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| 0062972502
| 9780062972507
| 0062972502
| 4.03
| 16,961
| Feb 06, 2024
| Feb 06, 2024
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it was amazing
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“No man has ever wagered against the devil and won.”
Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden! Oh lord, I would have finished this sooner “No man has ever wagered against the devil and won.” Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden! Oh lord, I would have finished this sooner if life hadn’t been kicking my ass. This series just leaves me so fucking tortured I can’t. I haven’t seen a couple this tortured in YA since… Cordelia and James maybe? Ok so not that long ago, but this is infinitely worse because Alizeh and Cyrus still haven’t kissed ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 07, 2024
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Feb 17, 2024
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Dec 19, 2023
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Hardcover
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| 1632157098
| 9781632157096
| 1632157098
| 3.97
| 63,358
| Jul 19, 2016
| Jul 19, 2019
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it was amazing
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This. Was. So. Good. I'm IN LOVE with the art. Sana Takeda's art style is simply stunning, and I love the world she and Liu have created. Their world
This. Was. So. Good. I'm IN LOVE with the art. Sana Takeda's art style is simply stunning, and I love the world she and Liu have created. Their world building is astounding, everything is gorgeous. As for the story, I am hooked. Maika is a wonderfully interesting and complex character. Like most seventeen year olds, she's lost and trying to find herself. Unlike other seventeen year olds, she's been a slave and is able to kill without a second thought. The conflict between the humans and the Arcanics is fascinating, and I'm really eager to learn more about what happened in Constantine. Also curious as to what exactly is inside Maika's body, and where the story will go from here. I need volume 2 for more of Takeda's beautiful art! Merged review: This. Was. So. Good. I'm IN LOVE with the art. Sana Takeda's art style is simply stunning, and I love the world she and Liu have created. Their world building is astounding, everything is gorgeous. As for the story, I am hooked. Maika is a wonderfully interesting and complex character. Like most seventeen year olds, she's lost and trying to find herself. Unlike other seventeen year olds, she's been a slave and is able to kill without a second thought. The conflict between the humans and the Arcanics is fascinating, and I'm really eager to learn more about what happened in Constantine. Also curious as to what exactly is inside Maika's body, and where the story will go from here. I need volume 2 for more of Takeda's beautiful art! ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Sep 03, 2016
not set
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Sep 03, 2016
not set
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Jul 13, 2023
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Paperback
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| 0062972472
| 9780062972477
| 0062972472
| 4.09
| 32,513
| Feb 07, 2023
| Feb 07, 2023
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it was amazing
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“You are far more enchanting in real life. Far more exquisite. It is excruciating to be in your presence.”
Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers wil “You are far more enchanting in real life. Far more exquisite. It is excruciating to be in your presence.” Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden! Five enchanting stars. Alizeh, girl, if you don’t marry Cyrus I will LOL. Omg, I have not been this tortured by a love triangle in a long fucking time. The amount of romantic angst and sheer drama in this book is astounding. Plot-wise, barely anything happens and yet I was still riveted. Alizeh’s and Cyrus’ partnership thing and the sheer intensity of their emotions for one another had me captivated. Kamran’s inner turmoil is equally as arresting as he grapples with the severe, significant changes that have happened in his life. And all of these takes place in under a couple days! I loved Kamran so much in book one, but then Cyrus swooped in and stole my heart |
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1
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Feb 22, 2023
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Feb 25, 2023
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Dec 31, 2022
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Hardcover
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| 1534321233
| 9781534321236
| 1534321233
| 4.19
| 576
| Jun 01, 2022
| Jun 07, 2022
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it was amazing
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“All I know is, it’s dark without you. I close the blinds, you open them and let the light in. You’re my home.”
It’s been almost a decade since I f “All I know is, it’s dark without you. I close the blinds, you open them and let the light in. You’re my home.” It’s been almost a decade since I first started reading Deadly Class, and I finally got my ship in all of its glory, and it’s for forever this time. I know everyone thought Marcus and Saya would end up together. In the very beginning, I was rooting for them too. But there was just something about Marcus and Maria that made sense. And I wound up loving them. They had a long, rough journey in their relationship, but they found their way back to each other. In between all of the fighting and killing and teen angst they found real love in one another. I mean, adult problems suck ass too. (view spoiler)[Maria’s illness and her lack of insurance makes me wanna cry and scream at the government. (hide spoiler)] It’s kinda funny how this grew up with me because I’m also struggling with surviving and worrying about rent, groceries, and my health. They were relatable when they were teens (minus the killing) and they’re relatable now as adults trying to make ends meet. Still, I’m so happy my babies made it. Which is exactly why I am going to be supremely pissed if Remender kills either one of them, or both of them. THEY DESERVE TO BE FUCKING HAPPY!! LET THEM BE HAPPY OK??? Here’s another long ass quote I can’t resist putting in. “No matter how much they hurt each other that love remains. Even after finding her with another man he couldn’t bring himself to hurt her. But you knew that. Just as I knew that no matter how much came between them… in the end they would be together.” ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 30, 2023
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Jan 30, 2023
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Oct 08, 2022
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Paperback
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| 1250624649
| 9781250624642
| 1250624649
| 4.11
| 43,486
| Sep 27, 2022
| Sep 27, 2022
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really liked it
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“No safe place. No safe haven. But there will be. I will make one.”
And thus the Darkling was born!! Nah but forreal though I’ve always had a soft “No safe place. No safe haven. But there will be. I will make one.” And thus the Darkling was born!! Nah but forreal though I’ve always had a soft spot for Aleksander. I still prefer him to Mal and think he was the better written, more captivating and complex character. Here we have his origin story and just one of the many instances where he experienced the prejudice and fear the Grisha faced before he changed the world. I don’t blame him for seeing how his people were being treated and wanting to do something about it. Hiding in tiny, hidden villages. Being so desperate for a sense of control and power to hunt for amplifiers and even murder. He was so young here. Still a little naive and earnest. He was tired of constantly moving from place to place. He wanted a home and to make friends and be a normal teenage boy without having to live in fear of the rest of the world that saw them as monsters. So he took it upon himself to create that world. Say what you want about his methods, but you can’t deny that he empowered the Grisha of the world and gave them a place in society. Pendergast’s art is breathtaking. Her art style is clean but has a touch of whimsy to it. The lines flow into one another. Her coloring sets the mood for each page. The dark blues to the orangey reds. She did an excellent job bringing this story to life and young Aleksander is exactly how I pictured him. Baghra was also quite beautiful when she was younger. They were so close when he was younger. It’s sad knowing how everything turned out. Everything about the art was perfect. Overall, this is a great addition to any Grishaverse fan’s collection. The story is one I’m sure the majority of us have read already, but to see it translated into a graphic novel with gorgeous art is a real treat. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 21, 2022
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Nov 21, 2022
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Jun 07, 2022
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Hardcover
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| 9780063161528
| 0063161524
| 4.02
| 5,245
| May 31, 2022
| Jun 07, 2022
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None
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Notes are private!
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0
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not set
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not set
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May 01, 2022
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| 1665900709
| 9781665900706
| 1665900709
| 4.09
| 4,383
| May 10, 2022
| May 10, 2022
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really liked it
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“So long as China lives, I will never be forgotten.”
Solid 4 stars. This is such a fun book and I learned so much about China’s history while simul “So long as China lives, I will never be forgotten.” Solid 4 stars. This is such a fun book and I learned so much about China’s history while simultaneously geeking out to anime references and video games. In theory, this is a crazy book. Preteen boy has his VR console possessed by the first Emperor of China and must now journey across China in order to stop evil spirits from being unleashed upon the world. However, do not fret! He has the help of two other emperors of China (whose names are very familiar to those who have read Iron Widow), Tang Taizong and Wu Zetian. The big motivator is the fact that an evil spirit has captured his mom’s spirit and he must help the emperors in order for it to be freed. None of this sounds cohesive and yet, it totally works lol. I related so much to Zack. Born and raised in NYC, even in such a diverse city I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood and went to predominantly white schools for my formative years. I had a teacher who thought I needed ESL (English Second Language) classes just because of how I looked. In reality, I was at a higher reading level than most of my peers and beat the popular white girl in the school spelling bee. I ate school lunches because it was easier than bringing my mom’s food and having kids look at it funny and ask me wtf I was eating. Middle school was especially rough for me because I had decided to go to a different school from all of my Asian friends. I felt even more isolated and alone. It wasn’t until I got to high school, where a good chunk of the student population was East Asian, where I felt like I could belong. And then I realized that my Cantonese fucking sucked and I let a huge part of me die as a kid. I still didn’t belong. It took many years to just embrace the fact that I would never be wholly one or the other. I could only be myself. Zack is going through the same thing, but an even more extreme level. He and his mom moved to bumblefuck Maine where the Chinese population is practically nonexistent. To top it off, he’s not even the typical Han Chinese. Instead, he’s part of the small minority of Chinese Muslims. His mom wears a hijab and he only eats halal food. He throws away his mom’s home cooked meals and plays Mythrealm with boys who aren’t really his friends tbh. It’s only when he gets swept up in this insane adventure that he gets the chance to really connect to his heritage after realizing just how much he sucks at being Chinese. And as Zack learns more and more about the history of Qin Shi Huang and China in general, I too learned. I’ve always been more familiar with the legends and stories of China like Journey to the West, but the actual history of China is pretty vague in my mind. To learn about the intricacies of politics between each dynasty and the Warring States was truly eye-opening. Major props to Zhao for making history fun. We also get amazing sidekicks in the form of Simon and Melissa, who have their own emperors within them. They are the firepower and teachers on this epic journey. They’re also good kids who have their own dreams and aspirations. And it appears that just like their ancestors they may have a little crush on each other lol. Not Zack though. My guy is gay without stating he’s gay. Bless Zhao for making him queer because we need more queer protagonists in middle grade. It’s obvious enough in the subtext, but hopefully not enough to get it banned in conservative schools. Simon is sweet-natured and smart as hell, and clearly passionate about history and gaming. Melissa is equally smart and sassy as hell. Also a great singer lol. They coax Zack out of his shell and get him to truly appreciate his culture and heritage. And then of course, we have Qin Shi Huang. Once a tyrant, but also the uniter of the Warring States and the first Emperor of China, he’s had two thousand years to mellow out. His number one passion is still China. He would do anything to save his country. Some of it is good. Some is bad. To be more accurate, they’re complicated. He develops a bond with Zack as he inhabits his portal and gives him advice along with history lessons. Zack gains confidence in his abilities and inner strength as Qin Shi Huang helps him along. One lesson he tries to instill within Zack is that the world is not made of absolutes. There is no good and bad. The world is a gray area. There is only what you feel is right in the moment. What you will do for what you believe in. Some may disagree with you, but that does not make you bad. Qin Shi Huang did many questionable things throughout his lifetime, but he still created China. That’s gotta count for something. Basically all of my favorite quotes are from him too lol. (view spoiler)[His sacrifice at the end hurt, but it showed just how much he loved China. I’m scared to see him evil in the sequel. (hide spoiler)] The journey itself is completely insane. They travel throughout China and encounter spirits that possess random people who try to attack them. One is an infamous assassin that almost killed Qin Shi Huang. Others are Chinese mermaids who also hold a grudge for him. My guy made a lot of enemies in his lifetime lol. They break into a museum to touch an ancient artifact. Melissa charms their way onto a cruise through the Eastern Sea. They speak to immortals and dive deep into the sea in order to steal from a king. The CEO of the corporation that created Zack’s beloved Mythrealm is also an emperor and seems to have his own plans. There’s a big twist at the end. Well, it would be a twist if you weren’t familiar with the story of Nezha, The Dragon King’s son. I kinda suspected it once they brought him up, and while terrible Zack allowing the power to overwhelm him and control his friends like that was a shitty move. A lot of shit goes down and the book ends on a sorta cliffhanger, which sucks, but at least that means I get a sequel. Overall, I had a ton of fun. I may still be in a bit of a reading slump, but hopefully this will kickstart me out of it. I read middle grade when I want something light-hearted with the occasional feels. Honestly, if you love Percy Jackson or any of the Rick Riordan Presents books, you’ll love this. I guarantee it. Read it for the wild ride. Read it for the rich history. For all of my fellow Chinese readers, read it so you can finally see yourself reflected in a book. You won’t regret it. Below you will find a few of my favorite quotes. “If you want any true power over your life, you must stop caring so much about what others think.” - Qin Shi Huang “You can either let this journey crush you, or let it transform you into someone stronger.” - Qin Shi Huang “It was as if he’d been drifting as a lone leaf for his whole life, only to have found the tree he’d come from.” “All right, yes, I am a vain, tyrannical megalomaniac! But I am also one who cares deeply for China. I can be both! There is nothing that prevents me from being both.” - Qin Shi Huang ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 31, 2022
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Jun 13, 2022
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Apr 13, 2022
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Hardcover
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| 0062662627
| 9780062662620
| 0062662627
| 4.30
| 104,177
| Nov 17, 2020
| Nov 17, 2020
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it was amazing
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“It’s not about the enemy. It’s about what the world looks like after.”
Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden! Major spoilers for the “It’s not about the enemy. It’s about what the world looks like after.” Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden! Major spoilers for the previous two books though!! My heart hurts and I am in complete and utter pain and sorrow. I took so long to read this not because it was a bad book, but because I knew it would leave me utterly heartbroken. I was right. Having Rin and Nezha on two opposing sides of a war sucked ass. Part of me was like yeah fuck shit up Rin while the other part of me was dying because it was Nezha she wanted to fuck up. I don’t give a shit about the Hesperians. I am never down for yt ppl colonizing a foreign country and completely destroying their culture. The fact that they think they’re so much better just because they have better technology is disgusting. If you really wanted to help Nikan you would just teach them your inventions rather than lording it over them and trying to force your religion. I’m getting off topic though, back to the people I actually care about! Rin, Kitay, and Venka are working to retake the South from the remaining Mugenese soldiers in Nikan. Left to their own devices while Vaisra is too busy up North, they use a combination of their wits (mostly Kitay’s cause let’s face it he’s the only sane and logical one) and forge new alliances to take back the South. Rin’s finally accepted her roots as a Southerner and is more determined than ever to reclaim her home. Then she’ll focus on killing Vaisra and Nezha. What follows is a brutal tale of yet another war, this time between the North and the South. All the while, she struggles with the clear power imbalance between the two with the Hesperians and their superior technology on the Republic’s side. The only answer she can think of is to recruit more shamans because only the power of the gods can combat their false god. So she decides to find the Trifecta, even though Daji finds her first. They journey to retrieve Jiang. When they release him from the Chuluu Korith it’s clear that he’s regained all of his memories of his life as Jiang Ziya, the Gatekeeper. I love Jiang and I missed him dearly so it was nice to get him back here. He’s clearly still struggling between who he used to be and who he is now. Rin is conflicted. Sometimes he’s still her silly, carefree master who showed her the Pantheon and treated her like a daughter. Other times he’s Ziya, the Gatekeeper who ruled over Nikan with an iron fist along with Riga and Daji. A man who has done unspeakable things and is slowly losing his mind. His complicated relationship with Daji and Riga is saddening. It’s clear that both he and Daji faced incredible physical and emotional abuse at Riga’s hands. They’re both so terrified of him that even as they journey closer to Mount Tianshan to release him, they both dread and anticipate it. Part of them still love him, but also hate and fear him. (view spoiler)[Jiang’s death hurt me so much. He could’ve had everything he wanted if he just stayed with Daji and Riga. The three of them could have ruled Nikan once more. They could have absolutely destroyed Hesperia and saved their country from imperialism and colonization. Instead, he decides to save Rin. He throws himself in front of Riga and knows he will die protecting Rin, and he’s ok with that. I cried so much. (hide spoiler)] The aftermath of Mount Tianshan was something else. Rin’s memorial to him broke me. She loved him like a father once. She defied him at almost every turn though. Used shamanism for power. Even trained other young kids knowing what would happen to them. (view spoiler)[Side note: What happened to Lianhua? Dulian and Pipaji died (poor babies), but wasn’t she still ok? (hide spoiler)] If she had heeded his warnings about shamanism would things have turned out different? I guess we’ll never know. Rin has always had complicated relationships with the men in her life, some better than others. There was Altan and Jiang. Kitay is her soulmate in a purely platonic way. He would follow her everywhere. They’re best friends and loyal to only each other. Kitay is the brains of the operation. He’s there when Rin’s impulses go a little too far. He is the reason she hasn’t gone completely insane. I love Kitay. He’s my baby and deserves to be protected at all costs. And of course there’s Nezha. The dumb romantic in me was still rooting for them in spite of everything. I know it isn’t healthy and there are some things you just can’t come back from, but I can’t help it. I still love Nezha. He deserved so much better than his parents and the god who possesses him. He deserves more than the terrible Hesperians who experiment and lord over him. The two of them are basically Katara and Zuko but darker and angstier, and Zuko is already plenty angry. Fire and water. The Phoenix and the Dragon. Power, duty, and ambition came in between them. That whole scene in the Dragon’s grotto absolutely destroyed me. She still can’t bring herself to kill him and he never actually wanted her to die. After everything they’ve been through, he still saves her. So many things left unsaid between them. Three very important words that they can never bring themselves to say to each other. The worst part of this is that if he had chosen love over duty, they would’ve been unstoppable. Between the two of them they would have never had the civil war and they could have driven the Hesperians away on their own. They could have allowed themselves to love each other. Instead, I get one of the most tragic almost romances I’ve ever read in a book. Rin continues to be conflicting for me. I wanna root for her, but also criticize her. I get it. Her world is changing and she doesn’t know how to change with it. The Hesperians have technology she couldn’t even fathom. They’ve got the dirigibles, electricity, and even cars. She has no idea what any of it is or how to work it, and that’s terrifying. She’s stuck with guilt over the many horrors she’s committed in the name of war. More than anything she wants power. She wants to rule. She doesn’t know how to live in a world without war though. The power of the Phoenix relies on vengeance and fire. What do you do when there are no more people to exact vengeance on? Well, that’s not quite true. She still enacts revenge on Petra which I must admit, was incredibly satisfying. (view spoiler)[Showing her the Pantheon and completely shattering her worldview was worth than death for Petra. This was def one thing Rin and I agreed on. (hide spoiler)] She doesn’t know what to do with Nikan in the aftermath of Arlong. Her, Kitay, and Venka try to figure out how to rule a country when they never even completed their schooling. All they know is war. They don’t know shit about running a country. Rin becomes paranoid and thinks everyone is a spy for Nezha. Her last suspect is Venka. (view spoiler)[Rin absolutely loses it and accuses Venka of being Nezha’s spy the whole time. Venka denies this vehemently, but in the middle of the meeting an assassin tries to kill Rin. Venka tackles her to the ground, but Rin in her paranoia and rage knees her so her neck gets an arrow through it. And so, Venka dies saving Rin. (hide spoiler)] Was Venka really the spy? I don’t know. I do know that she was an amazing woman who only wanted the best for her country. I can def see how the end could be controversial. To me, it seemed like the only option left. Nikan was facing a famine unlike any other. Hesperia had grain they so desperately needed. Rin was determined to just blow them off the planet and take it all by force. Kitay and Nezha wanted to negotiate. They just wanted to be able to feed their country. (view spoiler)[Rin realizes that her paranoia has reached new heights. She will never be safe ever again. She’s won the war, but can’t handle the aftermath. She despised the Trifecta for what they did, but she became just like them. She understands that she will never be satisfied. The Phoenix will never be satisfied until the world is burning and the only person left is her. And that’s not what Nikan needs. So she sacrifices herself and forces Nezha to kill her. Kitay dies with her, loyal to the end and unwilling to bear the burden of their guilt without Rin by his side. Nezha is left alone. No Rin. No Kitay. Not even Venka. A young man left with the responsibilities of a whole country and reluctant to make a deal with the white devils who have shackled him. (hide spoiler)] All Nezha ever wanted was the best for his country. Rin wanted the best for herself and that’s the difference between the two. In the end, this is just as brutal as ever. Kuang touches on many heavy topics in a world inspired by imperial China. Western imperialism and colonialism from the eyes of the natives. The cost of war. Political machinations. Some of the most brutal depictions of war and battle I have ever read in a book. Honestly some of the shit in here would give Game of Thrones a run for its money, but with a lot less sex and absolutely no incest (thankfully). Nezha and Kitay have my heart. I will continue to have complex feelings for Rin. In the end, I’m still not sure if I love her or what. So many choices she made blew my mind and I don’t condone half of the shit she did. At the same time, she was manipulated from all sides from the very beginning and the only thing she wanted was to have power over herself. She just became addicted to the power and would never have stopped until it consumed her and everyone around her. Also you know, it’s actually complete lmao. I can’t believe Kuang started this when she was just 19. I wish I was this talented. I can’t wait to see what she writes next. I already know it’ll be an autobuy. Hopefully she’ll bring me less pain next time. Below you’ll find a few more of my favorite quotes. “You don’t know what you’re asking for. Even the little fires hurt people they shouldn’t.” - Rin “War didn’t end, not so cleanly—it just kept building up in little hurts that piled on one another until they exploded afresh into raw new wounds.” “It’s realizing that the future doesn’t include you.” - Daji “The point of revenge wasn’t to heal. The point was that the exhilaration, however temporary, drowned out the hurt.” “But I never wanted you dead.” - Nezha ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 25, 2022
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Apr 09, 2022
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Jan 13, 2022
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Hardcover
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| 4.37
| 137,967
| Aug 06, 2019
| Aug 08, 2019
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it was amazing
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“Rin was tired of having to prove her humanity”
4.5 stars. First of all, how dare you? Second of all, how fucking dare you?? I feel so empty. I’m e “Rin was tired of having to prove her humanity” 4.5 stars. First of all, how dare you? Second of all, how fucking dare you?? I feel so empty. I’m eating my sorrows away and drinking hot cocoa. The complete and utter betrayal I feel y’all. I haven’t been this blindsided in awhile. Kuang has gotten the better of me once again. I docked half a star cause it was a bit slow in the beginning, but it wasn’t too bad. The brutality continues in the sequel to The Poppy War. Rin has a new goal in mind. Kill Empress Daji. Initially merely the commander of the rogue Cike unit, she is recruited by the Dragon Warlord Yin Vaisra, Nezha’a father, as a soldier under his command. He wishes to kill Daji and create a new Republic with a democratic govt, ridding Nikan of the empire. With her Phoenix fire, Rin is his best bet at killing the Vipress. That means we get to see Nezha and Venka again as they fight in a civil war set to change the history of Nikan forever. There are many newcomers introduced as well, most notably the Hesperians, who are basically yt people who believe in the one true Maker, aka God. Rin hates them with a burning passion and for good reason. They see shamanism as Chaos and are determined to study her and rid the world of shamanism completely. Vaisra invited them as potential allies, but the bastards won’t interfere until they’re absolutely sure that the Republic will win. It’s essentially the beginnings of colonialism. The Hesperians disgust me. Forcing their religion and agenda onto the Nikara while also treating them as lesser. They are convinced the Nikara are below them and will never see them as equals. To the Hesperians, they are barbarians that need to be saved and brought into a new technological era with their guns. Typical yt savior shit. As Rin navigates this new political climate and a major change to her powers she continues to struggle with her PTSD and guilt over what she did and Altan. I admit, her bond with Altan still confuses me. It’s an incredibly complex relationship that is mostly hero worship, but he was simultaneously her abuser. I’m still not sure if she was in love with him either. I think she was in love with the idea of him. It takes awhile, but she eventually confronts these emotions and basically his ghost and reconciles with her emotions and is able to move past them. So good for her. The majority of the plot revolves around the various battles Rin and the rest of the Republican army sail into with their navy as they take over each Province. Everything goes to shit in the latter half of the book and there’s just pain after pain. She learns the truth behind the Trifecta, meets Chaghan’s and Qara’s aunt, and realizes just how well she’s been manipulated on all fronts. Rin has a major problem with praise. She seeks out acceptance from anyone she can get it from and can be blinded by her loyalty. She was also eager to remain a follower because it could absolve her of any guilt for future actions. It’s only when she stops trying to please everyone that she truly comes into her own person. She’s better now. No longer addicted to opium and has full control over her fire. The girl could be unstoppable if she wanted to be. The majority of the pain came from her complex relationships with the men in her life. Vaisra can be interpreted as the father figure she wishes she had. He convinces her that he needs her and she eats it up. Her soulmate bestie bond with Kitay is heartwarming. Even as she struggles, she knows he’ll always be there for her. (view spoiler)[That is truer than ever now that he’s become her anchor. My guy literally keeps her sane. (hide spoiler)] They play off each other and work in tandem, even if they sometimes get into arguments. And then there’s Nezha. Oh Nezha, what have you done sweetheart? My heart is so conflicted. They went from enemies to friends to almost lovers. Romance will never be a forefront of this series, but their bond is still apparent. They love one another, but as she learns his secrets it becomes clear that they can never be together. And it hurts so much. (view spoiler)[He’s a shaman with a Dragon god. My guy is basically a waterbender and can never die because the Dragon wants his body when he’s done with him. I thought they were having a sweet, cute moment before on the eve of her defection. My guy kissed her and used his powers to save her even when they bring him pain. He even begs her not to leave him. And then he fucking stabs her in the back and I was so distraught I couldn’t even cry. With his brother dead, he’s the only heir to his father’s house now and his familial obligations override his love for Rin. His deep hatred of his powers doesn’t help. I think that’s why he accepted the Hesperians. He’s convinced he’s an abomination and thinks shamanism needs to be purged from Nikan. He doesn’t even know his father manipulated him and his brother to the dragon. I just wanna know, did he always plan to betray her? Is this only because she killed that Hesperian soldier? Would she have been safe otherwise? They’re enemies now. True enemies. They can never come back from this and I hate it. I guess I should’ve seen it coming. Fire and water. Destined to be opposites, but still. This is like the complete opposite of Zutara. (hide spoiler)] Even after all of that I can’t bring myself to hate him. They’ve been through so much together. He’s just as lost as she is. Reading the short story of key moments in their relationship through his POV was like a knife to an already bleeding wound. He loves her so much, but his duty to his house trumps that love. I just wanna cry, but I’m so numb. I did appreciate her new friendship with Venka though. Rin needs a female friend in her life. Venka is sassy and snarky. She’s been through a lot and her shit family blames her for it and disowned. So she said fuck em found a new family in Rin and Kitay. I would say Nezha too, but that’s… complicated. The point is she’s cool and I’m glad she’s there to teach Rin about feminine wiles lmao. The book ends with Rin defecting from yet another army. (view spoiler)[The Cike are well and truly dead. Unegen and Enki left. Aratsha is killed. Qara dies saving her brother. Baji and Suni are executed for being shamans and I cried. Ramsa blows himself up rather than become a prisoner. Why he couldn’t just go with Rin, Kitay, and Venka I have no fucking clue. loved them and I hated that they died. It’s legit just her and Chaghan now. (hide spoiler)] She’s heading south now to rally them. She’s struggled with her roots this whole time so it’ll be interesting to see how she handles this. There are still the leftover Mugenese army, and now the Hesperians and Republic. I can tell the pain isn’t over yet. Another war is coming and I have no idea who will survive. I just know I want more magic and an epic battle, no matter how brutal it may be. Kuang pulls zero punches. I think I’m gonna read a happy romance first before I get started on The Burning God. I need to prepare myself for the inevitable pain. Below you’ll find a few of my favorite quotes. “The Phoenix lived on rage, and rage was intricately tied to the past.” “I mean, if that ship were a person, I would fuck that ship.” - Baji “Threats have to be credible to work.” - Nezha “I like when we’re on the same side.” - Nezha ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 14, 2022
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Mar 19, 2022
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Jan 13, 2022
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Hardcover
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| 140125151X
| 9781401251512
| 140125151X
| 4.30
| 17,622
| Jan 01, 2008
| Sep 16, 2014
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it was amazing
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None
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Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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not set
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Oct 12, 2021
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Paperback
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| 1534319328
| 9781534319325
| 1534319328
| 3.82
| 706
| Oct 20, 2021
| Oct 26, 2021
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really liked it
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“The old are furious the young don’t resemble them.”
I’ve been struggling with my reading lately, so I figured comics would be the best way to get “The old are furious the young don’t resemble them.” I’ve been struggling with my reading lately, so I figured comics would be the best way to get the ball rolling. Deadly Class will always get my blood pumping and keep me flipping those pages. We follow Marcus over the years as we break into the 90s. They’re in the real world now, and it seems like no matter how hard the former students try, their past always comes back to haunt them. It ain’t over yet. Amidst all of the violence there is a surprising insight into generational trauma. It doesn’t just apply to families, but to assassin schools as well! It’s always on the young ones to do better than their predecessors. Breaking the cycle is hard. I have faith in my kids (now adults) though. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 26, 2022
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Nov 26, 2022
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Sep 01, 2021
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Paperback
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| 0593300955
| 9780593300954
| 0593300955
| 3.79
| 26,760
| Aug 30, 2022
| Aug 30, 2022
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really liked it
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“A promise kept is worth a thousand secrets.”
Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden! 3.75 stars. I sooo wanted to love this as much as “A promise kept is worth a thousand secrets.” Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden! 3.75 stars. I sooo wanted to love this as much as I love Six Crimson Cranes, but I just didn’t. This had so much potential, but I think Lim tried to do too much in one book. She could have split this into two books. One focusing solely on Shiori’s time in Ai’Long. Yes, I would have missed Takkan dearly, but the world was so amazing I wanted her to build and truly explore. I feel like we barely got a glimpse into such a fascinating and unique world. Also, dragons are fucking cool. I was hoping to learn more about Seryu and while I did get that, there was clearly a lot of family dynamics and palace politics that could have been delved into. Elang and the turtles were especially cool and I would have loved to explore how tragic backstory more. He kinda gives me Beast vibes from Beauty and the Beast lol. The creepy domain and solitude, but the turtles are awesome. My point is, she started off with such a luscious world, and then just left it. I’ve read books that takes place during the span of just a few days, Lim could have totally pulled that off. When Shiori returns to Kiata the demons become the main conflict, specifically Bandur, the self-proclaimed king of the demons. We also get a new character in Gen The book really shines when we see Shiori interact with Takkan and her family. I’m so fucking glad Lim didn’t decide to do a love triangle between her, Takkan, and Seryu. (view spoiler)[I mean there was the whole thing with Seryu proposing to marry her and have her stay in Ai’Long with him, but she rejects him so it’s ok. They wouldn’t have been good for each other anyways. (hide spoiler)] As I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten more tired of love triangles. Give me healthy, established relationships please. No miscommunication trope though because that just brings pain and me yelling at the book. Takkan is still best boy and I love him to absolute pieces. He’s supportive and kind and brave and so loving. He is all in for this relationship and a complete simp for Shiori. Their first kiss made me so fucking happy. And then there’s Shiori’s relationships with each of her brothers and her father. We see them interact with each other more now since they’re all human and can talk lol. Each one has their own distinct personalities, from Andahei to Benkei to Hasho. Personally I think I love Hasho the most because he truly understands her. Her father, while strict and reprimanding, truly loves his daughter and refuses to let any harm come to her, whether from demons or his own citizens. We also get glimpses into Raikama’s past. We learn more about her childhood and how she grew up. Shiori yearns for any connections to her stepmother and it’s refreshing to have a kid not hate their stepparent lol. She’s such a complex character and while I do still have conflicting feelings for her with the whole curse and all, I can understand that she did what she thought was best. It didn’t turn out very well, but hey she tried. (view spoiler)[Also I went to the launch event for the book and Lim said she’s writing Raikama’s story so yay! I’m sure we‘ll get a good glimpse into her life before Kiata with her sister, Vanna, and the Wraith and how it all went wrong. (hide spoiler)] She clearly had a hard life, but found a family and just a bit of happiness in Kiata with her new family. As I said before the book kinda bounces from conflict to conflict. First it’s escaping the dragons after keeping the pearl. Then it’s Bandur escaping the mountain and causing havoc. She still needs to return the pearl to the Wraith and now has a plot to capture Bandur. And then it’s the whole demons in the mountain and returning magic to Kiata. It’s a lot of stuff to cram into a 500 page book. While a quick and easy read, I think this would have benefited from being split and made into two different novels. We could have spent more time in Ai’Long and then the problems with Bandur and the demons could have been explored in the next book. Still, this is an enjoyable read and I stuck around for the characters and the romance. Shiori and Takkan laugh and communicate and are so devoted to one another. They’re connected by fate and nothing can change that. Also I lowkey love the ending. (view spoiler)[Lim finds inspiration from another Chinese myth and also kinda Persephone. In exchange for her life, Shiori spends half of the year on the moon and the other half as a human with Takkan and the rest of her family. The book ends with her reuniting with Takkan in Iro and it is so sweet and cute and perfect. (hide spoiler)] While not perfect, it concluded the book in a good way and resolved everything. One major thing I wanna say is that Lim takes inspiration from many myths, not just Chinese. While the world is geared towards Chinese culture, I wouldn’t say this is meant to be a fantastical parallel to China. Lim has still created a world uniquely her own and we should respect that. Her writing still needs some work when it comes to endings, but she’s getting better. Maybe next time she can write a trilogy so she doesn’t have to cram so much in the last book. Either way, I truly appreciate Lim for being an own voices author and for making Chinese characters and myths easily available to teenagers that look like me. I’ll keep saying this in every review for however long I need to. Representation matters. Below you’ll find a few more of my favorite quotes. “Your heart is your home. Until you understand that, you will belong nowhere.” - Elang “Make sure he deserves you.” - Seryu “Don’t begin your life together with a lie.” - Hasho “You were the daughter of her heart.” - Emperor Hanriyu “Trouble follows power.” - Gen “Your heart is my home and where you are is where I belong.” - Shiori “Be it bright or dark, you are the light that makes my lantern shine.” - Shiori ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 03, 2022
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Sep 05, 2022
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Aug 06, 2021
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 006265263X
| 9780062652638
| 006265263X
| 3.80
| 8,167
| Sep 21, 2021
| Sep 21, 2021
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really liked it
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“Love will find you. Like the light of a thousand fairies found me.”
4 stars overall. I averaged out my ratings for each individual story and it ca “Love will find you. Like the light of a thousand fairies found me.” 4 stars overall. I averaged out my ratings for each individual story and it came to 3.875 so I just rounded it up to 4. I think these are definitely suited for younger audiences and would be excellent stories to read to kids. The writing itself is odd at times. While they’re mostly written like that of olden fairytales, sometimes the wording is a bit too modern. I think Chainani succeeded in his goal to put twists into familiar stories. They’re definitely not the happily ever afters Disney feeds the young, but they’re not as gruesome as the actual tales are lol. It’s a happy medium. They’re wonderfully diverse too, filled with characters of all races and sexuality. You can tell that he’s taken inspiration from various cultures even those these tales were originally European. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous as well and only enhance the reading experience. My favorite story was Beauty and the Beast, which isn’t a surprise. The Little Mermaid made me laugh the most though lol. I wouldn’t say there’s a clear moral for each story. A lot of it can be left up for interpretation, and again that’s why I think these are best suited as stories read to children. Parents can open up a conversation with their kids and talk about each story and the lessons they think they’ve learned. My own personal takeaway is that for the most part men suck and women can’t rely on a prince to save them lol. Below you’ll find my individual reviews for each tale along with a few more quotes that’s caught my eye. “If only fathers invested in love as much as they do in sons.” “I’ll wait for a prince who has no price for his kiss.” - Rapunzel “. . . wouldn’t that be a happy ending, proving the person wrong who treats you like nothing?” “And those who fight for others don’t go down so easily.” ————————————————————— Red Riding Hood: 3 stars. Short and to the point, but with a little modern twist to the tale. Fuck wolves. We stan women who help and shelter other women and young girls. Show White: 4 stars. Lowkey gave me Winter (by Marissa Meyer) vibes. POC sticking together and taking care of one another. Don’t ever count on a yt man who will ditch you for a Karen. When the dwarves help her to heal at the very end and she takes her throne I was just like yaaasss you go girl. Sleeping Beauty: 2 stars. I’m still a bit lost by this one. The twist is that sleeping beauty is the prince and he’s gay. Also he doesn’t sleep at all. The whole thief and blood thing threw me off though. Maybe I just need to think about this more. Props to the prince for telling his dad to fuck off and be happy with his man. Still got a kid too! A magical rose baby. I guess the moral is you can still have a happy family while being gay, and have a kid too? Rapunzel: 4 stars. Moral of the story is don’t settle for any dude cause you deserve the best. Also helicopter parenting is a big no no, but parent-child bonds can always be mended. Rapunzel outwitting the prince was the best part for me though lol. Jack and the Beanstalk: 3.5 stars. I like how different this is from the og. It’s a nice story about the importance of a father-son bond. Also how sometimes the mom or wife can be the toxic one in a relationship. Jack just needed a proper role model and he found it in a man who was not his biological dad, and that’s ok. Hansel and Gretel: 4 stars. Fuck the patriarchy. Village was so mad a woman was better than a guy at something so they labeled her a witch and cast her out. Two smart kids that lose their mom, but don’t give up hope. Outwitting this evil stepmother is only first step in the revenge that will take place and I was here for it. I appreciated the name changes since this story featured brown people. Beauty and the Beast: 5 stars. Well that didn’t end how I thought it would at all. This is the one that doesn’t have a true happy ending, just as it is true to never judge a book by its cover, you should never judge a person by their looks. Mei unfortunately learns that the hard way. I could see myself in her at least. An East Asian girl who loves to read more than most things in life. Representation matters. Bluebeard: 4 stars. We have a queer mc who identifies as a boy, but has feminine features. He is a boy who has survived trauma after trauma, and bested each man who tried to control him. He does the same for Bluebeard for he longs to help his fellow boys who share the same pain. Orphaned boys who have faced too much hardship at the hands of cruel men. Boys who deserve a better life, and he gives them that life. Cinderella: 4 stars. A peculiar friendship between a girl and her mouse. Magdalena telling it like it is had me cracking up cause she hated how Cinderella was such a pushover for the sake of being kind and good. Meanwhile this mouse is plotting to get back to her prince. In the end it’s sisters before misters and the girls find more meaning and happiness in each other than they ever did with their prince. The Little Mermaid: 5 stars. Sixteen pages of the sea witch telling the little mermaid how stupid she is for wanting to become human for a boy she hasn’t said a single word to. Brings up valid points about how men in fairytales lowkey suck and has the mermaid questioning her life choices. Absolutely hilarious lol. Rumpelstiltskin: 4 stars. An interesting mix of several tales and myths involving hell and the devil who rules it. From the river Styx to the circles of hell from Dante’s Inferno. The devil loves to play his games, and he almost wins. Too bad the once spoiled girl becomes a mother who finally knows how to love someone other than herself. Self-love is important, but not when it makes you selfish. You must have room in your heart to love another for you to be good. And it’s thanks to this love that she beats the devil at his own game. Peter Pan: 4 stars. Peter lowkey sucks and Tinkerbell is a Pick Me girl. One’s childhood love sometimes doesn’t grow as you age. Instead Wendy finds love in a pirate and it’s a shame they can’t truly be together. The ending is bittersweet for while they have a kid together, she cannot be with them. She’s truly an adult now and cannot go back to Neverland and be with her son and the love of her life. You can never go wrong with a forbidden love story. I just wish they could have been happy together. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 13, 2021
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Oct 18, 2021
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Jul 27, 2021
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 0062972448
| 9780062972446
| 0062972448
| 3.96
| 61,904
| Feb 01, 2022
| Feb 01, 2022
|
really liked it
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“Let us hope for the day we might all remove our masks, sir, and live in the light without fear.”
Solid 4 stars. A bit slow in the beginning, but a “Let us hope for the day we might all remove our masks, sir, and live in the light without fear.” Solid 4 stars. A bit slow in the beginning, but after a hundred pages or so I was hooked. Both Alizeh and Kamran are compelling, complex characters. Alizeh has the quiet strength that’s present in a lot of female protagonists, but she’s not naive. She is aware of the harshness of the world and the dangers the clay, humans, can pose to her. She’s been through great trauma and has had to hide her true self for years. She works in the lowest position possible, a snoda who always hides her face and her mesmerizing eyes. There have been many times where she was homeless and desperate. She also has incredible talent as a seamstress and uses the many physical benefits a jinn possesses, such as not needing sleep, to complete her works. Normally I would say describing clothing is pointless and tedious, but Mafi’s writing is so beautiful I didn’t mind the details. She’s also trained to fight and will kick your ass if necessary. She starts to unravel a bit as her identity is slowly being discovered, but she’s also glad for it because she’s finally allowed to be herself, jinn and lost queen. Kamran is quite different from Alizeh. He’s got a temper. Normally, he’s good at controlling it, but his anxiety at being home after so many years at the warfront gets him tangled up in Alizeh’s encounter with a street urchin. As things spiral out of control he develops almost an obsession with Alizeh. His grandfather, the king, reveals her true identity and once he gets a glimpse of her face and eyes he’s an absolute goner. I haven’t read anything so instalove in awhile, and for once this didn’t bother me lol. I think their chemistry stems from the fact that they both see the other as they truly are. Alizeh hasn’t allowed herself to be so vulnerable with anyone in years, and Kamran allows himself to shed his duties in the brief moments he is with her. The romantic and sexual tension is off the charts lol. It’s a shame their love is forbidden. A jinn queen and clay king? Enemies since the dawn of time. She was meant to rule and in order to claim her throne she must fight against him. Unfortunately, I’m a sucker for forbidden romances so let’s see how this goes lol. The world Mafi has crafted is lush and imaginative. Each kingdom is distinct and the lore behind the jinn is fascinating. The idea of the devil being a fallen jinn and the reason for their conflict with the clay. Mafi’s writing has always been gorgeous. Some may call it purple prose, but I love it. Even as we merely follow Alizeh through her rather mundane, daily life we can sense the desperation and fear she holds within her day after day. In order to survive she must do her grueling work at the noble’s house she works out. She deals with a sometimes abusive boss and makes clothes for a fraction of their true price. She has no outside friends for fear of them discovering what she is. We can feel Kamran’s anger leap off of the page and his utter heartbreak at his grandfather’s betrayal. The climax of the novel turned into a weird Cinderella retelling, but better lol. There is the curfew of the stroke of midnight, but rather than losing her glass slipper shit just hits the fan lol. This whole time she’s been led to believe that an insider within the palace was helping her to escape (and his identity is quite shocking). However, there’s secretly a third party involved, and that third party is dangerous. Enter Cyrus! A man with vast and powerful magic who tells Alizeh he is there to bring her to their mutual friend. Everyone’s true identity is revealed to the whole kingdom. (view spoiler)[Surprise, Cyrus is the king of Tulan, the rival empire they are at war with. He then proceeds to kill the king after exposing the deal he made with the devil (my man had two snakes on his shoulders that ate children brains in exchange for extending his lifespan so Kamran didn’t have to rule so early. A noble cause, but a terrible way to go about it. Kamran tries to kill him in a fit of rage but a sword can’t do shit against magic. Hazan is taken into custody for treason and aiding her, I think he’s also a jinn. And then Cyrus kidnaps her on his dragon and they are on the way to Tulan. Oh and the devil has ordered them to wed so that she may rule Tulan with Cyrus and have an army and empire to send to war. At least she had a sweet moment with Kamran beforehand though? (hide spoiler)] The ball clearly didn’t go well and that cliffhanger is pure torture. I can’t front, I like Kamran, but Cyrus has that air of mystery that makes me curious. I wanna know about him and I wanna know how their bond will end. I can see the love triangle forming, but it’s still too early for me to pick a dude lol. Overall this was lovely. The world is breathtaking and I can’t wait to explore Tulan. I can’t wait to see the political machinations they play as they will most likely try to mess with the other lol. Alizeh and Kamran make for a unique duo who are shackled by duty even as their hearts seem to be bonded by love. She’s kind and patient while Kamran is hot-tempered even as he hides his art too. That ending was something else. I was gasping and so fucking mad at the end lmao. I can’t believe I gotta wait some more for book two. I just want the next book now ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 13, 2022
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Aug 22, 2022
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May 28, 2021
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 1626720797
| 9781626720794
| 1626720797
| 4.33
| 8,815
| Mar 17, 2020
| Mar 17, 2020
|
really liked it
|
“Basketball is a part of Oakland’s history. It’s in Oakland’s
blood. A story about a high school basketball team, with the tiniest bit of memoir is “Basketball is a part of Oakland’s history. It’s in Oakland’s blood. A story about a high school basketball team, with the tiniest bit of memoir is Yang’s latest graphic novel. I put off reading this for a while because it didn’t quite pique my interest. Yes, Yang is one of my favorite authors, comic books or regular, but I’m not a big sports girl. The closest I get to sports is sports anime, which are highly unrealistic and purely fictional lol (but they’re my happy anime). And then this year I got the chance to meet Yang at an autographing session at NYCC. I didn’t know he was having one until last minute so I didn’t have any of my own copies for his previous works (something I still deeply regret) so I just bought this and a new copy of American Born Chinese (yes I’m keeping both because that first one is always going to hold its own place in my heart. It’s almost the end of the year and I figured it was high-time I finally read this. I should have had faith in Yang’s ability to tell an engaging story. Based off of true events, the story follows Bishop O’Dowd’s high school boy’s basketball team in their 2014-2015 year when they’re on the road to becoming Cali’s state champions. We read from Yang’s POV as he chronicles their journey and interviews not only the players, but the coaches as well, and digs deep into their backgrounds and the history of basketball as well. This is more than a story about basketball though. Yang manages to weave in ideas about race, prejudice, and bias in between all of the epic basketball games. Each chapter either focuses on an individual character and their history or on a specific game during the season. This allows Yang to streamline the story, but also allows us the readers to get to know everyone equally. I found this book riveting, and at a couple points I was pretty damn close to crying. The chapters about Jeevin and Qianjun hit especially hard for me. We learn a little bit about the history of the Sikh and the Chinese, and the history of violence they faced at the hands of their oppressors. The racism they face as minority kids in America. That sense of being ‘other’ that never really goes away. The casual, sometimes overt, racism that permeates the story from random bystanders. Kids making dumb jokes, angry spectators at games, all of it disgusts me because it’s real. Yang also doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff, such as the history of violence Oakland has, something the team’s two star players, Ivan Rabb and Paris Austin, are very familiar with. He doesn’t go into much detail because the boy’s didn’t want to talk about it in their interviews, but that’s fine. Just acknowledging it is enough because otherwise it would have taken away from the narrative. The hardest one is, of course, the story of Mike Phelps, one of the most successful California high school basketball coaches of all time. It’s a struggle we see visually throughout the novel, and if you manage to resist Googling it when it’s first hinted at (unlike me) you’ll find out exactly why Yang had such a hard time with it. I agree with the decision to keep him in the book. He’s a huge part of the team’s history and clearly means a lot to Coach Lou. Whether or not you feel the same is up to you. Each game the team plays has me on the edge of my seat. You never know whether or not they’re going to win or lose. For such a simple art style, Yang does a good job of portraying the fluidity of basketball. The action makes the story move quickly. The real heart lies with the characters though. While this is told from Yang’s POV, Coach Lou is what brings this to life. He’s been an integral part of Bishop O’Dowd’s basketball team for years, both as a player and now a coach. He motivates these boys, but disciplines them when they need it. The love he has for the sport is palpable, and he seems like a cool dude. The memoir part stems from the personal introspection Yang did as he was observing this team and following them to their games and interviewing them. Around this time, his comic book career was taking off. DC approached him to be a writer for Superman and he was fiddling with the idea in between all of this. The main problem was his work life balance between teaching, writing, and his family. At some point, something would eventually give. As we read, we see as he slowly realizes the decision he has to make. At the end of the novel, we find out that this was also Yang’s last year as a high school teacher so he could be a full-time comic book writer. Obviously, the boys do make it to the state championship. (view spoiler)[Thankfully, they also win lol. This would have been a good story even if they had lost, but it’s even better that they won. (hide spoiler)] All of the blood, sweat, and tears these boys and their coaches put into basketball came down to that one game and it paid off. I could tell I was really enjoying myself because of how much I couldn’t stop smiling at some parts. The games lowkey do remind me of my fave sports anime lol. You can’t help but become invested in these boys and root for them every step of the way. Overall, I really liked this. Yang’s simple art style allows you to focus more on the story itself, but the visuals also help enhance the story to make it more accessible. I learned a lot about the history of basketball, both men’s and women’s (props to Yang for including the women as well). I vaguely remember that whole bit surrounding Yaoming, Shaq, and Charles Barkley kissing someone’s ass lol. For a guy who didn’t care much for sports, he put a lot of time and effort into this. A lot of research too. It’s clear he gained a newfound appreciation for basketball with every game he watched and every interview he did. All of that enthusiasm paid off when he wrote and drew this because this is great. Below you will find just one more quote that caught my eye. “When you step out, onto that court, no matter how prepared you are, you don’t really know if you’re gonna win or lose. But you step out anyway.” ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 25, 2022
|
Dec 25, 2022
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May 24, 2021
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 0593300912
| 9780593300916
| 0593300912
| 4.20
| 85,498
| Jul 06, 2021
| Jul 06, 2021
|
it was amazing
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“I would wish your strand to be knotted to mine, always.”
Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden! 5 glorious stars. I mean, I don’t eve “I would wish your strand to be knotted to mine, always.” Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden! 5 glorious stars. I mean, I don’t even know what to say. I’m not familiar with The Six Swans fairytale so I can’t say how good of a retelling this is, but I know I absolutely devoured this in just three days. Lim has created yet another lush, beautiful East-Asian inspired world. A world filled with dragons and demons and hidden magic. In the center of it all is Shiori, Princess of Kiata, wielder of magic in a land that vilifies it. Sixteen years old and reckless and impulsive beyond belief, she runs away to chase her paper bird instead of meeting her betrothed. The girl lands in a lake and nearly drowns before she’s rescued by a dragon, who then teaches her how to wield her magic. And of course, as the summary states, her stepmother finds out about her magic and curses her and her brothers. She turns them into cranes and tells Shiori that for every sound she makes one of her brothers will die. It’s up to Shiori to break the curses and free both her and her brothers so they can save Kiata. Thus, the story begins! I can’t front, Shiori annoyed me a bit in the beginning. Stubborn and reckless, she acts before she thinks and is known to be a troublemaker and a liar. She bitches about her betrothed and calls him a barbarian even though she’s never met him. She’s also a total glutton and loves food, and ok I can relate to her with that lol. Even with Kiki, her paper bird who is now her best friend, as her voice of reason she rarely listens to Kiki’s advice and barrels headlong into everything. Most of the time, it lands her in hot water. However, she undergoes tremendous character development. Throughout the novel she is faced with hardship after hardship as she’s left penniless and essentially mute. She basically went from riches to rags and ends up working as a cook in a backwater inn after she unwittingly tries to steal a boat from the owner. I lost track of the amount of times I rolled my eyes every time she did something unbelievably foolish. The girl is literally incapable of thinking before she does something. I mean yeah she gets the tiniest bit better with this, and her natural cleverness saves her many times, but it’s still irritating lol. I can’t deny her bravery though, and she puts herself through intense pain so she can free her and her brothers. She remarks many times that she is not who she used to be and actually cringes at some of her memories. The hardships she faced in these long months has made her into a better person. And then there’s Takkan. I love Takkan. She happens upon him in the inn where she works and later finds out he’s her betrothed. Saw that coming from a mile away, but oh well. Due to unforeseen circumstances and the endless trouble she gets into, Shiori winds up at his castle in the north and must spend the winter there. There they get to know one another, or at least in the best way they can with her being unable to speak. She can’t reveal her identity to him, but at the very least they become friends and maybe even something more. Takkan is the best. He’s kind, sweet, smart, and an artist. My man draws, paints, writes stories, and even sings. He’s also great in combat, especially archery. He’s practically perfect lmao. Shiori tries her hardest to keep her distance from him, but he ain’t having it. Same with his little sister, Megari. Lowkey she reminded me of Mei Chang from FMA lmaooo. Same personality, loud, mischievous, and adventurous. The girl is a spitfire. Shiori grows to care for them no matter how much she doesn’t want to. (view spoiler)[And of course she grows to have romantic feelings for Takkan as well, a fact Kiki and her brothers tease her about lol. He even guessed who she was! Like come on, they're made for each other. I just wish they had gotten to actually kiss. (hide spoiler)] Also I just wanna say that her time up north reminded me of Game of Thrones what with the whole Starks and the north thing lmaoo. The castle/fortress didn’t help things either. I can see Takkan as Rob and Megari as Arya lol. And while we don’t get much of Shiori’s brothers in this considering they’re cranes for most of the book, what little characterization they get still gives them depth. Each one has their own unique personality and relationship with Shiori. Lim breathes life into all of her characters, even the ones that we barely see like Seryu. Characters aside, Lim also weaves a fantastic plot. There’s more to this than just Shiori and her brothers. Something is happening in Kiata. War is upon them and it’s clear there’s a traitor trying to overthrow the emperor when he’s at his most vulnerable. It goes even deeper than that though. Enchanters and magic are involved. Demons as well. Not everyone is who you think they are. A few characters and their true identities caught me off guard. (view spoiler)[I knew Zairena was behind everything shady in the castle. What I did not expect was for her to be Shiori’s old maid, Guiyan. Nor did I expect her to be a High Priestess of the Holy Mountains, tasked with keeping the demons inside and away from Kiata. Sounds like she’d be a good person right? Nope. Not when she’s trying to kill Shiori. Why? Because Shiori is the bloodsake, meaning her blood is capable of breaking the spell on the Holy Mountains and thus releasing the demons back into the world. I mean I get it. Her life’s purpose is to prevent that from happening at whatever cost, but Shiori ain’t gonna let that happen. Then, there’s Raikama. This whole time we’re led to believe she is the evil behind everything. I mean it checks out right? It’s always the evil stepmother in fairytales, and I’m sure it was in the of Grimm’s version. However, Lim turns the trope on its head and instead Raikama was trying to protect Shiori all along. She knew it would only be a matter of time before her magic attracted enemies and so she sought to hide Shiori’s magic and disguise her to be unrecognizable. No one can use her for evil if they can’t find her right? Turning her brothers into cranes was just an unfortunate side effect that her broken dragon pearl did. In the end she uses the last of her magic to rescue Shiori from the demons in the mountain. All along, the memories Shiori had with her mother were actually modified memories of her and Raikama. She had loved her and her family all this time. Raikama then sacrifices herself and tells Shiori to speak her name, Channari, to break her brothers’ curse. She asks her to return her dragon pearl to its rightful owner, not the Dragon King. I can’t lie, I teared up at this. She loved them all along and allowed herself to become the villain so she could save Shiori and all of Kiata. It hurt my heart. (hide spoiler)] There’s quite a bit of backstabbing and subterfuge. Kiata is tied up in a very dark web and it’s clear it won’t be freed anytime soon. I’m not sure what else I can say. I will forever be grateful that after all of these years I am getting more stories of people that look like me in fantasy. As a teenager I would have never had the opportunity to see a girl that looked like me on the cover of a book. The fact that teenagers now do have that makes me so happy. And what a gorgeous cover this is lol. Easily one of my favorite covers of all time. It’s especially important to me now, what with the increase in Asian hate crimes since COVID started. I’ve been craving Asian stories written by Asian authors, and that’s exactly what I got in this book. It was everything from the setting to the food. Fish soup and sticky rice dumplings being just a couple of things that I devour in my life. Fantasy is such a white-centric genre. The fact that this book is even a thing tells you just how important diversity is because guess what? I’m tired of reading stories in western-inspired worlds. Asia is filled with the most diverse and luscious cultures in the world with truly beautiful stories, and I’m glad they’re finally being shared with the rest of the world. I can’t wait for the next book. I have no idea how long this series will be. I’m assuming it’s at least a trilogy. This next book seems more like a middle than an end. (view spoiler)[Shiori is going down to sea with Seryu to return Channari’s pearl. I can already tell this is gonna be wild. I’m hella sad Takkan won’t be with her cause I love my sweet boy, but I’m sure they’ll be ok because their red strings of fate are forever tied together. I know Seryu wants to come in between them cause clearly the grandson of the Dragon King has a thing for Shiori, but sorry I’m Team Takkan. I just can’t envision her with a dragon. Like how would that even work? I still don't trust him completely either. I know he wants to help, but dragons are clever and wily. He might not like it if she rejects him and then he does something stupid. I just want her to get this mission over with so she can go back to Takkan and her brothers. She said it herself, her heart is with them. Plus Wolf managed to escape the mountain so I’m guessing the third book will be battling the demons. Maybe with the dragons’ help? Who knows. (hide spoiler)] I lowkey regret reading this so soon after the release because now I gotta wait a whole year, maybe even longer with COVID making a return, and I’m already dying. I just want Shiori and Takkan to be happy! Let her be with her love and her brothers. I want them to finally kiss dammit! Please Lim, no love triangle. Please. Ugh, this wait is gonna be torture. Ok before I go on a rant lemme end this with some of the most memorable quotes in the novel. "Find the light that makes your lantern shine. Hold on to it, even when the dark surrounds you. Not even the strongest wind will blow out the flame." - Shiori's mother (view spoiler)[I think this is actually Channari though (hide spoiler)] "Fear is just a game. You win by playing." "Pain didn't get easier. I just had to get stronger." "[The mountains] looked less like a rabbit and more like an egg with two ears, to be honest. Then again, maybe I was still hungry." "Food is the best peace offering." "Sometimes the truth is the hardest poison to swallow." - Takkan "The odds of death were high. But not assured." - Takkan ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 03, 2021
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Aug 05, 2021
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Jan 12, 2021
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Hardcover
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| 1250221722
| 9781250221728
| 1250221722
| 3.94
| 9,711
| Sep 28, 2021
| Sep 28, 2021
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really liked it
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“It is easy to bend the truth when you
are the truth.” Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden! More like 3.5 stars, but I’m rounding up “It is easy to bend the truth when you are the truth.” Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden! More like 3.5 stars, but I’m rounding up for my overall enjoyment of the duology. Everything was a tad too… generic? for my taste. I enjoyed Skyhunter so much because the end was wild and caught me by surprise. There were no surprises here and very low stakes. I never really got the sense that any major characters were in danger. Those who did die I was not emotionally attached to. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad none of my babies died, but the book itself was not as tense as I would have wanted it to be. Most of the tension came from Talin being connected to Constantine and having to hide her thoughts and emotions from him while also rejecting her connection to Red. The fact that there’s a time skip also took away from the grittiness I was looking forward to. Instead of showing Talin while she’s in captivity she’s already been transformed into a Skyhunter. This is gonna sound bad, but I wanted to see those hard months of her in those labs being experimented on and the pain and torture she went through. Even seeing it in some flashbacks would have sufficed. Instead it’s kinda glossed over and our main concern for her is keeping Constantine happy so her mom isn’t punished. The inclusion of Red’s POV was something I was looking forward to, and while it worked out plot-wise the execution was a bit lacking. His POV jumps from first person to second person and it’s jarring. It still confuses me, but I think it’s because a lot of times he talks to himself and gives himself pep talks? Like when things get overwhelming he’s just like “Ok you’re gonna do this, this, and this. Things are gonna be just fine.” That sort of thing. And yes, this is something a lot of us do in our own heads, but to see it written down in a book was very weird and took away from the flow of the novel as I was reading. Poor Red was left pining for Talin for most of the book, but not in a whiny way. Having the others with him helped, but you could tell just how much he missed Talin and how much he loved her. He would do anything and everything to get her back, and he did. He and Jeran being a lil team was cute though. Good teamwork. I enjoyed his POV more since we get more action from him. The train fight to the prison breakout and then the final battle; Red’s scenes were more dynamic. That doesn’t mean Talin is boring, I just wasn’t as invested in her parts cause I knew she’d be ok. The fighting was on point though. Lu excels at writing dynamic action scenes and that is what I got here. Red, Talin, etc. fighting for their lives was so visceral. You could tell it was a life or death situation. They’re also not magically dodging bullets and whatnot. They all get real injuries that they manage to push through because they’re that good. Even Talin, a full-fledged Skyhunter, gets hit. Everything just wound up being a little too predictable. The rebel forces were the most surprising part of this, or at least who was behind said rebel forces. (view spoiler)[I wasn’t surprised by Mayor Elland, she gave off those vibes. I was surprised by the Chief Architect. The double crossing of her working with Caitoman behind the mayor’s back was great. Didn’t see that coming at all. I also didn’t expect Constantine to be so ruthless and just execute his brother like that. I guess I also expected a bit more of a fight or confrontation before that? (hide spoiler)] I think this was missing a lot of drama for me. I don’t wanna say political drama cause that’s not what I’m going for, but I wanted to see the reactions to certain betrayals and manipulations. Everything was kinda rushed as Constantine just went from one thing to another. I did appreciate the sweet romance sprinkled in. Lu isn’t heavy-handed with the romance, but it’s clear Talin and Red have feelings for one another and miss the other. Their longing and wondering was written so it wasn’t whiny or saccharine at all, but something to be held close to the heart and cherished. It also fueled their determination to get back to each other. The quiet moments between Jeran and Aramin had me squealing on the inside. Red and Talin’s reunion and joy at finally being able to express how they truly feel about one another. None of it took away from the overall plot. Mostly it was about finding love and people during such difficult times. The emphasis on family was also explored. As Talin ruminates on her own bond with her mother we get to know a little more about Constantine’s bond with his mom. I’m not sure if Lu was trying to have readers gain sympathy for Constantine or not, but at the very least you understand he’s not a one-dimensional bad guy. Didn’t make me like him or sympathize with him since he’s done so much bad shit, but it does put him at a parallel to Talin. With the mental bond between the two of them I expected a lot more devious manipulations or accidental sad childhood revelations to establish a closer bond between the two of them, no matter how fucked up it may be. I guess I was kinda expecting Talin to end up understanding him more, and maybe sympathizing with him, but ultimately coming to the conclusion that he still needed to die and she would be the one to do it. The ending left me happy at least even if there is the big question of the Early One’s weapon that they left unanswered. From the descriptions it sounds like they found nuclear missiles. I could be wrong though and I wish we got more clarification on that front. But hey, all my babies are alive and happy. (view spoiler)[Talin disbanded the Federation and everyone got to be their own country again. Her and Red live happy lives together. So do Jeran and Aramin. Adena is off being awesome and inventing new shit. The world is happy. (hide spoiler)] Overall, not the most original ending to a dystopia series ever, but still pretty good. What it was lacking in originality it made up for in heart and the characters. I love Red and Talin, and I love the diversity and representation they both bring to YA. This is a sci-fi dystopia featuring a woman of color who is mute. And instead of that being a disability or a hindrance, she uses it to her advantage in her line of work and it makes her deadly and badass. Yes, the stakes could have been higher here and more losses could have happened, but I’m one of those basic bitches that likes happy endings with no angst lmao so oh well. I would def recommend new YA readers to read this. People that are looking for more well-written disabled characters and diversity should pick this up. I can only imagine what a series like this would do for a mute reader who’s never seen themselves represented in a book before, let alone a sci-fi book. Also if you love straight up action you should read this. Let me end this with a few more quotes that caught my eye. “I know how love can power you.” - Jeran “If only the world were fair. But no one wants that. They just want it to be fair for them.” - Constantine “That’s the thing about inventing new things. You can only control the genesis of it, not the evolution.” “Think of all that a single person can do. All the indescribable good. All the unspeakable evil.” ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 18, 2021
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Nov 06, 2021
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Dec 07, 2020
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Hardcover
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| 0593158350
| 9780593158357
| 0593158350
| 4.13
| 83,057
| Sep 27, 2022
| Sep 27, 2022
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really liked it
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“To speak the future is to shape the future.”
Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden! Major spoilers for The Last Graduate! 4 solid sta “To speak the future is to shape the future.” Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be hidden! Major spoilers for The Last Graduate! 4 solid stars. The book dragged a bit sometimes, but overall I got exactly what I wanted so I’m happy lol. We pick up right where we left off in The Last Graduate with that awful, heart-wrenching cliffhanger that absolutely killed me. El is immediately transported back to her mom in Wales and arrives furious and distraught. I really commend Novik for not taking the easy way out and doing a small timeskip so we don’t see El go through her grief just to forward the plot. Instead we go through the grief with her. Her grief was my grief. I was crying right there with her. We get it all. First the anger, then the deep heart-shattering sorrow, and then her reluctant acceptance and resulting emptiness. She’s in a deep depression for some time. She either sleeps too much or too little. Barely eats or takes care of her personal hygiene. Dodges all of Aadhya’s and Liu’s calls. Her mom tries to take care of her the best she can, but there’s only so much she can do. She finally is forced to get off of her ass when Liesel and Alfie pull up and drag her to London to kill a Mae mouth attacking the enclave. And while she has no love for enclaves she’s not a monster and so our reluctant hero goes to kick some ass. She needed purpose back in her life and I’m glad they gave that to her. What follows is basically them trying to put out every fire at each new enclave. El goes on a world-hopping journey as she traverses from London, to New York, Beijing, and Dubai. Secrets about the enclaves and how they are made are revealed. Orion’s mom’s true nature. All of it is much darker than it seems. (view spoiler)[The fact that Ophelia is a maleficer and turned her son into a weird human maw mouth hybrid makes me wanna yell. All of the enclaves made with a human sacrifice to turn into a maw mouth also makes me want to yell. (hide spoiler)] The truth behind it all makes you question whether or not the ends justifies the means (spoiler: it does not). El, in all of her glorious anger, pulls up and tells them that it is either golden enclaves made with her sutras or no enclaves at all! I so do love when prophecies eventually come true, but never in the way we imagine them. (view spoiler)[She is bringing destruction to the enclaves of the world, but only so she can build something better. Something not built upon such heinous magic. Although accidentally destroying some enclaves by killing the maw mouths lowkey sucks. (hide spoiler)] She’s scary and I love how she makes everyone in each enclave listen to her. This is not a girl who will be silenced. El’s friendships also keep her together during this rough time. Aadhya is the ever steadfast friend who will be there whenever you need it. Liu and her cleverness and sheer determination to still help even after going through such a terrible ordeal. Liesel somehow went from being her academic rival to her sorta reluctant friend (view spoiler)[and one-time lover (hide spoiler)]. Even as El faces opposition from the adults of each enclave, she has her old classmates to help her. And I love how friendship is no longer a weird concept to her. Like oh yes, these people do actually care about me and like me for me. Without her support system El would have buckled a long time ago. (view spoiler)[And then there’s sweet boy Orion. He’s lost for awhile. He gave into the maw mouth instincts within him and could do nothing but kill mals. It was a struggle just to get him to eat and take care of himself once El whisked him out of the Scholomance. When he went back to his mom I was so worried, but I’m glad my babies made it. He stays for her. The world was telling her no you have to kill him and she told them to fuck off and instead just killed the maw mouth part and kept the boy. The boy she loved and is not afraid to admit that now. (hide spoiler)] At the end of the day there is still plenty of death and if I look into things a bit more closely I’m probably going to compare the enclaves to corporations or high class havens that those in the mid and lower class strive to reach for. How convenience can be dangerous in many ways. The argument of quality over quantity. And even how this can be relevant to now. Younger generations inheriting a fucked up world, but doing their best to do better and refuse to stick to the corrupt, damaging ways of the older generation. Things never have to stay a certain way when it comes to innovation. You don’t have to keep doing the evil thing if there is an alternative. It just depends on how much you don’t want to be evil. My babies make it out ok. My ship is alive and happy. They both have found their purpose. (view spoiler)[Orion works at the school basically and kills mals during the year so the kids don’t have to fear for their lives lol. El will go around the world killing maw mouths and establishing golden enclaves. She will allow Aadhya to pay for decent hotels cause sis don’t wanna spend the night in a hovel again. During the summer he will join her on her adventures. (hide spoiler)] Power couple for the win. Overall, this was such an amazing trilogy and I’m really going to miss these characters. The world and magic is fascinating. The combination of modern life but also the isolation within the Scholomance and a return to older days even. That gym will stay my favorite place in here, and I’m sure it’s El and Orion’s as well (no matter how much she doesn’t want to admit it). A perfect combination of magic school and dark academia. Kids rebelling against their elders and telling them that the shitty thing they’ve been doing for centuries doesn’t have to keep being shitty. All the things I love from ya fantasy cause I guess this is what this is? I dunno anymore lol. Anyways below you will find more beautiful quotes~ “I didn’t want to feel better. I didn’t want to get up and go on in the world, agreeing that it was in any way acceptable for the world to keep going itself.” “But it was still the few nice words you did say, the ordinary unprofound bit of decency you felt obliged to offer another human being when death knocked on the door, and he’d given it, to me and to Orion, as if we were people.” “I wanted the circle of their arms around me, so desperately.” “And I’d just spent an hour talking about Orion with him, cutting paper-thin slices of my heart to lay out on a plate, and I’d hated every minute of it, but he’d cared, he’d really truly cared, and it had, after all, made me feel better to have shared it with him, to have been able to grieve Orion with someone else who’d loved him.” “You couldn’t pay me to come live in your fucking enclave. The only good thing in it is gone.” - El “The only miracles we ever received were the ones we made ourselves, and we paid for evry one in advance.” “I’ll stay, El. I’ll stay.” - Orion ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 11, 2022
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Oct 31, 2022
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Nov 14, 2020
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Hardcover
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| 0593128869
| 9780593128862
| 0593128869
| 4.25
| 109,364
| Sep 28, 2021
| Sep 28, 2021
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it was amazing
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“I was still in the Scholomance, and all the miracles in here come with price tags.”
So I did something I usually never do with this book. I saw ot “I was still in the Scholomance, and all the miracles in here come with price tags.” So I did something I usually never do with this book. I saw other reviews and I could tell something painful was going to happen at the end. To prepare myself for that heartache I decided to read the last few pages. It didn’t help. Instead I was just dreading it as I read and the farther along I got the worse and worse it got. And then it became unbearable and I was just silently crying in the car on my way home and it was awful. I felt every single bit of pain and I hate it. I hate it so much. Anyways, an actual review! The amount of character development that is prevalent in this book is astounding. Novik does not suffer from second book syndrome. No, she dove right into the thick of things, put the gas to the pedal, and got these teenagers to be people again. In a school that forces you into life or death situations where you have to bargain to prioritize the lives of you and your allies, not even friends, El making the decision to try to save everyone was monumental. My girl has gone through such a transformation. She used to have a plan. Don’t kill anyone, join an enclave, and try not to be what was prophesied. And then Orion came along and turned her world upside down. My man’s was unashamed of just how much of a fucking simp he was and she became the biggest tsundere I have ever seen. She found friends in Aadhya and Liu and made it so enclaves wanted her to join, not her bending over backwards for them to acknowledge her. She wound up caring. First it was just her, then her friends, and then (begrudgingly) Orion. Finally, it blossomed into acquaintances and then eventually the whole school. She wanted to save everyone. She wanted to tell the maleficaria and the school to suck it because she was going to save fucking everyone. And initially the other kids don’t get it. Why would they? They spent four years telling themselves it was either you or them. They decided to be people though. To help others, even when they weren’t friends or allies in an enclave. And it was because of her. Because she allowed herself to hope and then made it fucking happen even though it was absolutely insane. And isn’t that just amazing? The enclaves themselves are their own separate problem. We get our first real glimpse into the political machinations behind the enclaves. The budding conflict between New York and Shanghai. The mysterious circumstances surrounding the total annihilation of the Bangkok enclave. Every minority’s struggle to receive and maintain even a modicum of power in a mostly Western council. These same threads are woven into the Scholomance thanks to the enclave kids. They’re basically cliques. Powerful cliques. If they survive these are the kids that may one day rule, and it’s a lot to pay attention to. El hates enclaves with a burning, fiery passion. While she may need their mana, she is firm on not joining New York. Instead she has a new goal. She wants to travel the world and make Golden Enclaves for the neglected mages around the world. The school throws them through many trials and tribulations. Most notably the obstacle courses in the gym. Eventually they lead El to a shocking secret about the school and all of a sudden things just click. And her plans change again. And through it all she’s got her friends and she’s got Orion and their budding love. Lemme tell you, I was so fucking happy when she finally allowed herself to be happy and be with him. She’s not public with it, but my man is over the fucking moon when she finally reciprocates. The fact that she became more eager than him killed me. And his cute, awkward attempts at dates were so fucking sweet. My man was trying! She was the only thing he loves more than fighting. Things were going fucking great, but I was just waiting for the ball to drop in the end. I knew it was too good to be true. She got him. She let herself get the guy and fall in love and let him love her. She allowed herself to envision that happily ever after with him. That life with him outside of the Scholomance. And she paid for it. (view spoiler)[Patience makes a return as a new, even more terrible fusion of itself and Fortitude. And just when the clock is counting down and her and Orion need to get he fuck out, he tells her he loves her and pushes her out the door while he stays trapped inside. And it hurt. It hurt so fucking much. I’m so mad but also so hurt because they were so close. (hide spoiler)] They were so close to being happy. In the end I’m super glad I delayed reading this so I could immediately jump into the final book. If Novik doesn’t fix that ending I will riot!! Please give them the hea they both deserve ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 02, 2022
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Oct 06, 2022
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Nov 14, 2020
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 0593128486
| 9780593128480
| 0593128486
| 3.96
| 184,774
| Sep 29, 2020
| Sep 29, 2020
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really liked it
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Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers hidden! . . . . . . . . . . . . This took me a bit to get into, but once the info dumping was done I was hooked. This basicall Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers hidden! . . . . . . . . . . . . This took me a bit to get into, but once the info dumping was done I was hooked. This basically takes the typical magic school story and turns it on its head. We also get diversity in the form of our half Indian protagonist, Galadriel. To put it simply, Novik was not joking when she said this magic school literally tries to kill you. Not only are there horrific monsters that lurk about trying to devour students, but the actual school building works against you sometimes. The entire thing runs on a system of give and take. Unless you have something good to give you don't get much in return. Same thing with mana, the battery that powers magic. You can convert energy you expend through any sort of physical task like exercise into mana. You can band up with a group of people to share the collective mana everyone stores. You can even siphon it from the monsters. However, taking it from humans or animals is a big no no and labels you a maleficer, or evil essentially. Galadriel, or El, has had the whole world tell her from the jump that she's a maleficer at heart. Her great-grandma saw her and immediately spouted off a prophecy in which she'd kill a bunch of people and wreak havoc on the world in the future. Obviously that didn't sit well with those who overhead, and ever since then people have avoided her like the plague. Even people who don't know about the prophecy are just turned off by her aura. The only person whose ever loved her for her is her mom. Unfortunately she hasn't seen her in three years since she was dragged into this insane school. She's spent those last three years embracing her apparent ability to drive people away by being a bitch, but does everything in her power to not become a maleficer and fulfill the prophecy. She exercises her ass off to store mana in crystals and does everything within her power to not blow it on needless killing, monsters or otherwise. It works and she's as content with her life as can be when one is virtually alone. Then along comes Orion Lake, and her life is never the same. The big hero of the school, he's the rare individual who takes mana from the monsters and subsequently uses it to slay said monsters. He ends up saving her a couple of times, and instead of being thankful she's pissed lol. As a strong, independent woman she doesn't take too well to being the proverbial fair maiden who's constantly being saved by the dashing hero. Oddly enough, that doesn't drive him away. She insults him with every chance she gets, but he sticks around. It's kinda hilarious tbh. It takes her forever before she finally understands that they're friends because she's never had a friend before. From there they get into quite a few life or death situations and even end up with a couple more friends along the way. El and Orion are the best. Both are twists on popular tropes. El is the child of prophecy who's too strong for her own good. Orion is the popular hero. Unfortunately, El's prophecy labels her a future doombringer rather than a savior. Orion isn't all that handsome, and doesn't really have any interests outside of killing monsters. Both have to keep up with their studies lest the school fail them. El works her ass off to ensure she doesn't die and keeps to herself. Orion doesn't need to do that. If he didn't go chasing monsters he'd be fine. He's got a powerful enclave behind him and has admirers all around, but he's alone. They don't like him for him, but what he can do. He's so drawn to El because she doesn't take his shit and it's refreshing. Graduation is also given a twist. Normally something to be celebrated and anticipated it is still both of those things, but also not. While it does mean you'll finally be free of such a horrid school, you have to get out first. That means fighting through the hordes of monsters that will be blocking your way. Students join enclaves and make alliances all for a chance to hopefully escape. Even with a year's worth of planning many students still die on graduation day. I've kinda lost track of where I was going with this lmao. Novik also makes an interesting point about privilege. The enclaves are pre-established for the most part. The kids in them typically have relatives on the outside who are in them like their parents. Other kids work hard to prove their worth so that they're invited into one. They end up with better rooms and survival rates and rarely have to get their hands dirty. El spent the last three years trying to think up a way of showing her worth to an enclave with the hopes of an invitation. Suddenly, one drops into her lap and she rejects it. She realizes that those in higher power aren't automatically better just because of their heritage. While they're not necessarily bad they do take advantage of other students for their own personal gain. They're like the purebloods of this world, but less evil. I'm just rambling at this point. El finds friendship in Aadhya and Liu as well. Hijinks ensue and she gets into a lot of near death situations. Orion is usually there to help her out. Throughout all of this everyone thinks they're dating lol. Meanwhile she barely considers him a friend. They're both so socially awkward it's kinda adorable. (view spoiler)[Too bad for her he actually thought they were a thing lmaoo. They're about to die and he kisses her right before she saves them and it's the best. (hide spoiler)] Oh, I also found El to be refreshing. She's snarky and takes no shit. She does come off as a bitch, but she's aware of it at least. It's more along the lines of "they don't like me anyways so I might as well give them a reason to not like me." At heart she's a good person. In a school where it's everyone for themselves she does everything in her power to avoid needless deaths. I guess having a healer for a mother comes with an instinct to preserve as much life as possible (unless you're a flesh-eating monster). Orion is just awkward and a dork lol. Overall, this was a fun book. I docked off the star because I had to slog through the beginning. Once you get a handle of how the school works you're good. The ending killed me though. Just when you think things are sorta OK Novik throws you through a loop. (view spoiler)[Not only does El have a freshman sent to her by her mother, but she's told to stay away from Orion. Considering this is coming from the nicest woman alive it's a little concerning. My only hope is that there isn't a prophecy about him in which he kills El in the future. Oh lord that literally just popped into my head and it seems so plausible I can't. I'd prefer it if her mom somehow knew about their not romance and was just trying to make sure she doesn't get pregnant in school like she did. I guess I'll have to wait to find out (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 04, 2020
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Nov 14, 2020
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Nov 04, 2020
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Hardcover
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my rating |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 4.03
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it was amazing
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Feb 17, 2024
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Dec 19, 2023
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| 3.97
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it was amazing
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Sep 03, 2016
not set
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Jul 13, 2023
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| 4.09
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it was amazing
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Feb 25, 2023
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Dec 31, 2022
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| 4.19
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it was amazing
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Jan 30, 2023
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Oct 08, 2022
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| 4.11
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really liked it
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Nov 21, 2022
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Jun 07, 2022
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|||||
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| 4.02
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not set
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May 01, 2022
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| 4.09
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really liked it
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Jun 13, 2022
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Apr 13, 2022
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| 4.30
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it was amazing
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Apr 09, 2022
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Jan 13, 2022
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| 4.37
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it was amazing
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Mar 19, 2022
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Jan 13, 2022
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| 4.30
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it was amazing
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not set
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Oct 12, 2021
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| 3.82
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really liked it
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Nov 26, 2022
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Sep 01, 2021
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| 3.79
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really liked it
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Sep 05, 2022
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Aug 06, 2021
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| 3.80
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really liked it
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Oct 18, 2021
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Jul 27, 2021
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| 3.96
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really liked it
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Aug 22, 2022
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May 28, 2021
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| 4.33
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really liked it
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Dec 25, 2022
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May 24, 2021
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| 4.20
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it was amazing
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Aug 05, 2021
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Jan 12, 2021
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| 3.94
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really liked it
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Nov 06, 2021
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Dec 07, 2020
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| 4.13
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really liked it
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Oct 31, 2022
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Nov 14, 2020
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| 4.25
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it was amazing
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Oct 06, 2022
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Nov 14, 2020
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| 3.96
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really liked it
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Nov 14, 2020
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Nov 04, 2020
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