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typedtruths's Reviews (1.8k)
3.5 stars
Shusterman routinely provides books that don’t just entertain or amuse but make me change the way I think about life… which is a pretty dramatic and bold statement but nonetheless truthful. Bruiser made an impression on me earlier this year but I think Scythe took it one step further. I could not stop thinking about this book for weeks after I put it down. In our current world, we are in the middle of important and relevant discussions about the ethicality of transhumanism and other life-prolonging scientific research. This is a book that provides the perfect piece of discussion fodder for such conversations. I loved its themes of morality on life and death, on freedom and societal responsibility, and the way it provided multiple viewpoints of the situation without seeming even remotely preachy. Every character was rich and complex. There was not a single character that had clean-cut motivations or that you could not sympathise, empathise or in some way understand, no matter what terrible things that were doing. Every time I pick up a book by Shusterman, I am blown away at his talent of creating worlds and characters that make are so impossibly realistic and vibrant that I have difficulty remembering they are fictional. This was no exception.
If all the talk about themes and emotive writing is off-putting to you, do not fear. This book is no less entertaining or - for lack of a better word - fun for it. The characters are realistic and relatable. You will find yourself loving both Citra and Rowen the more you read about them. There are moments of humour to lighten the mood - and these moments are done incredibly well. Action scenes are plentiful, and there is a fair bit of gore and violence if that is your thing. I promise that the plot twists will keep you anxiously flipping the pages. I don’t think there are too many people who would dislike this book. There is honestly something for everyone!
The only negative thing about this book was the slow beginning. There is a little bit too many information-heavy chapters in the beginning and it may seem like a dense and complicated story to any impatient readers. I did struggle with the world-building at first and the characters seems a little unlikable but I promise that with time it grows and grows.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
Shusterman routinely provides books that don’t just entertain or amuse but make me change the way I think about life… which is a pretty dramatic and bold statement but nonetheless truthful. Bruiser made an impression on me earlier this year but I think Scythe took it one step further. I could not stop thinking about this book for weeks after I put it down. In our current world, we are in the middle of important and relevant discussions about the ethicality of transhumanism and other life-prolonging scientific research. This is a book that provides the perfect piece of discussion fodder for such conversations. I loved its themes of morality on life and death, on freedom and societal responsibility, and the way it provided multiple viewpoints of the situation without seeming even remotely preachy. Every character was rich and complex. There was not a single character that had clean-cut motivations or that you could not sympathise, empathise or in some way understand, no matter what terrible things that were doing. Every time I pick up a book by Shusterman, I am blown away at his talent of creating worlds and characters that make are so impossibly realistic and vibrant that I have difficulty remembering they are fictional. This was no exception.
If all the talk about themes and emotive writing is off-putting to you, do not fear. This book is no less entertaining or - for lack of a better word - fun for it. The characters are realistic and relatable. You will find yourself loving both Citra and Rowen the more you read about them. There are moments of humour to lighten the mood - and these moments are done incredibly well. Action scenes are plentiful, and there is a fair bit of gore and violence if that is your thing. I promise that the plot twists will keep you anxiously flipping the pages. I don’t think there are too many people who would dislike this book. There is honestly something for everyone!
The only negative thing about this book was the slow beginning. There is a little bit too many information-heavy chapters in the beginning and it may seem like a dense and complicated story to any impatient readers. I did struggle with the world-building at first and the characters seems a little unlikable but I promise that with time it grows and grows.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
If I could sum this book up in a sentence: this was undeniably a fun and entertaining read but it just did not pack the punch I expected it to. There were so many things that this story did right… but it was also just not for me? I enjoyed it - don’t get me wrong - but I felt that there were a few too many elements that just did not hit the bar for me and I could not get as attached to the characters or their story as I would have liked.
Both Solara and Daron were decent protagonists. Their budding relationship was developed well across the story - with the perfect blend of hatred, awkward bumbling just-become-friends moments and actual romance. The problem was that I just did not connect to them. They were well-written characters, especially Solara whose determination to carve a path for herself in a tough, unforgiving world was admirable, but I just did not connect with them on a personal level. I think this had a tiny bit to do with the fact that Daron went from “privileged, rich dickhead” to “flirty but friendly goofball” a little bit too quickly for my liking… but that is probably me being picky, to be honest. Like I said, the romance was well-paced. If you love hate-to-love romances, I would recommend it hands down, but my lack of connection to the characters meant I was not quite as attached to their relationships as I would have liked to be. I didn’t not ship them. In fact, I thought they were quite cute together. I just did not get onboard their relationship like everyone else seemed to. I think this is just a case of it’s me, not you.
The secondary characters were what let me down most of all. I don’t know if it is just me or whether the synopsis misled anyone else but I thought this was about a ragtag family-like group of anti-heroes/criminals doing schemy space-pirate things. And it wasn’t? Not really. Please don’t get me wrong, I think that the secondary characters were so well-written. They were absolutely adorable and complex and the banter (!) but I just did not get the relationship dynamics I wanted and it let me down.
The plot was definitely entertaining. I found the complexity of the world was balanced quite well. The advancement in technology was not stretched too far to be unbelievable but still felt authentically futuristic. Landers’ attention to detail - especially the whole they-forgot-to-add-birds thing - was what got me so onboard her descriptions of the various planets the characters visited. I did think that the plot was spread out a little bit too much. It would have been better focusing on one particular obstacle (and by that I mean: the pirates, it should have been about the pirates). Also, I found that the story was building up to an epic ending… and it was just entertaining, not epic? I don’t know. It was missing that sense of desperation. I didn’t feel as emotionally invested as I should have been.
Overall?
I hate that I feel like I’m being unnecessarily picky about this book but while this was a good book, it was missing so many little things to make it truly great. The plotline was entertaining and fast-paced but it was missing a clear focus and… something. I don’t know what! The characters were all really decent and I loved them as individuals, I just wanted more from their relationships. I did enjoy this book as whole but it is not a favourite of mine. I wanted more from it. Hopefully, the sequel will make up for it.
Both Solara and Daron were decent protagonists. Their budding relationship was developed well across the story - with the perfect blend of hatred, awkward bumbling just-become-friends moments and actual romance. The problem was that I just did not connect to them. They were well-written characters, especially Solara whose determination to carve a path for herself in a tough, unforgiving world was admirable, but I just did not connect with them on a personal level. I think this had a tiny bit to do with the fact that Daron went from “privileged, rich dickhead” to “flirty but friendly goofball” a little bit too quickly for my liking… but that is probably me being picky, to be honest. Like I said, the romance was well-paced. If you love hate-to-love romances, I would recommend it hands down, but my lack of connection to the characters meant I was not quite as attached to their relationships as I would have liked to be. I didn’t not ship them. In fact, I thought they were quite cute together. I just did not get onboard their relationship like everyone else seemed to. I think this is just a case of it’s me, not you.
The secondary characters were what let me down most of all. I don’t know if it is just me or whether the synopsis misled anyone else but I thought this was about a ragtag family-like group of anti-heroes/criminals doing schemy space-pirate things. And it wasn’t? Not really. Please don’t get me wrong, I think that the secondary characters were so well-written. They were absolutely adorable and complex and the banter (!) but I just did not get the relationship dynamics I wanted and it let me down.
The plot was definitely entertaining. I found the complexity of the world was balanced quite well. The advancement in technology was not stretched too far to be unbelievable but still felt authentically futuristic. Landers’ attention to detail - especially the whole they-forgot-to-add-birds thing - was what got me so onboard her descriptions of the various planets the characters visited. I did think that the plot was spread out a little bit too much. It would have been better focusing on one particular obstacle (and by that I mean: the pirates, it should have been about the pirates). Also, I found that the story was building up to an epic ending… and it was just entertaining, not epic? I don’t know. It was missing that sense of desperation. I didn’t feel as emotionally invested as I should have been.
Overall?
I hate that I feel like I’m being unnecessarily picky about this book but while this was a good book, it was missing so many little things to make it truly great. The plotline was entertaining and fast-paced but it was missing a clear focus and… something. I don’t know what! The characters were all really decent and I loved them as individuals, I just wanted more from their relationships. I did enjoy this book as whole but it is not a favourite of mine. I wanted more from it. Hopefully, the sequel will make up for it.
As soon as I finished the first volume of this series, I put the second on hold at my library. This rarely happens with graphic novels for me. It doesn't matter how much I adore a new series, I rarely get attached enough to go out of my way to get the sequels. Something just clicked with the Paper Girls series for me, though. Maybe because it is appealing to the time travel nerd side of me. Maybe it is just the aesthetic part of my brain that wants more of this art style. Whatever it is, this series has me hooked.
This volume definitely furthered the plot. I was a little bit iffy where this story was heading after Volume One but Volume Two definitely cemented that for me. I really fell in love with the creativity of this world. The time travel aspects are still a little blurry. We barely know who is who and what they want to achieve but I am so desperate for answers, it had me enthralled. Future-English is one cleverest things I have ever read. It is so accurate. I also enjoyed how we explored the different Erins in this volume - that was interesting - and slightly touched on some of the paradoxical elements of travelling through time. The ending was twisty and fun. I have already put Volume Three on hold so hopefully, I’ll be up to date with this series soon.
I will say that I am still not particularly attached to the characters of this series, which is a shame. The author of Saga is definitely capable of writing more nuanced, interesting characters so I am still disappointed that he did achieve that in this series; yet, anyway. It did not help that the treatment of Older Erin’s anxiety was not handled in a way that I particularly respected. I understand that it was coming from the POV of children who had little knowledge or experience with MIs but it still made me a tad uncomfortable.
Overall? I need to stress how much I adore this art style. It is flawless. The colouring is beyond gorgeous. I sat in wonder at the gradients of the double-page spreads and definitely need to check out the artists’ other works.
This volume definitely furthered the plot. I was a little bit iffy where this story was heading after Volume One but Volume Two definitely cemented that for me. I really fell in love with the creativity of this world. The time travel aspects are still a little blurry. We barely know who is who and what they want to achieve but I am so desperate for answers, it had me enthralled. Future-English is one cleverest things I have ever read. It is so accurate. I also enjoyed how we explored the different Erins in this volume - that was interesting - and slightly touched on some of the paradoxical elements of travelling through time. The ending was twisty and fun. I have already put Volume Three on hold so hopefully, I’ll be up to date with this series soon.
I will say that I am still not particularly attached to the characters of this series, which is a shame. The author of Saga is definitely capable of writing more nuanced, interesting characters so I am still disappointed that he did achieve that in this series; yet, anyway. It did not help that the treatment of Older Erin’s anxiety was not handled in a way that I particularly respected. I understand that it was coming from the POV of children who had little knowledge or experience with MIs but it still made me a tad uncomfortable.
Overall? I need to stress how much I adore this art style. It is flawless. The colouring is beyond gorgeous. I sat in wonder at the gradients of the double-page spreads and definitely need to check out the artists’ other works.
The first 300 pages were a nightmare, but damn, those last 200 pages were heart-poundingly shocking and kind of stole my heart. Not sure what to think.
This review contains spoilers.
Wayfarer was a long, arduous read that did not live up to the potential established in Passenger. Like most readers, I had massive problems with the writing style and pacing of this sequel. Bracken has the unfortunate habit of picking up random tangents and running with them for several pages at a time. It was infuriating, to say the least. We would be forced to dilly-dally around the main plotline for entire chapters as the characters wasted time doing goodness knows what for goodness know what reason. The book as a whole could easily have been at least 150 shorter if these scenes and repetitive passages in Nicholas’s chapters had been cut down.
The characters were another sore spot. Henry was the only character that I genuinely enjoyed. Although looking back, I do have to say that I admire Sophia’s ‘take no shit’ attitude and for being the most rational character in the entire book by far. Unfortunately, the main characters were nothing like I remembered them to be from the first book, especially Nicholas. He did nothing but whinge and whine for the entire book. He used his grief to excuse his poor choices and to a certain extent, I can understand that but damn, he was an idiot for the majority of the books and so self-pitying that it drove me bonkers. Etta was also off. She had literally no personality and I felt like she was oddly absent from the main storyline for the most part.
The romance was also poorly written. Etta and Nicholas had no chemistry. Their entire relationship in this book relied on the leftover feels of the one romantic scene in Passenger. No effort was made to develop or deepen their relationship and I was just not feeling it, even if I shipped it in the first book. I needed more. I did like that it had a lot of diverse elements without ramming its theme down our throats. Sophia’s romance was a little forced but it was worth the effort and I liked how seamlessly a gay couple was slipped into the story as well.
Wayfarer was very plot-focused but I struggled to keep track of everything that was happening. The entire Belladonna plotline left me clueless. I had no idea what was happening and even now, I do not understand what Shadows are meant to be. I don’t know if I fell asleep at that point or what, all I know is that they stole kids to become assassins or something like that? They were randomly just always there, attacking people, and somehow Nicholas could always injury or kill them, even when he was dying. It was too much for me. It felt unneeded, confusing and plot hole-ish. It also did not help that Nicholas was acting like a clueless rookie. He made stupid decision after stupid decision and drove me insane with frustration. I don’t understand who would trust an Ironwood at this point? It seems such a moronic move to make and why oh why would you make a freaking deal with a witch with such sloppy wording? Everyone know that you have to be hella specific when you make a binding contract with someone. You can always find a loophole and you never, ever promise to do a favour for them in return and not specify when or what that favour is! That is just being dumb. There is no other way to describe it.
Also, I desperately need to talk about the ending. Umm, what was that meant to be? I hated it. I was proud of Nicholas for making the decision he did. Screw everyone’s personal motives, he knew he had to put the collective good first and just restore the timeline… and then things went to hell. What was he thinking? I get going into the future to see/be with Etta. I get that and even expected that to happen… but the rest? I was so, so confused. He just decided to open all the passages again, consequences be damned? I cannot wrap up my head around that. It seems like such a stupid thing to do to me. Is that not the reason everything went to hell in the first place? Also, I really, really, really wanted her mum to be evil so that ‘twist’ ruined that for me.
Overall?
Wayfarer was too long, too boring and too poorly constructed for me to enjoy it. I did like some of the historical scenes - the history nerd in my fangirled over Nicholas II - and Henry but I did not enjoy the as a whole much at all. The writing style was dense. The pacing was slow. The characters were unlikable and their relationship lost all its shippy-ness. I was just disappointed by too many elements of this series finale to be satisfied.
Wayfarer was a long, arduous read that did not live up to the potential established in Passenger. Like most readers, I had massive problems with the writing style and pacing of this sequel. Bracken has the unfortunate habit of picking up random tangents and running with them for several pages at a time. It was infuriating, to say the least. We would be forced to dilly-dally around the main plotline for entire chapters as the characters wasted time doing goodness knows what for goodness know what reason. The book as a whole could easily have been at least 150 shorter if these scenes and repetitive passages in Nicholas’s chapters had been cut down.
The characters were another sore spot. Henry was the only character that I genuinely enjoyed. Although looking back, I do have to say that I admire Sophia’s ‘take no shit’ attitude and for being the most rational character in the entire book by far. Unfortunately, the main characters were nothing like I remembered them to be from the first book, especially Nicholas. He did nothing but whinge and whine for the entire book. He used his grief to excuse his poor choices and to a certain extent, I can understand that but damn, he was an idiot for the majority of the books and so self-pitying that it drove me bonkers. Etta was also off. She had literally no personality and I felt like she was oddly absent from the main storyline for the most part.
The romance was also poorly written. Etta and Nicholas had no chemistry. Their entire relationship in this book relied on the leftover feels of the one romantic scene in Passenger. No effort was made to develop or deepen their relationship and I was just not feeling it, even if I shipped it in the first book. I needed more. I did like that it had a lot of diverse elements without ramming its theme down our throats. Sophia’s romance was a little forced but it was worth the effort and I liked how seamlessly a gay couple was slipped into the story as well.
Wayfarer was very plot-focused but I struggled to keep track of everything that was happening. The entire Belladonna plotline left me clueless. I had no idea what was happening and even now, I do not understand what Shadows are meant to be. I don’t know if I fell asleep at that point or what, all I know is that they stole kids to become assassins or something like that? They were randomly just always there, attacking people, and somehow Nicholas could always injury or kill them, even when he was dying. It was too much for me. It felt unneeded, confusing and plot hole-ish. It also did not help that Nicholas was acting like a clueless rookie. He made stupid decision after stupid decision and drove me insane with frustration. I don’t understand who would trust an Ironwood at this point? It seems such a moronic move to make and why oh why would you make a freaking deal with a witch with such sloppy wording? Everyone know that you have to be hella specific when you make a binding contract with someone. You can always find a loophole and you never, ever promise to do a favour for them in return and not specify when or what that favour is! That is just being dumb. There is no other way to describe it.
Also, I desperately need to talk about the ending. Umm, what was that meant to be? I hated it. I was proud of Nicholas for making the decision he did. Screw everyone’s personal motives, he knew he had to put the collective good first and just restore the timeline… and then things went to hell. What was he thinking? I get going into the future to see/be with Etta. I get that and even expected that to happen… but the rest? I was so, so confused. He just decided to open all the passages again, consequences be damned? I cannot wrap up my head around that. It seems like such a stupid thing to do to me. Is that not the reason everything went to hell in the first place? Also, I really, really, really wanted her mum to be evil so that ‘twist’ ruined that for me.
Overall?
Wayfarer was too long, too boring and too poorly constructed for me to enjoy it. I did like some of the historical scenes - the history nerd in my fangirled over Nicholas II - and Henry but I did not enjoy the as a whole much at all. The writing style was dense. The pacing was slow. The characters were unlikable and their relationship lost all its shippy-ness. I was just disappointed by too many elements of this series finale to be satisfied.
2.5 stars
Like Hall’s [b:Been Here All Along|23854755|Been Here All Along|Sandy Hall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455175014s/23854755.jpg|43464483], I found Signs Point to Yes to be a sweet, endearing and entertaining read - in a mindless sort of way - but one which didn’t really make much more of an impression than that. The characters and the romance lacked depth and the plotline was a little bit all over the place. What made this a truly meh read, however, was its sheer awkwardness. I concede that in contemporary romances, especially ones that attempt to be as modern as Sandy Hall, there’s a fine line between realistic romantic blunders and plain old awkwardness... This book crossed that line in too many ways.
One the things which stopped me from truly adoring this story was the the characters:
Jane: In many ways she was little more than the stereotypical plain Jane character. She didn’t have a very distinctive personality and it made it very difficult to connect to her as a protagonist. The main two features which were meant to define her personality - her attachment to her Magic 8 ball, and her struggle with not being as smart as the rest of her family - would have been such amazing focal points in the story if they had expanded on. Her struggle with her intelligence was also handled rather oddly. She would spend one moment moaning how stupid she supposedly was and the next telling Teo that she was logical and a genius… I wasn’t sure how to take this? It would have much more interesting to see a legitimate struggle to find her place in a family of academics when she wasn’t one herself. I did, however, like that was struggling from a lack of direction regarding college and post-graduation life. As someone with only a few weeks of high school left myself, I know what it’s like to be in the “oh shit, I’m an adult… now what?” stage of life. Also, Jane’s obsession with writing odd/crossover fanfiction also felt like something that was thrown in at the last minute - to make Jane more relatable for readers. You know how some authors make characters purposefully bookish because readers want to read about other readers (my God, that’s a tongue twister) and it sells books? Yeah, it felt like that. We never even saw her watching an episode of Doctor Who!
Teo: He also had very little personality. For some reason, he had this odd hatred of his stepfather, Buck. Every time Buck tried to talk to him, he got angered. Every time Buck asked him to do a chore, like mow the lawn - which for some reason seemed to happen multiple times in this book - he got really pissy about it. The whole situation felt blown out of proportion. I understand that relationships between stepparents and stepchildren can be difficult at times (just look at the fairy tales if you don’t believe me) but Buck was so genuinely kind that I didn’t understand the problem.
Margo: She was a bit of an odd character. I didn’t think that she felt very consistent. One minute she was this ruthless academic who Jane could barely tolerate being around, and the next she was all buddy-buddy with her, sharing gossip and sitting around the pool like they were the closest sisters to ever live. I liked that we had some healthy familial relationships but the whole thing felt rushed and out of place. I did llike that we explored her bisexuality throughout this story though.
Ravi: With all that being said, Ravi was by far the most confusing character in this book. He ‘hated’ Jane for the majority of this book and had this odd vendetta against her but it was all over the most trivial and immature thing you could imagine. When it was revealed why, I couldn’t help but laugh at loud. It was honestly so all just so petty! It made little sense for the level of antagonism between them. I had no idea why Teo was friends with him after everything he said and did to Jane.
The main aspect of this story was its romance and the romance was… well, it was all just so awkward! Teo and Jane had no chemistry between them and didn’t even seem to realise they could be attracted to each other until Margo helpfully pointed it out. While I thought their awkward little ‘flirting’ session were pretty realistic and some of their ‘moments’ were rather cute, especially the roof scene, the secondhand cringe-factor from their encounters was way too much. I loved the fact that the author attempted to make them as realistic as possible but there’s a point where it is just not enjoyable to read about two character who are so awkward together, especially when they spend most of their time staring at each other, blushing, avoiding eye contact and mumbling awkward excuses before running away. This is not exactly what makes me swoon like the publishers promises... I just couldn’t get myself invested in their relationship.
The plot as a whole was also kind of weird. For the majority of the novel it tried to be a typical summer romance with tropes like going to swimming pools to spy on the hot lifeguards, babysitting adorable little kids and bonfire parties. All that is well and good but the second half, with its road trip and attempts to find Teo’s father, felt random and out of place. It was one of those stupid situations where if the teenagers had just (a) communicated better or (b) talked to a goddamn adult, the whole thing would have been fine.
Overall?
Despite the number of negatives that I can list about this book, I thought it was an easy and mostly fun read. I didn’t quite connect to the characters but the romance - despite being awkward and not nearly as swoony as I would have hoped - was mostly realistic and in its own way, adorable. I love Hall’s writing style and the way she is able to create modern romances with ease. I would recommend her newest release, [b:Been Here All Along|23854755|Been Here All Along|Sandy Hall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455175014s/23854755.jpg|43464483], over this one but I still did actually enjoy it.
Like Hall’s [b:Been Here All Along|23854755|Been Here All Along|Sandy Hall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455175014s/23854755.jpg|43464483], I found Signs Point to Yes to be a sweet, endearing and entertaining read - in a mindless sort of way - but one which didn’t really make much more of an impression than that. The characters and the romance lacked depth and the plotline was a little bit all over the place. What made this a truly meh read, however, was its sheer awkwardness. I concede that in contemporary romances, especially ones that attempt to be as modern as Sandy Hall, there’s a fine line between realistic romantic blunders and plain old awkwardness... This book crossed that line in too many ways.
One the things which stopped me from truly adoring this story was the the characters:
Jane: In many ways she was little more than the stereotypical plain Jane character. She didn’t have a very distinctive personality and it made it very difficult to connect to her as a protagonist. The main two features which were meant to define her personality - her attachment to her Magic 8 ball, and her struggle with not being as smart as the rest of her family - would have been such amazing focal points in the story if they had expanded on. Her struggle with her intelligence was also handled rather oddly. She would spend one moment moaning how stupid she supposedly was and the next telling Teo that she was logical and a genius… I wasn’t sure how to take this? It would have much more interesting to see a legitimate struggle to find her place in a family of academics when she wasn’t one herself. I did, however, like that was struggling from a lack of direction regarding college and post-graduation life. As someone with only a few weeks of high school left myself, I know what it’s like to be in the “oh shit, I’m an adult… now what?” stage of life. Also, Jane’s obsession with writing odd/crossover fanfiction also felt like something that was thrown in at the last minute - to make Jane more relatable for readers. You know how some authors make characters purposefully bookish because readers want to read about other readers (my God, that’s a tongue twister) and it sells books? Yeah, it felt like that. We never even saw her watching an episode of Doctor Who!
Teo: He also had very little personality. For some reason, he had this odd hatred of his stepfather, Buck. Every time Buck tried to talk to him, he got angered. Every time Buck asked him to do a chore, like mow the lawn - which for some reason seemed to happen multiple times in this book - he got really pissy about it. The whole situation felt blown out of proportion. I understand that relationships between stepparents and stepchildren can be difficult at times (just look at the fairy tales if you don’t believe me) but Buck was so genuinely kind that I didn’t understand the problem.
Margo: She was a bit of an odd character. I didn’t think that she felt very consistent. One minute she was this ruthless academic who Jane could barely tolerate being around, and the next she was all buddy-buddy with her, sharing gossip and sitting around the pool like they were the closest sisters to ever live. I liked that we had some healthy familial relationships but the whole thing felt rushed and out of place. I did llike that we explored her bisexuality throughout this story though.
Ravi: With all that being said, Ravi was by far the most confusing character in this book. He ‘hated’ Jane for the majority of this book and had this odd vendetta against her but it was all over the most trivial and immature thing you could imagine. When it was revealed why, I couldn’t help but laugh at loud. It was honestly so all just so petty! It made little sense for the level of antagonism between them. I had no idea why Teo was friends with him after everything he said and did to Jane.
The main aspect of this story was its romance and the romance was… well, it was all just so awkward! Teo and Jane had no chemistry between them and didn’t even seem to realise they could be attracted to each other until Margo helpfully pointed it out. While I thought their awkward little ‘flirting’ session were pretty realistic and some of their ‘moments’ were rather cute, especially the roof scene, the secondhand cringe-factor from their encounters was way too much. I loved the fact that the author attempted to make them as realistic as possible but there’s a point where it is just not enjoyable to read about two character who are so awkward together, especially when they spend most of their time staring at each other, blushing, avoiding eye contact and mumbling awkward excuses before running away. This is not exactly what makes me swoon like the publishers promises... I just couldn’t get myself invested in their relationship.
The plot as a whole was also kind of weird. For the majority of the novel it tried to be a typical summer romance with tropes like going to swimming pools to spy on the hot lifeguards, babysitting adorable little kids and bonfire parties. All that is well and good but the second half, with its road trip and attempts to find Teo’s father, felt random and out of place. It was one of those stupid situations where if the teenagers had just (a) communicated better or (b) talked to a goddamn adult, the whole thing would have been fine.
Overall?
Despite the number of negatives that I can list about this book, I thought it was an easy and mostly fun read. I didn’t quite connect to the characters but the romance - despite being awkward and not nearly as swoony as I would have hoped - was mostly realistic and in its own way, adorable. I love Hall’s writing style and the way she is able to create modern romances with ease. I would recommend her newest release, [b:Been Here All Along|23854755|Been Here All Along|Sandy Hall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455175014s/23854755.jpg|43464483], over this one but I still did actually enjoy it.
Invictus was a fun, fresh time travel adventure story. If sci-fi stories with large, dynamic casts are your thing, I think this book is going to appeal to you on a lot of levels. The premise is wonderful and the book does a lot of aspects well. I loved the fact that it takes place in a spaceship-like time travel device. It gave me a lot of Rampion crew and [b:Starflight|21793182|Starflight (Starflight, #1)|Melissa Landers|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456568054s/21793182.jpg|41045510] feels. I thought that the world-building was realistic and well-written. Graudin obviously has a flair for writing atmospheric historical settings but her version of the future was also plausible and realistic. It balanced the line between dystopia and sci-fi very well.
The plot itself was a little more of a mixed bag. I thought that the pacing was off. The beginning hooked me. What a prologue! The middle, however, was a drag and the time jumps were awkward. It skipped over the most fascinating element of the whole story (imo): the heists. I definitely would have preferred this book focus on the team travelling throughout time and stealing significant objects. Time travelling pirates, anyone? It did wrap up nicely, with that being said. If the publisher pushes Graudin to write a sequel, I will honestly cry.
What let this down for me was the characters. They were so flat! Far was a very stereotypical arrogant jerk that I found particularly unlikable. I didn’t think anyone else - about from Gram, who was my fave (apart from Saffron) - had all that much of a personality either. I adored the fact that Far and Priya had an established relationship with no real angst or drama. We definitely need couples like this! They just had no chemistry and I was not invested. Imogen and Gram’s romance was appalling. It was so damn forced. It was awkward and juvenile and rushed. It really felt out of place in the story and their kiss scene made me so uncomfortable. Gram did not seem into it at all, only forced by the other crew members. I did like the effortless ethnic diversity of the cast.
Overall? I loved the premise and the atmosphere of this story. Graudin had a fantastic vision for this dystopian world and executed that element well. I just struggled with the characters a lot. Far was not a particularly likeable protagonist, and I found the secondary characters underdeveloped. I will definitely be giving Graudin another chance in the future.
The plot itself was a little more of a mixed bag. I thought that the pacing was off. The beginning hooked me. What a prologue! The middle, however, was a drag and the time jumps were awkward. It skipped over the most fascinating element of the whole story (imo): the heists. I definitely would have preferred this book focus on the team travelling throughout time and stealing significant objects. Time travelling pirates, anyone? It did wrap up nicely, with that being said. If the publisher pushes Graudin to write a sequel, I will honestly cry.
What let this down for me was the characters. They were so flat! Far was a very stereotypical arrogant jerk that I found particularly unlikable. I didn’t think anyone else - about from Gram, who was my fave (apart from Saffron) - had all that much of a personality either. I adored the fact that Far and Priya had an established relationship with no real angst or drama. We definitely need couples like this! They just had no chemistry and I was not invested. Imogen and Gram’s romance was appalling. It was so damn forced. It was awkward and juvenile and rushed. It really felt out of place in the story and their kiss scene made me so uncomfortable. Gram did not seem into it at all, only forced by the other crew members. I did like the effortless ethnic diversity of the cast.
Overall? I loved the premise and the atmosphere of this story. Graudin had a fantastic vision for this dystopian world and executed that element well. I just struggled with the characters a lot. Far was not a particularly likeable protagonist, and I found the secondary characters underdeveloped. I will definitely be giving Graudin another chance in the future.
I went into Last Star Burning hopeful and expecting but have left on a more sour note. Sangster pulled out the big guns for her debut and developed a world that was complex and clever. This story touched on a lot of important themes of freedom and society that I think will really tickle a lot of readers, but it lacked heart. I was never with the characters in the story. I found them tired and a tad shallow. I never came to truly connect with them, which left me in the awkward position of not becoming emotionally invested in their story.
Like I said, Sangster’s world was definitely clever. The blend of fantasy and dystopia worked wonders. Sangster mentioned that she was inspired by the Chinese Cultural Revolution and that inspiration was quite evident in the story. It led to some very interesting topics being raised throughout the plot which I enjoyed. I know that dystopian stories with these themes may be a tad overdone for the majority of readers but I adore them, so it was exactly to my liking.
With that being said, I really struggled with the plot. It was slow and a tad trudging. Maybe it was more of my personal mood affecting my patience but I was constantly distracted. I wanted something to happen that pulled me in and left me truly engaged. The pacing was not quite perfect. There were slow moments and rushed action scenes and a general lack of emotion that left me distanced from the unfurling plot. The last quarter was a particular drag. It fell back on a lot of tropes and failed to hit that emotional climatic sweet spot that all stories should at the 75% mark. I had to force myself to concentrate so I could actually finish the book.
The characters were okay. I never disliked them but I also never came to truly care for them. I found Sev an odd blend. She was meant to be humorous and sharp-witted but… I didn’t find her funny. I know that seems such a weird thing to call a character out on but we were constantly told that Sev was sassy and she had all these ‘witty lines’ that just did nothing for me. It was a weird experience to see all the characters laughing at this characters and fell so unattached and not in the moment. It really added to my disconnection from the story.
Overall? I think Sangster has potential as an author. Their world-building was clever and impressive for a debut. I loved the themes raised and definitely want to see where this story is heading in the sequel. I just wish the characters and storyline had been more engaging.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
Like I said, Sangster’s world was definitely clever. The blend of fantasy and dystopia worked wonders. Sangster mentioned that she was inspired by the Chinese Cultural Revolution and that inspiration was quite evident in the story. It led to some very interesting topics being raised throughout the plot which I enjoyed. I know that dystopian stories with these themes may be a tad overdone for the majority of readers but I adore them, so it was exactly to my liking.
With that being said, I really struggled with the plot. It was slow and a tad trudging. Maybe it was more of my personal mood affecting my patience but I was constantly distracted. I wanted something to happen that pulled me in and left me truly engaged. The pacing was not quite perfect. There were slow moments and rushed action scenes and a general lack of emotion that left me distanced from the unfurling plot. The last quarter was a particular drag. It fell back on a lot of tropes and failed to hit that emotional climatic sweet spot that all stories should at the 75% mark. I had to force myself to concentrate so I could actually finish the book.
The characters were okay. I never disliked them but I also never came to truly care for them. I found Sev an odd blend. She was meant to be humorous and sharp-witted but… I didn’t find her funny. I know that seems such a weird thing to call a character out on but we were constantly told that Sev was sassy and she had all these ‘witty lines’ that just did nothing for me. It was a weird experience to see all the characters laughing at this characters and fell so unattached and not in the moment. It really added to my disconnection from the story.
Overall? I think Sangster has potential as an author. Their world-building was clever and impressive for a debut. I loved the themes raised and definitely want to see where this story is heading in the sequel. I just wish the characters and storyline had been more engaging.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
3.5 stars
I’m sure what it was about this book but for some reason, I had ridiculously low expectations for it. To be honest, I did dislike the characterisation but the mystery and storyline itself were so well done that it made up for it. I thought that the level of suspense was suitably high throughout the whole story. While I was never creeped out exactly, I was so eager for answers it wasn’t even funny. There were multiple reveals that shocked me (though a few were predictable). I was genuinely was entertained throughout the story and, as a whole, I thought it was all rather well-paced out. The ending was climatic without being too dramatic and completely satisfying. I loved that it left us all a little hopeful without it being too open-ended. There’s honestly nothing better than a mystery with an ending that ties up everything it promises.
What I struggled with this book was the protagonist, Flynn. He was the sort of character that was just so different to me that I could not - for the life of me - put myself in his shoes. No matter how much I tried, I just could not wrap my head around his relationship with January. I know that he was struggling with his sexuality. I even understand that he genuinely cared for her and thought that getting into a relationship with her would somehow force his body to be sexually attracted to her… but I just couldn’t. How did he think their relationship would work out? Did he honestly believe that he could avoid all physical contact forever? I just cannot understand what went through his head at this point and I wish that the author had somehow had been able to make me empathize with his situation or at least understand it.
The secondary characters were a mixed bunch. I liked the portrayal of his parents and friends because they were so realistic, especially their reactions to Flynn’s coming out. Kaz was my favourite character by far. How could he not be when he was such a sweetie!? I completely fell in love with him the more and more he got involved. His loyalty and kindness was so genuine and I loved that he was so down-to-earth. January, however, was an odd character. I liked how she was developed across the story. Well, not her exactly since the whole point of this story is that she’s missing but how her characterisation was handled. I just didn’t understand her on a personal level. Her secrets and habits were befuddling. I thought that she was a little too inconsistent and… not as fleshed out as I would have liked but as a whole, I think Kaz’s character made up for it.
Overall?
This was an engaging and entertaining story. I thought the mystery was super well-paced and so suspenseful. I was eager to get answers and it definitely kept me reading. What brought the story down for me was how much I struggled with the majority of the characters. I never came to care for Flynn or January to the degree that I wanted to. In fact, I disliked them both. A lot. If you’re looking for a suspenseful mystery for the Halloween season though, I definitely would recommend keeping this on your radar.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review
I’m sure what it was about this book but for some reason, I had ridiculously low expectations for it. To be honest, I did dislike the characterisation but the mystery and storyline itself were so well done that it made up for it. I thought that the level of suspense was suitably high throughout the whole story. While I was never creeped out exactly, I was so eager for answers it wasn’t even funny. There were multiple reveals that shocked me (though a few were predictable). I was genuinely was entertained throughout the story and, as a whole, I thought it was all rather well-paced out. The ending was climatic without being too dramatic and completely satisfying. I loved that it left us all a little hopeful without it being too open-ended. There’s honestly nothing better than a mystery with an ending that ties up everything it promises.
What I struggled with this book was the protagonist, Flynn. He was the sort of character that was just so different to me that I could not - for the life of me - put myself in his shoes. No matter how much I tried, I just could not wrap my head around his relationship with January. I know that he was struggling with his sexuality. I even understand that he genuinely cared for her and thought that getting into a relationship with her would somehow force his body to be sexually attracted to her… but I just couldn’t. How did he think their relationship would work out? Did he honestly believe that he could avoid all physical contact forever? I just cannot understand what went through his head at this point and I wish that the author had somehow had been able to make me empathize with his situation or at least understand it.
The secondary characters were a mixed bunch. I liked the portrayal of his parents and friends because they were so realistic, especially their reactions to Flynn’s coming out. Kaz was my favourite character by far. How could he not be when he was such a sweetie!? I completely fell in love with him the more and more he got involved. His loyalty and kindness was so genuine and I loved that he was so down-to-earth. January, however, was an odd character. I liked how she was developed across the story. Well, not her exactly since the whole point of this story is that she’s missing but how her characterisation was handled. I just didn’t understand her on a personal level. Her secrets and habits were befuddling. I thought that she was a little too inconsistent and… not as fleshed out as I would have liked but as a whole, I think Kaz’s character made up for it.
Overall?
This was an engaging and entertaining story. I thought the mystery was super well-paced and so suspenseful. I was eager to get answers and it definitely kept me reading. What brought the story down for me was how much I struggled with the majority of the characters. I never came to care for Flynn or January to the degree that I wanted to. In fact, I disliked them both. A lot. If you’re looking for a suspenseful mystery for the Halloween season though, I definitely would recommend keeping this on your radar.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review