ringofkeyz's Reviews (147)

you can tell the author is american based on how non-canadian everything sounds every single time anything relating to canada is written/mentioned

i really loved this book and r. f. kuang truly has a way with words. the world-building was incredible from beginning to end, whether it be through the history of the nation and provinces or the continuously building lore around shamanism in both the characters and warring nations. 

while the tonal shift between parts i and ii was jarring, it felt necessary in terms of story-telling. upon reading part i, you assume that you're in for a more magical/martial arts focused schooling story; something where the education aspect is the primary focus. when part ii hits, you're IMMEDIATELY thrust onto the frontlines of the war and kuang does not hold back. the tone immediately becomes gruesome and dark, almost unexpectedly so. however, this works narratively because it mirrors the experience of the protagonist, rin, in the novel. there is no lead-up, no warning to the prompt arrival of pillaging, murder, r*pe, and bloodshed for the reader because there is no warning for that in real life. while it was definitely off-putting at the start, in hindsight it not only makes sense but also feels necessary in order for kuang to accomplish what she set out to write.

the book was incredibly well-written, the world-building sucked me into the story immediately, and the downfall of rin's morality has me eager to read the second book. 

it just needs to be said to incoming readers that this book is dark, gruesome, and describes the perils of war in extremely vivid detail to the point where i had to put the book down and walk away before picking it back up because it made me nauseous.

i'm not usually a fan of the amnesia trope because, in all honesty, it stresses me out, but it was beautifully handled in this book. i really felt for the main two girls - stevie, losing the past two years of her life and forgetting about her happiest relationship and nora, for having to face stevie all the while knowing she doesn't remember the love between them. 

i also tend to avoid coming out stories because i feel like i've outgrown that part of life. what i enjoyed about this story was that while being closeted was an integral part of the story, it wasn't the focus because truly the story was focused on stevie finding her way back to nora: not coming out to her parents, not discovering that she likes girls. also,

even though stevie doesn't get her memories back in the end, it's beautiful that she falls BACK in love with nora and they keep their dream of moving to California. and i actually think that the story would've felt cheaper - or the ending more of a cop-out - if stevie DID recover her memories. it was a stronger ending because she didn't, while we, the readers, are left with the possibility that she eventually could.