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rubeusbeaky
A twisting, paranormal, whodunit, this book is not for the faint of heart... or stomach. Major trigger warnings. But it's a mesmerizing, must-read. The book tackles some very mature themes about how girls - especially descendants of immigrants - are mistreated by American society. Girls whose lives fall into an ugly truth - drug trafficking, sex trafficking, abuse, poverty, homelessness - are treated as invisible or expendable. Entire economic systems - be they high society or low - are built on the exploitation of young women. This book delivers a heroine who dares to do more than survive in a rigged system: she demands respect from her abusers, defies the limits set on her, shows compassion for others despite her own suffering, and forges herself into someone proactive and chivalrous. Galaxy Stern is right up there with Mia Corvere (Nevernight) and Julia Wicker (The Magicians) in the Bad@$$ Girls Club.
DNF :/. It's clearly Black Wolf of Wall Street, and that's fine; using your writing to highlight the disparity between races in the American workforce is important. But the book's "humor" is unnecessarily vulgar and racist. I only read as far as p.77, and had to stop, because my delicate little snowflake inner ear couldn't handle hearing:
- White people referred to as pigment-deficient, mayonnaise-loving, Seinfeld-watching, Columbus-Day-celebrating WASPs.
- A white woman's smile described as "beaming like a firefly's ass."
- A suicide attempt referred to as "selfish" because it occurred on a subway track, and slowed the protagonist's commute.
- Constantly using the word "retard" in a derogatory manner.
I had to stop. Having a message is a great thing. But wrapping it up in sputum... who is going to listen to you?
Maybe somebody won't mind the trash talk, and will appreciate this book more. I was not that somebody :/.
- White people referred to as pigment-deficient, mayonnaise-loving, Seinfeld-watching, Columbus-Day-celebrating WASPs.
- A white woman's smile described as "beaming like a firefly's ass."
- A suicide attempt referred to as "selfish" because it occurred on a subway track, and slowed the protagonist's commute.
- Constantly using the word "retard" in a derogatory manner.
I had to stop. Having a message is a great thing. But wrapping it up in sputum... who is going to listen to you?
Maybe somebody won't mind the trash talk, and will appreciate this book more. I was not that somebody :/.
I found this book charming, funny, and EXTREMELY relatable. Tsukiko is every girl who's been told she's not "feminine" enough. A slice of life tale about a near-middle-aged woman who becomes companions with her former high school literature teacher (who is 30 years her senior). The pair are equally blunt, whimsical, socially anxious and desperately lonely. What begins as companionship deepens into a life-changing, meaningful relationship.
This is one of those rare cases, though, where the last few pages of a book completely distorts the entire book XD. Up until the final chapter, Tsukiko and "Sensei" (with many shy starts and stops) fall into a romantic relationship. I thought it was beautiful representation, showing that physical attraction and intimacy is not what's most important, or even a contributing factor, for some couples. Sometimes, love is being able to sit quietly with someone, or strolling through nature, or eating together, or feeling safe enough to fall asleep next to them, or feeling secure enough to speak your mind to someone... There are a lot of behaviors people exhibit, both within their own personality and in how they behave as a couple, which can foster passionate love, and it's as real as the relationships which use sex to form intimacy.
But the LAST chapter had to wreck all of that by having Sensei insist that physical intimacy is a necessary part of every relationship.
Another point, Tsukiko awakens to the possibilities of the world around her, after being shut in for so many years afraid to trust or try anything new. Being with Sensei makes the world more inspiring and desirable to her. I had inferred that she had learned from her relationship not to choose isolation anymore, even if putting yourself out there is sometimes stress-inducing and awkward.
... But again, the LAST chapter has Tsukiko quickly sum up that Sensei died three years ago, and she has not kept up any of the friendships or activities she made/did with him, instead isolated once more and crying over his absence.
I can just imagine the Hollywood producer adapting this book, insisting that they make it a happy ending: Tsukiko strolling down a busy market, marveling at all the life around her, fade to black as she walks into the sunset...
It confuses me that the original title of this book was "Sensei's Briefcase". There is some symbolism going on with Sensei always carrying around a briefcase, and in the end he's dead and the case is empty... But there is so much more symbolism in the book about the changing seasons, and weather, and how it mirrors Tsukiko's self-discovery and her relationship with Sensei. The change in title was smart. I wish whoever had told the author to do that, had also told her to drop the sad final chapter about the empty briefcase XD.
Can I give some quick applause too for the fact that this is a romance about a couple with a substantial age difference that didn't make me feel squicky?! So refreshing! These two were so sweet and funny with each other, they clicked across time and space, it was beautiful to see kindred spirits united despite all the stigmas in their way.
A lovely, romantic read. I highly recommend.
This is one of those rare cases, though, where the last few pages of a book completely distorts the entire book XD. Up until the final chapter, Tsukiko and "Sensei" (with many shy starts and stops) fall into a romantic relationship. I thought it was beautiful representation, showing that physical attraction and intimacy is not what's most important, or even a contributing factor, for some couples. Sometimes, love is being able to sit quietly with someone, or strolling through nature, or eating together, or feeling safe enough to fall asleep next to them, or feeling secure enough to speak your mind to someone... There are a lot of behaviors people exhibit, both within their own personality and in how they behave as a couple, which can foster passionate love, and it's as real as the relationships which use sex to form intimacy.
But the LAST chapter had to wreck all of that by having Sensei insist that physical intimacy is a necessary part of every relationship.
Another point, Tsukiko awakens to the possibilities of the world around her, after being shut in for so many years afraid to trust or try anything new. Being with Sensei makes the world more inspiring and desirable to her. I had inferred that she had learned from her relationship not to choose isolation anymore, even if putting yourself out there is sometimes stress-inducing and awkward.
... But again, the LAST chapter has Tsukiko quickly sum up that Sensei died three years ago, and she has not kept up any of the friendships or activities she made/did with him, instead isolated once more and crying over his absence.
I can just imagine the Hollywood producer adapting this book, insisting that they make it a happy ending: Tsukiko strolling down a busy market, marveling at all the life around her, fade to black as she walks into the sunset...
It confuses me that the original title of this book was "Sensei's Briefcase". There is some symbolism going on with Sensei always carrying around a briefcase, and in the end he's dead and the case is empty... But there is so much more symbolism in the book about the changing seasons, and weather, and how it mirrors Tsukiko's self-discovery and her relationship with Sensei. The change in title was smart. I wish whoever had told the author to do that, had also told her to drop the sad final chapter about the empty briefcase XD.
Can I give some quick applause too for the fact that this is a romance about a couple with a substantial age difference that didn't make me feel squicky?! So refreshing! These two were so sweet and funny with each other, they clicked across time and space, it was beautiful to see kindred spirits united despite all the stigmas in their way.
A lovely, romantic read. I highly recommend.
An incredible blend of genres: What begins as a zombie parody becomes the heartfelt, almost Romantic (not smutty paperbacks; I mean classic sweeping novels) story mourning the passage of time and the self-destructive final generation of man, while also celebrating the wisdom and majesty of nature.
The author has a gift with words, the highest compliment I can think to bestow upon a writer! She chooses her descriptions meticulously. (There was one instance early on, where S.T. the crow is flying away from danger by taking off awkwardly from a countertop. The line said he "huffed" into the air. And I /felt/ that, I felt the effort it would take to go from leaden to airborne, and the fluff of his feathers as he tries to inject air under his wings... One word, and an entire living moment was captured.) From colorful cursing, to poetic interpretations of nature's wheel, and to many many times over the relatable musings of a crow who draws nostalgia and meaning from daily little things, time and again the word choices were perfect. The moment was real. The feelings were real. This author deserves a round of applause, I wish I could bow to her prowess. I cannot wait to read more by Kira Jane Buxton.
Speaking of the relatable crow narrator! There were a lot of LGBTQA themes addressed under the guise of a crow finding his way in a half-humanized half-wild world! I was impressed that the author managed to turn S.T.'s struggles into an icebreaker for discussions about trans identity and queer struggles with self-discovery! Feeling at odds with your body - ashamed that your idea of yourself, your reflection, and society's expectations, don't match - is a universal feeling, but it's a cornerstone of growing up queer, and it's brave and poignant and breathtaking that a little crow could help people who aren't LGBTQA come to understand and empathize with people who are. Well done, S.T.! Amazing work, again, Kira Jane Buxton, creating a book that makes people want to gather and talk and /relate/ to one another! Bravo!
I will say, grudgingly, that I knocked off a star for two things. One was list syndrome? Like, the story is so nostalgic, it will go into a giant list of all the refuse in a scene: Wrappers, toys, broken vehicles, a shoe without a pair, etc. I understand setting a scene, or if the evidence were particular to a character we care about and were symbolic in some way... But after a few too many, a list is a list is a list. I had to force myself through these paragraphs. I get it, mankind is ending, move on!
The other gripe was that somewhere in the middle, the book changes from a zombie parody with a horror mystery to solve, into an animals vs. animals epic like Redwall or Warriors. If you like that sort of thing, that's fine. Personally, it's not my cup of tea. Animals having race wars was not as compelling to me as S.T. sympathizes with the domesticated animals who straddle the animal and human world and sets out to preserve humanity's history by safeguarding their legacy: their pets. A pet utopia would have been cute. Stumbling upon a way to protect or save humanity would have been cute too. But I am very satisfied with the ending and that's all I'll say about that <3.
A loving, not-too-preachy, story about how we humans need to look down at our screens a little less, and appreciate the "tribes" around us a little more. And also go for a walk, fresh air is the best. And also hug your pets, they are family too.
Read it!
The author has a gift with words, the highest compliment I can think to bestow upon a writer! She chooses her descriptions meticulously. (There was one instance early on, where S.T. the crow is flying away from danger by taking off awkwardly from a countertop. The line said he "huffed" into the air. And I /felt/ that, I felt the effort it would take to go from leaden to airborne, and the fluff of his feathers as he tries to inject air under his wings... One word, and an entire living moment was captured.) From colorful cursing, to poetic interpretations of nature's wheel, and to many many times over the relatable musings of a crow who draws nostalgia and meaning from daily little things, time and again the word choices were perfect. The moment was real. The feelings were real. This author deserves a round of applause, I wish I could bow to her prowess. I cannot wait to read more by Kira Jane Buxton.
Speaking of the relatable crow narrator! There were a lot of LGBTQA themes addressed under the guise of a crow finding his way in a half-humanized half-wild world! I was impressed that the author managed to turn S.T.'s struggles into an icebreaker for discussions about trans identity and queer struggles with self-discovery! Feeling at odds with your body - ashamed that your idea of yourself, your reflection, and society's expectations, don't match - is a universal feeling, but it's a cornerstone of growing up queer, and it's brave and poignant and breathtaking that a little crow could help people who aren't LGBTQA come to understand and empathize with people who are. Well done, S.T.! Amazing work, again, Kira Jane Buxton, creating a book that makes people want to gather and talk and /relate/ to one another! Bravo!
I will say, grudgingly, that I knocked off a star for two things. One was list syndrome? Like, the story is so nostalgic, it will go into a giant list of all the refuse in a scene: Wrappers, toys, broken vehicles, a shoe without a pair, etc. I understand setting a scene, or if the evidence were particular to a character we care about and were symbolic in some way... But after a few too many, a list is a list is a list. I had to force myself through these paragraphs. I get it, mankind is ending, move on!
The other gripe was that somewhere in the middle, the book changes from a zombie parody with a horror mystery to solve, into an animals vs. animals epic like Redwall or Warriors. If you like that sort of thing, that's fine. Personally, it's not my cup of tea. Animals having race wars was not as compelling to me as S.T. sympathizes with the domesticated animals who straddle the animal and human world and sets out to preserve humanity's history by safeguarding their legacy: their pets. A pet utopia would have been cute. Stumbling upon a way to protect or save humanity would have been cute too. But I am very satisfied with the ending and that's all I'll say about that <3.
A loving, not-too-preachy, story about how we humans need to look down at our screens a little less, and appreciate the "tribes" around us a little more. And also go for a walk, fresh air is the best. And also hug your pets, they are family too.
Read it!
This book is ALIVE <3 <3 <3!!! That is the best way I can think to describe it. The story starts in media res, and doesn't get bogged down in world building. Instead, it throws you into a /built/ world: Nations, religions, different languages, rival gangs, and various ne'er-do-wells with shady histories. Where is my Grishaverse roleplaying game?! Because I was immersed in this world for 462 pages, and it wasn't nearly enough! I need to spend months campaigning, walking the streets of Ketterdam, earning my tattoos and my shiny signature weapon... This book transports you, and I am ALL here for that!!!
The absolutely stunning powerhouse in this book is the ensemble. Every single character has something sympathetic or understandable about them. They are all conflicted morally, with personal obstacles to overcome. And their interactions are genuine and true to character, so much so that it's entertaining to root for ships or double-crosses, either way doesn't detract from the richness and realness of the character. That is a MONUMENTAL achievement. My greatest complaint about the Shadow and Bone trilogy was that I didn't find the male protagonist, Mal, sympathetic until the final book, and therefore his "fated" romance with Alina felt forced. Six of Crows blows all the petty jealousies of teen angst WAY way WAY out to sea, and gives us a cast of damaged and surprisingly emotionally mature young people. Their experiences are darker, their challenges greater, and their ability to trust and love and overcome DESPITE all that is /that/ much more compelling.
And can we talk for a minute about representation?! This is something I felt was lacking in Shadow and Bone too, see my previous complaint that Genya's not being a lesbian. But *MWAH!* Shadow and Bone has protagonists of color AND on the LGBTQA spectrum!! And a mix of different religions (and atheists) too! I know the lands and religions are made up, but after the sameness of Ravka's ragtag heroes in the orig trig, the diverse cast of Six of Crows is welcome - nay, I was jonesing for it! This upgrade satisfied my soul. Plus a million stars for diversity!!!
And SPOILER ALERT, this book gives us a female protagonist whose story arc has her realize that she don't need no man! AH!!! I cannot express how refreshing that is! After Alina, whose whole trajectory was about which boy she would choose to be with, it is so rewarding to have a girl realize that her dream can be about /her/ empowerment, boy or no boy! Yey, girl power!
Six of Crows is a goliath of YA fantasy achievement, and a glowing testament to Leigh Bardugo's progress and maturity as an author. I am so so SO in love with this book! <3 "No mourners. No funerals."
The absolutely stunning powerhouse in this book is the ensemble. Every single character has something sympathetic or understandable about them. They are all conflicted morally, with personal obstacles to overcome. And their interactions are genuine and true to character, so much so that it's entertaining to root for ships or double-crosses, either way doesn't detract from the richness and realness of the character. That is a MONUMENTAL achievement. My greatest complaint about the Shadow and Bone trilogy was that I didn't find the male protagonist, Mal, sympathetic until the final book, and therefore his "fated" romance with Alina felt forced. Six of Crows blows all the petty jealousies of teen angst WAY way WAY out to sea, and gives us a cast of damaged and surprisingly emotionally mature young people. Their experiences are darker, their challenges greater, and their ability to trust and love and overcome DESPITE all that is /that/ much more compelling.
And can we talk for a minute about representation?! This is something I felt was lacking in Shadow and Bone too, see my previous complaint that Genya's not being a lesbian. But *MWAH!* Shadow and Bone has protagonists of color AND on the LGBTQA spectrum!! And a mix of different religions (and atheists) too! I know the lands and religions are made up, but after the sameness of Ravka's ragtag heroes in the orig trig, the diverse cast of Six of Crows is welcome - nay, I was jonesing for it! This upgrade satisfied my soul. Plus a million stars for diversity!!!
And SPOILER ALERT, this book gives us a female protagonist whose story arc has her realize that she don't need no man! AH!!! I cannot express how refreshing that is! After Alina, whose whole trajectory was about which boy she would choose to be with, it is so rewarding to have a girl realize that her dream can be about /her/ empowerment, boy or no boy! Yey, girl power!
Six of Crows is a goliath of YA fantasy achievement, and a glowing testament to Leigh Bardugo's progress and maturity as an author. I am so so SO in love with this book! <3 "No mourners. No funerals."
It took me THREE DAYS to come down from the finished-a-good-book high, and center myself enough to write out this review. For those first four days, my thoughts were largely, "AAAAHHHHH!!!!! KAZ!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3"
This book is phenomenal <3. It's quotable and relatable, my heart is aflutter! There are major character arcs, changes, deaths - actions have consequences, and Leigh Bardugo is unafraid of making them /dire/, world-altering, consequences. I love that the story is strong because of the risks it takes, the trust it puts in the reader, and the emotional journeys each character goes through.
Once again, representation is EN POINTE! I love that queer relationships are presented as... relationships. They're not taboo, nobody feels the need to hide their truth from their parents or their church or whomever... Characters are encouraged to pursue healthy relationships with whomever, the end. It lifts my spirits, to see people treated with dignity, and not living in fear (of anything more than bullets XD). If only the real world were as woke as The Grishaverse. Representation matters! Thank you for making this safe space in Fictiondom, Leigh.
In the spirit of representation, I love that a new character is introduced strictly to lampoon YA Fantasy tropes XD!!! Dunyasha, a white assassin princess from a holy order of trained killers, is treated thoroughly with disdain or disinterest by the cast of Crooked Kingdom XD XD XD! It's fabulous! It's a poke at the overabundance of courtly killers in YA Fantasy, a dig at herself for the Chosen One (Alina) in the orig trig, and an overall empowering message for the "invisible girls" who make up the main cast of Six of Crows and the main /audience/ reading this book. #InvisibleGirls #TeamWraith
But as much as I could gush about this book until the end of time, I will knock off 1/2 a star - not even, 1/8 of a star, a smidge, some stardust, if you will - only because Six of Crows was SO good that it slightly overshadowed Crooked Kingdom. I mean, which is more exhilarating: A Nordic prison heist, or a rigged auction? My thoughts exactly. Also, because this book doesn't read like a /conclusion/ to a duology. It reads like the second book in a trilogy, or even a larger series. The main heist of seeing Kuwei Yul-Bo rescued (and the gang getting paid) gets resolved, but there are so many other plot threads waiting to be knit into something bigger... As Inej says, we're not done with Ketterdam ;).
This book is phenomenal <3. It's quotable and relatable, my heart is aflutter! There are major character arcs, changes, deaths - actions have consequences, and Leigh Bardugo is unafraid of making them /dire/, world-altering, consequences. I love that the story is strong because of the risks it takes, the trust it puts in the reader, and the emotional journeys each character goes through.
Once again, representation is EN POINTE! I love that queer relationships are presented as... relationships. They're not taboo, nobody feels the need to hide their truth from their parents or their church or whomever... Characters are encouraged to pursue healthy relationships with whomever, the end. It lifts my spirits, to see people treated with dignity, and not living in fear (of anything more than bullets XD). If only the real world were as woke as The Grishaverse. Representation matters! Thank you for making this safe space in Fictiondom, Leigh.
In the spirit of representation, I love that a new character is introduced strictly to lampoon YA Fantasy tropes XD!!! Dunyasha, a white assassin princess from a holy order of trained killers, is treated thoroughly with disdain or disinterest by the cast of Crooked Kingdom XD XD XD! It's fabulous! It's a poke at the overabundance of courtly killers in YA Fantasy, a dig at herself for the Chosen One (Alina) in the orig trig, and an overall empowering message for the "invisible girls" who make up the main cast of Six of Crows and the main /audience/ reading this book. #InvisibleGirls #TeamWraith
But as much as I could gush about this book until the end of time, I will knock off 1/2 a star - not even, 1/8 of a star, a smidge, some stardust, if you will - only because Six of Crows was SO good that it slightly overshadowed Crooked Kingdom. I mean, which is more exhilarating: A Nordic prison heist, or a rigged auction? My thoughts exactly. Also, because this book doesn't read like a /conclusion/ to a duology. It reads like the second book in a trilogy, or even a larger series. The main heist of seeing Kuwei Yul-Bo rescued (and the gang getting paid) gets resolved, but there are so many other plot threads waiting to be knit into something bigger... As Inej says, we're not done with Ketterdam ;).
There are two quotes in this book which thoroughly summarize it: "To live is to grieve." and "No one wants to look too closely at another person's pain." This is The Book of Grief. It was emo, and painful, and sickening, and at times boring... Grief is such a personal journey, it's hard to completely empathize with someone, even a fictional someone. And being a reader, you sometimes can't get carried along by the story, but instead occupy the seat of the Literary Critic, judging whether a character's behavior is "authentic". Judging grief is not the seat I wanted to be in. This book was uncomfortable to read, not just for the subject matter but because I feel the characters were treated inauthentically for the sake of metaphor. Spoilers ahead.
My opinions on this book came in chunks. The first 250 pages were sad and boring, as all the major viewpoint characters were directionless, defeated, out of options and out of plot.
Then the twist midway happened, and the book handled its world-altering reveal... like an 80's montage. Immense character growth happened off-page, in a very short amount of time, and without enough explanation as to the How's and Why's of the magical system being related. I had so many questions about The Darkling, The Saints, The Grisha: What they are, what their magic is, how it works... 6 books in to a series, I should hope I would already know some of that. It's hard to stay lost in the narrative, when I don't understand the world.
There were some genuine heart-pounding developments after the midway. But there were an equal number of groan-inducing moments. Each viewpoint character was done dirty. Nikolai was robbed of everything which made him fun and intriguing in Siege and Storm, and has been reduced to longing glances at Zoya (a ship I don't support, I know I'm bias) or sulking about his dark passenger. Nina is back to square one, trying to escort and cajole a racist Fjerdan. And Zoya is, maybe, the worst of the bunch: She becomes a dumping ground of traits from other characters. Hot-tempered and vain? That's Nina. Child sex-trafficking backstory? That's Inej. Ruthless but longing for human connection, using anger as a defense mechanism? That's Kaz. Feels a sympathy for animals, more so than people? That's Matthias. Practical, with more faith in her friends than in any religious idol? That's Mal AND Kaz! A girl from nowhere with a destiny ahead who fell for The Darkling's charm and Nikolai's ease? That's Alina! Who is Zoya? Who is she??? There is nothing original about her. A whole third of this book devoted to making her more sympathetic, a love interest, a shadow queen, and I still don't know who SHE is beyond "Sexy" and "Mean". I think Nikolai deserves more than Sexy & Mean. I think we, the readers, deserve a character who is less derivative, original in their characterization, and who didn't take until Book 6 to seem even moderately sympathetic (I know, I know, I'm a hypocrite, I'm Snape's #1 Fan!). I also think this series is now guilty of "pairing the spares". Why does EVERYONE get a love match?! Can't anyone in this universe be platonic friends? Or ace? Or just TOO DARN BUSY to worry about romance, right now?! I know it's YA, I know romance comes with the territory. It just feels so unearned this time. These two characters who had barely any interaction together on the page (though it is implied they have worked side by side for three years /off/ the page), suddenly the reader is meant to A) Give up on ever seeing peppy, curious, inventive, Nikolai again, B) Flip a switch with our feelings on Zoya, from Mean Girl to Little Wubby, and C) Desire to see them wrapped up in a forbidden romance while the world burns? It's too much.
Speaking of derivative... A few times this book quoted Disney movies, and I was taken immediately out of the book... And that ending... Can we say "Goblet of Fire"? Or Nikolai's demon basically turning him into a vampire, which reminded me of EVERY YA vampire romance... Just... Why? I'm so disappointed. I feel like Leigh Bardugo was watching TV inbetween writing chapters, and whatever she watched bled into her writing. Six of Crows was so full and unique and refreshing... This book was none of those things. This book felt tired of itself, borrowing phrases and plot points from other fantasies to fill itself up...
Which is kind of my last point on King of Scars: Six of Crows gave us normal people in an extraordinary world, who laughed and cussed and questioned the idea of grand destinies and miracles. For that, the characters and the conflicts had my complete sympathy and attention. There was a real world story being told in a fairytale setting: How do we navigate an unfair world... But King of Scars rolled back all the progress made in Six of Crows, giving us characters with destinies and uncharted powers and never-ending lives... diminishing the sacrifices of the normal, every day, "invisible" people... The second half of this book was the equivalent of the Marvel final boss battle: Somebody versus their evil twin, laserbeams in the sky; I don't understand what I'm watching, the stakes are forced, and I don't care.
I don't care. Sounds like a hammer on coffin nails :'(. I don't care about what happened in this book. Poor Puppy Prince :'(. I wish your title book had been better to you...
My opinions on this book came in chunks. The first 250 pages were sad and boring, as all the major viewpoint characters were directionless, defeated, out of options and out of plot.
Then the twist midway happened, and the book handled its world-altering reveal... like an 80's montage. Immense character growth happened off-page, in a very short amount of time, and without enough explanation as to the How's and Why's of the magical system being related. I had so many questions about The Darkling, The Saints, The Grisha: What they are, what their magic is, how it works... 6 books in to a series, I should hope I would already know some of that. It's hard to stay lost in the narrative, when I don't understand the world.
There were some genuine heart-pounding developments after the midway. But there were an equal number of groan-inducing moments. Each viewpoint character was done dirty. Nikolai was robbed of everything which made him fun and intriguing in Siege and Storm, and has been reduced to longing glances at Zoya (a ship I don't support, I know I'm bias) or sulking about his dark passenger. Nina is back to square one, trying to escort and cajole a racist Fjerdan. And Zoya is, maybe, the worst of the bunch: She becomes a dumping ground of traits from other characters. Hot-tempered and vain? That's Nina. Child sex-trafficking backstory? That's Inej. Ruthless but longing for human connection, using anger as a defense mechanism? That's Kaz. Feels a sympathy for animals, more so than people? That's Matthias. Practical, with more faith in her friends than in any religious idol? That's Mal AND Kaz! A girl from nowhere with a destiny ahead who fell for The Darkling's charm and Nikolai's ease? That's Alina! Who is Zoya? Who is she??? There is nothing original about her. A whole third of this book devoted to making her more sympathetic, a love interest, a shadow queen, and I still don't know who SHE is beyond "Sexy" and "Mean". I think Nikolai deserves more than Sexy & Mean. I think we, the readers, deserve a character who is less derivative, original in their characterization, and who didn't take until Book 6 to seem even moderately sympathetic (I know, I know, I'm a hypocrite, I'm Snape's #1 Fan!). I also think this series is now guilty of "pairing the spares". Why does EVERYONE get a love match?! Can't anyone in this universe be platonic friends? Or ace? Or just TOO DARN BUSY to worry about romance, right now?! I know it's YA, I know romance comes with the territory. It just feels so unearned this time. These two characters who had barely any interaction together on the page (though it is implied they have worked side by side for three years /off/ the page), suddenly the reader is meant to A) Give up on ever seeing peppy, curious, inventive, Nikolai again, B) Flip a switch with our feelings on Zoya, from Mean Girl to Little Wubby, and C) Desire to see them wrapped up in a forbidden romance while the world burns? It's too much.
Speaking of derivative... A few times this book quoted Disney movies, and I was taken immediately out of the book... And that ending... Can we say "Goblet of Fire"? Or Nikolai's demon basically turning him into a vampire, which reminded me of EVERY YA vampire romance... Just... Why? I'm so disappointed. I feel like Leigh Bardugo was watching TV inbetween writing chapters, and whatever she watched bled into her writing. Six of Crows was so full and unique and refreshing... This book was none of those things. This book felt tired of itself, borrowing phrases and plot points from other fantasies to fill itself up...
Which is kind of my last point on King of Scars: Six of Crows gave us normal people in an extraordinary world, who laughed and cussed and questioned the idea of grand destinies and miracles. For that, the characters and the conflicts had my complete sympathy and attention. There was a real world story being told in a fairytale setting: How do we navigate an unfair world... But King of Scars rolled back all the progress made in Six of Crows, giving us characters with destinies and uncharted powers and never-ending lives... diminishing the sacrifices of the normal, every day, "invisible" people... The second half of this book was the equivalent of the Marvel final boss battle: Somebody versus their evil twin, laserbeams in the sky; I don't understand what I'm watching, the stakes are forced, and I don't care.
I don't care. Sounds like a hammer on coffin nails :'(. I don't care about what happened in this book. Poor Puppy Prince :'(. I wish your title book had been better to you...
A quotable book, with an interesting setup... which never quite rises above the "grandeur" of a motivational, checkout-line, add-on book. It's thoughtful: What makes a "successful", fulfilled life? But it was ultimately kind of fluffy, the protagonist learning a morality lesson too quickly each time she takes a walk in some other Nora's shoes. I also found the book gimmicky, its one trick of life-hopping getting tedious over time without /some/ conflict going on alongside. I feel like the book could have been elevated from Gimmicky to something Really Extraordinary if it had taken the time to put Nora in greater conflict/danger. Examples:
1) If, as Nora goes on her journey of self-rediscovery, what she learns is painful, and she sometimes wants to reject reality. And the library were to reflect her mental and emotional distress, taking on a bit of a Gothic horror feel. The book /occasionally/ did this, but without very many consequences for Nora, she was always able to talk through the library's minor power glitches with The Librarian, and hop safely into another book. What if she had staggered through a broken, shifting, Wonderlandscape of a library and fallen into another life. So many times that she could no longer tell her root from her slides. What if growth were scary, and labyrinthine, but necessary for survival.
2) What if this book had leaned into the fantasy more, when she starts to meet other Sliders. What if someone were trying to game the system, and eliminate threats to their greatest potential. What if Nora tried to sculpt her best self by tearing pages from different books, and trying to tape them together. And what if, in the end, she learned that way having all the "stuff" isn't what makes for a good life? What if, in choosing to live life, to invest in every minute, she resurfaces in her root life to try and find the other Slider who is scared to live without first achieving the perfect recipe for life. What if she saves someone else who is struggling as much as she was?
3) The gimmick that she slides into a life but hasn't earned the memories and feelings of Other Nora (even though she attains the appearance and accumulated experience of Nora) was frustrating for me. Why not?! Why did she get SOME of her Other Self, and not all? She wastes so much time in each slide just Googling herself, or trying to not say something embarrassing to people who know her Other Self. Instead, I wish those feelings hadn't been kept a mystery from her. Life is more than the stuff and what you think about it, it's also how you /feel/ about it. And one of the things depression robs you of is your ability to feel anything but overwhelmed/tired. Nora's growth and epiphany that she wants to live would have been better-earned if she had /felt/ it, rather than thought about it as the conclusion to a logic puzzle. She would have been awakened to the multifaceted nature of life if she'd gone on a taste-test of emotions.
4) What if she found a life she wanted to live for, but accidentally slid away from it; because her growth wasn't complete all at once, and she was still her, still afraid of commitment and disappointment. What if she left, and wanted desperately to get it back, but the law of The Library is that you can't sample a parallel life twice. So, she returns to her root life, determined to find the thing which brought her joy, that she is now brave enough to chase.
5) What if she experienced some absolutely terrifying, perspective-shifting lives: Poverty, civil war, street riots, a plague... Her choices are so basic. Privileged. "Should I be a rockstar or a professor?" I don't know, how about, "Show me a life where I'm a hero, someone worthy of love," and then KABLAM she's in a war-torn country. Actually put her outside her small routine, outside her comfort zone, and see how big and strange and terrifying but also mesmerizing the world is. Make her appreciate the struggles of OTHER people, so that when she choose to live and invest in relationships, it makes sense, it's earned that she cares about people.
Ironically, the final moral of the story, is that it's good to have potential. I think this book had a lot of potential... I think having potential and not choosing to use it is a waste :/.
1) If, as Nora goes on her journey of self-rediscovery, what she learns is painful, and she sometimes wants to reject reality. And the library were to reflect her mental and emotional distress, taking on a bit of a Gothic horror feel. The book /occasionally/ did this, but without very many consequences for Nora, she was always able to talk through the library's minor power glitches with The Librarian, and hop safely into another book. What if she had staggered through a broken, shifting, Wonderlandscape of a library and fallen into another life. So many times that she could no longer tell her root from her slides. What if growth were scary, and labyrinthine, but necessary for survival.
2) What if this book had leaned into the fantasy more, when she starts to meet other Sliders. What if someone were trying to game the system, and eliminate threats to their greatest potential. What if Nora tried to sculpt her best self by tearing pages from different books, and trying to tape them together. And what if, in the end, she learned that way having all the "stuff" isn't what makes for a good life? What if, in choosing to live life, to invest in every minute, she resurfaces in her root life to try and find the other Slider who is scared to live without first achieving the perfect recipe for life. What if she saves someone else who is struggling as much as she was?
3) The gimmick that she slides into a life but hasn't earned the memories and feelings of Other Nora (even though she attains the appearance and accumulated experience of Nora) was frustrating for me. Why not?! Why did she get SOME of her Other Self, and not all? She wastes so much time in each slide just Googling herself, or trying to not say something embarrassing to people who know her Other Self. Instead, I wish those feelings hadn't been kept a mystery from her. Life is more than the stuff and what you think about it, it's also how you /feel/ about it. And one of the things depression robs you of is your ability to feel anything but overwhelmed/tired. Nora's growth and epiphany that she wants to live would have been better-earned if she had /felt/ it, rather than thought about it as the conclusion to a logic puzzle. She would have been awakened to the multifaceted nature of life if she'd gone on a taste-test of emotions.
4) What if she found a life she wanted to live for, but accidentally slid away from it; because her growth wasn't complete all at once, and she was still her, still afraid of commitment and disappointment. What if she left, and wanted desperately to get it back, but the law of The Library is that you can't sample a parallel life twice. So, she returns to her root life, determined to find the thing which brought her joy, that she is now brave enough to chase.
5) What if she experienced some absolutely terrifying, perspective-shifting lives: Poverty, civil war, street riots, a plague... Her choices are so basic. Privileged. "Should I be a rockstar or a professor?" I don't know, how about, "Show me a life where I'm a hero, someone worthy of love," and then KABLAM she's in a war-torn country. Actually put her outside her small routine, outside her comfort zone, and see how big and strange and terrifying but also mesmerizing the world is. Make her appreciate the struggles of OTHER people, so that when she choose to live and invest in relationships, it makes sense, it's earned that she cares about people.
Ironically, the final moral of the story, is that it's good to have potential. I think this book had a lot of potential... I think having potential and not choosing to use it is a waste :/.
This book deserves ALL the hype!
It's not the most universally quotable kind of book (until the last 50 pages or so), but it has a depth of detail and characterization which makes it alive and tangible in a different way. I believed in, and felt for, all the characters. Nobody is a "Chosen One". Nobody suddenly monologues their sob-worthy backstory because "Hey, I know I've only known you for two days, but we've almost died a bunch, and we hit 100 pages into the book, so I guess I ought to spill now?" Nobody is excessively catty or emotional or cagey, to the point of jeopardizing lives. The characters have emotional depth, they are damaged and complicated, but they don't let their emotions overrule strategy, common sense, or good teamwork. And in a very real way, the characters answer personal questions /as/ they feel comfortable, and withhold other answers for a later date; there is no info dump about any one person. Their grounded-ness, combined with the book's meticulous nautical knowledge, made me feel - despite the slight amount of supernatural/fantasy power in this 'verse - that the risks and rewards were /real/ in this book. I cared <3 <3 <3! That is the highest praise I can give a book: When it makes me /feel/ something.
Cannot wait to see what's in store in Namesake! Adrienne Young whittles magnificent story-crafting, revealing a world piece by intricate piece. I cannot wait to read more by Young <3. Mwah! Masterful!
PS - Score one for representation!!! Ah!!! <3 <3 <3
It's not the most universally quotable kind of book (until the last 50 pages or so), but it has a depth of detail and characterization which makes it alive and tangible in a different way. I believed in, and felt for, all the characters. Nobody is a "Chosen One". Nobody suddenly monologues their sob-worthy backstory because "Hey, I know I've only known you for two days, but we've almost died a bunch, and we hit 100 pages into the book, so I guess I ought to spill now?" Nobody is excessively catty or emotional or cagey, to the point of jeopardizing lives. The characters have emotional depth, they are damaged and complicated, but they don't let their emotions overrule strategy, common sense, or good teamwork. And in a very real way, the characters answer personal questions /as/ they feel comfortable, and withhold other answers for a later date; there is no info dump about any one person. Their grounded-ness, combined with the book's meticulous nautical knowledge, made me feel - despite the slight amount of supernatural/fantasy power in this 'verse - that the risks and rewards were /real/ in this book. I cared <3 <3 <3! That is the highest praise I can give a book: When it makes me /feel/ something.
Cannot wait to see what's in store in Namesake! Adrienne Young whittles magnificent story-crafting, revealing a world piece by intricate piece. I cannot wait to read more by Young <3. Mwah! Masterful!
PS - Score one for representation!!! Ah!!! <3 <3 <3
This book played tug-of-war with my heart:
It has tons of courtly intrigue... whiiich is kind of negated by the heroine having mind-reading magic.
It scores major points for diversity... whiiich it then loses for having a bunch of character tropes, too. (The gay guy is an actor. Really. Really?!)
It's an immensely interesting not-quite Earth setting with unique magics and religions... orrr it would be, if the book took the time to BREATHE. Describe a setting. Devote a paragraph or two to explaining the warring religions. Have a map, a glossary, anything! I was swimming in nouns with no descriptions.
Most of the characters weren't likeable. Thank goodness Ren was human; her silent-suffering from being /too/ empathetic is a real struggle a reader can relate to... Buuut she largely doesn't know WHO she is - almost as if she has amnesia - and therefore she doesn't grow from her struggles, only sinking deeper into her martyrdom. And Castian SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER is only likable because a bunch of minor characters /say/ he's likable, up until the last 5 pages of the book. Mendez was complex and his dynamic with Ren was interesting... SPOILER SPOILER and was majorly retconned and watered down by the end of the book :(.
And the book itself sets a frantic pace. Something about its sentence structure, or first-person perspective, combined with its timeline, makes every sentence an action sentence. "I do this. I do this. I do this... etc." This isn't Game of Thrones, with months and years to unravel the mysteries surrounding a character. It's adrenaline-filled days, with little to no chance to stop and describe a setting, a feeling... very little literary craft. Some motifs, but few metaphors or descriptors... Just constant DOING. A story is more than just what the characters /do/.
But for every nagging point that causes me to walk back on this book, I'm ultimately pulled forward, because all the good IS there too <3. Scores for diversity, creativity, mysteries and surprises and dangers aplenty.
A book worth reading, even if it's also a book worth tweaking.
It has tons of courtly intrigue... whiiich is kind of negated by the heroine having mind-reading magic.
It scores major points for diversity... whiiich it then loses for having a bunch of character tropes, too. (The gay guy is an actor. Really. Really?!)
It's an immensely interesting not-quite Earth setting with unique magics and religions... orrr it would be, if the book took the time to BREATHE. Describe a setting. Devote a paragraph or two to explaining the warring religions. Have a map, a glossary, anything! I was swimming in nouns with no descriptions.
Most of the characters weren't likeable. Thank goodness Ren was human; her silent-suffering from being /too/ empathetic is a real struggle a reader can relate to... Buuut she largely doesn't know WHO she is - almost as if she has amnesia - and therefore she doesn't grow from her struggles, only sinking deeper into her martyrdom. And Castian SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER is only likable because a bunch of minor characters /say/ he's likable, up until the last 5 pages of the book. Mendez was complex and his dynamic with Ren was interesting... SPOILER SPOILER and was majorly retconned and watered down by the end of the book :(.
And the book itself sets a frantic pace. Something about its sentence structure, or first-person perspective, combined with its timeline, makes every sentence an action sentence. "I do this. I do this. I do this... etc." This isn't Game of Thrones, with months and years to unravel the mysteries surrounding a character. It's adrenaline-filled days, with little to no chance to stop and describe a setting, a feeling... very little literary craft. Some motifs, but few metaphors or descriptors... Just constant DOING. A story is more than just what the characters /do/.
But for every nagging point that causes me to walk back on this book, I'm ultimately pulled forward, because all the good IS there too <3. Scores for diversity, creativity, mysteries and surprises and dangers aplenty.
A book worth reading, even if it's also a book worth tweaking.