Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao

1 review

heather_harrison's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

I was reasonably excited for this book - Chinese mythology, magic, demons, and the promise of a strong female protagonist. 

The book felt like a watered down pivot from the popularity of R.F. Kuang's Poppy War. So many people have enjoyed this, but I just found it really meh. 

I was not a fan of AWZ's description of a character with a cleft lip (I don't care if it may be representative of the time it's based, this is fantasy first and foremost and it was just unnecessary). 

I didn't find Lan to be endearing at all. 30% of the time I found her tolerable, but the majority I found her to be rude and annoying. Zen's character largely served as an info-dump for Lan, and us the readers.
Their relationship was definitely not 'enemies to lovers' and felt super rushed. Not to mention the mirroring of both characters making deals with demons was pretty heavy handed.
All of the other characters within the story line felt paper-thin, and as a result it felt pretty hollow whenever anything 'important happened'.
We see Lan lose her 'best friend' at the tea-house, what was supposed to be her found family in the magic school, and her literal long-lost father. But because there was very little emotional build up, the outcome just kind of feels hollow and immaterial.
 

2.75 stars (rounded up to 3)
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