snazel's review against another edition
Super fast, super exciting, super colourful read. This is tonally REALLY similar to Legend of Korra. 1920's aesthetic, people grappling with a huge destiny, recovering from the scars of a horrible war, etc. Not plot similar, but tonally a lot of resonance. Jsyk.
I'm not giving it a star rating because I'm honestly not sure what to put it at. It was super fun to read, but then the sitting with the memory of the book hasn't been as rewarding. This story is dealing with some really, really big topics, and I am not 100% sure that it stuck the landing on all of them? It cycles through some huge things (catastrophic grief and trauma, imperialism, abusive siblings, slavery, colonialism) and does then kinda tie into a neat bow at the end (cause, y'know, stories demand that). However, I personally haven't dealt with most of these topics, and I'm not sure if I'm the target audience for this book, since it's drawing very directly on asian cultures and history (by that I mean everything from anime to naming conventions to food to colour palettes) and I think some of that flew over my head. Also I'm just really hard to please with endings lately, and that could be bleeding through, I don't KNOW.
Overall a riot to read, I flew through it in one sitting, it's just that some of the things it lobbed onto the field in the beginning and middle are not, to me, totally delivered on by the ending.
I'm not giving it a star rating because I'm honestly not sure what to put it at. It was super fun to read, but then the sitting with the memory of the book hasn't been as rewarding. This story is dealing with some really, really big topics, and I am not 100% sure that it stuck the landing on all of them? It cycles through some huge things (catastrophic grief and trauma, imperialism, abusive siblings, slavery, colonialism) and does then kinda tie into a neat bow at the end (cause, y'know, stories demand that). However, I personally haven't dealt with most of these topics, and I'm not sure if I'm the target audience for this book, since it's drawing very directly on asian cultures and history (by that I mean everything from anime to naming conventions to food to colour palettes) and I think some of that flew over my head. Also I'm just really hard to please with endings lately, and that could be bleeding through, I don't KNOW.
Overall a riot to read, I flew through it in one sitting, it's just that some of the things it lobbed onto the field in the beginning and middle are not, to me, totally delivered on by the ending.
bobwoco's review against another edition
4.0
more accurately 3.5, largely good (and nicely diverse) characters, but a bit of a weak plot with some eh character moments
ampersandread22's review against another edition
3.0
Read this and other reviews at Ampersand Read.
Did I get sucked into reading this book solely on the promise that it was “Avatar: the Last Airbender crossed with Pokémon?” Why yes, yes I did.
Was it actually Avatar: the Last Airbender crossed with Pokémon? No, no it was not.
The only element-based magic was a royal family line with a propensity for metal bending (sorry, metal pacting). And the only Pokémon were human/animal soul links who occasionally got in tussles with one another.
This book actually focuses more on the political landscape in the aftermath of a war in which one side oppressed another side to become rulers while a third side bides their time. One group of people “shadepacts” with animals (here’s where the comparison to Pokémon comes in) and those animals can then be used to pull ships, labor alongside their humans, and aid soldiers in battle. There is of course another side who sees shadepacting as barbaric slavery. The overall plot focuses on an exiled prince looking to be transported home so that he can rule now that the war is finished. But there is a mercenary/thief, a princess in disguise of yet another nation, and a tough soldier with a chip on her shoulder/shadowy past in the mix too.
Overall, the book is a massive one. It is over 500 pages long in hardcover form, and I felt that there were just a few too many characters/nations and motivations in play to keep track. I kept having to re-read sections because my mind wandered while reading. The ending pulls together things relatively well, and some of the character arcs are better drawn than others, but I just think this story and this series were not for me, or were not for me right now.
Don’t get sucked into this book’s premise based on some of your favorite/nostalgic animated tales. Do read it if you want a complex, sometimes political-heavy story with a cast of diverse characters.
Did I get sucked into reading this book solely on the promise that it was “Avatar: the Last Airbender crossed with Pokémon?” Why yes, yes I did.
Was it actually Avatar: the Last Airbender crossed with Pokémon? No, no it was not.
The only element-based magic was a royal family line with a propensity for metal bending (sorry, metal pacting). And the only Pokémon were human/animal soul links who occasionally got in tussles with one another.
This book actually focuses more on the political landscape in the aftermath of a war in which one side oppressed another side to become rulers while a third side bides their time. One group of people “shadepacts” with animals (here’s where the comparison to Pokémon comes in) and those animals can then be used to pull ships, labor alongside their humans, and aid soldiers in battle. There is of course another side who sees shadepacting as barbaric slavery. The overall plot focuses on an exiled prince looking to be transported home so that he can rule now that the war is finished. But there is a mercenary/thief, a princess in disguise of yet another nation, and a tough soldier with a chip on her shoulder/shadowy past in the mix too.
Overall, the book is a massive one. It is over 500 pages long in hardcover form, and I felt that there were just a few too many characters/nations and motivations in play to keep track. I kept having to re-read sections because my mind wandered while reading. The ending pulls together things relatively well, and some of the character arcs are better drawn than others, but I just think this story and this series were not for me, or were not for me right now.
Don’t get sucked into this book’s premise based on some of your favorite/nostalgic animated tales. Do read it if you want a complex, sometimes political-heavy story with a cast of diverse characters.
sparsa_maj's review against another edition
5.0
6 stars for the queer normative pokemon×alta book of my dreams.
izzymendes's review against another edition
The author of this book allegedly harassed women. Removing my rating.
---
This book had so much potential. It’s premise was seemingly perfect, however the execution wasn’t.
The diversity was def top-notch. Other than that, I found that the setting was amazing, as was the political intrigue.
But, this book was wayyy too long, and though the plot and characters were developed, I didn’t find myself connecting to them. I did very much enjoy the romance, though. Xiulan and Lee are otp material; their romance is *incoherent yelling.*
Anyway.
I’d recommend it as it is a very well written and well done novel, but I just found that it lacked the depth I expected.
3 starsss
---
This book had so much potential. It’s premise was seemingly perfect, however the execution wasn’t.
The diversity was def top-notch. Other than that, I found that the setting was amazing, as was the political intrigue.
But, this book was wayyy too long, and though the plot and characters were developed, I didn’t find myself connecting to them. I did very much enjoy the romance, though. Xiulan and Lee are otp material; their romance is *incoherent yelling.*
Anyway.
I’d recommend it as it is a very well written and well done novel, but I just found that it lacked the depth I expected.
3 starsss
izzymenzies's review against another edition
The author of this book allegedly harassed women. Removing my rating.
---
This book had so much potential. It’s premise was seemingly perfect, however the execution wasn’t.
The diversity was def top-notch. Other than that, I found that the setting was amazing, as was the political intrigue.
But, this book was wayyy too long, and though the plot and characters were developed, I didn’t find myself connecting to them. I did very much enjoy the romance, though. Xiulan and Lee are otp material; their romance is *incoherent yelling.*
Anyway.
I’d recommend it as it is a very well written and well done novel, but I just found that it lacked the depth I expected.
3 starsss
---
This book had so much potential. It’s premise was seemingly perfect, however the execution wasn’t.
The diversity was def top-notch. Other than that, I found that the setting was amazing, as was the political intrigue.
But, this book was wayyy too long, and though the plot and characters were developed, I didn’t find myself connecting to them. I did very much enjoy the romance, though. Xiulan and Lee are otp material; their romance is *incoherent yelling.*
Anyway.
I’d recommend it as it is a very well written and well done novel, but I just found that it lacked the depth I expected.
3 starsss
lolajoan's review against another edition
5.0
Yep, I get the hype. I had been hesitant to start on it since it seemed like it was going to be a longer book, but it was so engrossing and exciting that it was really quite a quick read. The characters are nuanced and charming, the magical aspects are intriguing, the plot is exciting and action-packed. The geopolitics of the world are maybe a little simplistic, but that happens in fiction, and also in reality to be honest. All around just great.