I was on the fence about reading this, leaning towards not* because I'm not generally interested in celebrity memoirs, and then I found out Michelle WI was on the fence about reading this, leaning towards not* because I'm not generally interested in celebrity memoirs, and then I found out Michelle Williams narrated the audiobook and suddenly I was extremely interested. With good reason, because she was so great as a narrator, and it turns out Brit had a lot to say that was worth hearing.
When I say Michelle Williams was great, what I mean is that I frequently forgot it wasn't Britney herself narrating the book. And there were several moments where she just went for it (the one that everyone is talking about being Justin's blaccent, but I also cracked up at her Mariah Carey impression) that were just amazingly fun and great.
My overwhelming feelings after having read this are sorrow and rage. I'm glad she is free now and hope she finally has peace because of it, because she went through awful, awful shit when she should have been on top of the world.
The book iteslf as a literary endeavor wasn't great, but we all knew it wouldn't be, going in. But it was readable and entertaining, and it pulled lots of emotion from me, so I feel like the "literary value" here is moot. I do wish she would have allowed herself to go a little deeper, but she doesn't owe that to us, and she's probably not in a place to do it. This book got her story out and now we can judge the bad actors in her life for ourselves....more
I'm so sad rn, but this was so dull. Cozy fantasy should still have emotional stakes.
I'm actually writing this review straightly upon finishing becauI'm so sad rn, but this was so dull. Cozy fantasy should still have emotional stakes.
I'm actually writing this review straightly upon finishing because I just want to be done with it (barring my May YouTube wrap-up, but talking is easier than writing). Like many, I have been really, really into this cozy fantasy thing since Legends and Lattes first did its thing, and unfortunately, I think this author learned the wrong lessons from that book, which she tells us in the afterword was a huge "inspiration" for her own book. By the fact that her queer femme characters cease their lives of violence to open up a cozy business focused on pursuits of coziness (in this case tea and books), and the book focuses on their struggles doing that, here I found that I just did not care at all. From page one.
Some people have complained that this actually has too high of stakes for a cozy fantasy since monarchs and treason and such are involved, but for me cozy fantasy is about the vibes, and this was definitely going for that. Where I think it lost its grip on stakes is emotionally. Even stories with low stakes have to have narrative tension, and there was absolutely none to be found here, I think for several reasons.
The main reason, unfortunately, is that I don't think Thorne has much of an instinct for storytelling. Storytelling is about building expectations, and then satisfying them. At no point did I develop any sort of expectation or yearning to see what would happen, plotwise or characterwise. Probably you could go in to this book knowing the trajectory of this plot pretty accurately based on the genre, so plot tension is not going to cut it, there also has to be character tension, and Thorne's characters were very dull for me. I couldn't attach to them. We enter their relationship with them already two years in love, we at no point think they won't end the story in love, and the characters themselves have very little personality to make up for any lack there. The prose is also very into telling, not showing. We are told things about the characters, we don't see them doing or saying things that would make us FEEL who they are.
Also, the queen and the politics, as well as the worldbuilding in general were sort of irritating. Also irritating, the love story between the two main characters. I didn't feel it at all, and resented being forced to read about it. I don't think I will be reading any more of this author's books, and I'll be selling my self-pub version of this on Pango, bc mama needs money....more
This could have been so much better written, but I had a great time anyway. It's truly a conundrum and an enigma. I'm genuinely surprised how much I eThis could have been so much better written, but I had a great time anyway. It's truly a conundrum and an enigma. I'm genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed this. More thoughts in my Reading Vlog. You can see the progression in real time as I grapple with how I can be so annoyed and compelled at the same time.
I don't read a lot of middle grade anymore, but when I do, this is exactly what I want. What a magical good time.30 Books in 30 Days, Vol. 3 Book 17/30
I don't read a lot of middle grade anymore, but when I do, this is exactly what I want. What a magical good time. The combo of whimsical worldbuilding, magical trials, friendship and found family, secrets, and darker elements that many people would say don't belong in children's books makes for something rather intoxicating (I've never yet read a favorite children's book without those darker elements btw). I've seen a lot of people talking about the book series that shall not be named in relation to this book, and I don't think they're wrong. If I would have read this book closer to the actual age range its meant for, I would have lost my mind over it. As it is, I just had a really good time and I can't believe I haven't picked up book two yet (just ordered it from Pango while writing this, so hopefully will get to it soon).
Morrigan Crow is a cursed child. In her world, this means she was a baby born on the holiday of Eventide. All children born on this night are cursed, and die before or on their twelfth birthdays. Before they die, they bring bad luck everywhere they go. They are blamed for anything and everything that goes wrong in a community. On top of this fun blessing bestowed upon her, Morrigan is also cursed with a terrible, unloving family (her grandma seems all right). But Eventide comes a year early, and Morrigan flees into another world (a kind of pocket universe, I think?) with a man called Jupiter North who takes her under his wing and wants her to try to enter the Wundrous Society, a society of magic wielders who all have a special "knack." The society is very exclusive, so the trials are intense. Also faffing around the edges of the story is the specter of a man called the Wondersmith, Ezra Squall, who was banished hundreds of years before for committing a massacre.
Everything about this book worked for me: the worldbuilding, the characters and their arcs, the plot, the style of the writing. Morrigan is a classic middle grade protagonist, smart and resourceful and pulling at your heart strings. Jupiter makes for an interesting and frustrating mentor. And the details of this world were so wacky at times, it was a constant surprise. Jessica Townsend basically channeled her childhood imagination for this book (my favorite bits being the enormous talking cat who is head of housekeeping at Jupiter's hotel where they all live, and the chandelier at the hotel that grows and changes into things like pirate ships at its own whims).
Would honestly recommend this one for both younger readers and adult ones looking to have some fun.
SJM is just bad at endings, is what I've decided. I feel the same way about this as I did about Kingdom of Ash. And even though I think it's the best SJM is just bad at endings, is what I've decided. I feel the same way about this as I did about Kingdom of Ash. And even though I think it's the best of her three endings, I also had similar issues with A Court of Wings and Ruin. It's a pattern, is what I'm saying. I don't regret reading this book; the first half in particular was a major improvement over the meandering, uninteresting second book. And then she started wrapping things up. Sigh.
I'm finding it kind of funny that all the die-hard SJM fans are not liking this book as much because it really is no different to anything she's given us before. Perhaps her tendencies have heightened a bit, but they are the same things she's been doing in her writing forever.
Before I get to all the things that bothered me about this, I do want to say that I liked overall how Bryce's story ended (with some quibbles), and in particular how the Asteri were defeated. It felt a bit naïve perhaps, but it played upon my emotions just like SJM wanted it to. For me, there was nothing egregious here, just things that were at worst eyeroll-worthy, because again, they are things I have disliked about SJM's writing in the past. I also thought the first half of this book was a major improvement over book two in general, which was SO LONG and SO DULL and had WAY too many characters that she was trying to set up for future books, but who didn't really belong as POV characters, in my opinion. This book hooked me from the beginning and was interesting the whole way through. Things were HAPPENING. Also, in terms of the cliffhanger at the end of the last book, I was pleased that (view spoiler)[there really wasn't much Rhysand, and instead we got to see a whole lot of Nesta, as well as some Azriel. Ain't nobody want that much Rhysand; this isn't his story (hide spoiler)]. In terms of the characters that had the strongest arcs in this book, that honor goes to Ruhn and Lidia. They were the best part of the book for me.
Let's bullet point the rest of this. The things that bring this book down to three stars for me:
*Almost every single character ends up some sort of powerful leader. I mean, come on, man. Literally all of the characters in this friend/acquaintance group have stepped into the most powerful positions? Why. And it was so unnecessary. Ithan's was the most weird, and I'm pissed at what she did to Sigrid, that better get fixed in future books. It was just predictable and I rolled my eyes because it kept happening. The first time? yes, good surprise. Then stop. But she didn't.
*Once again, almost all of her characters have lobstered up by the end of the story (queer characters still very much tertiary, although at least they're there).
*Everything and the kitchen sink is in this plot. There was no attempt at editing it down for content; the more the better! seems to have been the attitude. So we don't really get depth on anything the way I wanted.
*The amount of super special powered up characters here who just keep getting leveled up more, Bryce being the main offender (even if she doesn't want it) was just absurd. We've seen this trick before, Sarah! Please stop playing it!
And the main thing here, which is that the stakes here are just so high. The thing that I liked the most about the first Crescent City book that while the stakes of what was going on in the plot were lower (solving a murder), the emotional stakes were very high because of the more intimate nature of what Bryce was going through and overcoming. Same with Hunt, to a lesser extent, because it's Bryce's book. It's her grief that matters the most, it's her transcendence or acceptance of it that lends that book its emotional power. It feels intimate in a way that was lost starting with book two, and which we definitely didn't have time or space for while hopping from world to world and defeating the galactic parasites while being the most magically powerful person on Midgard here in the last book. That intimacy and the emotional depth that came with it was gone, and it was just another story like I've seen a million times before because of that.
Anyway. Yeah, I will keep reading SJM's books in hopes of chasing that ACOMAF and CC1 high. Love/hate relationship with this author still going strong. ...more
The romance was the least interesting part of this gothic, young adult fantasy. I was here for Signa and her affliction, and the atmospheric, ghost- aThe romance was the least interesting part of this gothic, young adult fantasy. I was here for Signa and her affliction, and the atmospheric, ghost- and poison-infused setting. The fact that the central plot was a murder mystery certainly didn't hurt.
Signa is an orphan of unusual circumstances. When she was a baby, her mother and everyone in their house was poisoned at a party. She was the only survivor, despite being poisoned herself. In fact, Signa cannot die. She can be poisoned, injured, or ill, and she will continue on without crossing to the other side. She can also see Death, who has plagued her for her entire life, taking her guardians one by one. She has lived a lonely life, passed from guardian to guardian as they neglect her, only wanting her for her inheritance. This book kicks off when she seems to finally have arrived at a home that wants her. They have no need for money, as they have their own, but the family is troubled nonetheless. Signa's relative, a cousin, has recently died, leaving her son and daughter and widower. The daughter is presently dying of the same illness that took her mother. Because she likes these people, Signa gets involved and tries to figure out what's going on, as the "illness" and its effects look suspiciously like poison.
I thought this book was well written, had atmosphere in abundance, and the worldbuilding and mystery kept me hooked. As mentioned above, I wasn't a fan of the way the romantic element played out, but that wasn't the biggest part of the story so it was easy to sort of just accept it and enjoy the rest. I pre-ordered Foxglove before I even read this book, and I hope I can get to it soon, because this ended in an intriguing way that gives me hope that the one part of this that didn't fully work for me (the romance) could get more interesting. ...more
This was fun! I love puzzle books. Not that I even tried to solve any of the puzzles in here; as previously relat30 Books in 30 Days, Vol. 3 Book 14/30
This was fun! I love puzzle books. Not that I even tried to solve any of the puzzles in here; as previously related in many reviews (one just last week, I believe), I am a more passive reader and not super great at puzzles or riddles, so I just sit back and let the characters do all the work for me, presenting me with mysteries and then serving up the answers. This particular puzzle book is also a high-stakes wish-fulfillment fantasy involving young adults and also some romance, with a healthy dash of family secrets. I read the first two pages and immediately understood why this had been a runaway bestseller.
The premise here is that Avery, who is being raised by her older sister after the death of her mother, is left most of the inheritance of a billionaire in Texas who she has never met. The only requirement for keeping the inheritance is that she live in the billionaire's mansion for one year. This, of course, causes the man's actual family to lose their shit in various ways. But on top of all that, he was apparently mischievous and loved puzzles, and he has left a series of bread crumb clues hidden throughout the mansion for either Avery or his family to follow, perhaps to uncover the secret of why Avery was left billions of dollars by someone she's never met, and perhaps there are other things to uncover.
The only thing keeping me from giving this five stars was the presence of the love triangle. (view spoiler)[I would have been annoyed at Avery falling for one of the Hawthorne brothers, let alone the potential of two of them vying for her affections. I wasn't a huge fan of the brothers as love interests to begin with; they were way too bantery and cutesy for my taste, not a nerd in sight. (hide spoiler)] The best brother was the youngest, a nerd, who is also biracial. But even though all of that was not to my taste, the overall plot and pacing of the book made it very hard to put down, and I read it basically in two sittings.
I am definitely in for books two and three, but jury is still out on whether book four (which has the slight whiff of unnecessary cash grab) will be making an appearance on my shelves. I will be waiting for reviews and checking out the vibes. Meanwhile I already own books two and three and will be getting to them shortly....more
Usually no matter what feelings I am having for the books of one Sarah J. Maas—positive, negative, or meh—I at least find her books to be entertainingUsually no matter what feelings I am having for the books of one Sarah J. Maas—positive, negative, or meh—I at least find her books to be entertaining and I can't usually put them down. Except for two books now: Kingdom of Ash, and now this one. I'm pretty sure I know why I wasn't satisfied by this reading experience, and was quite frequently annoyed by it, but I'm not sure WHY it's that way. In my opinion here two strongest books are A Court of Mist and Fury and the previous book in this series, House of Earth and Blood, so it's extra weird to come off a book that was so super sure of itself to . . . this.
One of the reasons I've been putting this review off since August is that because the book felt so jumbled, my thoughts did, too, so I'm bullet-pointing this one to try to reign in the chaos.
First, the good:
*hahah coming up blank *Okay, I just had to think a bit. I did give this three stars after all. *The worldbuilding I actually am really interested in. I like that all these different types of beings are in one place for some reason (we find out why at the end of this book). I like that it's set in a more urban, contemporary era. It's complex but not overwhelming, and makes for a good storytelling playground. *I do like all these characters, even if this story doesn't serve them well. *The overall arc of the trilogy seems solid to me: (view spoiler)[The idea of these all-powerful beings only being powerful because they eat the life essences of the people and planets they conquer is a really good one, and I like that the goal seems to be to defeat them, though I don't necessarily have faith that the way it will play out in execution will be good (see, again: Kingdom of Ash). (hide spoiler)] *More LGBTQIA rep? Though still not very much. No main characters, no POV characters. Come on, Sarah. This is a backhanded bulletpoint. *There were some individual scenes, moments between characters, and arcs that did grab my attention quite a bit. But again, see below for why that's also a negative.
Okay, I'm tapped out. Here's the stuff that didn't work:
*This book was so stuffed full of STUFF that nothing had room to breathe, and most of the plots and characters weren't developed enough. *House of Earth and Blood was such a good read, despite my criticisms of it, because it had a strong central plot, and two central characters with clear arcs and goals. This book had neither. No central plot, no central characters. *Relatedly, Bryce and Hunt fade into the background, and even though neither of them are favorite characters of mine, I was really invested in their story in the first book. That fizzles out pretty quickly here. *Also relatedly, TERRIBLE sex scenes. Just awful. I hate when authors get all porny and leave out the emotion. Also, not every sex scene has to be a torment of ecstasy or whatever the fuck. Like, people laugh and talk during sex? It can be weird and gross but also nice a the same time. Her sex scenes never feel real, and thus never feel sexy to me. I skip them now to be honest. They are also embarrassing to read because I feel like now I know what kind of stuff she likes and it squicks me out. *We went from two POV characters in the first book to I don't even know how many in this one. What even was the point of Tharion? Get him out of there! Most of the new POV characters weren't necessary, I just feel like SJM likes her creations so much that she thinks everyone else wants to spend as much time with them as possible, and I personally do not. The only two I think were good and useful were Ruhn and the werewolf whose name I'm forgetting, because the plotlines his POV introduced were interesting and couldn't be gotten through any other character. But again, both of those POVs suffered because we're always spending time elsewhere. *Oh did I also mention that every single one of those new POVs is a dude? And that Bryce's lady friends are barely in the book? They're barely even tertiary characters at this point, and Danika is dead, so. Anyway, sausage fest. *Speaking of Danika, SJM continues to squeeze as much out of her dead character as possible, and what was sweet and emotionally affecting about her relationship with Bryce and Bryce's grief in book one just becomes annoying here. A new discovery about this dead woman happens every hundred pages or so, and it is frankly ridiculous at this point. Did Danika even sleep? *OH! And while part of me thinks the ending opens up the world in a cool way, the bigger part of me thinks the next book is just going to be even more of a clusterfuck, just this time with added (view spoiler)[Rhysand (hide spoiler)].
So that's how this book went for me. Will I continue to read her books? Yes. I'm too curious for my own good....more
I've gotta say, this is related and unrelated to this book, I've been seeing quite a few status updates (the vast majority from people I don't follow)I've gotta say, this is related and unrelated to this book, I've been seeing quite a few status updates (the vast majority from people I don't follow) expressing pretty negative and dismissive opinions about romance and people who read romance that seem borderline misogynistic to me. There's an attitude there that because they don't read romance or fantasy romance (or whatever romance) they are better, smarter, more elevated than those who do. This is bullshit, and it is unkind. I would highly suggest to anyone who holds anti-romance opinions (just not liking to read it is fine! I'm talking about people who hold contempt in their hearts and judge others) to seriously do some thinking and research into where those feelings are coming from. I don't think it's from anywhere good. We are all here on this website to celebrate reading together. Let people love what they love and read what they read, and they will do the same for you. Seeing a flood of SJM status updates for a couple weeks once a year does not hurt you at all.
There, now I'm stepping down off of my soapbox to talk about this book and my as-always complicated feelings for words written by one Sarah J. Maas.
So here's the thing about me and this book. I have talked before about my love/hate relationship with this author. Her writing style frequently grates against me, with its overdramatic, purpley prose, and her unsexy sex scenes, and her lack of subtlety. But I have liked all of her books despite that, and her characters get under my skin. She's doing some work on her lack of queer characters in her books, though race still seems to be an issue a little bit. She is also very aware of her critics, if a particular scene in this book is to be believed (and Bryce's overuse of the word alphahole throughout the book, which honestly makes no sense but whatever). All that to say I had told myself I wouldn't be reading this series, and put it on the 'No' shelf in my mind. In the future, I will not be doing that. All that happened as a result is that my mind saw it sitting there on that shelf saying NO all the time, and just kept getting more and more curious, until that curiosity developed and morphed into an inexplicable desire to rip through both books in the series, and two brand new hardcover books in hand.
And I liked it. I did!
Aside from SJM's overuse of curse words (and I fucking love cursing) and that purpley prose and unsexy sex, the plot and world in this drew me in. I want to know what happens. I want Bryce to come to terms with her grief for Danika. I want Hunt to heal from his extreme case of PTSD. I want to know more about the Asteri and see the characters here fight for a more just and kind world. I liked how this book dealth with trauma and grief, and the image of Bryce as a vapid, substance abusing party girl that contrasts so much with her real, three-dimensional personality. The plot genuinely surprised me, and even eked a few tears out of me in a very pivotal moment.
Was this over the top? Yes. Was this overwritten? Yes. Was this emotionally affecting and well-plotted and featured three-dimensional characters with good arcs? Also yes. Will I be reading the copy of book two that I now have sitting on my bedside table? Yessssss.
If you are interested in reading more about the intersections of feminism and romance, others have written much more about it, and more eloquently than I have in my paragraph above. A trip to Romancelandia on twitter would be highly educational for anyone interested. Romance is a diverse genre about people making intimate human connections, just like any other genre. People who like romance are as diverse as any group, and as worthy of respect. What about any of that is contemptible? I think the shame is coming from inside the house.
I don't understand why people liiiiike thiiiiissssss. Part of me is entertained and curious to see what happens but another part is aggravated and uniI don't understand why people liiiiike thiiiiissssss. Part of me is entertained and curious to see what happens but another part is aggravated and uninterested in all the elevated dramatics and I just want these people to behave like normal humans. Three stars I guess for now. More thoughts later....more
I do not understand why people like this author so much. Is it the guaranteed twist at the end? The cliched story elements? The flavorless writing? ThI do not understand why people like this author so much. Is it the guaranteed twist at the end? The cliched story elements? The flavorless writing? The overblown dialogue? I'm sorry, everyone who loves this dude* (which is like 90% of Goodreads apparently), but his whole thing just does not work for me. Everything in this story has been done, and done better, in other books. For me, this book wasn't scary or thrilling at all. I finished it because it's the literary equivalent of those generic flavorless potato chips that come free with your meal. I mean, they're there, so why not. (Also . . . I don't DNF books. I just can't; I've tried, but I can't.)
To be fair, I had suspected this guy's stuff wouldn't be for me and had avoided reading from him, but Book of the Month tricked me this month by not having any good other selections for November, and then offering me a 'Member Fave' as a substitute. I thought, what the hey, why not give it a shot. As you can see, the world might have been better off if I'd just skipped this month. At least I know he isn't an author for me for sure now.
To be honest with you, I don't really want to talk about the actual book. That seems tedious. Let's just leave it at 'Not for Me' and call it a day....more
This self-pubbed book apparently blew up on BookTok, and honestly, from the other books that have done that (an older Colleen Hoover release, for examThis self-pubbed book apparently blew up on BookTok, and honestly, from the other books that have done that (an older Colleen Hoover release, for example), I should have known this one wouldn't be perfectly to my taste, but I was curious! Also, the synopsis sounded great, and I liked the look of the cover. It is now being re-released in 2022 after having been picked up by Tor. I do hope they whip it into shape a little, but my fear is they will let its popularity scare them away from doing so.
The premise here in what will eventually be a trilogy (the second book due out this fall) is that there is a secret society in the world centered around the ancient store of knowledge that is and was the great library of Alexandria, once thought lost. But it only went into hiding. Every handful of years a group of six powerful medeians (magicians, essentially) are recruited into the society, and after a year of living and learning together, only five will be initiated. One will be eliminated.
As in, eliminated.
The first fifty pages of this were so intriguing. I loved meeting the six candidates, and the mysterious Atlas Blakely who recruits them. I was very interested in the type of world that would birth this society, one which appears to have magic integrated into the world and there are magical universities, and non-magic humans are called "mortals." Although, and more on this sort of thing later, I still don't know (because the book never made it clear) if mortals are aware that magic exists.
But then, once they were actually living at the Society and beginning their training, the book quickly became something I wasn't really expecting. This is not a book focused on worldbuilding, at all. We barely learn anything about the Society or the library, and the "lessons" described in the book are half-assed at best. Instead, we get lots and lots and lots of interpersonal drama, heightened by the characters' magical talents and personal histories. What happens when you put a telepath, an empath so strong he can convince anyone to do anything, and a person who is likely to burst things into flame when agitated into the same space for long periods of time? There is a looooot of talking, and honestly, a lot of the dialogue read like nonsense to me, in that way that dialogue can sometimes seem very smart because of the words used and the format its presented in, but when you actually dig into what's it's saying, it's not saying anything that makes any kind of sense. The prose was often extremely indulgent. Big words, long sentences, characters who liked to hear themselves talk. There is a lot of excess horniness, and plotting, and alliances, and mistrust.
It took me four and a half days to read this 380 page book, because I kept having to put it down to take breaks from the characters.
The ending was . . . something. I actually don't think the book was clear at all on the specifics of what actually happened. It really needs the tightening up and clarifying of a good editor.
I will keep going with this series, because I did find it interesting and I'm curious to see what happens, but I would much have preferred less drama and more magic.
[3.5 stars, rounded down]
Read Harder Challenge 2022: Pick a challenge from any of the previous years' challenges to repeat (From 2019: A self-published book)....more
I've decided to keep this rounded down to four stars (half stars!! Goodreads!!) for now, because while the rest of the book was absolutely great, the I've decided to keep this rounded down to four stars (half stars!! Goodreads!!) for now, because while the rest of the book was absolutely great, the climax was a little underwhelming for me, and that's the moment you're waiting for in a thriller. The epilogue ended the book on a great note, but it wasn't a perfect read. It was very, very good, though, and I will definitely be checking out everything from this author going forward. If this is the book she can write at 21 years old (!) I can't wait to see what she'll do later.
This is a thriller/horror book written by London-born Àbíké-Íyímídé, and though it's young adult, it doesn't really fall into any common YA pitfalls. We have two main characters, Chiamaka Adebayo, the half-Nigerian, half-Italian queen of her private school, Niveus. And Devon Richardson, a closeted gay kid from the poor side of town who's only there on scholarship, but hopes to go to Julliard some day. Both of them are headed into their senior years primed to make it out and to their dream futures.
And then things start to go wrong. Very, very wrong. There's this anonymous person calling themselves Aces who is sending out text blasts to the entire school, exposing the secrets of a handful of students, and Chiamaka and Devon both seem to be prime targets.
This is a twisty page-turner, but it's also dealing with a bunch of tough subjects, including homophobia, suicidal ideation, and racism. It was refreshing how flawed Chiamaka and Devon were, after reading so many books with YA protagonists who do no wrong and fart rainbows all the time (don't get me wrong, I like those books, too). I liked the story a lot the whole time, but it took me about half the book to like the characters, and it's no coincidence that everything going on begins to change both of them. They both have some really not great secrets in their past, that if they come out, means no Yale, no Julliard, no more bright futures.
The only other thing keeping me from giving this five stars is that the author made a deliberate choice (for good reasons!) that I'm not sure actually works in practice. She is British, so there are a ton of Britishisms in here, from dialogue to names to the school system (Prefects do not exist in America). But it's clear that there are also American things going on, including the mention of pretty much only American colleges that the students of Niveus are wanting to get into. The author mentions in the afterword she chose to set this in a non-existent in-between place that's neither America nor England or anywhere else, in order to emphasize that systemic racism and the other issues she touches on are not exclusive to one country or city, but exist worldwide. I get that, but the effect of it was really distracting, and kept pulling me out of being immersed in the story. When something you've chosen to do as a writing technique does that, no matter how interesting of an idea in theory it is, probably best not to go through with it. Maybe there are people who didn't notice or care, but I am not one of them and I wish she'd just set it in England or in Connecticut or something.
Anyway, that complaint aside, this was great, and I'm buying myself a copy.
This didn't really hit for me, but it was fine! Not sure if I will read the second one. This didn't really hit for me, but it was fine! Not sure if I will read the second one. ...more
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