katierobertsonshaddix's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Drug use, Physical abuse, Cultural appropriation, Blood, Murder, Death, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Infidelity, and Emotional abuse
alizirrah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Gorgeously evocative - vicious and incisive and subversive in the best possible ways. Each sentence felt so precise and surprising, like no word was wasted or out of place. I loved how everyone was casually queer and messily all in each other's business.
So why did it take me over 2 months to read this fairly short novel? I could not tell you. Possibly it was because it often took a lot of concentration to follow and parse each sentence's meaning, and when I tend to read before bed, this would lead to me nodding off after only reading a few pages. There were a few times that the story suddenly slipped into a flashback and I wasn't sure what time the scene took place, and other times I *thought* we had flashed back but then that scene actually had been current.
But it is an absolutely gorgeous book overall. The magical elements were fascinating and very memorable. I found this parallel universe 1920's U.S. very compelling.
So why did it take me over 2 months to read this fairly short novel? I could not tell you. Possibly it was because it often took a lot of concentration to follow and parse each sentence's meaning, and when I tend to read before bed, this would lead to me nodding off after only reading a few pages. There were a few times that the story suddenly slipped into a flashback and I wasn't sure what time the scene took place, and other times I *thought* we had flashed back but then that scene actually had been current.
But it is an absolutely gorgeous book overall. The magical elements were fascinating and very memorable. I found this parallel universe 1920's U.S. very compelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Drug use, Infidelity, and Car accident
Moderate: Alcohol, Xenophobia, Abortion, Racism, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
larbster90's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Misogyny, Car accident, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Deportation, Drug use, and Classism
scifi_rat's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Alcohol
Minor: Abortion, Classism, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Drug use, Homophobia, War, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Violence
madamenovelist's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Gore, Death, Death of parent, Classism, Car accident, Blood, Alcohol, Abortion, Violence, Cursing, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Homophobia, Grief, and Drug use
kodiex's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Vomit, Xenophobia, Car accident, Death, Infidelity, Violence, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
Minor: Violence, Sexual content, and War
casmith512's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Abortion
Moderate: Alcohol, Racism, Classism, Drug use, and Infidelity
Minor: Deportation
zoiejanelle's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
you actually need to love Gatsby to enjoy this book. as someone who was fascinated and inspired by The Great Gatsby, i really liked how closely this book resembled the original text in terms of pacing, plot, and themes. the dissimilation and destruction of Jordan’s “American Dream” is an interesting parallel to Gatsby’s, and i really loved how the author added a new layer of complexity and authenticity through her perspective as well as her backstory and heritage. Jordan was, like all the characters, a bad person. her struggle to reconcile her tumultuous upbringing, the standards and values of the world around her, and the question to defining and understanding her own identity (as a Vietnamese person and a queer woman) were interesting and unlike anything i’ve read before. i loved seeing the world — Daisy’s flightiness, Nick’s perceptiveness, Tom’s abuse, Gatsby’s ambition — through her eyes and i especially loved that she and Daisy in particular had more agency in their own stories.
as many others have stated in their reviews, i didn’t fully enjoy the magical elements. i think this was due to a lack of proper world-building at the outset. after immersing myself in one version of Gatsby so many times, i wasn’t keen on blindly accepting the, at some points, poorly explained magic systems. however, the magic was sooooo cool and i wish these systems and histories would have been fleshed out so i could have bought into them with more enthusiasm.
the writing style, the pacing, the hopeful (yearning) conclusion were all extremely reminiscent of Fitzgerald’s original work, and Vo’s unique perspective on immigration, Vietnamese culture and community, and womanhood make this work really stand out. a very interesting book that certainly won’t be for everyone but definitely holds its own in comparison to other Gatsby retellings.
as many others have stated in their reviews, i didn’t fully enjoy the magical elements. i think this was due to a lack of proper world-building at the outset. after immersing myself in one version of Gatsby so many times, i wasn’t keen on blindly accepting the, at some points, poorly explained magic systems. however, the magic was sooooo cool and i wish these systems and histories would have been fleshed out so i could have bought into them with more enthusiasm.
the writing style, the pacing, the hopeful (yearning) conclusion were all extremely reminiscent of Fitzgerald’s original work, and Vo’s unique perspective on immigration, Vietnamese culture and community, and womanhood make this work really stand out. a very interesting book that certainly won’t be for everyone but definitely holds its own in comparison to other Gatsby retellings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Death
Moderate: Car accident, Classism, Drug use, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic friendship, Murder, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts
auudrey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Sexual content
Minor: Physical abuse, Abortion, Drug use, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
merle_bookdragon's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really, really enjoyed this book. I had not read and/or seen the Great Gatsby before, I only knew the basics of what has been widely shared in popular culture, like his crazy parties and his yearning for Daisy. Beyond that I went into this story with basically zero knowledge of the story.
I loved the writing style, and the mystery of it all. I liked that there was always a lot hidden away from the reader, that not everything (like the magic) was always explained in minute detail because this wasn't the book for a pages long description of the magic system. This was a book in which the magic enhanced the other-worldliness and magic of the Jazz Age and in a very discreet way in supported different beliefs and attitudes, for example relating to class.
I think I am really glad that we got to see Jordan's POV in this story. I read about 10 pages of The Great Gatsby in the middle of it, hoping to somehow read them alongside each other (I failed) but even after those few pages I was not a fan of Nick's POV. But I guess a lot of that has to do with the fact that he is a male character written by a male author and in this case we have a female narrating character written by a female author. Jordan was "different" from the people around her in so many ways and it was so interesting to see her point of view but also how her position and class privilege have influenced her. I loved her free attitude (even if she had adopted it to protect herself) and that she wasn't afraid to visit places that were maybe improper to be in (even if her background allowed her more freedom in the eyes of society).
I especially enjoyed seeing the Cendrillon, simply a wonderful place that I would love to visit sometimes.
By now I know that many events in this book mirror the ones in The Great Gatsby quite closely but I am glad that I didn't know before because this way some things still came as a surprise to me.
I loved Jordan's paper cutting and wish we had seen more of it. Anyways, that's it for now I guess lol.
I loved the writing style, and the mystery of it all. I liked that there was always a lot hidden away from the reader, that not everything (like the magic) was always explained in minute detail because this wasn't the book for a pages long description of the magic system. This was a book in which the magic enhanced the other-worldliness and magic of the Jazz Age and in a very discreet way in supported different beliefs and attitudes, for example relating to class.
I think I am really glad that we got to see Jordan's POV in this story. I read about 10 pages of The Great Gatsby in the middle of it, hoping to somehow read them alongside each other (I failed) but even after those few pages I was not a fan of Nick's POV. But I guess a lot of that has to do with the fact that he is a male character written by a male author and in this case we have a female narrating character written by a female author. Jordan was "different" from the people around her in so many ways and it was so interesting to see her point of view but also how her position and class privilege have influenced her. I loved her free attitude (even if she had adopted it to protect herself) and that she wasn't afraid to visit places that were maybe improper to be in (even if her background allowed her more freedom in the eyes of society).
I especially enjoyed seeing the Cendrillon, simply a wonderful place that I would love to visit sometimes.
By now I know that many events in this book mirror the ones in The Great Gatsby quite closely but I am glad that I didn't know before because this way some things still came as a surprise to me.
I loved Jordan's paper cutting and wish we had seen more of it.
Spoiler
The entire scene with paper Daisy and real Daisy (and then the latter killing the former) was SO interesting had I could honestly analyze it for a good while. The same goes for the scene in which she (finally, after it was already teased in the blurb) cut out a man's heart. Specifically, Nick's. The paper heart, the names and places written on it... her making a new one with only an edge of lipstick... just ... paper Nick is so interesting to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Abortion, Sexual content, Car accident, Infidelity, Drug use, and Classism
Minor: War