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lara_bookish_turtle's review against another edition
5.0
"This is a book. You are the reader. Look closer. There’s magic here."
I'm not sure exactly what it is about this book, but it is exquisitely magical. When I read books like this, I wish that every other book was as wonderful. I would highly recommend this book to anybody who loves YA fantasy.
"Once there was, and one day there will be. This is the beginning of every story. "
Assassins, magicians, pirates, this book has it all! The epic adventure stories intertwine and overlap to form a complex narrative which is a pleasure to read.
Told in third person from multiple perspectives, there is a myriad of characters to fall in love with. Each of them is so unique and well-written, there was not one perspective I dreaded reading from.
Often books with such complicated plots will leave me confused, but this story was clearly set out so that I could easily follow it, whilst still being surprised by the innumerable plot twists. The pace is a bit slower than many books in the genre, but it is done so well that I could barely notice.
I got completely lost in the story and never wanted to leave this magical world.
Sefia and Archer are too cute.
This fairy-tale reminiscent fantasy will draw you in and leave you wanting more! I loved absolutely everything about it and could find no faults whatsoever.
I highly recommend this book to anybody who loves to read. Presumably everyone, but if you love books then you will definitely appreciate the wonders of this narrative.
I'm not sure exactly what it is about this book, but it is exquisitely magical. When I read books like this, I wish that every other book was as wonderful. I would highly recommend this book to anybody who loves YA fantasy.
"Once there was, and one day there will be. This is the beginning of every story. "
Assassins, magicians, pirates, this book has it all! The epic adventure stories intertwine and overlap to form a complex narrative which is a pleasure to read.
Told in third person from multiple perspectives, there is a myriad of characters to fall in love with. Each of them is so unique and well-written, there was not one perspective I dreaded reading from.
Often books with such complicated plots will leave me confused, but this story was clearly set out so that I could easily follow it, whilst still being surprised by the innumerable plot twists. The pace is a bit slower than many books in the genre, but it is done so well that I could barely notice.
I got completely lost in the story and never wanted to leave this magical world.
Sefia and Archer are too cute.
This fairy-tale reminiscent fantasy will draw you in and leave you wanting more! I loved absolutely everything about it and could find no faults whatsoever.
I highly recommend this book to anybody who loves to read. Presumably everyone, but if you love books then you will definitely appreciate the wonders of this narrative.
noelishi's review against another edition
1.0
Puntuación CAWPILE: 0,85
Personajes: 0
Ambientación / Worldbuilding: 2
Estilo de escritura: 2
Trama: 0
Enganche: 0
Lógica / Relaciones: 2
Disfrute: 0
No me ha gustado nada. Puede ser que estoy bastante harta de la fantasía juvenil y este no ha sido el mejor momento para coger este libro, pero aun así no considero que sea una maravilla.
No me gusta la manera en la que el worldbuilding está presentado. No me ha gustado el hecho de que los personajes (habiendo incluso demasiados para lo que es la historia) son planos y no hacen que el lector se siente identificado o atraído por ellos.
Los mensajes ocultos, relatos internos y demás "originalidades" me ha parecido interesantillo, pero me ha terminado resultando pedante. Y tampoco creo que hayan aportado demasiado a la historia más que para hacer que se diferencia este libro de los demás.
Personajes: 0
Ambientación / Worldbuilding: 2
Estilo de escritura: 2
Trama: 0
Enganche: 0
Lógica / Relaciones: 2
Disfrute: 0
No me ha gustado nada. Puede ser que estoy bastante harta de la fantasía juvenil y este no ha sido el mejor momento para coger este libro, pero aun así no considero que sea una maravilla.
No me gusta la manera en la que el worldbuilding está presentado. No me ha gustado el hecho de que los personajes (habiendo incluso demasiados para lo que es la historia) son planos y no hacen que el lector se siente identificado o atraído por ellos.
Los mensajes ocultos, relatos internos y demás "originalidades" me ha parecido interesantillo, pero me ha terminado resultando pedante. Y tampoco creo que hayan aportado demasiado a la historia más que para hacer que se diferencia este libro de los demás.
ianthegreat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
brybug_25's review against another edition
5.0
The Reader, a fantastic story about the magic of books and reading, was easily one of the best and most unique fantasy novels I have read to date. The way Traci Chee left a hidden message next to the page numbers (hint hint), was just one example of her incredible imagination. I cannot wait until The Speaker comes out in November.
tracilynn33's review against another edition
When you've mentally rewritten the first 50 pages of a book, it's time to put it down and read something else.
Writers, trust your readers. We don't need a separate chapter covering a past event that you clearly explained in the previous 20 pages through character reaction and dialog.
Writers, trust your readers. We don't need a separate chapter covering a past event that you clearly explained in the previous 20 pages through character reaction and dialog.
emleemay's review against another edition
2.0
This is a book. You are the reader. Look closer. There’s magic here.
I really struggled with this one. Despite exciting little quotes - like the one above - to draw in any self-proclaimed bibliophile, something about this book just felt off from the very start.
I mean, it's slow. But that on its own is not necessarily a problem. Fantasy is often the kind of genre that can get away with having a slower, more drawn-out and intricate plot. No, it's more that I think the premise is fundamentally flawed and I just could not get past it. It must be me, though, because I have only seen one other reviewer comment on the issues I had.
[b:The Reader|25064648|The Reader (Sea of Ink and Gold, #1)|Traci Chee|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1448040202s/25064648.jpg|44748620] is supposed to be about a society where reading doesn't exist. Reading is, as the blurb states, "unheard of". But when Sefia's aunt Nin is kidnapped, the only clue to what is going on is "The Book" that her father left behind before he was murdered. So Sefia sets about deciphering the book, and searching for her aunt with the help of a mute boy called Archer.
Firstly, though, it's simply not true that these people don't read. They do. Just think about what it would really mean to have a society that didn't read at all. Communicating through visual symbols is one of humanity's oldest behaviours - if you have a language and you can physically create art, it makes sense that people would create visual representation of words/things. And, as it happens, this society does just that. Symbols (e.g. an anvil or cleaver) appear above shops in the first chapter. Yeah, this is not the English/Latin Alphabet, but it is reading.
What this book seems to mean when it says that people don't read is that they don't read the English Latin alphabet, a descendant of the Greek alphabet. For a book that is so culturally and racially diverse, it's disappointing to see reading defined in such narrow parameters.
Secondly - and I am so confused by this that I genuinely wonder if I somehow missed an explanation - how does a girl who has grown up in a society where reading doesn't exist simply look at a book and teach herself to read? How can she possibly see a picture of the letter "B" and know it makes a "buh" sound? I'm not being rhetorical - did I miss an explanation of how this is possible? How many non-Japanese speakers can look at this か and instantly be sounding out a "ka" sound?*
Also, as I mentioned above, a society that doesn't read would mean a VERY different kind of world - imagine the possibilities and what it would mean for this fictional version of humanity - and yet very little is done with it. The world itself is standard fantasy, with a heroine who could be any other YA fantasy heroine, and the usual combination of assassins, thieves, pirates and romance. I can't name a single interesting thing about Sefia to set her apart from the rest.
Another thing - people are getting really excited about the promise of pirates. Fair enough. But I'm starting to realize that I maybe don't love pirates as much as I think I do. I seem to conjure up an image of the old-fashioned, alcoholic "Yo Ho" Jack Sparrow kind of pirates. Truth is, that's just romanticism, and they're actually just a bunch of rebellious sailors. "Sailors" probably sells fewer books than "pirates", though.
So, as well as the fundamental flaws with the concept, I didn't connect with any of the characters, I found it so slow (lots of stories within the story, which quickly became boring) and one of the big reveals feels like a rip-off of
Spoiler
[b:The Neverending Story|27712|The Neverending Story|Michael Ende|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327871159s/27712.jpg|1122661]Also - and it pains me to say this - the obsession with "The Book" here is, frankly, a little weird. And yes, I freaking love books, but it's so crazy intense it's borderline comical. Like maybe you'll get it if you're the kind of person who sits alone in a dark room, stroking your books. I'm almost that insane, but not quite :)
*Okay, I knew I must have missed something. I guess the book briefly mentions her parents sounding out the letters on her toy blocks when she was young. I'm still skeptical of her ability to suddenly turn this into actual reading, but at least her reading skills didn't just appear from nowhere.
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pointeshoebookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? N/A
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence and Torture
Minor: War
vctoriaa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
desertlover's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 STARS
After reading the synopsis for this book on Penguin's First to Read Program, I cashed in my points and grabbed it immediately. There's nothing I love more than complex fantasies, and this one was even better than I anticipated. The idea of a "book" being the central piece of the story is fascinating and so well delivered. There are multiple storylines unfolding throughout the book, and I loved slowing discovering all the layers. Don't expect to fully understand all the characters or their connections until the final pages.
I was completely mesmerized from the first pages until the last chapter. There is magic, epic adventures, forbidden love, pirates, assassins, and librarians. Sefia is a remarkable heroine and her quest definitely had me on the edge of my iPad. I highly recommend this one to my high fantasy reading friends and cannot wait for the next installment!
After reading the synopsis for this book on Penguin's First to Read Program, I cashed in my points and grabbed it immediately. There's nothing I love more than complex fantasies, and this one was even better than I anticipated. The idea of a "book" being the central piece of the story is fascinating and so well delivered. There are multiple storylines unfolding throughout the book, and I loved slowing discovering all the layers. Don't expect to fully understand all the characters or their connections until the final pages.
I was completely mesmerized from the first pages until the last chapter. There is magic, epic adventures, forbidden love, pirates, assassins, and librarians. Sefia is a remarkable heroine and her quest definitely had me on the edge of my iPad. I highly recommend this one to my high fantasy reading friends and cannot wait for the next installment!