i usually don't care much for world building but in this case, i think the world really made up for the plot and characters. don't get me wrong, i love the diversity of characters and their dynamics (there was bit of found family trope in there which i always love hehe and roshan is my fave <3) but they were clearly archetypes, especially hideo (as much as i'll still scream abt him on my tl jus look away pls). in contrast, the world marie lu created was vast and imaginative and i had a great time experiencing it with emika. overall, this was a nice light read and i look forward to reading the next one :)
my fave thing about this book has to be its concept of serving justice to those who can't be touched by the law. each of the character's circumstancesmy fave thing about this book has to be its concept of serving justice to those who can't be touched by the law. each of the character's circumstances felt unique and plausible, so it was interesting to think about how guilty each of them really were and if their punishment was equal to their "crime" as judged by someone who isn't innocent themselves.
i thought about this book a lot after i read it which would usually mean four or five stars from me but the amount of casual antisemitism, racism, sexism, and classism really bothered me...
to be fair take this review with a pinch of salt because i was zoning in and out of the audiobook with how i made myself finish this book for enrique.
to be fair take this review with a pinch of salt because i was zoning in and out of the audiobook with how bored i was getting, but since i use this account to keep track of what i've read, i'll just comment on what i remember.
the grief. this was such a huge theme in this book and all of the characters were practically drowning in it. i mean even though i didn't care for the person who died, i can still feel for characters who are suffering... but the thing was... the way grief was portrayed was so heavy-handed it really took me out of the story. surely, there could have been more nuanced ways to portray this?? also, it led to so much miscommunication it made me wonder (yet again) if these characters are really as close as they're portrayed to be.
(view spoiler)[the sacrifices. this plot line was intriguing even though i did find it a bit cartoonish at the end, but i think i got what chokshi was going for? her whole theme with this series at least partly has to do with people who have been forgotten, so this storyline makes sense and i appreciate that. what doesn't make sense and what i did not appreciate at all is how we're supposed to empathize with these sacrificed girls while simultaneously have to deal with the forced drama between laila and ava. like plssss, one love triangle was more than enough (hide spoiler)].
(view spoiler)[enrique's (hide spoiler)] unrequited love. okay so i actually really liked this bit?? like a lot?? (this may be really biased because of uh personal current circumstances LOL but anyway) i don't think unrequited love is depicted in a lot of stories and i found it really interesting how (view spoiler)[hypnos' affection wasn't unrequited because of another romantic love interest but because of a familial(?) one (hide spoiler)].
i was really hoping for more character development but it was pretty much more of the same. and with all of that said, i probably won't be picking up the last book, but i guess i'll see once it's published.
the hype for this book is well deserved bc it truly was that good.
i absolutely adored every scene patroclus and achilles were in together because therthe hype for this book is well deserved bc it truly was that good.
i absolutely adored every scene patroclus and achilles were in together because there were so many big and little things they would do for each other that showed just how close their bond really is. and the way patroclus would describe achilles?? he would always do it so beautifully, it felt like i was reading poetry. although, i can't say i grew super attached to patroclus or achilles as individuals, i can say their relationship is truly the blueprint when it comes to soulmates.
(view spoiler)[okay so almost everyone i know was crying their eyes out by the end of this book but i didn't cry as much as i thought i would?? it might have been bc of the kinda long pauses i took in between (since i was buddy reading this w some friends and we would read a few chapters per week). so i feel like if i had read this all in one go i might have cried a lot harder?? idk, but i will say that my heart was breaking a hell of a lot more after patroclus died bc of achilles' grief which was penetrating through this book like holy shit that hurt and when i still thought patroclus and achilles were gonna be separated even in death?? tears. but then they finally get reunited at the end?? happy tears. basically the whole last three or so chapters had me hurriedly wiping my tears away at a cafe in brooklyn iykyk rip. (hide spoiler)]
i love this book with my whole heart and i see red and blue everywhere i go now
this is definitely a hit or miss book but it hit me so hard i cried an i love this book with my whole heart and i see red and blue everywhere i go now
this is definitely a hit or miss book but it hit me so hard i cried an insane amount near the end and at the end and teared up throughout. purple prose usually doesn't work for me but the authors must've put crack in the letters the characters wrote to each other because i just couldn't get enough of them no matter how abstract they were so if you're into an incredibly slow burn romance and love noticing subtle intricacies then this is where it's at. also the twist at the end was absolutely beautiful and made me want to reread the book as soon as i finished it.
everyone knows how romeo and juliette ends but damn it still hurt
while i will admit i still thought some of the dialogue was cringe-y and the nationaleveryone knows how romeo and juliette ends but damn it still hurt
while i will admit i still thought some of the dialogue was cringe-y and the nationalist/communist subplot wasn't very interesting, i still thoroughly enjoyed the fun plot line and the romajuliette and benmars scenes
characters; i love juliette cai so much. i love her confidence and her cruelty and the way she actuallyokay but the yearning between romajuliette tho;;
characters; i love juliette cai so much. i love her confidence and her cruelty and the way she actually makes decisions for herself and i love how she knows where she stands–none of that 'i don't know if i'm made for this' ya main girl bs which i found SO refreshing (esp bc i just finished tqon and jude was just not it for me i'm sry). and then we have roma montagov, and can i jus say, booktwt doesn't give him enough credit.. like he's actually really capable too guys... also i personally found him to be endearing LMAO i could see why juliette would fall for this softie who at the same time can be as cruel as she is. even the side characters are so loveable?? like marshall is incredibly charming and lourens gave me chill grandpa-like vibes and i just know i would have so much fun being archibald's drinking buddy.
relationships; so i don't usually include this category in my reviews but i felt the nEED to include it for this one because the tension and the longing and all the YEARNING between juliette and roma had me sCREAMING like every other page sksjdsk all of it was *chef's kiss* AND benedikt and marshall's whole lil thing too?? yes pls. but like even the relationship between juliette and her cousins were so interesting to me?? like how it seems juliette is a lot closer to one of them and the other notices so like there's this weird imbalance between them since her cousins are also sisters and so shouldn't the sisters be closer? that's prolly not worded well but basically the dynamic between them was rly smth okay. and then there's roma's relationship with his sister which i mean there weren't many scenes of, but the tenderness between them still stuck with me so i'm mentioning it lol. and then the PARENTAL relationships too like wow all of these were done so well and it really helped give the characters more depth.
plot; fast paced and the twist with (view spoiler)[paul dexter?? i feel like i should have seen that coming but my pea brain didn't catch it n so i was thoroughly surprised LOL (hide spoiler)]. basically, i liked it a lot and i really appreciated the small references to the original play like when (view spoiler)[roma showed up at juliette's balcony?? and the party where they had to dance together but refused to touch???? i LOVED that (hide spoiler)]. oh and also (view spoiler)[when marshall "died" bruh i had to take a PAUSE bc i didn't even know WHAT i was feeling (hide spoiler)].
worldbuilding; gong made 1920s shanghai very easy to imagine and her descriptions of the area were all so lovely so i was able to escape into this part of history quite nicely. i will admit though that i had a bit of a hard time keeping track of what the french, british, americans, japanese, nationalists, and communists were all doing so i uh kinda jus focused on differentiating the white flowers and the scarlet gang and marked up everyone else as 'other' which i don't think i'm supposed to do bc their differences will probably be important later right..? but it's currently finals week and i don't have the brain cells so ig i'll worry abt it whenever i read the next book ahaha..
etc; i liked the commentary about how woman who are in power are held to higher standards than men who are in power, because the shit that juliette has to do to keep her image... and the fact that she even needs that image in the first place... i salute her for understanding the world she lives in and putting up with it and still managing to thrive in it... if i had to choose one thing i didn't like as much in this book though, i think i do need to mention that much of the dialogue felt really off to me?? like it felt awkward or too corny, but maybe that's a personal thing. but aLSO THE WAY THE AUTHOR IS AN UNDERGRAD THO I� am amazed ma'am. amazing job, truly.
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220511 update; clearly i rly enjoyed this book when i read it two years ago but with chloe's growing ego and the very valid opinions of other readers abt this book i keep considering changing my rating...more
if i hadn’t had the time to binge this audiobook all in one day, i doubt i would have been able to finish it at all, so thankfully it’s summer.
i just if i hadn’t had the time to binge this audiobook all in one day, i doubt i would have been able to finish it at all, so thankfully it’s summer.
i just finished reading the song of achilles, so the first thing i noticed was how there isn’t one central relationship to focus on, but instead many different types of relationships. and while this could have been very insightful of old greek relations among magical creatures, i found it unfortunate how miller didn’t go into much depth on the intricacies of these relationships (especially in comparison to tsoa). while i understand this is a story of circe’s entire life, so of course there will be many characters, the way these characters were introduced felt more like guest appearances for the sake of a familiar name rather than really being a part of circe’s story.
the plot, if it could be called that, was also very underwhelming because it felt like miller had a checklist of myths she wanted to include, then just included them. the myth i was most familiar with was the odyssey, so when odysseus came i actually had some background knowledge with what the original story was and so now i could judge at least this section of the book for what it does with its source material. and what i’ve concluded is it sticks incredibly close to it. basically nothing from the original story is changed and there is very little added on. i could only assume the other myths were used in a similar way which is a bit disappointing.
all in all, i think this is a good book to use if you wanted to get into greek mythology, but that’s about it. the prose is beautiful and the narration was captivating, but unfortunately those two things alone aren’t enough for me to rate a book highly.
its been a while since i've read a good book and this one had me hooked from beginning to end.
characters; i think eli and victor's characters were bothits been a while since i've read a good book and this one had me hooked from beginning to end.
characters; i think eli and victor's characters were both incredibly interesting with both of their mindsets being like, really messed up lmao but i gotta say eli's mindset is probably twice as messed up as victor's. regardless, they're both villains in their own way and i love it. but personally, i grew the most attached to mitch for some reason even though he's suuuch a side character (his chocolate milk tho !!), and sydney, even though they just met her like three days ago. compared to eli and victor, i'll admit that their backstories weren't as fleshed out but i think there's still a very good amount that's explained. serena could use a lot of fleshing out though imo. but also can i just say, eli's and serena's relationship is so toxic but it's still so interesting, and oMG VICTOR AND MITCH AND SYDNEY'S relationship playing on that found family trope is so nfjkergnkleahglerg i ate that up. anyway, i got attached. obv.
plot; the book starts off with them digging up a body and it only gets better from there. there was a rollercoaster of events that happened and all of the chapters were so short and pretty action packed that this felt like a quick read. somehow, there wasn't even one chapter that felt like a filler or struck me as boring.
worldbuilding; maybe it's because this is the first superhero novel i've read (i think) but i found the whole set-up of how and why things came to be very interesting. the ideas of mortality and morality are explained really well throughout this book, and each character's set of ideologies added so much to the different angles schwab's world could be viewed in.
etc; i kept thinking this one character was gonna die and even though yk... iT STILL HURT EVERY TIME OKAY LMAOOO BUT ALSO OMG THE ENDINGGGGG i actually rly like the ending :))
i expected nothing from this book and that's what i got.
characters; cardan had a LOT more lines in this book and he does turn out to be quite a charisi expected nothing from this book and that's what i got.
characters; cardan had a LOT more lines in this book and he does turn out to be quite a charismatic character. however, his depth and everyone else's is very lacking. the only reason anyone seems to do anything is because of very vague, surface-level reasons, whether that be because it's the "right" thing to do or because they just want power. i also really don't like how almost every time a character feels a certain way, they outright say how they're feeling. no innuendo what-so-ever. and they all choose to give their reasoning to why they act certain ways through an info dump, mostly in the form of a sparknotes, background story. i guess you could say cardan and jude's relationship became more blurry, but as independent characters, they pretty much didn't change at all from the first book. all the characters actually, had no character development. also, i feel like SO much could have been done with cardan's mother, but there was nothinggggggg.
plot; very politically heavy with lots of parties that only seem to occur so that black could write more judecardan scenes. and uhh yeah, personally i think that summarizes like ninety percent of this book.
worldbuilding; the main addition to the world in this book was the sea part of faerie, and i feel like the fact that i could barely recall anything from like the three chapters that jude was there says smth. i wish she spent more time in the sea and explored more of that area since it seems like a pretty huge kingdom on its own. black could have gone into more descriptions outside of the palace and the cave that jude was in, and she could have taken this as a chance to showcase cultural differences between the merpeople and the folk. instead, she just focused on their physical differences.
the autistic and vietnamese rep were great and both stella and michael were definitely lovable but this book suffers from instalove, plus the plot andthe autistic and vietnamese rep were great and both stella and michael were definitely lovable but this book suffers from instalove, plus the plot and prose felt too simplistic to me.
i wanted to savor every moment of this book because the prose was so incredibly charming and perceptive.
when i first saw this book i avoided it becaui wanted to savor every moment of this book because the prose was so incredibly charming and perceptive.
when i first saw this book i avoided it because the cover and description didn't seem like the type of book i would be into, but both were quite misleading because this story is so much more than what the synopsis suggests. it is about love, but not just the romantic kind suggested in the synopsis, instead it also delves into platonic and familial love, the longing and heartbreak that comes with it, and the loneliness that penetrates regardless. anderson uses tink's narration to give the story multiple perspectives thus building the depth of each of the well-known characters (even including tink). and besides the characters, there are also many nods to the original peter pan legend subtly woven in and retold.
there are many things i absolutely adored about this book but at the top of my head a few would be; the deep and quiet friendship between pine sap and tiger lily, the tenderness tink has towards tiger lily and peter pan, the nuanced parallel of the englanders with the settlers in north america and the effects of colonialism, the descriptions of longing and loneliness each character felt at different points in the story, and the bittersweet ending.
i really should have loved this book because it had a heist plot and the found family trope but?? i really didn't...
okay so first, i tried really hardi really should have loved this book because it had a heist plot and the found family trope but?? i really didn't...
okay so first, i tried really hard not to compare this book to six of crows but;;;;; it was so hard not to do that especially when the main cast of characters were all eerily similar to the crows. by this i mean their position/what they do in the group, their relationships with each other, and even just their personalities in general.
with that well-known critique out of the way, i do admit that in terms of cultural diversity, chokshi does a great job. her characters come from a wide range of places and it felt organically woven in. she even took some interesting opportunities with their diversity, such as the colorism one of the characters face and the psychological effects the group had to face when they dressed up as people who had oppressed their race. this being said, i think the main reason why i'm rating this book low is because although chokshi does try to incorporate very intriguing and important themes, including racism, colonialism, and antisemitism, it was not executed well. there was too much the author wanted to include that i felt like it hindered the development of her characters and her plot.
chokshi's characters felt all very one-note to me with one quirk. and although there were a few backstories sprinkled in, there wasn't much nuance to them and they weren't developed as much as they could have. also i get that severin is suppose to be like this stand-off ish mastermind kinda character but he would like?? flip?? between being super cold and super warm that it almost felt like i was reading fan fiction at one point. and his relationship with laila was so ???2??2? i mean i usually love it when there's yearning between two characters but this just didn't work for me because i don't understand why they even care so much for each other?? or actually, why any of them care for one another. their banter felt cheesy to me too so there's that. aLSO (view spoiler)[it was so obvious that this one character would die because everyone babied him SO much but like?? i did not care for him or his pet at all i'm sorry (hide spoiler)].
and then the plot so umm if you ask me about what actually happened for the plot i wouldn't even be able to answer you because it was just all over the place. i mean i appreciate all the math and history research that obviously went into this but i was having a hard time following along in the first half and by the latter half i was just lost. also the world building and the magic... it was cool at some points but it mostly felt like the magical aspect of this world was thrown in at random parts instead of really being weaved into the story.
despite everything i just typed out, i still plan on reading the rest of this trilogy because i think there's still a lot of potential with what chokshi could do with her characters and with her world, also the rating for the next book is higher so hopefully it'll be a better read :))
ps. this was actually my first time reading a filo character (i'm filo so as i was reading, i was really interested in how chokshi would go about his characterization) and that's probably why i am quite biased towards enrique LOLL but then again i like his and hypnos' type of character in general
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