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Oddly enough, despite the unfamiliarity of the story’s format, I found myself effortlessly relating to the leading heroine. Xiomara’s uncertainty regarding her faith, questions about religion, confusion when it comes to feelings and attraction, inability to defend herself against her parents – all these things resonated so intensely within me because my younger self had extremely similar experiences. Even presently, a number of Xiomara’s inner demons are in line with my own.
I also found the characters of Xavier, Caridad, and Aman extremely intriguing! Sadly, I was disappointed that the lives and personalities of these minor characters weren’t explored and developed as thoroughly as I would have preferred. However, since the narrator of the story is Xiomara herself and all the verses were “written” by her, it’s understandable that there were constraints in the development of other characters. Still, a huge part of me is hoping for a sequel told from the perspective of Xavier or Caridad. I just really liked them!
I generally, really enjoyed reading this novel. To call The Poet X ‘powerful’ is a laughable understatement. Although I was not as emotionally affected as I thought I was going to be (i.e. I really thought I’d end up crying as I read, but that didn’t happen), the impact this story created on me is incomparable to anything else, if I’m being honest. This is a novel I wish I picked up years ago because, had I read this as a younger teen, perhaps I would have unearthed the courage to stop shying away from my own voice a whole lot earlier. To put it all very simply: this is empowerment in lyrical packaging.
Disclosure: I received a physical Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of The Poet X as part of my participation in a blog tour hosted by Afire Pages. This neither affects my opinion nor the content of this review. Many thanks to Karina and the publishers for the opportunity!
I also found the characters of Xavier, Caridad, and Aman extremely intriguing! Sadly, I was disappointed that the lives and personalities of these minor characters weren’t explored and developed as thoroughly as I would have preferred. However, since the narrator of the story is Xiomara herself and all the verses were “written” by her, it’s understandable that there were constraints in the development of other characters. Still, a huge part of me is hoping for a sequel told from the perspective of Xavier or Caridad. I just really liked them!
I generally, really enjoyed reading this novel. To call The Poet X ‘powerful’ is a laughable understatement. Although I was not as emotionally affected as I thought I was going to be (i.e. I really thought I’d end up crying as I read, but that didn’t happen), the impact this story created on me is incomparable to anything else, if I’m being honest. This is a novel I wish I picked up years ago because, had I read this as a younger teen, perhaps I would have unearthed the courage to stop shying away from my own voice a whole lot earlier. To put it all very simply: this is empowerment in lyrical packaging.
Disclosure: I received a physical Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of The Poet X as part of my participation in a blog tour hosted by Afire Pages. This neither affects my opinion nor the content of this review. Many thanks to Karina and the publishers for the opportunity!
Quick thoughts:
- cw for self-harm, suicide, PTSD, alcoholism
- eerily dark atmosphere
- focus: sibling relationship
- themes: depression, healing
- shaky/unclear motives from antagonist
- a bit more polishing needed tbh
- cw for self-harm, suicide, PTSD, alcoholism
- eerily dark atmosphere
- focus: sibling relationship
- themes: depression, healing
- shaky/unclear motives from antagonist
- a bit more polishing needed tbh
Before anything else:
(1) If your idea of feminism is misandry, you're not a feminist.
(2) If your idea of feminism is that women are superior to men, you're not a feminist.
(3) If you're a woman and your notion of empowerment stems from prejudice against men, then honey, women like you are some kind of tragic.
(4) We're here for equality, not another gender-based hierarchy.
Regarding the content of this collection of poems:
(1) If your idea of feminism is misandry, you're not a feminist.
(2) If your idea of feminism is that women are superior to men, you're not a feminist.
(3) If you're a woman and your notion of empowerment stems from prejudice against men, then honey, women like you are some kind of tragic.
(4) We're here for equality, not another gender-based hierarchy.
Regarding the content of this collection of poems:
Here’s the thing about Kiera Cass – whom I can really never completely hate, despite my vehement dislike towards all her books – that I just can’t seem to understand: she brings forth a ton of intriguing, refreshingly uncommon plot ideas but ultimately, carelessly rips them apart in favor of an unrealistically instantaneous, illogically all-consuming, hilariously cringe-worthy romance. It happened with her The Selection series, and the same mistake was made here in The Siren.
For me, the portrayal of the Ocean as a powerful force, albeit flawed, prone to petty jealousy, and limited in understanding the full extent of human emotions, was perhaps the most, if not the only, interesting thing in The Siren. I think that the mythology about Her existence was a pretty excellent starting point, but unfortunately, much of the mythology was left to the imagination. Interestingly enough, at one point in the book, the sirens attempted to investigate their origin and history, but their search did not conceive any substantial answers.
To cut the long review short, this book has received too many negative reviews to count, and while I’m not comfortable with the idea of adding one more to an already extensive collection, I can completely see why people hate The Siren. The story totally veered away from its interesting premise, threw caution to the wind, and invested everything in pushing forward a half-assed, underdeveloped love story between two equally underdeveloped characters with no actual chemistry. The problem isn’t that Kahlen and Akinli fell in love too quickly; rather, the problem is, based on their handful – let me emphasize that, handful of – existing interactions, their romantic development came off as exceedingly shallow, painfully rushed, and terribly executed. Much like the story’s resolution and ending. Oops.
For me, the portrayal of the Ocean as a powerful force, albeit flawed, prone to petty jealousy, and limited in understanding the full extent of human emotions, was perhaps the most, if not the only, interesting thing in The Siren. I think that the mythology about Her existence was a pretty excellent starting point, but unfortunately, much of the mythology was left to the imagination. Interestingly enough, at one point in the book, the sirens attempted to investigate their origin and history, but their search did not conceive any substantial answers.
To cut the long review short, this book has received too many negative reviews to count, and while I’m not comfortable with the idea of adding one more to an already extensive collection, I can completely see why people hate The Siren. The story totally veered away from its interesting premise, threw caution to the wind, and invested everything in pushing forward a half-assed, underdeveloped love story between two equally underdeveloped characters with no actual chemistry. The problem isn’t that Kahlen and Akinli fell in love too quickly; rather, the problem is, based on their handful – let me emphasize that, handful of – existing interactions, their romantic development came off as exceedingly shallow, painfully rushed, and terribly executed. Much like the story’s resolution and ending. Oops.
We’re given a cautionary tale that thoroughly explores its magical world, immersing its readers as it progresses. The author sets up this magnificent city littered with dragons and other magical creatures, and instead of being thrown into the chaos, we are given an opportunity to navigate this world in the same way and in the same pace as Esme – with curiosity, with trepidation, and with caution.
This, accompanied by the author’s knack for imagery, effectively brings both the city of Esperance and the world of Aeolia to life. Although the descriptions of the sceneries were more lengthy and flowery than concise, I still managed to appreciate how the imagery made it very easy to imagine the city’s appearance. As a matter of fact, I really appreciated the author’s effort in engaging all five of the human senses because with a place like Esperance, I wanted to be as immersed as possible!
According to its synopsis, Esme’s Wish is “an ideal read for younger teens”, and I completely agree. With strong themes on self-discovery, coming-of-age and friendship, this is a book I just know I would have loved reading 5 years ago as a younger teen. This story is inventive and heartwarming. Its mythology and magical background are both fascinating. I look forward to its sequel.
Disclosure: I received a copy of Esme’s Wish from the author herself in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Elizabeth Foster for the review copy as well as for allowing me to organize this blog tour!
This, accompanied by the author’s knack for imagery, effectively brings both the city of Esperance and the world of Aeolia to life. Although the descriptions of the sceneries were more lengthy and flowery than concise, I still managed to appreciate how the imagery made it very easy to imagine the city’s appearance. As a matter of fact, I really appreciated the author’s effort in engaging all five of the human senses because with a place like Esperance, I wanted to be as immersed as possible!
According to its synopsis, Esme’s Wish is “an ideal read for younger teens”, and I completely agree. With strong themes on self-discovery, coming-of-age and friendship, this is a book I just know I would have loved reading 5 years ago as a younger teen. This story is inventive and heartwarming. Its mythology and magical background are both fascinating. I look forward to its sequel.
Disclosure: I received a copy of Esme’s Wish from the author herself in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Elizabeth Foster for the review copy as well as for allowing me to organize this blog tour!
I can say so many things about Red Rising that, I’m vaguely sure, other people, readers, and reviewers have already pointed out. Still, I cannot help but greatly commend Pierce Brown for creating, developing, and masterfully fleshing out what is perhaps the most wonderfully detailed, thrillingly complex, and interestingly nuanced world-building I’ve ever encountered as an avid devourer of dystopian novels.
As expected, Darrow does get involved with an admittedly unimpressive group of rebels whose sole vision is to eventually execute a revolution that will overthrow the dominating Gold elite. In that regard, the objective of these characters is pretty straightforward. What’s not straightforward, however, are the lengths required of Darrow in order to be able to fulfill his role in this uprising revolution – and these astronomically high stakes are exactly why and how Red Rising kept me on my toes and on the edge of my seat simultaneously.
Honestly, this is not a perfect book; however, because of the many flaws both in its characters and in its delivery, Red Rising succeeds in making its audience really think about whether or not we are what we are born into, among other serious matters such as color-based discrimination, morally gray areas, and the lengths we are willing to endure for the sake of justice. Certainly, this book should be taken with a grain of salt and an open mind. In my opinion, the best way to appreciate Red Rising is not by blindly loving its story and action-packed sequences but by analyzing its content over and over again. Gorydamn, I can’t wait to read the next one.
As expected, Darrow does get involved with an admittedly unimpressive group of rebels whose sole vision is to eventually execute a revolution that will overthrow the dominating Gold elite. In that regard, the objective of these characters is pretty straightforward. What’s not straightforward, however, are the lengths required of Darrow in order to be able to fulfill his role in this uprising revolution – and these astronomically high stakes are exactly why and how Red Rising kept me on my toes and on the edge of my seat simultaneously.
Honestly, this is not a perfect book; however, because of the many flaws both in its characters and in its delivery, Red Rising succeeds in making its audience really think about whether or not we are what we are born into, among other serious matters such as color-based discrimination, morally gray areas, and the lengths we are willing to endure for the sake of justice. Certainly, this book should be taken with a grain of salt and an open mind. In my opinion, the best way to appreciate Red Rising is not by blindly loving its story and action-packed sequences but by analyzing its content over and over again. Gorydamn, I can’t wait to read the next one.
Readers should be warned that the novel contains sensitive, possibly triggering content such as sexual assault (directed towards a minor), stalking, pedophilia, child pornography and exploitation, and suicidal thoughts (i.e. wishing for death) – some of which are to be briefly discussed in the latter portion of this review as well.
If I were to completely condense my thoughts on Aaru, I’d say that while I have generally mixed feelings about it, these feelings tend to gravitate towards the “not my cup of tea” end of the spectrum. For the most part, this is due to personal preferences. In many ways, Aaru and I just did not click the way I wanted us to.
On one hand, it is evident that the author demonstrates remarkable knowledge on the development of technology, particularly virtual reality. The way the author infused technology into both the story’s plot and world-building was very expertly done. It was really easy for me to buy into the concept that the Elysian Industries was pushing. I appreciated how he was able to write about these technical aspects without overwhelming the audience with highfalutin, intimidating jargon.
In line with this, the author’s knowledge is noticeably not limited to the technical, inner workings of virtual reality but also, and more importantly, encompasses the moral repercussions of any technological innovation, particularly the gray areas. In Aaru, I witnessed the pros and cons so vividly. I have to highly commend Meredith for being admirably fearless in writing honestly about the limitations and imperfections of a virtual afterlife as well as the risks and dangers occurring outside its framework. As a previous engineering major, it is really great to come across a story that bravely navigates both the desirable and undesirable outcomes that arise from innovation.
On the other hand, although the plot stayed true to the story’s synopsis, I can’t help but feel slightly misled by the premise. Although it was explained in the book that the primary reason for developing Aaru was to preserve the essence of brilliant and valuable minds, that idea was hardly explored in the story itself. Instead, the focal point was whatever Rose and Koren were going through both as sisters and as individual characters facing different adversities. Aaru held strong familial themes and heavy psychological undertones, which were not necessarily bad – it’s just not the direction I wanted the story to move towards.
Moreover, as mentioned earlier, the book had scenes involving the exploitation of a minor, specifically Koren (a 14-year-old girl). A lot of them made me feel pretty uncomfortable, which, I believe, was intended by the author. However, despite understanding the well-meaning intentions of Meredith, I found one scene involving sexual assault to be irresponsibly, tactlessly handled. My concern is that it was never acknowledged as sexual assault, and instead, was briefly romanticized by Koren’s narrative. In addition to this, I was also greatly bothered that Aaru does not come with a trigger warning for readers, which is really irresponsible given that pedophilia was a recurring, arguably dominant theme in this book and said book is targeted towards young adults.
A part of me is curious to see how the story would have turned out if Rose was some kind of prodigy with remarkable genius instead of a dying cancer patient, or if Koren was a more mature, more nuanced character. I would have preferred if the story did not heavily revolve around the vulnerability and naivety of Koren. As a result, although the story was indeed quite fascinating, it was, in my opinion, neither gripping nor compelling. I’m sure that there’s a specific audience that would go absolutely crazy for this novel, but I don’t think I’m one of them.
Disclaimer: I received a finished physical copy of Aaru from the author himself in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, David Meredith, for the opportunity!
If I were to completely condense my thoughts on Aaru, I’d say that while I have generally mixed feelings about it, these feelings tend to gravitate towards the “not my cup of tea” end of the spectrum. For the most part, this is due to personal preferences. In many ways, Aaru and I just did not click the way I wanted us to.
On one hand, it is evident that the author demonstrates remarkable knowledge on the development of technology, particularly virtual reality. The way the author infused technology into both the story’s plot and world-building was very expertly done. It was really easy for me to buy into the concept that the Elysian Industries was pushing. I appreciated how he was able to write about these technical aspects without overwhelming the audience with highfalutin, intimidating jargon.
In line with this, the author’s knowledge is noticeably not limited to the technical, inner workings of virtual reality but also, and more importantly, encompasses the moral repercussions of any technological innovation, particularly the gray areas. In Aaru, I witnessed the pros and cons so vividly. I have to highly commend Meredith for being admirably fearless in writing honestly about the limitations and imperfections of a virtual afterlife as well as the risks and dangers occurring outside its framework. As a previous engineering major, it is really great to come across a story that bravely navigates both the desirable and undesirable outcomes that arise from innovation.
On the other hand, although the plot stayed true to the story’s synopsis, I can’t help but feel slightly misled by the premise. Although it was explained in the book that the primary reason for developing Aaru was to preserve the essence of brilliant and valuable minds, that idea was hardly explored in the story itself. Instead, the focal point was whatever Rose and Koren were going through both as sisters and as individual characters facing different adversities. Aaru held strong familial themes and heavy psychological undertones, which were not necessarily bad – it’s just not the direction I wanted the story to move towards.
Moreover, as mentioned earlier, the book had scenes involving the exploitation of a minor, specifically Koren (a 14-year-old girl). A lot of them made me feel pretty uncomfortable, which, I believe, was intended by the author. However, despite understanding the well-meaning intentions of Meredith, I found one scene involving sexual assault to be irresponsibly, tactlessly handled. My concern is that it was never acknowledged as sexual assault, and instead, was briefly romanticized by Koren’s narrative. In addition to this, I was also greatly bothered that Aaru does not come with a trigger warning for readers, which is really irresponsible given that pedophilia was a recurring, arguably dominant theme in this book and said book is targeted towards young adults.
A part of me is curious to see how the story would have turned out if Rose was some kind of prodigy with remarkable genius instead of a dying cancer patient, or if Koren was a more mature, more nuanced character. I would have preferred if the story did not heavily revolve around the vulnerability and naivety of Koren. As a result, although the story was indeed quite fascinating, it was, in my opinion, neither gripping nor compelling. I’m sure that there’s a specific audience that would go absolutely crazy for this novel, but I don’t think I’m one of them.
Disclaimer: I received a finished physical copy of Aaru from the author himself in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, David Meredith, for the opportunity!
Quick thoughts:
Should I be
Thankful
That I did not have to
Spend my own money
Just to read
This awful, overly simplistic
Lang Leav-esque
Poetry book
Or
Regretful
That I bothered
To read it
In the first place?
Should I be
Thankful
That I did not have to
Spend my own money
Just to read
This awful, overly simplistic
Lang Leav-esque
Poetry book
Or
Regretful
That I bothered
To read it
In the first place?