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novellie's Reviews (522)
*Actually 3.5
I'm going to get my issues with this book out of the way first. This book DRAGGED for the first 200 pages. The pacing was so weird with endless amounts of nothing happening and then a short burst of action which is really just not for me. So much so that I went into a small reading slump because of this book :-) Most of the characters also felt kind of bland to me with our main duo suffering from "Oh No I'm Good At Everything" Syndrome. Benedikts character also was very weird to me. I still don't know how I'd describe him and I feel like there's a lot left with him that we didn't touch on at ALL. Also this book felt like it had chronic issues of telling not showing which is a real shame.
Onto the good!!
Chloe Gong's writing is.... *chefs kiss* magnifique! Her style of description is exactly what I love in a book and that was perhaps one of my favorite parts of reading this. The plot was really quite interesting and a fun supernatural twist on Romeo & Juliet with just enough nods to the original source material (which I really quite love). I also really loved Marshall's character he was a real highlight for me. Lastly the whole ending sequence was to die for. The last 80 or so pages were so interesting with a couple twists that I didn't see coming and enough of a cliffhanger to have me extremely interested in the sequel even though I wasn't overly thrilled with it.
Overall I have very mixed feelings about this book but I think the end definitely redeemed it more than I expected making my rating a solid 3.5
I'm going to get my issues with this book out of the way first. This book DRAGGED for the first 200 pages. The pacing was so weird with endless amounts of nothing happening and then a short burst of action which is really just not for me. So much so that I went into a small reading slump because of this book :-) Most of the characters also felt kind of bland to me with our main duo suffering from "Oh No I'm Good At Everything" Syndrome. Benedikts character also was very weird to me. I still don't know how I'd describe him and I feel like there's a lot left with him that we didn't touch on at ALL. Also this book felt like it had chronic issues of telling not showing which is a real shame.
Onto the good!!
Chloe Gong's writing is.... *chefs kiss* magnifique! Her style of description is exactly what I love in a book and that was perhaps one of my favorite parts of reading this. The plot was really quite interesting and a fun supernatural twist on Romeo & Juliet with just enough nods to the original source material (which I really quite love). I also really loved Marshall's character he was a real highlight for me. Lastly the whole ending sequence was to die for. The last 80 or so pages were so interesting with a couple twists that I didn't see coming and enough of a cliffhanger to have me extremely interested in the sequel even though I wasn't overly thrilled with it.
Overall I have very mixed feelings about this book but I think the end definitely redeemed it more than I expected making my rating a solid 3.5
An interesting start to a series, loved the writing style and the art style which is always a double win. Kaneki is more Good tm than I expected which is probably why this is only 4 stars instead of the full 5.
WOW this novella was exceptional. The characters were vivid, the world even more so, and the plot incredibly compelling. I definitely cried at multiple points and will be checking out more of Clark’s work.
this book was good, don't get me wrong but i think it thought higher of itself than it should have. it was too short for any real character development which frustrated me the most - though the plot itself was interesting and had me hooked the whole way through. i loved lark (of course i did) but all of the other characters were kind of mid for me.
The concept of a gang of barren women caring for other women is right up my alley but like i said earlier... i don't think this book is quite the feminist think piece it wishes it was. it was a good story yes, and a heartwarming tale about found family but as publishing has improved in diversity and representation this isn't as revolutionary as it might have been say 10 years ago.
other problems include the mc white savioring the token POC character on multiple occasions and referring to natives as "indians" which while i understand is more of a time period thing, i still didn't particularly like.
there is enby and wlw rep in here that is very normalized which is always nice to see as well as mental illness rep (i believe one character has some sort of manic disorder) but with the length of the novel none of that was really able to explored fully.
if you want a quick read with a western found family, then this is definitely the book for you but if you're looking for thought out character development i'd look elsewhere
She’s the blueprint if we’re being honest.
That being said, it jumps around a lot and rarely feels like a cohesive story. The pacing is all over the place, and the novel feels more like its centering around the narrators thoughts of what occurred, rather than what actually occurred which I didn’t particularly care for.
That said, Tolkien's lighthearted narration IS enjoyable - I just wish it felt more cohesive if that makes any sense at all. The world is incredible to return to though, and Tolkien is nothing if not a master of vivid world building.
That being said, it jumps around a lot and rarely feels like a cohesive story. The pacing is all over the place, and the novel feels more like its centering around the narrators thoughts of what occurred, rather than what actually occurred which I didn’t particularly care for.
That said, Tolkien's lighthearted narration IS enjoyable - I just wish it felt more cohesive if that makes any sense at all. The world is incredible to return to though, and Tolkien is nothing if not a master of vivid world building.
Definitely not my favorite Shakespeare. The concept was good but the execution was just weird... I dunno how to feel about this one honestly
We finally meet Nekoma and I love them so much!!!! Kenma, Kuroo, and Yaku are all such favs of mine it was so fun to see them play - especially against Karasuno. Anyways this manga is perfect.