap.

Kind of on the lighter side as stories go, which shouldn't come as a surprise considering the plot essentially revolves around relationship (both romantic and platonic) drama. Lara Jean is still very easy to relate to in spite of — maybe because of — her flaws, and it's fairly easy to keep track of the characters (all the major players, at least) since they all have distinct personalities and roles in the narrative. A good balance of triumphs and failures keeps the plot interesting in a realistic way, and of course I'm always a sucker for

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a happy ending

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3.5 stars.

The writing style was a consistent stumbling block, but I actually am glad I decided to read this book despite my disappointment with the middle installment of the trilogy. Kind of a Mockingjay vibe, which isn’t at all a bad thing — it’s one of the few series finales that I was satisfied with.

Pacing felt a bit rushed, particularly towards the end; it’s not my preference, but it did create an appropriate sense of urgency so it does work. What didn’t work, surprisingly, was Ruby’s POV: there were few if any clues (that I noticed) as to the major twist, and her values/the plans she favored never wavered despite the vast responsibility hanging over her head, which really makes me side with the other kids in mistrusting her. Also, the fact that the ending doesn’t even address what she would choose

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whether to undergo the operation

feels almost sloppy, too all-loose-ends-tied HEA.

Mindy Kaling is awesome, and so are her books. They make me smile and giggle and cringe in turn, because her personality really shines through as she conveys each anecdote: self-aware but unapologetic and wonderfully human.

This was a fun read, unapologetically outrageous yet emotional and sincere at times. Family relationships, elitism, and privilege feature prominently, as you might expect, with never a dull moment between dramatic mini-crises. I particularly loved the highlighted subtleties and intersections of various East Asian cultures, which is probably what really makes this book stand out from other stories of high society.

Holy. Shit.

I started this book around 10pm, late and dark enough to enhance the eerieness, and it seemed tame enough — yeah, the narrator is a murdered spirit-girl who goes around murdering people, but she only targets murderers and you can kind of skim the gory details of the descriptions. A few chapters later, though, I remembered why I absolutely cannot watch Asian horror: it’s too psychological. The thing going bump in the night has a long, deep malevolent history and cannot be stopped by mortal means. (I’m no expert on Japanese folklore, so I can’t speak to the accuracy of this book, but I greatly appreciated that the Japanese vocabulary was used sparingly and appropriately, and there does seem to be great respect for the culture and traditions.)

Literally, chills ran down my spine as I read this book — admittedly I’m a coward who had nightmares for months after reading Roald Dahl’s The Witches; honestly this book created more prolonged unease/anxiety than terror, but that’s more than enough for me. Well, maybe except at the reveal of the Big Bad, which felt a little anticlimactic since it was pretty much given away long before Tark and Callie realize her identity, so there’s a reprise when they figure it out that almost made me roll my eyes. But the slowly creeping plot is well built, the conflicts meaningful, the ending made sense without being predictable.

I went into this without any real expectations and found myself pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Keeping an open mind was really important: although astrology plays a significant part in the narrative, you don't have to believe in it yourself to hope that Avicenna finds her mother (through whatever works), or connect emotionally with Simon. The characters are likable enough, though I do wish they were a little more developed. By which I mean they all had complex backstories, but I didn't get as strong of an impression of their distinct personalities and motives (beyond the obvious). It's not that they're flat or unrelatable, but personally I didn't find them very memorable apart from Avicenna's name.

One thing that threw me off a little bit is that for some reason I thought this was a historical setting? I don't think there are any misleading contextual details, maybe at this point I just think of mysteries as historical since those are the ones I tend to read ... whatever the reason, the first mention of Words With Friends totally threw me for a loop. (I can't recall now if cars and cell phones are first mentioned before or after that startlingly modern detail, though I suspect it's before and my brain just didn't connect the dots.) But it really wasn't a huge adjustment, and the narrative does fit into the modern setting.

Most of the major developments were ones that I saw coming, but their execution was still suspenseful — my heart was literally pounding when I got to the story's climax — and therefore still satisfying. I really appreciated Avicenna's respect for the authorities; although she does have some of that teenage "I know my mother and her work best, I don't want to fully leave the investigation in their hands" she doesn't immediately decide that they don't stand a chance ... and she does call for backup (whether it's Wurbik, her police "liaison," or her classmate / rival Simon) when she doesn't feel safe or needs someone to talk to, which is a level of maturity many YA protagonists lack.

So although I wouldn't consider this a favorite, it's definitely an engaging read that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to those who are interested in mystery and astrology.

content warnings:

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racism, ableism, mentions of rape and murder, mentioned physical abuse, mentioned drug abuse, parent on life support

rep:

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biracial (Caucasian / Chinese) MC, Chinese minor characters