sometimes_samantha_reads's Reviews (283)

Very well written! The audiobook was enjoyable to listen to. Be warned this book has some strong triggers and sad moments. Check the TWs before deciding to read.

Life happens and I couldn't renew it for a 5th time in a row 😅

I was enjoying it and will pick it back up again when I have the time!

I loved the anime and wanted to read more details in the manga. Perfect for October!

The pacing was a bit off - sometimes way too fast and sometimes way too slow. The ending was too romance-y in my opinion. For a novel about conquest and war, the ending seemed like a cop out. I wanted to know more about the loose ends that were not resolved at all. 

There is a sequel. I need some space from this one to decide if it's worth reading the second book or not.

It's interesting reflecting on this essay in 2024. I sometimes had a hard time following the more complex sentences but I think that's probably just a "me" issue.

Shook me from my reading slump for sure! With the audiobook, I loved the dual narrator. I'm only rating 4.75 because I was not a big fan that each VA didn't narrate their own dialogue in each other's chapters. In other words, Jame's VA put on a girl voice to read Wendy's lines in his chapter  and vice versa instead of having them read their respective parts. Also the new England accents were a little rough... but I liked the story well enough! I'll be looking into the other books in the series. 

I think I may have been able to hang on and pay attention more if I had read the physical copy. It was well written and interesting! Just slow paced and I wasn't able to follow along as easily as I had hoped with the audiobook

Wow! This one snapped me out of my rut. I related a lot to Emoni and felt for her as she took steps to growing forward and figuring out her life path. 

Not only was Emoni the same ethnicity as me but the story was set in a place where I live AND she visited a place I've been before out of country. It was very easy for me to imagine myself in Emoni's place - seeing the scenery vividly and feeling all her emotions. 

Great ending too!

What a fun read! I didn't like every story, but most of them were great.

An excellent novel in verse. It's great to read for enjoyment but I plan on reading it to my own 5th grade class as we study character, poetry, and perspectives.