Reviews

I never quite bought Zenya's investment in her mentor's approval. It felt under-developed in the beginning. I kept expecting more development of it in the first half, and it never happened. Unfortunately, the book's action and emotional impact very much depends on buying into that. I felt it was never convincingly explained.

andrewb21's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

The premise and world building here is incredible, but under-utilized. And unfortunately the character development falls flat. The main character is static and passive for about 75% of the book before, finally, external forces finally convince her to change. By that point, the book had exhausted its welcome and it became a “skim to the predictable finish” book for me. Promising at first, but ultimately disappointing.

es_the_book_hoarder's review

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

bogbitch's review

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

It was a simple book with a few issues. The basic story is one we’ve heard before and the lack of likeable, well-developed characters made the first half of the book unbearable. I also found that the it was lacking descriptions, especially when it comes to the setting. I liked the ending.

steganogasaurus's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

rinus15's review

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adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

slowbollard's review

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4.0

I enjoyed this. I picked this up randomly from my library's display and I'm so glad I did. I enjoyed the writing, and I think the author did a great job choosing the timing of switching between the past and the present to unfold the story and the main character. Zemolai's voice as an adult reminded me a bit of Murder Bot, so that didn't hurt, either. I think the author did a good job of sneaking in the atmosphere and consequences of abusive/narcissistic relationships without shoving it in your face.

The whole novel was well done and a nice escape despite the heavy subject matter. It's not mind-blowing or life changing, but I enjoyed it.

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