takes a deep breath: *SCREAMS FOR TEN THOUSAND YEARS*
me, finishing this book:
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I love ..... Marie Lu... so much? The good sis somehow gone atakes a deep breath: *SCREAMS FOR TEN THOUSAND YEARS*
me, finishing this book:
[image]
I love ..... Marie Lu... so much? The good sis somehow gone and DONE IT AGAIN. She's spectacular, brilliant, amazing, TRULY. We are blessed to have her, I am delighted by her constantly. What an inspiration.
We continue to stand there, unmoving, looking out at the electric glitter of Tokyo, my boots pointed away from the house and toward the city, my heart suspended somewhere between one choice and another, unsure where to go next
WARCROSS is an action packed, "my heart is in my throat and I can't breathe", wonderfully vivid sci-fi novel set in Tokyo. In a world revolutionised by interactive, immersive virtual reality called Warcross. Emika Chen - bounty hunter, hacker and rainbow haired badass - is hired by the creator or Warcross to go undercover and track down a mysterious person dubbed "Zero" who's putting Warcross in jeopardy.
This book has spies, slow-burn romance, hackers, dark web, illegal auctions, and WARCROSS. Warcross was one of my favourite aspects of this book. It's basically a game, sort of capture the flag, where two teams compete to capture an "artifact" from another team in a terrain thats completely altered from reality. Listen it's Pro-Bending from Legend of Korra with some Hunger Games with some Capture the Flag and it's BRILLIANT.
Warcross also features an incredibly diverse cast of characters - Emika is Chinese/American, Hideo is Japanese, there's a m/m side relationship, a character in a wheelchair, a black side character and a brown side character. Emika and Hideo, the most prominent characters, are well developed with rich backstories and complex motivations. I really liked Hideo's character as a mysterious yet intriguing type, and Emika was just so incredibly cool. I truly adored her. She's a girl who supports other girls around her, a girl who sticks to her morals, a girl who's just a little bit murky around the edges and a girl with rainbow hair and a tattoo sleeve ! Just check out this cool picture by Marie Lu herself.
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Emika Chen by Marie Lu (note: her name Emiko Sato was later changed to Emika Chen)
So yes, overall cast was strong, though I do wish the side characters had been more prominent, as I thought they were all interesting. Looking forward to seeing more from them in the sequels.
“They believe that objects have souls. The more love you put into one, the more beautiful it becomes.”
Warcross is definitely a book which grabs you by neck and takes you on a wild ride. The tables keep turning, the stakes keep rising and your blood is pumping. It's a thrilling book, with such incredible scenes and imagery and moments you are left in genuine awe. The dark underbelly of the book, mixed with the gaming action elements make it unique and exciting. There is definitely something for everyone here, and I loved this from Marie Lu. It feels more like Legend then The Young Elites, but then it feels like something unique and special on it's own too.
Marie Lu is a genius, and an innovator. Warcross is definitely something you can't miss and I guarantee everyone will be talking about it. The ending leaves me hungy for SO MUCH MORE. I NEEDED THE SEQUEL YESTERDAY. You have to pick this up when it releases, it's absolutely stellar and you will feel like it's all over too soon.
Thankyou to the publisher for sending me this arc. Quotes used in this review are subject to change upon release.
“If you go behind my back, I swear to God, I’ll skin you alive—” “I won’t—” “—murder you, then alchemically raise you from the dead so I can murder y
“If you go behind my back, I swear to God, I’ll skin you alive—” “I won’t—” “—murder you, then alchemically raise you from the dead so I can murder you again—”
BUT SPEAKING OF 2017 LIFESAVERS This book is a strong contender because it was really, really good and bought up so many important themes and issues and was also just really fun, adventurous, different from the usual and had ... my favourite .. PIRATES.
Seriously, can you ever go wrong with pirates in books?
And then everyone turns to stare at me, the Viscount of Disley, standing in the courtyard, with his hair askew and a woman’s powder smeared across his face like flour. And, also, without a stitch of clothing on. And then, because Fortune is a heartless bitch, I hear someone behind me say, “Monty?”
So for those of you who don't know this is a book set in the 18th Century (NOT: During the Victorian era for anyone confused like ME) and follows three main character - Henry Montague (Monty), his best friend Percy, and Felicity Montague (Henry's little sister) Percy and Henry are taking "The Tour" (18th Century Gap Year) across "The Continent" - Henry's father hopes the year will settle him done, and that after the tour he will return ready to take control of his fathers estate. But what was supposed to be a tour of Venice, Florence, Rome, Berlin and Geneva goes pretty wrong when the trio are attacked by Highwayman. An intricate plot involving theft, alchemy, and life after death is soon revealed and our trio find themselves right in the heart of it.
While the plot is really fun, and adventurous, it is the characters that make up this book. They are complex people, both in themselves and their relationships with eachother, but also in the ways they interact and exist within their society and how their different marginilisations effects their perspective.
Henry is a bisexual man who's drowned his own self-loathing and feelings of inadequacy in vice - alcohol, poor behaviour and sex. Throughout the novel he must attempt to overcome those vices, whilst also growing into his own self and accepting the negative effects his actions have had upon those around him. There are other facets to his characterisation but at these are spoilers I will not say much here. I personally really liked his arc, and I thought there was noticeable and good development when you compare him at the beginning and end of the novel.
Felicity is such a badass ! She's a massive bookworm with a passion for knowledge. She's both quick-witted and capable and takes no nonsense. I absolutely adores her character and the way she plays against Henry as a kind of opposite. She is also asexual. I literally adore her character, she reminds me of Hermione in many ways, she was a brilliant, well rounded and well written female character. Felicity deals with and suffers through sexism ingrained in the time period, and throughout her storyline she undermines and subverts the expectations and assumptions made about her due to her gender - even from those closest to her. You know how I said I won't accept any underdeveloped female character or damsel in distress anymore because Wonder Woman changed the game - yeah well Felicity compares to Wonder Woman thats how much I literally adore her.
Percy is gay, biracial and epileptic and experiences systematic oppression, overt racism, ableism and marginalisation. Due to the time period, this is exaggerated - but what I liked is that although these marginilisations existed, and Percy is dealing with them, they are never normalised or validated. Characters within the story challenge the assumptions made about Percy - but what I also like is it was shown these characters were privileged and often made harmful comments and this was called out too. Percy is also just a really kind person, but someone who stands up for themselves and doesn't let the strong-will people around him push him around. I loved his character and the nuances embedded within his characterisation.
I adored the representation in this book - In her notes, Mackenzi Lee made the comment she wanted to point out that disabled, queer and poc, and strong women have always existed with agency in history - and that their stories have often been untold or erased but they deserve to be. I loved that these characters existence within the setting was normalised, but simultaneously their struggles as marginalised people was highlighted and challenged. This book shows how history is so steeped in oppression and how so much of that still leaks into society today. (view spoiler)[ for 99.9% of this book I was worried that Percy's epilepsy would fall into that ableist trope where the character gets a magical cure for their illness. I was so glad this book didn't do that, leading to one of my favourite quotes of the book. (hide spoiler)]I want to recommend this review about the representation of Percy's epilepsy!
"And I don’t think I have to be well to be happy. God.”
On a small, little note: If you're looking for a super realistic historical fiction elements of this are not entirely accurate. I personally didn't mind this, but it's a note for those of you who might. Reading it kind of felt like Clockwork Angel. You're pretty sure thats NOT how it would have gone down at the time but you enjoy it anyway.
But there are plenty of historical elements to love. Much of the politics, culture, lgbt+ elements, race relations and pirates and people are steeped in the real history of the time and since I love history especially at this time that was a massive plus for me. It added another element of nuance to what is already a great historical fiction.
I also wish the ending had been less abrupt and had gone into more details of what happened after the events of the book. I felt a little short-changed, and I really think a longer style epilogue might have been nice. Some of the characters stories were left a little in the wind and I would have liked to know what happened to them.
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All this aside, I think this book is really just fun. The idea of an 18th Century Tour is completely new to me, and it's definitely not something we're getting an abundance of in YA. So this book genuinely has completely new elements I've never read in other stories.
On top of that, Mackenzi Lee is able to perfectly demonstrate how diversity can be included within any setting - and that historical narratives have no excuse for their allocishet ablebodied whiteness.
This book is so fun, we get to see so many places around Europe from an 18th Century perspective, and pirates, highway men attacks, alchemy and magic added so much adventure to it. The dialogue was full of banter and play and it carried along the story really quickly. The plotting didn't feel off to me and I felt like it was continuously well paced. I was reaching for this book all the time because I was invested both character and plot wise - I read it much faster and enjoyed it much more then I thought I would.
Ohhh and the ANGST. There are so many tropes I love - friends to lovers, "we both like eachother but won't admit it", "it's obvious to everyone but us", and then just the "cradles you while you're injured trope" which really gets me everytime. You angst emo's are gonna be happy, especially if your angst emo also likes a soft happy ending and relationship.
“My hand is absolutely broken.” “It’s not broken,” Felicity says, and the exasperation behind her voice makes me feel better. “I think it might be.” “It’s not.” “We should sleep,” Percy says.
I seriously really hope you guys don't sleep on this one !!!! It's such a good exploration of hos history and oppression intersect, but also it's just such a fun and unique YA book set in such an interesting time period I wish I knew more about.
I could not recommend it more, I genuinely am so happy I've read it and will definitely buy myself the final copy when it comes out. I am so excited to see where Mackenzi Lee takes her inventive stories next.
4.5 stars in total !
Thankyou to HarperCollins who provided me with this free arc in exchange for my review. All opinions here are my own
➙ I would definitely die for Emma. A queen. We stan. ➙ I still adore Julian with all my heart but he scares me EVEN MORE ➙ Ty's letteREREAD QUICK NOTES
➙ I would definitely die for Emma. A queen. We stan. ➙ I still adore Julian with all my heart but he scares me EVEN MORE ➙ Ty's letter makes me CRY jhgkjdfhkjfgkdfjghdfk ➙ "my dream is that we all get to go back to the institute together and be a family" Cassandra that was cruel ➙ I HAVE SO MANY QOAAD THEORIES CAN'T WAIT FOR THEM TO ALL BE WRONG ➙ Ok ..... I kinda hate Kieran less? Still aint a fave tho :/ ➙ MARK IS SO PRECIOUS IN THIS BOOK LMFKJLFGS ➙ Alec Lightwood remains iconic, that roast was off this charts good ➙ JEM AND TESSA NEED TO COME BACK
original review
yes, five months later my official review is here. I've finished screaming. I'm ready to talk
Continue on for 25% memes, 50% why I love this book, 25% more screaming
(there may be mild spoilers untagged like new character names but everything major will be tagged)
“Everyone is afraid of something. We fear things because we value them. We fear losing people because we love them. We fear dying because we value being alive. Don't wish you didn't fear anything. All that would mean is that you didn't feel anything.”
I ..... I am shocked to be saying this but, THIS is my favourite Cassandra Clare series. I'm sorry Infernal Devices, IM SORRY. (but also not really this series is so good) Like, if you tear out the final pages of this book it's nearly perfect and Lady Midnight IS perfect.
LORD OF SHADOWS IN GENERAL
I don't think I loved lord of shadows as much as I loved Lady Midnight but I still really really enjoyed it. I absolutely adore the characters in this series, especially Emma, Julian, Cristina, Livvy, Kit and Ty so having them all back in Lord of Shadows was of course a highlight.
I just love how COMPLEX these characters are. Every single one has so many dichotomies and intricacies that make them fascinating. I think in Julian, especially, that is showcased, but also in Mark, Cristina and Emma too.
The way the plot moved from location to location, featuring the Faerie Realms, London, Alicante and LA was fun for me, I liked how the story moved around more then it did in Lady Midnight.
There was also so many moments that left me genuinely shocked and I read this entire book at maximum speed because so much of it left me having to know what happens IMMEDIATELY. I know heaps of people find Cassandra Clare boring, but I personally find her books really addictive, and I want to know what happens straight away. You know the old 'take a peek at the end of the chapter because what the fuck is happening' trick? me in every chapter of her books.
“Kit thought about Emma with her sword, Emma saving his life, Emma hugging Cristina and looking at Julian like he hung the moon”
Lord of Shadows feels much more mature then Lady Midnight and I think that is a real strength of this book. Lord of Shadows definitely critically examined the world we live in today through the lens of the shadow world, and much of the discussion and plot point was very on-point for current events. That did show a maturity in Cassandra Clare's writing, and I do definitely think this is her most political and developed book (and series).
Representation was also fairly good for a Cassandra Clare book. Mark and Kieran are bisexual, Diana is a black transwoman, Cristina, Jaimie and Diego are all Mexican. Ty is autistic and heavily implied to be gay, and Kit is heavily implied to be bisexual. Dru is fat. Aline (gay, chinese), Helen (bisexual) and Jem (chinese), Alec (gay) and Magnus (biracial and bisexual) also appear but are only in it for a very short time.
I didn't like Lord of Shadows as much as Lady Midnight because of some of the characters and the plot points and I'll get into that below. But it's still such a fucking solid book I really loved reading it.
CHARACTERS
EMMA: Honestly, y'all who hate Emma can get off my fucking lawn I love her SO MUCH. She's brave, smart, loyal, loving, protective, caring. She cares so much about the Blackthorns and her parents and she wants to be loved back so much in return, and I just really need her to be happy and okay. I love her strength and resilience so much. She's definitely my favourite character I love her. (view spoiler)[ALSO SHE DESTROYED THE MORTAL SWORD !!?? SHE KILLED A FAERIE RIDER !! DOES SHE GIVE 1 MOTHER FUCK ??? SHE DOES NOT !!!!! WE LOVE A LEGEND !!! (hide spoiler)]
JULIAN: HE SCARES ME BUT I LOVE HIM. He's so soft with the kids even though he's NOT SOFT IN GENERAL and his character is really interesting because there is this dichotomy between the soft, loving parent he is for the kids, and then the hard, callous shadowhunter he has the potential to be and often exhibits. I'm really, really excited to see where his character arc is taken in Queen of Air and Darkness because the ending of LOS has left him in a position to swing in an extreme direction. JULIAN JUST LOVES THOSE KIDS SO MUCH AND HAS DONE SO MUCH FOR THEM AND LOVES THEM SO MUCH AND IT MAKES ME EMO. !!!!
MARK: I have to admit... I don't love Mark as much as everyone else but he's okay. I was really wanting to see some good character growth from him but ... I'm a little iffy on him. This I'm gonna get into.
CRISTINA: Cristina is such a GREAT CHARACTER. I love her relationship with Emma and her growth as a character and how she's become part of the family. I liked the exploration of her past with Jaimie and Diego. BUT, I found her plotline with Mark/Kieran really annoying.
KIT, TY AND LIVVY: I absolutely loved this trio. They definitely added a new dynamic that wasn't there in Lady Midnight. Each is such a fun character, though Kit was my favourite because I loved his humour, and how his mundane culture clashed with the shadowhunter culture in both positive and negative ways. (view spoiler)[ The scene with Kit talking about autism with Julian re: Ty was one of my favourite scenes. I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT LIVVY BECAUSE IM UPSET AND NOT OKAY WITH IT (hide spoiler)]
DRU: Dru is a character I really want to like, and can really see myself liking in the future, but I found her arc a little awkward and boring. I did like her arc concerning her self-image and her role amongst the blackthorns, and I'm excited to see more from her in The Wicked Powers
ZARA DEARBOTH: god .... (view spoiler)[ I HATE HER SOOO MUCH. HERE IS A SUMMARY OF ME EVERYTIME SHE SPOKE
Right, the main issue I had with Lord of Shadows was the oversaturation of romance and make out scenes. WE GET IT, EVERYONE IS SUPER HOT.
Lets start with Kieran .......
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His relationship with Mark is Unhealthy And Needs To Be Discontinued Immediately
- forgetting what you did doesn't excuse what you did - sending ...... someone ...... dreams ................... it wasn't .... cute - remember when he manipulated Mark many many times - like not... spill the tea. but.... people need to shot shipping them just because they're two hot guys because Kierat really isn't a NICE GUY - im salty
The drama with Kieran/Mark/Cristina was ANNOYING, it was annoying. And literally all the "I looked at him and immediately had to make out with him" IM EXHAUSTED. No one has this much sexual chemistry and tension in real life nO ONE
Emma and Jules are NOT free of this because they were also bad, though I don't think they are AS BAD but fgfj still STOP KISSING AND START SOLVING YOUR MANY ABUNDANT ISSUES.
There was so many make out steamy scenes I actually got bored of steamy make out scenes.
Kitty and Kitliv is excused from this mess they are all Pure.
I found the first 100 pages kind of underwhelming not gonna lie. But after that it got way way better. Enjoyed the Mark/Emma dynamic, and their genuine friendship that came from it. Really liked the trip into Faerie, and what we saw from Julian and Emma there.
LOVED the scenes in London, and all the references to the TID characters, as well as the appearance of tmi/tid characters. Was super cool to see Magnus and Alec as dads.
MY TOP 5 SCENES (view spoiler)[ 1: The fight scene with the Faeries outside the London institute and then at the cabin. The action sequence was amazing and there was so much genuine tension I really thought everyone was gonna die 2: The entire fight scene at the Unseelie court. Loved the vulnerable side of Emma we saw unmasking her "dad" and also the vicious side we saw from Julian. 3: Jules and Emma's talk after the fight. I thought it was a scene of such good character development and really needed. Their relationship is great I really love it and I think they're good together. 4: Kit in general. Loved him talking to Ty, especially when they talked about Livvy. Loved his discussion with Jules about Ty, and also loved his list of shadowhunter problems jgfhjf 5: Ty's letter to Annabel was amazing, and not just the letter itself but how much it meant to Julian to read that and know how much those kids fucking love him. (hide spoiler)]
“Sometimes the most ruthless heart speaks the most truth”
Lord of Shadows is an absolute monster of a book, and there is so much to talk about. This small review barely even covers the surface of my feelings about this book. I truly adore all the characters so much, I have so much genuine concern over their happiness.
The plot really picked up and I am DYING for Queen of Air and Darkness. I can't believe we have to wait until 2019. (view spoiler)[I AM READY FOR ANTI-HERO JULIAN TO RISE (hide spoiler)]
There is so much going on in these books, and so many little arcs that accompany the larger one, but the books are so fun and definitely Cassandra's strongest works character, plot and writing wise. I have always been willing to criticise her work, but I do think she worked on some of those criticisms in this series. Its much, much stronger then tmi AND tid in my opinion.
I AM NOT OKAY WITH THE ENDING. I don't think it's possible to be okay with that ending.
(view spoiler)[ LIVGBBHD LIVVY GOT TO GO TO HEAVENT GTGEHT TTHE CLOCK CHIMIMED IT CHIMED gfjhk JULIAN CRYING OVER HER DEAD BODY I WASN'T OKAY I WASN'T READY I CAN'T BREATHE JUST THINKING ABOUT IT HE LOVED HER SO MUCH LET HER BE GHDJH (hide spoiler)]
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