Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Minimum Wage Magic by Rachel Aaron

1 review

bex_knighthunterbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This urban fantasy mystery was great fun. I loved being back in the DFZ with its mix of magic and technology. I really enjoyed Opal's perspective and voice, along with Nik (I shipped it!), and Sybil the AI assistant. The mystery was fast paced and kept me guessing, although I enjoyed most the reveals around Opal and Nik's backstories and lives more than the 'quest'. The tension was high, with lots of risk, potential reward and running all over the city. Given I was already in love with this setting, I loved being dropped back here and seeing a glimpse of how it has changed after the Heartstriker's series. Definitely looking forward to reading the rest of this spin-off series. I really love this for what it is - incredible fun and inventive with relatable spunky characters. However, it is lacking a few things I look for in my absolute favourite series, one of which is more exploration of theme - in this I'd have enjoyed more critique of capitalism and exploitation of low-wage workers and financial precarity - although I understand that isn't the type of book this was trying to be! Also, I would have liked more queerness, even if just in the background, as I would have expected it to be very visible in a city all about freedom (depending on what the rest of the world is like). And finally, the ethnic diversity feels quite surface level. Given the world is quite different to ours that is somewhat understandable but I'd have at least expected the main character to show more of her Korean background given she is a fairly recent immigrant (e.g. maybe she would speak to her AI in Korean?).
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