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themoonwholistens's Reviews (698)
This was a such a wholesome and adventurous story that felt like home wrapped up in a bow.
Together with an extremely important perspective and story for younger generations to be aware of and be normalized, Mala’s story had me charmed the whole way through. Mala and the Mask of Gold is an adventurous, Philippine-inspired MG Fantasy that is able to represent LGTBQ+ people of color bravely and unapologetically.
— overall thoughts: 4.5 —
It’s nice that there were translations for the Tagalog words to accommodate non-Tagalog speakers. It did feel like the construction of the writing made it more for non-local readers and more towards readers who are not as familiar with the language and the culture. In a way, this does make it more accessible and a great starting point in familiarizing yourself with Philippine mythology.
To give you a bit of background, Babaylans (ancient Philippine priestesses) are traditionally females in Philippine history so seeing a gender fluid main character embody that, was a detail I highly appreciated and was a take that I have never seen (admittedly, I never even thought of it like that).
What stood out to me most was the fact that it takes down gender barriers and stereotypes while still holding on to the core traits of the Filipino culture such as family and traditions. We get to see this explored and discussed when we are placed both in Mala and their brother’s head spaces. And I have to say, the author handled usually-taboo topics really well given how Filipinos can be very traditional when it comes to gender norms. It felt very normalized which I loved reading about.
Mala as the main character is easliy lovable and I loved reading from their perspective. Moreover, I didn’t expect that she would actually set off on the adventure with their brother so experiencing their familial relationship throughout the story was touching and one that I enjoyed immensely.
In terms of flow, the footnotes were not my favorite because a lot of times they were redundun and a few times wherein they were a little bit inaccurate based on my knowledge of it’s local uses. Story and flow wise, I think integrating the meaning of the words into the narrative would have done the job of getting what needs to be sent across to the readers.
In a lot books, I find that the plot usually gets less intriguing as it unfolds since you since the initial interest gets lost somewhere but this just kept getting more interesting as it went on. I was curious to see the interpretation of a mythology that I have known my whole life (finally!) and even if you had no idea what all of these creatures were, the author does a good job of getting you up to speed. The writing style does deal with a more telling rather than showing at certain parts. There was also a short bit of info dump in the beginning as one of the characters tells the background of the mythology through a story but given the length of the novel, I think it benefited the world building. It certainly brought Philippine mythology to life in such a short novel.
I loved the use of Filipino honorifics and certain phrases throughout the story, I do think it could have been more consistent. There were times, for example, when Mala would call their brother by his first name rather than Kuya (*used to refer to an older male relative or simply an older male like a brother). As someone fluent in the language, it just felt off to me since it feels weird myself to call an older male or relative solely by their first name if I knew that they were of Philippine heritage.
Other than that, the other most obvious one to me was the use of pana. This was used in the story to refer to the bow but from what I know it’s usually used to refer to the arrow part or whatever you shoot. The bow part is usually called pangpana, which might not be entirely accurate but I just know that pana isn’t the bow. It's the little things that help the story feel more natural to a local speaker such as myself. I know this is fantasy but given that it takes from Philippine culture, I just thought that it should be mentioned.
I completely loved the way this wrapped up though. It was the perfect kind of nostalgic that makes you feel satisfied and uplifted. You would be surprised how many books aren't able to do just that.
↣ I think the Author’s Note says it all, this is for everyone who just wants a classic adventure from a refreshing perspective. Whether or not you are familiar with Philippine mythology, there is lots to love and definitely a book that I can see myself giving to my younger cousins/nieces/nephews to read. I really hope you pick this one up too because heaven knows how much I needed stories like this when I was younger. ↢
*Thank you to the author for sending me a finished copy to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
——————
PRE READ:
you guys have no idea how hyped I am for this philippine mythology inspired story with queer characters :))
Together with an extremely important perspective and story for younger generations to be aware of and be normalized, Mala’s story had me charmed the whole way through. Mala and the Mask of Gold is an adventurous, Philippine-inspired MG Fantasy that is able to represent LGTBQ+ people of color bravely and unapologetically.
— overall thoughts: 4.5 —
It’s nice that there were translations for the Tagalog words to accommodate non-Tagalog speakers. It did feel like the construction of the writing made it more for non-local readers and more towards readers who are not as familiar with the language and the culture. In a way, this does make it more accessible and a great starting point in familiarizing yourself with Philippine mythology.
To give you a bit of background, Babaylans (ancient Philippine priestesses) are traditionally females in Philippine history so seeing a gender fluid main character embody that, was a detail I highly appreciated and was a take that I have never seen (admittedly, I never even thought of it like that).
What stood out to me most was the fact that it takes down gender barriers and stereotypes while still holding on to the core traits of the Filipino culture such as family and traditions. We get to see this explored and discussed when we are placed both in Mala and their brother’s head spaces. And I have to say, the author handled usually-taboo topics really well given how Filipinos can be very traditional when it comes to gender norms. It felt very normalized which I loved reading about.
Mala as the main character is easliy lovable and I loved reading from their perspective. Moreover, I didn’t expect that she would actually set off on the adventure with their brother so experiencing their familial relationship throughout the story was touching and one that I enjoyed immensely.
In terms of flow, the footnotes were not my favorite because a lot of times they were redundun and a few times wherein they were a little bit inaccurate based on my knowledge of it’s local uses. Story and flow wise, I think integrating the meaning of the words into the narrative would have done the job of getting what needs to be sent across to the readers.
In a lot books, I find that the plot usually gets less intriguing as it unfolds since you since the initial interest gets lost somewhere but this just kept getting more interesting as it went on. I was curious to see the interpretation of a mythology that I have known my whole life (finally!) and even if you had no idea what all of these creatures were, the author does a good job of getting you up to speed. The writing style does deal with a more telling rather than showing at certain parts. There was also a short bit of info dump in the beginning as one of the characters tells the background of the mythology through a story but given the length of the novel, I think it benefited the world building. It certainly brought Philippine mythology to life in such a short novel.
I loved the use of Filipino honorifics and certain phrases throughout the story, I do think it could have been more consistent. There were times, for example, when Mala would call their brother by his first name rather than Kuya (*used to refer to an older male relative or simply an older male like a brother). As someone fluent in the language, it just felt off to me since it feels weird myself to call an older male or relative solely by their first name if I knew that they were of Philippine heritage.
Other than that, the other most obvious one to me was the use of pana. This was used in the story to refer to the bow but from what I know it’s usually used to refer to the arrow part or whatever you shoot. The bow part is usually called pangpana, which might not be entirely accurate but I just know that pana isn’t the bow. It's the little things that help the story feel more natural to a local speaker such as myself. I know this is fantasy but given that it takes from Philippine culture, I just thought that it should be mentioned.
I completely loved the way this wrapped up though. It was the perfect kind of nostalgic that makes you feel satisfied and uplifted. You would be surprised how many books aren't able to do just that.
↣ I think the Author’s Note says it all, this is for everyone who just wants a classic adventure from a refreshing perspective. Whether or not you are familiar with Philippine mythology, there is lots to love and definitely a book that I can see myself giving to my younger cousins/nieces/nephews to read. I really hope you pick this one up too because heaven knows how much I needed stories like this when I was younger. ↢
*Thank you to the author for sending me a finished copy to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
——————
PRE READ:
you guys have no idea how hyped I am for this philippine mythology inspired story with queer characters :))
I read this back in February and this series of comics is still one of the cutest ones that are able to make me giddy every once in a while.
The reason this isn't 4 stars or higher is because there really isn't any plot to anything and it's mostly just a series of events tied together. It's inspired by Catana Chetwynd and her husband, I believe, so it's also a lot cuter. There's nothing new or surprising about it but it makes for a cute read when you need a serotonin shot.
The reason this isn't 4 stars or higher is because there really isn't any plot to anything and it's mostly just a series of events tied together. It's inspired by Catana Chetwynd and her husband, I believe, so it's also a lot cuter. There's nothing new or surprising about it but it makes for a cute read when you need a serotonin shot.
1/26/21: happy book birthday!! (aka release date)
GIVE ME MORE PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS IN LITERATURE. thank you.
This book was such a wholesome story under complicated circumstances and I was so attached to the main characters T_T
— overall thoughts: 4.5 —
I loved that this wasn’t a romance, which might be a deal breaker for some people but it was so refreshing to read about the platonic relationship between the characters in the midst of the chaos. I feel like we need more of that in literature. As much as I love a good romance, there’s something heart warming about friends just being friends in a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. But still made my heart soft.
We Could Be Heroes is an Adult Science Fiction/Contemporary standalone about a vigilante and a bank robber who lost their memories. I am sucker for stories about lost memories. The endearing characters hooked me from the start and I really did find myself smiling while reading.
Neither of our mains are what I would call a ~hero or a ~villain. Maybe antiheroes would be the grey area but at the core of it all, they are flawed people who want to make the most out of the cards they were dealt with. Jamie is definitely that person who just wants to escape into an island while reading books and drinking coffee with his cat (this is canon and honestly, this would be me). On the other hand, Zoe goes about arresting “bad guys” like… said bank robber. They meet in a memory-loss support group and the action-packed story takes off from there.
If there is such thing, this would be the book equivalent to a popcorn movie with diversity and LGBTQ+ rep (not a main focus tho). I do tend to look for antagonists with more depth rather and the tone of the story does take a different turn from what it was in the beginning.
Nonetheless, the ending was extremely satisfying with how everything came full circle and as a huge fan of all the Superhero CW shows, I loved this. Besides, the David Bowie and Alesso song plays in my head every time I see this book. It was so perfectly my type of story.
↣ Would definitely recommend if you are looking for an easy read and you’re not looking for a romance but enjoy good friendships. Especially stories with humor and a nostalgic factor. ↢
*Thank you to the publicist at -Harlequin/MIRA- for sending me an ARC for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
-----------------
I truly am weak for friendship themes
two people who have no memories with superpowers but one is a vigilante and one is a villain? dichotomy between "good" and "bad"? I also see "pansexual villain" everything about this is intriguing to me.
this is like if you flipped addie larue and gave them superpowers
GIVE ME MORE PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS IN LITERATURE. thank you.
This book was such a wholesome story under complicated circumstances and I was so attached to the main characters T_T
— overall thoughts: 4.5 —
“Extraordinary comes in many forms. You never realized that, and that pushed her to find it elsewhere.”
I loved that this wasn’t a romance, which might be a deal breaker for some people but it was so refreshing to read about the platonic relationship between the characters in the midst of the chaos. I feel like we need more of that in literature. As much as I love a good romance, there’s something heart warming about friends just being friends in a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. But still made my heart soft.
We Could Be Heroes is an Adult Science Fiction/Contemporary standalone about a vigilante and a bank robber who lost their memories. I am sucker for stories about lost memories. The endearing characters hooked me from the start and I really did find myself smiling while reading.
Neither of our mains are what I would call a ~hero or a ~villain. Maybe antiheroes would be the grey area but at the core of it all, they are flawed people who want to make the most out of the cards they were dealt with. Jamie is definitely that person who just wants to escape into an island while reading books and drinking coffee with his cat (this is canon and honestly, this would be me). On the other hand, Zoe goes about arresting “bad guys” like… said bank robber. They meet in a memory-loss support group and the action-packed story takes off from there.
If there is such thing, this would be the book equivalent to a popcorn movie with diversity and LGBTQ+ rep (not a main focus tho). I do tend to look for antagonists with more depth rather and the tone of the story does take a different turn from what it was in the beginning.
Nonetheless, the ending was extremely satisfying with how everything came full circle and as a huge fan of all the Superhero CW shows, I loved this. Besides, the David Bowie and Alesso song plays in my head every time I see this book. It was so perfectly my type of story.
↣ Would definitely recommend if you are looking for an easy read and you’re not looking for a romance but enjoy good friendships. Especially stories with humor and a nostalgic factor. ↢
*Thank you to the publicist at -Harlequin/MIRA- for sending me an ARC for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
-----------------
I truly am weak for friendship themes
two people who have no memories with superpowers but one is a vigilante and one is a villain? dichotomy between "good" and "bad"? I also see "pansexual villain" everything about this is intriguing to me.
this is like if you flipped addie larue and gave them superpowers
2nd read:
you know, I’m glad I was born a dreamer.
instagram | blog | ko-fi
———————
1st read:
“All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it.”
FORMAT READ: Paperback
SIMILAR VIBES: A Monster Calls, Bridge to Terabithia
This book turned out to be so much deeper than I expected before I read it. I thought it would be the type of children's novel that was simply 2 sentences per page, but it wasn't.
The message of the story was so well presented that I wondered how come I have not read this before when it seems like everyone around me already has.
And I don't think the most important thing in the book is if the little prince is real because I guess that will always depend on the reader but I think the most important thing is how we choose to represent the people, the objects and the planets into real life. I think I was just bursting the whole time on how good the story is and the book isn't even that long. The quotes, the metaphors made me want to cry out how perfect they were and I don't think I even have the right worshippers to describe reading my feelings the time I read this book.
“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”
The clearest message of the story to me, personally, was how it is us who decides and creates the importance of the things in our lives. Like how a random person can end up being your best friend, your most trusted companion. . . but to other people that same person may just be another normal person they pass by every day. It is how much time, care you invest into, not just objects, but people as well.
And I think this is why you should never listen to other people when they say that one think isn't important or one thing doesn't matter. They aren't you and only you can decide what is important to you.
This story is definitely one of those stories that you have to actually read first before you can even begin to understand what I am talking about. So if you have to read this wonderful, wise, entertaining, truthful, gift of a book. . . go on and JUST. READ. IT.
“It is such a mysterious place, the land of tears.”
// disclaimer: this review is probably messed up and has a lot of correction but I just really had the urge to review this book.
Full Review: http://wp.me/p8IxRn-aL
you know, I’m glad I was born a dreamer.
instagram | blog | ko-fi
———————
1st read:
“All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it.”
FORMAT READ: Paperback
SIMILAR VIBES: A Monster Calls, Bridge to Terabithia
This book turned out to be so much deeper than I expected before I read it. I thought it would be the type of children's novel that was simply 2 sentences per page, but it wasn't.
The message of the story was so well presented that I wondered how come I have not read this before when it seems like everyone around me already has.
And I don't think the most important thing in the book is if the little prince is real because I guess that will always depend on the reader but I think the most important thing is how we choose to represent the people, the objects and the planets into real life. I think I was just bursting the whole time on how good the story is and the book isn't even that long. The quotes, the metaphors made me want to cry out how perfect they were and I don't think I even have the right worshippers to describe reading my feelings the time I read this book.
“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”
The clearest message of the story to me, personally, was how it is us who decides and creates the importance of the things in our lives. Like how a random person can end up being your best friend, your most trusted companion. . . but to other people that same person may just be another normal person they pass by every day. It is how much time, care you invest into, not just objects, but people as well.
And I think this is why you should never listen to other people when they say that one think isn't important or one thing doesn't matter. They aren't you and only you can decide what is important to you.
This story is definitely one of those stories that you have to actually read first before you can even begin to understand what I am talking about. So if you have to read this wonderful, wise, entertaining, truthful, gift of a book. . . go on and JUST. READ. IT.
“It is such a mysterious place, the land of tears.”
// disclaimer: this review is probably messed up and has a lot of correction but I just really had the urge to review this book.
Full Review: http://wp.me/p8IxRn-aL
“someone found me and thought that I was worth something.”
the execution wasn't for me but I appreciated the themes it wanted to discuss and I think Micaiah Johnson made some smart moves. I think that the synopsis built it up too much.
— overall thoughts: 2.5 —
⇢ content warnings//
Spoiler
Addiction (mentioned), Blood, Child abuse (mentioned), Child death (mentioned), Child neglect (mentioned), Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia (mentioned), Murder, Poison, Rape (briefly mentioned/implied), Sex (implied), Sex work (discussed), Violence⇢ representation: Black main and side characters, Japanese main character, wlw main character, Non-binary side characters
It was hard for me to visualize descriptions and care about the plot since it did not feel as high stakes as it should've been. This might be the first time I did not fall in love with a book about parallel worlds and it makes me really sad. It was hard to care about the conflict of them just taking down this dictator person.
It ended on a hopeful note albeit a little anti-climactic.
The plot revolves around Cara who essentially can travel between worlds that are similar to ours. What makes her a huge asset is because you can only travel to a world where you are dead or else you’re the one who’s probably going to end up dying… and she has died in almost all of these worlds. I have to admit that the themes that the book wanted to talk about were very evident and I see how it could’ve been a really emotional story for a lot of people.
“I don’t think she’ll miss me, that’s too limited a way of thinking. But she makes me feel like she’s noticed me and I’m grateful for that too.”
Themes on racism, prejudice, and how simple opportunity can affect the direction of one’s life (specifically people of color), were actively discussed and I liked how it was placed into a sci-fi setting. The way that Johnson related how abuse and ignorance as the reasons that ultimately lead to her hundreds of death in all these worlds made for a lot of intrigue (that wasn’t a spoiler).
Unfortunately, the synopsis was more intriguing than the actual book. I’m really disappointed because the execution wasn't as emotional and as gripping as it should've been for me. It felt like I was watching everything happen from a glass case where no emotions could penetrate. I felt detached from the plot, the antagonist, the conflict, basically everything that was supposed to make it exciting. It lost me around the 30-50% mark. A huge part of the plot is our main character world jumping and even though it was interesting to see, I don’t know if it did much for the plot? Or maybe that was when it lost me. If only the plot matched the level of intrigue that synopsis set up.
There are definitely complicated characters if that's what you're looking for. There were a lot of times I was really close to getting attached to Cara and Del… but it just never sunk in for me. It was an interesting perspective to see this dystopia world from Cara's point of view, it brought up a lot of good discussions.
“The universe erases me, but it also remakes me again and again, so there must be something worthwhile in this image. ”
I have no other criticism aside from I wasn't emotionally attached at all. But if you end up falling in love with the characters, you might fall in love with this book.
↣ This did not speak to me personally but I know it did for a lot of people and I definitely see why. I just had a hard time caring about whatever the conflict was inflicting. If Micaiah Johnson comes out with more books in the future, I’m still going to be picking it up because of the themes and how she chooses to represent them alone. ↢
↣ Highly recommend if you are looking for a relatively short urban fantasy about mermaids with underlying themes of trauma, belonging, climate change, gender identity, ++ it's packed... while seamlessly weaving it into an endearing plot. Especially one that you get through quickly with a slightly darker tone. ↢
⇢ content warnings//
I didn't like my review so I deleted it and I feel like other reviews gave this more justice than I did so! :D
⇢ content warnings//
Spoiler
Animal death, Attempted suicide, Grief, Hallucinations, Slavery (past), Self-harm, TraumaI didn't like my review so I deleted it and I feel like other reviews gave this more justice than I did so! :D
“But Yetu wanted to remember how she remembered, with screams. She had no wish to transform trauma to performance. To parade what she’d come to think of as her own tragedies for entertainment.”
...Nothing really happened? The premise was the most interesting part of this story to me.
Before picking this up I didn't realized that this was actually a popular book, I guess I completely missed the hype.
— overall thoughts: 2.5 —
⇢ content warnings//
⇢ representation: Nigerian main characters*, Nigerian side characters*
The plot of the story is basically about this girl and her sister who ends up murdering each of her boyfriends for some reason. And so our main girl end up having to clean after. She disinfects the crime scene, takes care of the body, all of that. It picks up (but does it really?) towards around the 40% mark when her sister starts to be interested with this doctor that she works with in the hospital. I was still waiting for something to happen when I checked my progress and I was already at 80%. Which has been my problem for most of the mystery/thrillers that I have read. It takes majority of the book to build up to a certain plot point but by that time, it tends to lose me.
The pacing was not exactly dragging... it's just that nothing was happening.
Amusing at some times but not enough for me to enjoy it to the fullest. Even though there were some positive messages, I just could not relate to any of the characters and they were too unforgettable to me, especially that doctor. I do think the family aspect was really focused on and so I would give it brownie points for that. In fact, the uncanny premise gave a lot of sense to the sister squabble albeit in a dark way, which was still fun to read about.
If anything, read this for the sister dynamics.
The plot and the idea of the story is unique, albeit dark in theory, but I think it could have done better in terms of execution. Perhaps this would be more relatable to other people but personally, it was not something I found exciting, it just felt like a lot of weird drama at times and I was just... meh.
But I guess if you're into that, you might like this then. This was full of missed opportunities for me but if you want a fast and twisted read, with some juicy (and sweet) sister moments, you can try this out.
Before picking this up I didn't realized that this was actually a popular book, I guess I completely missed the hype.
— overall thoughts: 2.5 —
⇢ content warnings//
Spoiler
Blood, Cheating, Child abuse, Domestic violence, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape (implied), Stabbing, Violence⇢ representation: Nigerian main characters*, Nigerian side characters*
The plot of the story is basically about this girl and her sister who ends up murdering each of her boyfriends for some reason. And so our main girl end up having to clean after. She disinfects the crime scene, takes care of the body, all of that. It picks up (but does it really?) towards around the 40% mark when her sister starts to be interested with this doctor that she works with in the hospital. I was still waiting for something to happen when I checked my progress and I was already at 80%. Which has been my problem for most of the mystery/thrillers that I have read. It takes majority of the book to build up to a certain plot point but by that time, it tends to lose me.
The pacing was not exactly dragging... it's just that nothing was happening.
Amusing at some times but not enough for me to enjoy it to the fullest. Even though there were some positive messages, I just could not relate to any of the characters and they were too unforgettable to me, especially that doctor. I do think the family aspect was really focused on and so I would give it brownie points for that. In fact, the uncanny premise gave a lot of sense to the sister squabble albeit in a dark way, which was still fun to read about.
If anything, read this for the sister dynamics.
The plot and the idea of the story is unique, albeit dark in theory, but I think it could have done better in terms of execution. Perhaps this would be more relatable to other people but personally, it was not something I found exciting, it just felt like a lot of weird drama at times and I was just... meh.
But I guess if you're into that, you might like this then. This was full of missed opportunities for me but if you want a fast and twisted read, with some juicy (and sweet) sister moments, you can try this out.
“Everything changed then nothing changed. And I was still, frustratingly enough, nothing more than myself.”
I have such mixed feelings about the majority of this book but that ending with Nghi Vo’s writing style… gave me a new perspective on everything that it brought this book up from 2 stars to 3 stars.
The dark, magical, and lyrical writing of The Chosen and the Beautiful sold me so quickly at the start but as the story progressed it was a little disappointing that the story focused more on everything except Jordan, the main character. I feel like the main character’s background, complex personality, and intriguing personal relationships were wasted on a story that didn’t really revolve around her most of the time. She was very much an observer but I have heard that it pays homage to how the original was written. Even then, I feel like even a retelling should be able to stand on it’s own even with readers who have not read it in it's original form. Especially since this is supposedly an Asian Queer retelling, bringing something new and refreshing, I feel like this could have done so much more than it did. Don't even get me started on the fantasy and magic... it barely added anything to the story except made me continue the book in the beginning.
“I hadn’t even reached the bottom of learning what I wanted. And even if he couldn’t give those things to me, maybe I liked that he wanted to try.”
The drama and nuanced socialite society kept me going but the casual cheating at the beginning bothered me a little too much. I get where it’s coming from and I do like how everything tied together in the end but I was just too bothered by how emotional cheating was tackled. It kept me from enjoying the story and it’s sad because I so badly wanted to love this book. It also felt a little weird how majority of the lgbtq+ rep was related to the casual/emotional cheating.
I knew absolutely nothing about The Great Gatsby (i haven’t read or watched it) when I started this but reading the reviews makes me think that I might actually like the original story still. Especially since it intrigues me that the story was from Nick’s perspective, which what the original piece was in, apparently.
“The world was on fire but we could only smell the smoke.”
↣ Medium paced, socialite society, friendship, drama, and about finding yourself. There’s not that much magic, which was a little disappointing but I feel like I would still recommend this to people if you find that it calls out to you. There’s just something about that ending that pulled at my heart more than I thought it would and I wouldn’t want to discourage those that might find this life-changing. ↢
— 3.0 —
⇢ content warnings// Abortion, Alcohol use, Car accident (hit and run), Colonialism, Death, Domestic abuse (physical), Emesis, Infidelity, Murder, Racism, Substance abuse
⤜ pre-read review ⤛
magic and a queer asian-american great gatsby??? WHY WAS I NOT AWARE!!!
@publishers please do not stop with these beautiful covers
“Life is too short to be ringed by other people’s expectations of proper behavior.”
Starting off by saying that the premise of this is absolutely exquisite from the vietnamese-inspired world to the politics and the sapphic romance. I could like in that premise alone but the execution just didn’t hit for me.
My favorite aspect was definitely the fact that this was set in a world where the norm is for women to be political, brash, and confident. Which is already different from the usual fantasy world where women are expected to be quite and soft spoken, so that was really interesting to me. The discussion on gaslighting and toxic relationships was also something that I liked and didn't expect going into this.
I loved that the story began as if in the middle of a scene and I liked learning more about the world as we carried on with the plot. But I really wished Aliette de Bodard leaned a little bit more on the fantasy political route. It started off strong in that regard but then I think there were decisions made in the end that I feel like didn't fit the narrative it was initially translating. I'm really trying so hard not to spoil anything because this book is so short.
“Just because it makes sense doesn’t mean it needs to happen that way.”
However, this fell in the novella curse for me with the romance and the plot. I feel like I just wasn’t emotionally attached to the characters enough. It didn’t feel like they were flushed out and it was a little difficult to understand their motivations. It doesn’t help that I thought one of the people in the love triangle was platonic so I was really surprised with some of the things that went down because it didn’t feel like there was much of a connection there. Even though the story is so short, I feel like there would still be a way to do that, like how I feel with Nghi Vo’s short stories. There was a lot of assuming on my end on why they wanted to do this and that, which wasn’t really enjoyable for me. I like getting to know each character in depth.
“If love is what it takes to make her remember a girl in the midst of a fire, then how much can you trust her? How much can you trust that love?”
At the end of the day, it was really difficult for me to figure out what the message of the story was and how it translated into the story but I do like the themes on societal views on women. I’m still curious about more books from this author though because i liked the commentary and (going against the norm)
↣ A relatively short and fast adult fantasy read with politics and sapphics. I do love a lot of the themes that it wanted to discuss so it wasn't entirely disappointing. It felt a little like too many things came out of nowhere but if you can look past that… you can try it and hopefully this is more for you. ↢
— 2.5 —
⇢ content warnings// Abusive relationship (emotional/physical), Arson, Attempted rape, Blackmailing, Gaslighting, Grooming (discussed), Trauma
It delivered the cozy non-western and non-european mystery story that I wanted but I wish the twists surprised me more given that it’s a mystery.
The romance was so wholesome, sweet, and lowkey. Even though I was mostly in it for the atmosphere, the couple charmed me. The saving grace of this book was the ending of the book because I love the way it ended and it got a lot more intense. I don’t think it’s badly written but my problem with June Hur books is that the main plot always feels a little too linear for my liking. But of course, if that’s something you want a little more, this might be perfect for you. The twists just never surprise me, which for a mystery/thriller, I feel like should be needed?
Themes are on authority and family, which I am always so soft for. I especially how everything played out in the end and the feelings that it pulled out of me as I closed the book.
This wasn’t particularly ground breaking for me but I wanted a cozy historical mystery that wasn’t western or european set and I loved it for that. We hardly get any stories like this and I hope we do get more in the future... hopefully I read ones that wreck my mind more.
↣ This read largely like a historical korean mystery drama (complete with a female mc that goes against the patriarchy in her own way) so if that sounds appealing to you, like it does to me, I definitely think you should give this a try! Especially when you want a main character that goes against the patriarchy in her own way. So cozy, atmospheric, and unflinchingly Korean. ↢
— 3.25 —
⇢ content warnings// Blood, Human Trafficking, Misogyny/Sexism, Murder, Violence
————————
keep the korean historical mysteries coming
The romance was so wholesome, sweet, and lowkey. Even though I was mostly in it for the atmosphere, the couple charmed me. The saving grace of this book was the ending of the book because I love the way it ended and it got a lot more intense. I don’t think it’s badly written but my problem with June Hur books is that the main plot always feels a little too linear for my liking. But of course, if that’s something you want a little more, this might be perfect for you. The twists just never surprise me, which for a mystery/thriller, I feel like should be needed?
Themes are on authority and family, which I am always so soft for. I especially how everything played out in the end and the feelings that it pulled out of me as I closed the book.
This wasn’t particularly ground breaking for me but I wanted a cozy historical mystery that wasn’t western or european set and I loved it for that. We hardly get any stories like this and I hope we do get more in the future... hopefully I read ones that wreck my mind more.
↣ This read largely like a historical korean mystery drama (complete with a female mc that goes against the patriarchy in her own way) so if that sounds appealing to you, like it does to me, I definitely think you should give this a try! Especially when you want a main character that goes against the patriarchy in her own way. So cozy, atmospheric, and unflinchingly Korean. ↢
— 3.25 —
⇢ content warnings// Blood, Human Trafficking, Misogyny/Sexism, Murder, Violence
————————
keep the korean historical mysteries coming