alizayd al qahtani......someone massage this man's shoulders for HARD CARRYING the entire series on his back.
well, i have a lot of complaints s2.75/5
alizayd al qahtani......someone massage this man's shoulders for HARD CARRYING the entire series on his back.
well, i have a lot of complaints so let's just get right into it.
dara - just an absolutely awful character in every sense, and the fact that he got SO much page time is mind boggling to me. did we really need pages upon pages of him pathetically wallowing in his own self-pity?? when we could've had more interesting and dynamic POV chapters from characters like zaynab or aqisa instead? putting aside the fact that i think dara has a terrible personality and infuriating train of thought, i can't help feeling like the author did a huge disservice to his character (or the concept of his character) - refused to let him take any REAL accountability, refused to let him confront his genocidal past beyond his self-pity, refused to let him actually unpack his prejudices against the shafit, let him get away SCOT-FREE after committing mass murder. like what are we doing here??? there is a way to write a compelling tragic antagonist or anti-hero and this is not it.
(if you want to read about a former mass murderer who actually earns his redemption and is a genuinely likable character, read the spear cuts through water instead).
absolutely despised dara's character arc and how it wrapped up - the narrative seems to have an odd and entirely unearned compassion for him. his so-called redemption was a joke - the only reason he finally took a stand against manizheh was because of how her actions started affecting HIM and his tribe and the woman he loved - because dara has always been a self-absorbed, bigoted, hypocritical freak and that never once changed. he has been the exact same person since the beginning - zero character growth, zero learning. the fact that his arc ended with him wanting to make penance with literally everyone EXCEPT the shafit, the people he committed genocide against, was just the cherry on top.
speaking of the shafit, the politics - this series started off with complex political issues and strong themes about violent oppression and revolution and the empire of gold reduced it all to a simplistic 'daevas vs geziris' conflict. suddenly, the quest for liberation and justice is now vengeance and apparently justice for the shafit means to handwave away the reasons for their systemic oppression, ignore any root causes, refuse to let them have any form of retribution, and have that all be okay because hey we're a democracy now and everyone gets a voice! it's just so typical of adult fantasy authors to introduce themes of oppression and then go on to ignore the actual oppressed class for the rest of the series (the shafit sadly have a lot in common with the skaa from mistborn era 1).
alizayd was truly the saving grace of this novel and i absolutely hated how he was treated by the narrative and by the other characters - because why was everyone acting as if the one person who has to make apologies and amendments is ALI of all people??? in the same book where we have characters like dara and jamshid, belonging to a blood purist tribe and having horrible bigoted views and NEVER ONCE apologizing for their views. nahri having all this understanding for her brother's bigotry because that's all he's ever known really soured me on her character.
anyway, i loved ali and his unwavering faith, his relationship with his siblings, his strong sense of justice, his constant support of oppressed people - he's the one character with the spirit of a revolutionary and it's disappointing that the author pushed that aspect of the story aside to focus on manizheh's boring ass revenge instead.
i really wanted to like nahri more, and i do understand the author wanted her to be a complicated person with divided loyalties between her nahid daeva and shafit ancestries - but this series did not have the skills to pull that off. ultimately, nahri was far more committed to her nahid identity and the daeva tribe, mourning her ancestors and the injustices they faced while barely acknowledging the fact that they were violent oppressors, and the fact that the daevas continued to oppress the shafit till date. i get that she stood for equality for everyone and peace in daevabad but i wish she realized there could be no real liberation and no real peace without liberation and justice for the shafit, and the shafit alone.
overall, i did enjoy reading this series and i loved how the author built such a rich, lived-in world with elemental magic and otherworldly creatures - i'm just sad that this book couldn't live up to its full potential and lost its way (and that no one chopped dara's head off but oh well)....more
i really liked the post-climate disaster, dystopian concepts of a world in which humans are crammed into half-submerged towers after the dangerous risi really liked the post-climate disaster, dystopian concepts of a world in which humans are crammed into half-submerged towers after the dangerous rise of sea levels. the portrayal of a strict hierarchical society with an oppressed lower strata is par for the course in any speculative novel but i liked how it was explored within a tower where people were restricted from moving above or below their level and how that worked as a metaphor for borders and migration. i do feel like these concepts were a bit too ambitious for a novella and i wish the ending wasn't quite so vague and open-ended. ...more
this trilogy is just an exercise in mixed feelings for me.
in some ways, mirrored heavens improved from fevered star and in other ways, it remain2.5/5
this trilogy is just an exercise in mixed feelings for me.
in some ways, mirrored heavens improved from fevered star and in other ways, it remained the same or got even worse. the pacing is just as bad as in the previous book - way too much build-up was happening for a finale and too much page time was wasted on useless POVs. too many new plot threads were introduced - dreamwalking, serapio's prophecy, xiala's teek arc - and they weren't really resolved in satisfying ways (except for the prophecy which made sense thematically for serapio's character). balam's POV chapters were interesting but felt like second book material to me - did we really need this much backstory and exposition in a final book?
serapio's character arc remained the most well-written, coherent aspect of this series. his struggle between following a pre-determined destiny and taking fate in his own hands is just as compelling here and i think the prophecy plotline was a good way to highlight that internal struggle. i just feel like the author chickened out a bit towards the end from really confronting serapio's terrible actions and kinda waved them away instead.
what this book improves upon (sort of) is xiala's and okoa's characters. at long last, xiala gets her own space in the story, her own goals separate from serapio, and comes into her own powers (although we never learned why the teek lost their magic??? it seemed like the author just needed a reason for xiala to be the super special chosen one). i was just happy to see that, for once, xiala's world didn't revolve around serapio and she got to do her own thing for a while. i also think her personal resolution was the most satisfying out of all the characters.
as for okoa, i was pleasantly surprised that his chapters weren't a complete bore for me like before. his inner conflict between his duty to his clan and his bond with serapio finally made sense and i actually started sympathizing with him. i also really liked his relationship with serapio and i was looking forward to seeing how it would evolve - until the author completely fucked things up of course. (view spoiler)[like you're telling me okoa ends up pointlessly killed by a completely random character?? we never get to see serapio finding out??? we never get to see serapio mourning him???? what was the point of developing their bond in this book??? (hide spoiler)] so yeah, i hated how his arc wrapped up and the resolution given to carrion crow.
naranpa was done so dirty in this book, i was kinda shocked. her arc really peaked in fevered star and honestly, if THIS is what the author gave her in the final book, i'd rather naranpa's arc ended in fevered star. we had to watch her go on this inane side quest that was not only divorced from the main plot but was eventually rendered completely useless. and her main conflict in this book is with BALAM? that was so out of left field for me. (view spoiler)[and then she ends up in a years-long coma and that's how we leave her???? iktan is now just her mourning spouse trying to cure her?? sorry but that was lowkey queerphobic to me. (hide spoiler)] hated everything about her chapters except her relationship with iktan.
the main plot with the war between tova and the other cities had a pretty good build-up and i liked seeing serapio as a war leader - but of course, this author is allergic to satisfying resolutions so the war plot we spend significant page time on is concluded in the most anti-climactic battle ever with the most anti-climactic final confrontation between serapio and balam.
also, i absolutely hate that we didn't get serapio's POV in the last couple chapters. i wanted HIS reflections on everything - it felt like his character arc was just left hanging in the air towards the end. the last chapter with him and xiala felt like such a cop-out to me and showed me that the author just didn't want to deal with any actual consequences of serapio's actions or figure out what a viable future between him and xiala would look like. we had to see them constantly pine over each other and make these huge love declarations just for that?
overall, this book had way too many things going on and nothing actually happening at the same time. i wasn't happy with where any of the characters ended up, except for xiala. the more i think about it, the more i want to lower my rating but i'll leave it at this for now....more
i wanna root for adult queer fantasy books by authors of color so badly but they're making it really hard for me.
unfortunately, i have very few good i wanna root for adult queer fantasy books by authors of color so badly but they're making it really hard for me.
unfortunately, i have very few good things to say about this one. but some positives: the writing flows well, it's fairly easy to get into. the worldbuilding with the gods living in a magical underground world is pretty cool. i like the ecological fantasy premise, with the concept of humans having destroyed the natural magical forest and in response, a god rising up to shatter the existing lands to remake and restore them. basically, good concepts and ideas, beautiful gowns, but the execution left a lot to be desired.
my biggest gripes: poor character building, poorly written dialogue, utterly uninteresting plot. it's all well and good to have unique fantasy concepts and i can tell the author put a lot of effort into these ideas, but without good characters and an engaging plot, it's all useless. all the characters were so frustratingly single-minded that their POV chapters quickly became unbearably repetitive - i had to read them having the exact same thoughts and the exact same conversations over and over and over again (funnily enough, a problem i had with the author's previous book the bone shard war).
hakara and rasha's relationship as estranged sisters on opposing sides of a war was supposed to be the emotional core of this story but it made me feel nothing. at most, i felt mildly annoyed but also i just didn't care much. they didn't feel like fully rounded characters and frankly, they just weren't compelling enough for me to be invested in them. same goes for the other relationships in the story - none of them felt developed or genuine. there are a couple of potential romantic connections being made (one f/f and one m/f) but again, both were shallow and unconvincing. only one side character stood out to me....and i don't know if i can forgive the author for writing a story with prominent women characters and giving the most interesting backstory to a man.
overall, everything about this book is just surface-level and underdeveloped and boring as hell. i was bored out of my mind the whole way through, right to the very end. there aren't even any strong themes here - something about how the world isn't what the characters think it is, religion as propaganda, etc, but they're only touched upon. there's literally no depth to this book.
anyway, let's end with some recs: if you want an actually good ecological fantasy about climate disasters and magic, read the fifth season instead. if you want a story about doomed sisters actually done well, watch arcane instead. if you want to read a fantasy about religion as propaganda and how the world isn't as it seems, check out blood over bright haven instead.
thank you to netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
he pressed their foreheads together. "this means i'm keeping you," he added, his voice fierce with warning. as if it wasn't exactly what ellwood wantehe pressed their foreheads together. "this means i'm keeping you," he added, his voice fierce with warning. as if it wasn't exactly what ellwood wanted to hear.
i had my issues with this book (the pacing, the overly long separation, the way too short last few chapters) but i can't deny the insane rollercoaster of emotions this book took me on and the fact that i devoured it in 2 days.
also, i have to mention these incredible post-canon fanfics i recently read: #1 and #2. lowkey feel like increasing my rating just because of these fics....more
i really love first contact sci-fi stories (in the vein of arrival) and this book definitely scratched my itch in that sense, though not entirel3.75/5
i really love first contact sci-fi stories (in the vein of arrival) and this book definitely scratched my itch in that sense, though not entirely in a satisfying way.
what i liked: how completely alien and monstrous and utterly inhuman the aliens felt and the mystery surrounding them, and the attempts to communicate with them. the plot felt more exciting and high-stakes than the first book. i wasn't sure how i'd feel about the additional POVs of nine hibiscus and eight antidote but i actually enjoyed them - they were a welcome reprieve from the often-repetitive POV of mahit. i also appreciated seeing mahit's struggle between loving a colonizing culture and the grief of being distanced from her own.
what didn't work for me: i wish more time was spent on communicating with and figuring out the aliens rather than the lsel station/teixcalaan politics, which kinda ended up going nowhere (or at least needed another sequel to fully round them out). i'm also not sure how to feel about the themes of colonization and oppression in this book - at times, they were quite clear even in subtext but at other times, they felt so murky that i wasn't sure what the author was trying to convey. like with eight antidote being the only teixcalaanli to show humanity, are we supposed to assume that teixcalaan might have a better less genocidal future with a more humane emperor (even though it's the system that's the problem)? also i wish we had a main POV from lsel station that could've balanced out mahit's disconnect from her culture.
overall though, i enjoyed this book more than the first one. i do think the author's narrative style is a bit too dense and slow-paced to be appealing to everyone - but if you're a sci-fi fan and can get past that barrier, you'll definitely have a good time with this duology....more
a story that i thought was going to be a conventional take on the bluebeard folktale turned out to be something quite unexpected. i enjoyed the 3.5/5
a story that i thought was going to be a conventional take on the bluebeard folktale turned out to be something quite unexpected. i enjoyed the plot twist and the subtle seeds planted leading up to it, but i do feel like this series is starting to wear out its welcome a bit. if there's another installment, i'd want a change in the narrative format and more from chih as a main character....more
one of the most original and unexpected stories i've read in a while - i really enjoyed the breakneck sci-fi mystery plot, the bittersweet and h3.75/5
one of the most original and unexpected stories i've read in a while - i really enjoyed the breakneck sci-fi mystery plot, the bittersweet and hopeful love story, the shocking revelations, and the absolutely unputdownable second half.
the book does falter in other areas, like the worldbuilding and characters. the worldbuilding didn't make much sense - only two countries are left on earth, one is extremely bigoted, misogynistic, homophobic, etc. while the other is the complete opposite, and that's all we know about them. it's very strange. i also think the character writing could've been stronger. ambrose and kodiak really grew on me but i wish they had more distinct personalities and more natural interactions with each other. i understand the fast-paced plot made this tough but i still wish we could've seen more on-page development of their relationship.
that aside, it's not often you come across a gay young adult book with a truly unpredictable and gripping plot that goes to some quite dark places. i'm glad the author took risks with his story and had an ambitious vision for it. this book does a great job portraying the loneliness and claustrophobia of deep space travel, the horror of being far away from everything you've ever known, the joy of new beginnings, and the freedom that comes with taking control of your own destiny. and of course, how even the most hopeless of situations can be survived if the right person is with you. easily recommended....more
the yangchen novels are definitely a major departure from the avatar-verse as we know it - not just because they're focused so heavily on politics, spthe yangchen novels are definitely a major departure from the avatar-verse as we know it - not just because they're focused so heavily on politics, spycraft, and backroom business deals rather than action, but also because of the lack of genuine friendships or any kind of altruistic, caring relationships. it was a bit jarring for me to see how emotionally isolated yangchen was (as well as kavik) and that probably her only true, most trustworthy companion was her bison. sure, she has a group of companions but they weren't really her friends or people who cared about her outside of her avatarhood. kavik had real potential to be a more sincere friend but the plot decided otherwise. there was even a point where it seemed yangchen and her companions could've had an actual bonding moment but again, the plot had other demands.
basically, i'm not a fan of how this book chose callousness over emotional bonds - like the climax is literally hinged on exploiting a relationship of love. it just made me feel so distant from the story and characters. even when it came to emotional scenes - grieving a death, finally forgiving a betrayal - it all felt rushed and empty. obviously this is a very subjective take on a book that's quite well-written and very well thought-out.
overall, the yangchen novels made me realize that yes, i love elemental magic and yes, i love the world of the avatar, but none of it means much to me without a strong emotional core holding it all together. ...more
"if you're such a good thief, then why haven't you stolen me yet?"
3.5-4/5
an art thief falling in love with the son of the man he's stealing from - a p"if you're such a good thief, then why haven't you stolen me yet?"
3.5-4/5
an art thief falling in love with the son of the man he's stealing from - a premise doesn't get any better than this and the book delivers pretty well on it. icarus and helios's romance was definitely the highlight of this book and i'm so glad the author spent a satisfying amount of page time showing their developing feelings. i loved how gentle they were with each other, i love seeing two people being soft and kind to each other when the rest of the world has been so harsh to them. and yeah i'm a sucker for romances that feel fated.
i really appreciated the portrayal of different types of parental abuse - the physical kind and the emotionally neglectful one - and that they're both equally damaging in their own ways. the author also shows the importance of friendships and community and that's always great to see, especially in queer books.
the plot, i have to say, is extremely unrealistic and you're just gonna have to suspend your disbelief a little and go with the flow (trust the process).
i did have a few gripes along the way - the dialogue at times felt like it was trying too hard to be deep and meaningful, and sometimes the way these teenagers interacted with each other didn't feel entirely natural - but the final third of the book was so worth it.
the last 10-15% was absolutely brilliant, beautifully written suspense and tension that had me on the edge of my seat. i only wish the ending was a bit longer - if ever a book needed post-canon fanfiction, it's this one.
(also, if anyone's wondering how to write conflict into a romance without including a third-act break-up, please read this book)....more
who would've thought a murder mystery set in an attack on titan-like world would work so well. i loved how the fantastical worldbuilding was slowly inwho would've thought a murder mystery set in an attack on titan-like world would work so well. i loved how the fantastical worldbuilding was slowly introduced to us through the investigation and the fast-paced, high stakes nature of the mystery itself (a murder mystery with the threat of enormous world-breaking sea monsters hanging over it is certainly a unique spin).
in true knives out style, the why and how of the mystery was way more intriguing than who actually committed the crime. i really liked seeing how the bits and pieces of the puzzle eventually came together for the dramatic final reveals.
ana and din's detective duo was pretty fun to read - eccentric, blunt old woman investigator and her deadpan bisexual young assistant made for an engaging dynamic. i really appreciated both characters being neurodivergent (din having dyslexia) and how we're shown din's painstaking struggle to gain a respectable position in a society built to exclude people like him.
we didn't get to learn a lot about ana and din's backstories (which makes sense considering the mystery and its tight deadline), so for the sequels i'm hoping we get a closer look at our protagonists. overall, i'm looking forward to seeing what else rjb has in store for this series....more
this book is pretty much considered a quintessential lesbian young adult fantasy - i'm glad it exists and that i got to read it. i really enjoyed sid this book is pretty much considered a quintessential lesbian young adult fantasy - i'm glad it exists and that i got to read it. i really enjoyed sid and nirrim's chemistry, i loved sid as a young cocky flirtatious butch and how nirrim fell so hard for her. i also appreciated the themes of compulsory heterosexuality and emotional abuse. apart from that though, the plot itself didn't have much going on (until the last 10 pages) and the worldbuilding was so bare bones. everything apart from the romance was just extremely generic and i didn't like the direction the romance eventually took. i'm not sure if i have enough interest to read the sequel. ...more
i'm glad i started this book on a whim because it ended up being a pretty impressive debut - an intricate, ambitious space opera carried by a str4.5/5
i'm glad i started this book on a whim because it ended up being a pretty impressive debut - an intricate, ambitious space opera carried by a strong writing style. if you're into insane, twisted, maddeningly obsessive characters and complicated, messy relationships, i cannot recommend this enough.
esek was such a despicable character to follow but also uncomfortably compelling, a train wreck you couldn't look away from. chono gave me mixed feelings - i felt for her and liked her natural compassion but some of her choices and uncertainties did frustrate me (even though i understood them). six remained the most fascinating figure and i loved how the plot slowly uncovered the mysteries shrouding their character. some of the side characters could've used more depth but i still liked them all (and the bonus lesbian relationship of course).
six and esek's wild, revenge-fueled cat-and-mouse chase across planets was so gripping to read, and the way chono was caught in the middle. i also liked that the complex, obsessive relationships they all had with each other were platonic.
the worldbuilding was really good - the only thing that bothered me was the futuristic tech (or casting). it was rather vaguely described and hard to picture most of the time, but didn't affect my enjoyment too much.
the non-linear plot going back and forth in time was utilized surprisingly well here - in retrospect, all the pieces of the story were arranged in the most perfect way to slowly lead us to a truly incredible plot twist. i really enjoyed how the intrigue and anticipation kept building with each chapter, culminating in an explosive, satisfying climax and resolution.
in fact, this almost reads as a standalone since it pretty much wraps up the main conflict, only with an ending that sparks quite interesting possibilities for the rest of the trilogy. needless to say, i'm very much looking forward to the sequel....more
love reading stories where literally everyone is queer (including the villains) plus the sci-fi plot was actually quite solid with a pretty cool 3.5/5
love reading stories where literally everyone is queer (including the villains) plus the sci-fi plot was actually quite solid with a pretty cool plot twist that i didn't see coming....more
loved how this book showed the rigid eurocentric aesthetic that defines both the classical music field and the beauty/skincare industry and how we seeloved how this book showed the rigid eurocentric aesthetic that defines both the classical music field and the beauty/skincare industry and how we see both worlds attempting to exclude or reshape our chinese-american protagonist. the execution fell a bit short though, especially in the latter half - it felt like the horror/thriller aspect of the plot got a bit too ambitious for the scope of the writing and the ending was pretty rushed. my favorite parts of this novel were more in the quiet moments when the protagonist reminisces on her love for her parents and the music they taught her. ...more
this was as well-written and entertaining as the first book but unfortunately, i did enjoy it a bit less. the faults i noted in the city we became felthis was as well-written and entertaining as the first book but unfortunately, i did enjoy it a bit less. the faults i noted in the city we became felt more glaring this time - the story was oddly paced, with the middle being slow and padded with filler content, and the ending extremely rushed. while i liked that we got to see more of veneza and padmini this time around, the friendships and bonds we saw tentatively forming in the first book didn't really get fleshed out here. some chapters also started feeling repetitive and way too predictable, with the same pattern of the enemy going after each character playing out.
that being said, i still loved the concept and liked reading about the global implications of the plot. manny and padmini's characters get fairly well-developed (sadly, we still don't see as much of neek as i would've liked) and i'm glad aislyn's racist bigoted ass didn't get neatly redeemed and had a more complex conclusion. overall, despite its stumbles, i had fun with this duology and will miss this world....more
this was such an entertaining, gripping read - a love letter to the multiculturalism of new york, a diverse cast of characters (with one token white rthis was such an entertaining, gripping read - a love letter to the multiculturalism of new york, a diverse cast of characters (with one token white racist), a fantastically unique concept of cities being embodied by people, well-executed themes of institutionalized racism, colonialism, and gentrification, plus a high stakes plot. and of course casual queer rep, which i can never get enough of.
i love how every POV character had a distinct voice and personality, even if some weren't able to be properly developed due to the breakneck nature of the plot. my personal standouts were the bronx (indigenous lesbian grandma who's tough-as-nails) and manhattan (mysterious bisexual with a violent past), though I enjoyed the other POVs too. we only get a sliver of new york's POV but i was instantly engaged by him.
n.k. jemisin definitely has a gift for unique fantasy concepts (and throwing you into the world while feeding you bits of information as needed). like urban fantasy + eldritch horror + the multiverse??? we love to see it. i also appreciated how the narrative never lets us forget that new york (and the united states) is built on the blood and bones of native and black people, and how that's integral to its lived reality.
my minimal concerns with this book are that sometimes it can veer into unironic stereotyping plus the pacing felt off at times and the ending was a bit rushed but still exciting.
overall, i had a pretty good time and would recommend....more
- utterly gorgeously bizarre. - a surrealist writing style that blurs the line between prose and verse. - strange, disorienting yet earnest explora3.5/5
- utterly gorgeously bizarre. - a surrealist writing style that blurs the line between prose and verse. - strange, disorienting yet earnest exploration of taiwanese diaspora and lesbian yearning.
the stories that stood out to me: auntland, the chorus of dead cousins, mandarin speakers, anchor, homophone....more
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