I’m absolutely mystified, but mostly annoyed, by how much a leaf can whine.
finally finished this pretentious and melancholic narration of a girl turniI’m absolutely mystified, but mostly annoyed, by how much a leaf can whine.
finally finished this pretentious and melancholic narration of a girl turning into a leaf, and pondering about life. thank god. intriguing premise and ideas presented in terms of examining existence as a flawed draft paving the way for another more beautiful version to come, framing life as a work of art by god… feels like a superficial novel that tries to explore and celebrate the tragic aestheticism of life, but ends up quite whiny, with more questions than sentences in an ostentatious way.
don’t get me wrong i did appreciate the abstraction and the notion of trying to convey the “colour” of existence, as well as the exploration of grief through the idea of one’s spirit and the transference between us and our loved ones… but the artificial vulnerability and the dissonance of the narrative felt more like a lack of direction and craft, rather than a portrayal of life’s essence. ...more
did i read the same book as everyone else or am i heartless? clunky dialogues, awkward metaphors, and superficial as a whole, felt rather tokenistic andid i read the same book as everyone else or am i heartless? clunky dialogues, awkward metaphors, and superficial as a whole, felt rather tokenistic and a chore at times... i get the intentional narrative style that meanders and is inherently detached from reality and emotion but it just felt like a stale and dull attempt at a romantisation of sadness and isolation, which in itself isn't necessarily bad, but oh i was going to cry of boredom. i get the poignancy, i really do, as well as the subtlety usually found in japanese literature... but the only tragedy is how such a lyrical title and esteemed reputation conceals such a terrible book crafted miserably....more
if i had your face covers a myriad of relevant themes today: equal parts horrifying, numbing and fascinating, but with so much potential jammed packedif i had your face covers a myriad of relevant themes today: equal parts horrifying, numbing and fascinating, but with so much potential jammed packed into a book that just grazes the 300th page mark, it lacked depth.
beauty standards and cosmetic surgery, misogyny and a patriarchal society, classism and elitism, prostitution and wealth, obsession and fidelity. if i had your face brings forth an onslaught of themes so prevalent in society today, characters who embody them in twisted ways that are so real.
and yet, it leaves so many gaps, barely moulds any character arcs, just leaves you with a bleak sense of numbness and the desire to know more of the stories of these women. there were a few piercing, compelling and brutal hits, but the rest felt like commentary that only reinforced what we know, skimming the tip of the iceberg.
if you are looking for a book on the patriarchal society and unreasonable beauty standards in korea, may i refer you to Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982....more
the gods will hear us eventually tells a grim tale of an average family in Singapore plagued by loss, but at its core an exploration about the dualitythe gods will hear us eventually tells a grim tale of an average family in Singapore plagued by loss, but at its core an exploration about the duality of love, both emotive and destructive in its wake.
it's a discordant and fractured story that ironically left me conflicted too.
i perused this novel with a certain sense of numbness, and left feeling slightly depressed and not satisfied. i did appreciate how the gods will hear us eventually was relatable in the archetypes of an economically struggling family, caregiving for elderly etc, as well as being snapshots of a family falling apart at its seams.
perhaps it was because it hit too close to home, that i experienced a sense of dissociation, and failed to feel the depth of emotions from the perspective of an overworked mother or a precocious child, but whatever it was, despite the gods will hear us eventually not being the sing lit for me, i can't deny the rawness and realness of the narrative.
“Make yourself a myth and live within it, so that you belong to no one but yourself.”
letting all the angst of the ending settle in. phew.
friends.
“Make yourself a myth and live within it, so that you belong to no one but yourself.”
letting all the angst of the ending settle in. phew.
friends. i'm really sorry. i tried.
ah okay it is perhaps partially my fault, for at the back of my mind, the dregs from the brilliant six of crows were constantly singing their siren song and i just fell prey, couldn't help but draw comparisons between SoC and this dubbed SoC 2.0 but let's make it historical.
historical? did someone say historical? eh, it's labelled a historical fantasy, given an interesting time period of paris 1889 during "the beautiful era", with a central focus on the exposition universelle, a world fair on industry etc. we have a historian as part of the crew, injecting some much appreciated history into the plot and of course the history lover in me swooned.
BUT. that's all. the setting was merely a label. not that i was present during 1889 paris, but the writing did not even feel reminiscent of more than a century ago, 1889 paris felt so damn modern. no historical vibe. where is my classy, yet also technologically-advancing feel? where? and of course, a story without atmosphere already fails.
“Take what the world owes you by any means necessary,” Pride had said. “The world has a shit memory. It will never pay its debts unless you force its hand.”
and ah the characters. kaz 2.0. inej 2.0 and the others stunningly similar. not that they weren't enjoyable, for i greatly loved enrique (my historian!!) and appreciated lalia's backstory. but come on, as a whole the characters felt overly reflective of the characters in six of crows, and yet not even developed properly. they were flat. boring. did i connect on as much as a soulful, emotional level to these characters? nada.
“History is a myth shaped by the tongues of conquerors.”
such a pity, i would inscribe all these quotes on my wall but alas these few fleeting moments of wisdom pale in comparison to the disaster that was the plot.
we stan great banter. but not when banter > plot. i mean yeah there were a lot of things coming, but thrown at us sporadically. pacing was off and hello that was such a straightforward heist? come i clap for you, wasn't severin supposed to be the scheming one with lotsa brain?
this was a huge disappointment, i was so excited to love it but no, perhaps this is the fate i pre-ordain myself to, that every "similar" book is subpar after reading the wonder that is six of crows.
“People die for symbols. People have hope because of symbols. They're not just lines. They're histories, cultures, traditions, given shape.”
**DISCLAIMER this is 100% a subjective review, especially with my multitudinous comparisons to six of crows... if you loved it then i'm truly happy for you!!
an interesting book with an interesting premise, loved the magic system especially. but i'm honestly very underwhelmed... i LOVED ve schwab's villainsan interesting book with an interesting premise, loved the magic system especially. but i'm honestly very underwhelmed... i LOVED ve schwab's villains duology desperately and was ready to have this series become a new favourite... but i don't feel anything, i feel very meh about this one sadly.
full review to come, but in the meanwhile, is it worth continuing with the series then? ...more
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ I was quite disappointed by this one, having heard loads and loads about it.
The world-bdoes NOT live up to the hype meh || 2 stars ✨
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ I was quite disappointed by this one, having heard loads and loads about it.
The world-building was intriguing but there was no proper pacing at all. The Cruel prince dragged me along for nearly the entire book until it finally spits out a few game-changing secrets in the succession at the very end. The plot was repetitive and predictable and so the ending was the only part of the book I genuinely enjoyed.
Honestly, I did have fun reading about the dynamics between Cardan and Jude... I do love a good enemies to lovers trope but this was wayyyy to predictable.
Speaking of which, Jude did go through a huge change in this book, something I love in characters. However, it was rather rushed and not explored in detail. There was literally only a vague tragic backstory + being discriminated to make up for it.
My first John Green novel... well I had expectations... but I did enjoy Paper Towns! The characters were all real and hilarious, the plot absurd at times which tickled me to no end, and the friendships in this book!!
I think the one big issue that I had with Paper Towns would be how only Quentin seemed three - dimensional... the rest of the side characters, even Margo all seemed quite flat and it would be easy to describe them with simply one adjective instead of a few. They seemed to be simply there for the reason of showcasing the "typical types of people you find in high school" and at times, I was grimacing at the stereotypes and how they didn't really feel real. That was a major no-no for this book....more
cherelle (aboltoutofthebook)
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