the last 20-30%, along with the ending itself, really made this book for me.
for the most part, i thought lonely castle was just okay - i didn't 3.5/5
the last 20-30%, along with the ending itself, really made this book for me.
for the most part, i thought lonely castle was just okay - i didn't have a lot of strong feelings about anything that was going on, apart from mild pity for our protagonist, kokoro. i don't think we spent enough time developing the friendships between our seven core characters and i also wish we could've learned their backgrounds a lot sooner - i get that the author was saving that information for an emotional punch towards the end but that meant the characters felt like two-dimensional caricatures for majority of the novel.
that being said, i absolutely loved how everything came together towards the end - how little pieces of information we learned along the way ultimately connected to form a whole picture. the full-circle moment in the epilogue was so beautiful and memorable - definitely worth the read! ...more
breath of the dragon is a love letter to martial arts, so much so that if you're not interested in martial arts or a plethora of fight scenes, t3.5/5
breath of the dragon is a love letter to martial arts, so much so that if you're not interested in martial arts or a plethora of fight scenes, this book is very much not for you.
the worldbuilding is easily the strongest aspect of this book - it's a fully realized world, with a rich history and mythos, built upon a compelling conflict and held up by well-written political intrigue. the plot is pretty straightforward and could've been so much better if it was carried out by more memorable characters and stronger relationships.
our protagonist jun starts off as a fairly infuriating, ungrateful, bratty kid but he does eventually face some harsh reality checks and undergoes much-needed growth and learning. i like seeing flawed characters grow and change. i also liked that the authors did a sort of reverse chosen one trope with him and actually stuck to it - jun isn't born with any special breathmarked abilities and doesn't somehow magically gain them over the course of his journey either (at least in this book). his triumphs are hard-won and i did feel for him, especially towards the end.
my major issues with this book are the lack of truly stand-out characters and the lack of genuine, strong relationships. i feel like the authors could've really delved into relationships like father/son, mentor/mentee, brothers, best friends/rivals that were only touched upon. this book needed strong emotional bonds to anchor the story and give more urgency and heft to some of the fight scenes.
there were points where the writing with all the fight scenes started feeling repetitive and tired - it just needed something more to it. when you have a generic plotline that's so full of fight scenes, you need great characters and relationships to make your story memorable. like this was a story that was crying out for a found family - i don't know how the authors missed that (and no, characters simply travelling together does not automatically make them a found family).
all in all, a fairly good young adult fantasy book with missed opportunities that could have made it something truly special. the ending does open up lots of potential for the story moving forward, so i'll definitely be checking out the sequel.
thank you to netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
a story that i thought was going to be a conventional take on the bluebeard folktale turned out to be something quite unexpected. i enjoyed the 3.5/5
a story that i thought was going to be a conventional take on the bluebeard folktale turned out to be something quite unexpected. i enjoyed the plot twist and the subtle seeds planted leading up to it, but i do feel like this series is starting to wear out its welcome a bit. if there's another installment, i'd want a change in the narrative format and more from chih as a main character....more
the yangchen novels are definitely a major departure from the avatar-verse as we know it - not just because they're focused so heavily on politics, spthe yangchen novels are definitely a major departure from the avatar-verse as we know it - not just because they're focused so heavily on politics, spycraft, and backroom business deals rather than action, but also because of the lack of genuine friendships or any kind of altruistic, caring relationships. it was a bit jarring for me to see how emotionally isolated yangchen was (as well as kavik) and that probably her only true, most trustworthy companion was her bison. sure, she has a group of companions but they weren't really her friends or people who cared about her outside of her avatarhood. kavik had real potential to be a more sincere friend but the plot decided otherwise. there was even a point where it seemed yangchen and her companions could've had an actual bonding moment but again, the plot had other demands.
basically, i'm not a fan of how this book chose callousness over emotional bonds - like the climax is literally hinged on exploiting a relationship of love. it just made me feel so distant from the story and characters. even when it came to emotional scenes - grieving a death, finally forgiving a betrayal - it all felt rushed and empty. obviously this is a very subjective take on a book that's quite well-written and very well thought-out.
overall, the yangchen novels made me realize that yes, i love elemental magic and yes, i love the world of the avatar, but none of it means much to me without a strong emotional core holding it all together. ...more
loved how this book showed the rigid eurocentric aesthetic that defines both the classical music field and the beauty/skincare industry and how we seeloved how this book showed the rigid eurocentric aesthetic that defines both the classical music field and the beauty/skincare industry and how we see both worlds attempting to exclude or reshape our chinese-american protagonist. the execution fell a bit short though, especially in the latter half - it felt like the horror/thriller aspect of the plot got a bit too ambitious for the scope of the writing and the ending was pretty rushed. my favorite parts of this novel were more in the quiet moments when the protagonist reminisces on her love for her parents and the music they taught her. ...more
this was as well-written and entertaining as the first book but unfortunately, i did enjoy it a bit less. the faults i noted in the city we became felthis was as well-written and entertaining as the first book but unfortunately, i did enjoy it a bit less. the faults i noted in the city we became felt more glaring this time - the story was oddly paced, with the middle being slow and padded with filler content, and the ending extremely rushed. while i liked that we got to see more of veneza and padmini this time around, the friendships and bonds we saw tentatively forming in the first book didn't really get fleshed out here. some chapters also started feeling repetitive and way too predictable, with the same pattern of the enemy going after each character playing out.
that being said, i still loved the concept and liked reading about the global implications of the plot. manny and padmini's characters get fairly well-developed (sadly, we still don't see as much of neek as i would've liked) and i'm glad aislyn's racist bigoted ass didn't get neatly redeemed and had a more complex conclusion. overall, despite its stumbles, i had fun with this duology and will miss this world....more
this was such an entertaining, gripping read - a love letter to the multiculturalism of new york, a diverse cast of characters (with one token white rthis was such an entertaining, gripping read - a love letter to the multiculturalism of new york, a diverse cast of characters (with one token white racist), a fantastically unique concept of cities being embodied by people, well-executed themes of institutionalized racism, colonialism, and gentrification, plus a high stakes plot. and of course casual queer rep, which i can never get enough of.
i love how every POV character had a distinct voice and personality, even if some weren't able to be properly developed due to the breakneck nature of the plot. my personal standouts were the bronx (indigenous lesbian grandma who's tough-as-nails) and manhattan (mysterious bisexual with a violent past), though I enjoyed the other POVs too. we only get a sliver of new york's POV but i was instantly engaged by him.
n.k. jemisin definitely has a gift for unique fantasy concepts (and throwing you into the world while feeding you bits of information as needed). like urban fantasy + eldritch horror + the multiverse??? we love to see it. i also appreciated how the narrative never lets us forget that new york (and the united states) is built on the blood and bones of native and black people, and how that's integral to its lived reality.
my minimal concerns with this book are that sometimes it can veer into unironic stereotyping plus the pacing felt off at times and the ending was a bit rushed but still exciting.
overall, i had a pretty good time and would recommend....more
- utterly gorgeously bizarre. - a surrealist writing style that blurs the line between prose and verse. - strange, disorienting yet earnest explora3.5/5
- utterly gorgeously bizarre. - a surrealist writing style that blurs the line between prose and verse. - strange, disorienting yet earnest exploration of taiwanese diaspora and lesbian yearning.
the stories that stood out to me: auntland, the chorus of dead cousins, mandarin speakers, anchor, homophone....more
"after you died i could not hold a funeral, and so my life became a funeral...so these eyes that once beheld you became a shrine. these ears that once"after you died i could not hold a funeral, and so my life became a funeral...so these eyes that once beheld you became a shrine. these ears that once heard your voice became a shrine. these lungs that once inhaled your breath became a shrine."...more
it's not everyday you come across a huge, buff, over 6 foot tall retired pirate muslim woman in her 40s who's also a mother as the protagonist of an ait's not everyday you come across a huge, buff, over 6 foot tall retired pirate muslim woman in her 40s who's also a mother as the protagonist of an adventurous fantasy novel (and with a demonic estranged husband as a bonus). like this fact alone should have you picking up the book.
aside from the premise, the novel itself is fairly good too. it's a predictable, straightforward fantasy story but with a compelling writing style and a unique protagonist. i really liked seeing amina go back to doing what she loved after a decade of retirement, struggling between her duty as a mother and her ambitions of becoming a sea-faring legend. i also appreciated the portrayal of flawed people still practicing their faith because, regardless of what many religious people unfortunately think, religion is for everyone. and i'm glad this book exists for all kinds of muslims to see themselves in.
my issues with this book are that it's way too straightforward (the story not nearly as interesting as its main lead) and, apart from raksh, the side characters are pretty forgettable. i'm also uncertain about the future direction of this series - the plot going forward doesn't really interest me and i wish amina could've had more agency in deciding its course. but i'm tentatively looking forward to the sequel, if only for more hilariously volatile interactions between amina and raksh. hopefully the sequels will have a more interesting and memorable plot than this one did.
overall, more of a 3.5 but rounding it up to 4 for now....more
"sometimes, you cannot survive and still be who you were."
this was such a beautiful story about how deeply grief and loss can change you, how memories"sometimes, you cannot survive and still be who you were."
this was such a beautiful story about how deeply grief and loss can change you, how memories and stories shape a person, how many unknown sides there can be to people you love. i really liked seeing chih return to their home after years and coping with the inevitability of change and unfamiliarity. they may be a side character in other people's stories but i loved that their feelings were so present here. nghi vo refuses to miss with this series....more
maybe it's on me for wanting a book called the water outlaws to be more about the water outlaws than everything else.
first, what i loved: the women amaybe it's on me for wanting a book called the water outlaws to be more about the water outlaws than everything else.
first, what i loved: the women and genderqueer bandits of course. i love seeing people living in the margins of society banding together to defy oppression and injustice. i especially love it when those people are tough, hardened, muscular, clever, skilled women from all walks of life. i will never get enough of huge, brash, physically strong women like lu da and li kui and i'd love to read a book entirely focused on them. also, the battle scenes were fantastically written. the writing in general was very sure and easy to read.
so my problems with this book: i think the focus was on the wrong main characters. i just didn't care enough about lin chong and li junyi; their respective hypocrisy and cowardice made it hard to read at times (yes they redeem themselves in the end but it came a bit too late for me). li junyi's chapters were particularly frustrating, taking away from what should have been the real crux of this novel: the titular water outlaws. i wanted more of the outlaws, their found family, their dynamics with each other. for me, when side characters are far more interesting and compelling than the leads, that's a problem.
i also found the mindset of the bandits a little baffling: "let the empire be the emperor and the people, not those others who would use their power to destroy everything civilized..." over and over, it's emphasized that the bandits are loyal to the emperor, as if corruption and oppression are somehow separate entities from the leader and the system. i do understand wanting to believe in the system and the empire, to believe that simply removing the rot from the system will fix everything and not that the system itself is the rot (and i wouldn't even complain about this element of the book if it wasn't so present throughout).
i'm glad that the ending redeems this a bit and highlights taking power away from oppressors and into the hands of ordinary citizens. it's just that everything about the ending was a bit too late and rushed for me. still though, it's a good ending and the final battle was well done.
overall, i think character-driven readers might struggle with this book but plot-driven readers will likely enjoy it. i do think it's worth the read for everyone....more
"nobody would lift a finger to change the world for us. to make a place for us. what choice did we ever have but to do it ourselves?"
4.5/5
this boo
"nobody would lift a finger to change the world for us. to make a place for us. what choice did we ever have but to do it ourselves?"
4.5/5
this book gave us tragic furious vengeful villainous hopeful compassionate queer people, how could i not love it (and hate it).
he who drowned the world shows the desperation and rage of people pushed to the fringes of society and absolutely refusing to be rendered inferior. the sheer ugliness and brutality of these characters burst out from every page in a way that's both painful and strangely cathartic. in real life, most marginalized people have no choice but to swallow the everyday hurt and violence and keep going, so it's strangely satisfying to read about people who feel every inch of their fury and injustice and throw that horror back into the world that rejected them simply for being who they are.
"he was the eclipse that sucked the light and life out of the world. he was the moon eating the sun, and it was his racing shadow that stole the life from the world below."
don't get me wrong though, this book is incredibly hard to read. its bleakness and hopelessness gets so extreme at one point almost bordering on nihilism that i wanted to stop reading. but the author's writing is so gripping you simply cannot look away. and i'm glad i didn't because there is a delicate thread of hope for a better future running throughout the novel that slowly gets stronger towards the end. i loved the ending so much, it was (almost) worth going through the wringer for.
the plot itself was so well executed - the political machinations, the scheming, the betrayals, all the good stuff. there's also a brilliantly haunting battle sequence that kinda took my breath away - shelley p. chan is actually pretty great at action scenes and i'm gonna need more of that from their future work.
zhu yuanzhang was a fantastic main lead with her gritty determination and outlandish plans. ouyang and madam zhang's POVs had me feeling pity and understanding but also frustration and anger. ouyang is a pretty memorable character in just the utter tragedy of his existence. ma xiuying was a breath of fresh air (and maybe i wish she had better choices).
as for wang baoxiang - he's the star i fear, my insane unhinged wrathful fave. this was truly his book. the painful doomed sibling relationship of him and esen is one i won't be forgetting anytime soon.
i'm gonna miss this deranged cast but i'm also relieved to be free of them (and to imagine them being free too somehow)....more
i liked the gentle, chill, slice-of-life vibes of this story about a young woman reconnecting with her estranged uncle while trying to put her own lifi liked the gentle, chill, slice-of-life vibes of this story about a young woman reconnecting with her estranged uncle while trying to put her own life back together. part 1 had some truly heartwarming moments between uncle and niece - sadly, part 2 focused on a completely different character and the story lost the charm it had built up in part 1. still a nice, sweet little read....more
"i put myself into this group called bts, and i had faith that this team would win. like, if i was with these people, i was going to succeed."
this
"i put myself into this group called bts, and i had faith that this team would win. like, if i was with these people, i was going to succeed."
this was such an engaging chronicle of bts' incredible 10-year journey and i enjoyed how it was narrated with snippets of the boys' own words in between. i also loved the analysis of every album and explanations behind certain key lyrics and how they all linked to the boys' emotional journey/growth. we don't really learn anything significantly new but for old fans, it's a wonderful nostalgic read and for new ones, it's a helpful entry into everything bts.
i do wish we could've had a deeper look into many things the book glossed over, like the times in which the boys experienced bullying/humiliation from their fellow artists, periods of extreme exhaustion, depressive episodes, etc. i think it would've added an even more insightful, inspirational aspect to this biography but i also completely understand the caution in addressing these topics.
"we really had almost no days off. so, at the time, i wondered whether it was right for a person to live life as exhausted as this."
overall, i had a great time going through old bangtantv videos and concerts thanks to this book. for newer fans though, i'd highly recommend watching bangtan bombs, v lives, yoongi's suchwita series, etc. if you really want a raw, candid look at the boys.
"there aren't really that many artists who have a very long golden era. but that doesn't mean the artists stop making music overnight or groups just disappear. we're thinking long and hard about how to be onstage for as long and as happily as we can."
exhausted wizard intern accidentally adopting a demon prince of hell is a pretty cool concept and for the most part, this was a fun little book about exhausted wizard intern accidentally adopting a demon prince of hell is a pretty cool concept and for the most part, this was a fun little book about an unusual found family. i also loved how the protagonist being genderfluid was conveyed to us by one character calling them "jie" and another "ge" (since the story is told in second person).
but i just wasn't as emotionally affected as i should've been, which is the whole point of a found family story. there were parts where i knew i was supposed to be feeling the feels - as these characters awkwardly come together to form a sweet sibling-like relationship - but sadly, i didn't. i think we needed to spend more time seeing these people interact - i just wasn't convinced by how quickly they came to care for each other.
overall though, i'd still recommend this novella since it's a great concept and the writing is fairly good. ...more
a bittersweet little book filled with musings on human connection and what makes life worth living. some parts felt more like a thought experiment thaa bittersweet little book filled with musings on human connection and what makes life worth living. some parts felt more like a thought experiment than a story but overall, an interesting read with an impactful emotional ending....more
sometimes you just need a fast-paced, entertaining book to get you through that reading slump and yellowface definitely delivers - but it also brings sometimes you just need a fast-paced, entertaining book to get you through that reading slump and yellowface definitely delivers - but it also brings up valuable themes and difficult questions with no easy answers.
for a story told from an unreliable narrator's limited first person POV, both june hayward and athena liu are surprisingly complicated characters. yes they were written to be hated (mostly june of course), you're not supposed to like them or agree with them, but i don't think that means there wasn't any depth to them. june is deeply racist, selfish, delusional, irritating, constantly blames others for her actions, occasionally shows vicious self-awareness about her privilege. we're also given quite an insight to her hopes, dreams, fears, her strained relationship with her family, her past traumas, how she deals with her anxiety. she's a whole person and that's part of what makes her racism so abhorrent to witness.
athena's character, meanwhile, was clearly written as a way for rfk to grapple with many of her own anxieties as a chinese-american author. personally, i don't mind an author being too close to their work as long as they bring something interesting to the table. while it's absolutely infuriating to watch june steal and butcher athena's book, we're later shown that athena wasn't exactly a good person - she was self-absorbed, privileged in her own way, stole people's tragedies for her stories, ridiculed other asian-american writers. the story shows the online audience going from defending her to criticizing her and i don't think it's easy to take a firm stance on either side.
i think the most fascinating theme in this book is on western diaspora authors and how they represent their culture to the west. and of course, athena's character gives no answers or resolutions.
i'd say the only heavy-handed theme here is, as usual with rfk, racism. plus the racist underbelly of publishing. and i'm not sure what else we're supposed to think about racism other than what rfk tells us (it's bad) so like with babel, i have to disagree with most reviewers on the lack of nuance, etc. also yes, this book is VERY online, with the online community (booktwt, book bloggers, youtubers, etc) portrayed in all the exaggerated drama that it often is. i get how that can be annoying and cringey to read - everyone's mileage will vary.
my problems with yellowface are more on the technical side: the book loses its steam at around the 70% mark, becoming repetitive and a bit tired. AND just as i started thinking that wow, you can tell rfk had no idea where she was going with the story, i come across this bit here:
"i'm losing track of the narrative...i've written myself into a corner. the first two-thirds of the book were a breeze to compose, but what do i do with the ending?"
okay haha very cute but acknowledging the issue in your text doesn't make it go away. the last third of the book is just not great and the ending was too outlandish for my taste. i think this book could've packed more of a punch if it was shorter and the ending was better executed.
overall, i'm glad i read it even though i have very mixed feelings and my rating might change. just as this book deals so heavily in online reactions and reviews, it's as impossible to judge it without the real life divisive reactions and reviews to it....more
Loading...
