Scan barcode
aforestofbooks's reviews
509 reviews
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I’ve been meaning to read this book for years and randomly decided to pick it up because I felt slumpy and knew reading a physical book would be a bad idea.
This was pretty good, though not as good as I was expecting. There’s a lot of world building and it is slow. You can tell the author is trying to set up the plot for this series, so parts of it can drag. The one issue I had was trying to picture what was happening in my head. I wish there was a more detailed map (at the beginning of the book) to help guide the reader on the journey Eugenides takes with the magus and Pol and the two annoying boys. But at the same time, I feel like some of the descriptions of their journey, the topography, and the flora were just confusing. Usually, when I read, the book plays like a movie in my head, but for the life of me I couldn’t imagine where the characters were or what their surrounding looked like. The temple too was really confusing for me to imagine and I wish there was a map of that too.
The ending did take me by surprise a little. A part of me expected that Eugenides was hiding Hamiathe’s Gift somewhere, but seeing who he actually is at the end was a little shock. It almost makes me want to read the rest of the series, but I’m unsure right now if that’ll happen any time soon.
This was pretty good, though not as good as I was expecting. There’s a lot of world building and it is slow. You can tell the author is trying to set up the plot for this series, so parts of it can drag. The one issue I had was trying to picture what was happening in my head. I wish there was a more detailed map (at the beginning of the book) to help guide the reader on the journey Eugenides takes with the magus and Pol and the two annoying boys. But at the same time, I feel like some of the descriptions of their journey, the topography, and the flora were just confusing. Usually, when I read, the book plays like a movie in my head, but for the life of me I couldn’t imagine where the characters were or what their surrounding looked like. The temple too was really confusing for me to imagine and I wish there was a map of that too.
The ending did take me by surprise a little. A part of me expected that Eugenides was hiding Hamiathe’s Gift somewhere, but seeing who he actually is at the end was a little shock. It almost makes me want to read the rest of the series, but I’m unsure right now if that’ll happen any time soon.
Song of the Lioness, Book 1: Alanna: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Tamora Pierce
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
A classic. I’m excited to see what it looks like in colour. I do really miss Tortall and the characters, though Alanna isn’t my favourite of the series, it still holds a special place in my heart.
The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents by Nicki Pau Preto
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
4.75
OKAY FOLKS
This book was SO GOOD!
I've always loved Nicki's writing style and world building, and when I saw she was coming out with a middle-grade magical boarding school series, I just knew I had to check it out. This exceeded all my expectations. It was cute, whimsical, and just left me feeling so happy.
I know many of us grew up with another magical boarding school series written by a super horrible person who should not be named. I also understand the feeling of nostalgia when you think about that series and the memories associated with those books. But this book and hopefully series has a lot of similar vibes and feel-goodness.
I'm struggling to review this because every aspect was so perfect–the friendships, Vin's relationship with the headmistress, capture the flag, the Free Mages, all the mysteries, and the final "battle" scene. I loved seeing Vin grow as a character and learn to embrace herself and her magic and open herself up to the people around her. I also loved how the students all worked together at the end to protect the school and their headmistress. While I did kind of predict where things are headed, it just makes me so excited to see what happens next.
I'm also obsessed with Brucifer. He reminds me of Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle, and I love him and his need for expensive wood chips so much. I NEED MORE OF HIM. And possibly a little water spirit to join the gang.
You just feel so good reading this book, and it's a feeling I've missed from other books I've been reading, and I think is sometimes almost exclusive to middle-grade books. There is danger and the unknown, but there's also such great friendship and camaraderie. It can have a lot of the typical tropes you would expect, but I never feel annoyed with them, because it does feel like coming home.
I really hope there's more books to come. And I'm just so curious to see what happens with the Free Mages. In part I kind of agree with what they stand for because it is unfair for kids who have different magical abilities to be excluded from magical society and schools, but I can also understand why the headmistress mistrusts them because of what they've done. I'm really curious to see if the plot thickens and gets more complicated, because it is something Nicki's done with her YA books, and I think it would be an interesting direction to take this series too.
This book was SO GOOD!
I've always loved Nicki's writing style and world building, and when I saw she was coming out with a middle-grade magical boarding school series, I just knew I had to check it out. This exceeded all my expectations. It was cute, whimsical, and just left me feeling so happy.
I know many of us grew up with another magical boarding school series written by a super horrible person who should not be named. I also understand the feeling of nostalgia when you think about that series and the memories associated with those books. But this book and hopefully series has a lot of similar vibes and feel-goodness.
I'm struggling to review this because every aspect was so perfect–the friendships, Vin's relationship with the headmistress, capture the flag, the Free Mages, all the mysteries, and the final "battle" scene. I loved seeing Vin grow as a character and learn to embrace herself and her magic and open herself up to the people around her. I also loved how the students all worked together at the end to protect the school and their headmistress. While I did kind of predict where things are headed, it just makes me so excited to see what happens next.
I'm also obsessed with Brucifer. He reminds me of Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle, and I love him and his need for expensive wood chips so much. I NEED MORE OF HIM. And possibly a little water spirit to join the gang.
You just feel so good reading this book, and it's a feeling I've missed from other books I've been reading, and I think is sometimes almost exclusive to middle-grade books. There is danger and the unknown, but there's also such great friendship and camaraderie. It can have a lot of the typical tropes you would expect, but I never feel annoyed with them, because it does feel like coming home.
I really hope there's more books to come. And I'm just so curious to see what happens with the Free Mages. In part I kind of agree with what they stand for because it is unfair for kids who have different magical abilities to be excluded from magical society and schools, but I can also understand why the headmistress mistrusts them because of what they've done. I'm really curious to see if the plot thickens and gets more complicated, because it is something Nicki's done with her YA books, and I think it would be an interesting direction to take this series too.
Fledgling by S.K. Ali
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When Sajidah announced she was writing a YA dystopian/scifi book, I knew I immediately needed to get my hands on it. Everything I heard about this book leading up to its release made me more and more excited.
Fledgling is a chilling wake-up call to the present state of our world and what will become of us if we don't band together to fight for freedom and justice. We see a world ruled by the same capitalistic, neocolonial, genocidal powers that rule us currently. We see a world where every aspect of your life is under surveillance, from your actions to your very thoughts. We see a world where the rich rule the skies and the earth, exploiting resources for their own benefit at the cost of people's lives. All in all, it is our current life but taken up a few notches. It's a life that could very well exist in our future if we remain silent and complacent.
I went into this book with pretty high expectations, which is kind of my fault. I think whenever a writer is branching out into a new genre, some grace needs to be given when it comes to the writing style, plot execution, and character development.
Unfortunately for me, this book did not completely live up to my expectations, and I think a lot of it had to do with the writing style. While this book is an easy introduction to the genre for new readers, as someone who's read sci-fi/dystopian, the writing felt more like Sajidah's contemporary books. There was a lot of world-dumping monologues, and some of the conversations and dialogue between the characters felt stilted and unrealistic. Some scenes just didn't make a lot of sense and those scenes also happened to be with Murrabi Hasuf who honestly confused me most of the time. I didn't mind the 6 different POVs, but my one complaint is that I wish we got more of an equal distribution between all 6. Khalda's story was probably the most interesting to me, but we're only introduced to her and Nayf mid-way through the book. The plot itself was okay, though it did start to feel like every POV the characters were just going in circles between being caught vs. trying to do what they planned to do before getting side-tracked yet again. The action in this book definitely picked up in the last quarter though, which made for a quicker more engaging read.
Nada was my favourite character. She knew what she wanted and was determined to follow through with her plans. I loved how strong of a character she was, and she seemed the most well-developed out of all the main characters. I truly thought she was the Fledgling the entire time because it made the most sense. She had the will and the strength to kick start a revolution, as well as the people's love. I did not understand her relationship with Musaid, however. Besides liking each other as kids, they had completely different beliefs when it came to the ahraar and ALIGN, and despite all their disagreements and fights, somehow Murrabi Hasuf decides to marry them, even though they have barely seen each other in years and Nada was only recently released from prison. It made absolutely zero sense to me and Musaid being so annoying didn't help either. When Nada is killed off near the end of the book, I was actually shocked. I was waiting for it to be some ploy by Lein, that Nada only looked dead, and was actually alive, but nope, she is dead dead. And they all bury her. I understand adding the shock factor to a book, and character deaths are more of a thing in sci-fi/dystopian, but I think this death took away the strongest character in this book, and I am a bit worried who will carry the plot in the sequel with Nada gone.
Musaid was just plain annoying. I did not care for him in the slightest, and would have much preferred him dead at the end tbh. Lein compared him to a dog at one point, and I had to agree. He just did what he was told, and had zero critical thinking skills, until it was too late and Nada was gone. The scene where they have a "moment" together before Nada is killed off, also just felt way too reminiscent to a certain scene in Empire of Gold, which was a huge turn off for me anyway. While at the end, he does pick the right side, and while I can understand why he was the way he is, the crux of my disappointment was in Nada choosing to love him when he was so different from the world she was fighting for. I would have much preferred if they had broken up and gotten back together later once Musaid realized the error of his ways.
Raisa, who apparently is the main character of this book, honestly felt like more of a side character. She had zero agency and spent most of the book crying, terrified, or wishing her scalp link worked so it could tell her what to do/think. And while I understand that's all she knows, it made me pity her instead of root for her. She didn't feel fully fleshed out. And her relationship with Nada didn't develop on the page as I was hoping. We see the two of them comforting/crying on each other's shoulders near the end of the book, but how they got there is beyond me. I wish we could have seen more of their friendship, though with Nada dead now, I guess there's really no point. We also got barely any character development. Raisa is all for ALIGN and the Enlightenment project, calling the ahraar brutes, and just wanting to go back to her dad. And then by the end we see a 360, and she's making a rousing speech to the people and starting off a revolution. It felt like there was a scene or two missing in between that would have made this huge change more believable. Even if it was Raisa seeing Nada's dead body and that pushing her to denounce ALIGN and the Enlightenment...
Khalda was the one character I wish we got to see more of. Her backstory was heartbreaking, but also fascinating. Considering this book's title, I wish we saw more of the Record Keepers, but with Khalda reluctant to take on her family's duties and becoming a Record Keeper herself, we only see a glimpse of it near the end. If there's one thing I look forward to seeing in the next book is Khalda's (and Eyas's) role in the revolution.
I wish we got to see more of Nayf. He was constantly referenced throughout the first half of the book, but we don't get a POV from him until mid-way through. He was an interesting contrast with Nada, wanting a peaceful way out of oppression, compared to the more violent resistance Nada and Raisa's mom were after. I did like this dichotomy because it reflects our present world very accurately, with people believing resistance can be done with kind words and discussions, while others realize the necessity of violence to end violent occupation. I think the character development Nayf goes through, realizing what he does about Murrabi Hasuf and ALIGN was perfectly done, and with the ending of this book, I'm curious to see what he does next.
Murrabi Hasuf...I really hated his character. He was confusing and deliberately obtuse. And everything that came out of his mouth just made zero sense to me. I know Sajidah was trying to bring an Islamic aspect to this book without outright calling it Islam, and she did that through the spiritual figure that is Hasuf. I just think it was unnecessary for a book like this. While I love reading about Islam and seeing religious characters in books, it took away from the story because every time Hasuf opened his mouth, I sat there confused wondering why everything had turned so philosophical. Even his POV he's aware that the other characters aren't buying what he's saying or are confused. And then we see him turn into a completely different person, and even then he keeps saying vague things to Nayf and trying to act like he's the good guy instead of just coming out and saying the truth. I think one of my absolute pet peeves is when someone withholds important pieces of information for no reason other than to stretch out the plot. I have no idea what's in store with his character, but if he turns out to be a good guy after all, it's going to annoy me more than if he turns out to be evil.
Lein was actually a really great villain. The torture scene with Musaid is something I still can't stop thinking about and all it reminds me of is the concentration camps the Israeli nazis have set up for Palestinian hostages. I'm terrified to see what he's going to do next. I don't buy what we see of him in the last chapter with Khalda. I refuse to see him as a changed man.
Overall, this book was okay. The ending picked up and was a much faster read for me, and there were good parts that I did enjoy, even though I had issues with the writing style and quite a few of the characters. I think the setting and circumstances of this story is what drew me in and kept me reading, and how it connected to our current world. I love Sajidah as a person and a writer, so this does get a higher rating because of that.
Fledgling is a chilling wake-up call to the present state of our world and what will become of us if we don't band together to fight for freedom and justice. We see a world ruled by the same capitalistic, neocolonial, genocidal powers that rule us currently. We see a world where every aspect of your life is under surveillance, from your actions to your very thoughts. We see a world where the rich rule the skies and the earth, exploiting resources for their own benefit at the cost of people's lives. All in all, it is our current life but taken up a few notches. It's a life that could very well exist in our future if we remain silent and complacent.
I went into this book with pretty high expectations, which is kind of my fault. I think whenever a writer is branching out into a new genre, some grace needs to be given when it comes to the writing style, plot execution, and character development.
Unfortunately for me, this book did not completely live up to my expectations, and I think a lot of it had to do with the writing style. While this book is an easy introduction to the genre for new readers, as someone who's read sci-fi/dystopian, the writing felt more like Sajidah's contemporary books. There was a lot of world-dumping monologues, and some of the conversations and dialogue between the characters felt stilted and unrealistic. Some scenes just didn't make a lot of sense and those scenes also happened to be with Murrabi Hasuf who honestly confused me most of the time. I didn't mind the 6 different POVs, but my one complaint is that I wish we got more of an equal distribution between all 6. Khalda's story was probably the most interesting to me, but we're only introduced to her and Nayf mid-way through the book. The plot itself was okay, though it did start to feel like every POV the characters were just going in circles between being caught vs. trying to do what they planned to do before getting side-tracked yet again. The action in this book definitely picked up in the last quarter though, which made for a quicker more engaging read.
Nada was my favourite character. She knew what she wanted and was determined to follow through with her plans. I loved how strong of a character she was, and she seemed the most well-developed out of all the main characters. I truly thought she was the Fledgling the entire time because it made the most sense. She had the will and the strength to kick start a revolution, as well as the people's love. I did not understand her relationship with Musaid, however. Besides liking each other as kids, they had completely different beliefs when it came to the ahraar and ALIGN, and despite all their disagreements and fights, somehow Murrabi Hasuf decides to marry them, even though they have barely seen each other in years and Nada was only recently released from prison. It made absolutely zero sense to me and Musaid being so annoying didn't help either. When Nada is killed off near the end of the book, I was actually shocked. I was waiting for it to be some ploy by Lein, that Nada only looked dead, and was actually alive, but nope, she is dead dead. And they all bury her. I understand adding the shock factor to a book, and character deaths are more of a thing in sci-fi/dystopian, but I think this death took away the strongest character in this book, and I am a bit worried who will carry the plot in the sequel with Nada gone.
Musaid was just plain annoying. I did not care for him in the slightest, and would have much preferred him dead at the end tbh. Lein compared him to a dog at one point, and I had to agree. He just did what he was told, and had zero critical thinking skills, until it was too late and Nada was gone. The scene where they have a "moment" together before Nada is killed off, also just felt way too reminiscent to a certain scene in Empire of Gold, which was a huge turn off for me anyway. While at the end, he does pick the right side, and while I can understand why he was the way he is, the crux of my disappointment was in Nada choosing to love him when he was so different from the world she was fighting for. I would have much preferred if they had broken up and gotten back together later once Musaid realized the error of his ways.
Raisa, who apparently is the main character of this book, honestly felt like more of a side character. She had zero agency and spent most of the book crying, terrified, or wishing her scalp link worked so it could tell her what to do/think. And while I understand that's all she knows, it made me pity her instead of root for her. She didn't feel fully fleshed out. And her relationship with Nada didn't develop on the page as I was hoping. We see the two of them comforting/crying on each other's shoulders near the end of the book, but how they got there is beyond me. I wish we could have seen more of their friendship, though with Nada dead now, I guess there's really no point. We also got barely any character development. Raisa is all for ALIGN and the Enlightenment project, calling the ahraar brutes, and just wanting to go back to her dad. And then by the end we see a 360, and she's making a rousing speech to the people and starting off a revolution. It felt like there was a scene or two missing in between that would have made this huge change more believable. Even if it was Raisa seeing Nada's dead body and that pushing her to denounce ALIGN and the Enlightenment...
Khalda was the one character I wish we got to see more of. Her backstory was heartbreaking, but also fascinating. Considering this book's title, I wish we saw more of the Record Keepers, but with Khalda reluctant to take on her family's duties and becoming a Record Keeper herself, we only see a glimpse of it near the end. If there's one thing I look forward to seeing in the next book is Khalda's (and Eyas's) role in the revolution.
I wish we got to see more of Nayf. He was constantly referenced throughout the first half of the book, but we don't get a POV from him until mid-way through. He was an interesting contrast with Nada, wanting a peaceful way out of oppression, compared to the more violent resistance Nada and Raisa's mom were after. I did like this dichotomy because it reflects our present world very accurately, with people believing resistance can be done with kind words and discussions, while others realize the necessity of violence to end violent occupation. I think the character development Nayf goes through, realizing what he does about Murrabi Hasuf and ALIGN was perfectly done, and with the ending of this book, I'm curious to see what he does next.
Murrabi Hasuf...I really hated his character. He was confusing and deliberately obtuse. And everything that came out of his mouth just made zero sense to me. I know Sajidah was trying to bring an Islamic aspect to this book without outright calling it Islam, and she did that through the spiritual figure that is Hasuf. I just think it was unnecessary for a book like this. While I love reading about Islam and seeing religious characters in books, it took away from the story because every time Hasuf opened his mouth, I sat there confused wondering why everything had turned so philosophical. Even his POV he's aware that the other characters aren't buying what he's saying or are confused. And then we see him turn into a completely different person, and even then he keeps saying vague things to Nayf and trying to act like he's the good guy instead of just coming out and saying the truth. I think one of my absolute pet peeves is when someone withholds important pieces of information for no reason other than to stretch out the plot. I have no idea what's in store with his character, but if he turns out to be a good guy after all, it's going to annoy me more than if he turns out to be evil.
Lein was actually a really great villain. The torture scene with Musaid is something I still can't stop thinking about and all it reminds me of is the concentration camps the Israeli nazis have set up for Palestinian hostages. I'm terrified to see what he's going to do next. I don't buy what we see of him in the last chapter with Khalda. I refuse to see him as a changed man.
Overall, this book was okay. The ending picked up and was a much faster read for me, and there were good parts that I did enjoy, even though I had issues with the writing style and quite a few of the characters. I think the setting and circumstances of this story is what drew me in and kept me reading, and how it connected to our current world. I love Sajidah as a person and a writer, so this does get a higher rating because of that.
The Sea Spirit Festival by Claudie Arseneault
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This was okay, but honestly the last couple chapters had me feeling kind of lost and confused. I have no idea what happened with the sea spirit under the water
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What the actual fuck
*ahem*
I have had time to think and process the ending to this trilogy, and I know people are expecting a review that is somewhat coherent, so I will try my best.
It took me a while to read this book, not because it was slow-paced or difficult to read, but because I was dreading the end. I've somehow managed to avoid spoilers for this trilogy (ignoring the one spoiler I saw because I was googling something), but despite that, I knew the conclusion to this series would hurt me, and I kind of had an idea where things were headed, so my hesitance to finish was understandable.
This book kept me on edge because Rin was constantly on edge worrying about Nezha coming out to get her. Nezha was a very interesting character in this series. I started off hating him, then growing to like him, then kind of side-eyeing him/not trusting him, to hating him again, and then watching as he tried to pick up the pieces of a broken, scattered Republic. At the end, you realize that they're all just kids put into situations and forced to make horrible decisions. I don't know if you can really love Nezha or Rin all that much as characters, but I think they're both accurate portrayals of how people would respond/react to similar circumstances. It reminds me in many ways of Palestine and the PA versus Hamas.
One character I can't help to love and cherish is Kitay. I love him with all my soul. He's that little bit of light in all the darkness, the stability to Rin's chaos. He was funnier in The Dragon Republic, but this book is so much darker and grimmer. It feels like everyone is marching to their deaths the second you turn to the first page. I love his intelligence, his ability to strategize and plan ahead, and the way he struggles so much with the morality of war and resistance. He feels like a real person. I think as the reader, he's us in many ways. What I especially loved about him was his relationship with Rin. They are really opposites of each other, but they compliment each other so well. You can feel the love they have for each other, but it's purely platonic. It's just so good, so ugh, so sdfkdsgjdsklf. The little moments we have of them together, holding each other, touching each other, watching out for each other made the ending hurt even more. As we see Rin slowly start to lose her sanity and turn on the people she loves, I had a feeling I knew where things were headed. The fight scene at the end was something that had been long coming since the beginning. But those last looks Rin and Kitay share with each other before the end will forever be etched into my brain.
<blockquote>"Do it.
Take what you want. I'll hate you for it. But I'll love you forever. I can't help but love you.
Ruin me, ruin us, and I'll let you."</blockquote>
I honestly want to curl into a ball and cry just thinking about it. My only consolation is that they both went together because if Kitay had been the only one to die, I would have thrown this book across the room.
A lot happens in this book, especially when I think back to where this book started and where things ended. I liked seeing more of southern and eastern Nikara and watching as Rin comes to accept where she's from and fight for her people. But Rin is a difficult character to enjoy. There's quite a bit of repetitiveness and not as much development in the ways you would expect. She keeps trusting the wrong people and getting screwed over. She doesn't make the best decisions. And while Kitay is there to be reasonable and cool-headed, Rin does call most of the shots. When I think about the trauma Rin has been through and how paranoid she got by the end of this book, and how fragile her victory was, I knew things couldn't stay the way they were. There was no happy ending in her future. The only option was for Rin to destroy everything, let the world burn, and succumb to the fire herself. But what was the point if nothing was left.
The ending made me feel so hopeless. And I think that hopelessness is something we're all familiar with right now as we watch oppression and dehumanization take place right before our eyes. Rin remembering Kitay's words–"it's a long march to liberation"–and realizing that sometimes you have to give in and sacrifice yourself with the hope someone else will carry along the light of liberation, is just a stab in the heart. How many times have our people resisted against the white colonizer? Only for the oppressor to be replaced with a new oppressor, to colonize us in a different way? How many times have we won, but realized that the oppressor has too much control of the world for us to survive without relying on them? How many times have we had to compromise, "bend the knee", give in a little, just to live? The offer Nezha gave Rin was horrifying. To be unable to use her powers, to be a test subject for the rest of her life, to be unable to carry on the traditions and history, to be wiped out of existence from memory as well as life. We've seen this done over and over again by colonizers to Indigenous populations around the world. We're seeing it now in Gaza.
I hate the ending of this book BECAUSE it's too real. Most of us pick up books like this and want the ending to be hopeful and somewhat happy. But there was no way for Rin, Kitay, and Nezha to move on together from this. It boils my blood to imagine Nikara under Hesperian rule again, and it hurts because I know this has happened in our world. And it might happen again and again and again. I can't help wondering when this cycle will be broken. If it can ever be broken. How long is the long game going to last? I wish I knew the answers to these questions.
Picking up this series now was probably the best decision I've ever made. The emotions I went through reading this series would not have been the same if I had read this 4-5 years earlier. I will cherish this series forever and hopefully reread it again one day. My only complaint is Rebecca not being as vocal on Palestine. I had high expectations of her after reading Babel, but now having read this trilogy, I'm shocked she hasn't said anything about what we're seeing happening in Gaza. Especially the way she word for word has described everything we're seeing live right now: the bombings, torture, rape, dismemberment, decayed corpses, starvation, illness etc. As I sit here, writing this, I just remembered back in The Poppy War when the Federation gave the Nikara barrels of salt that contained some kind of explosive powder, which exploded after they had started distributing the salt to the civilians and how that eerily mimics what Israel has done to Lebanon just a couple days ago. The parallels I keep seeing between fiction and reality...I just wish all the authors I loved used their platforms to speak out, especially those who are less likely to suffer from the consequences because of how much money they make their publishers.
4.75/5 stars. Cannot wait to reread this trilogy one day.
*ahem*
I have had time to think and process the ending to this trilogy, and I know people are expecting a review that is somewhat coherent, so I will try my best.
It took me a while to read this book, not because it was slow-paced or difficult to read, but because I was dreading the end. I've somehow managed to avoid spoilers for this trilogy (ignoring the one spoiler I saw because I was googling something), but despite that, I knew the conclusion to this series would hurt me, and I kind of had an idea where things were headed, so my hesitance to finish was understandable.
This book kept me on edge because Rin was constantly on edge worrying about Nezha coming out to get her. Nezha was a very interesting character in this series. I started off hating him, then growing to like him, then kind of side-eyeing him/not trusting him, to hating him again, and then watching as he tried to pick up the pieces of a broken, scattered Republic. At the end, you realize that they're all just kids put into situations and forced to make horrible decisions. I don't know if you can really love Nezha or Rin all that much as characters, but I think they're both accurate portrayals of how people would respond/react to similar circumstances. It reminds me in many ways of Palestine and the PA versus Hamas.
One character I can't help to love and cherish is Kitay. I love him with all my soul. He's that little bit of light in all the darkness, the stability to Rin's chaos. He was funnier in The Dragon Republic, but this book is so much darker and grimmer. It feels like everyone is marching to their deaths the second you turn to the first page. I love his intelligence, his ability to strategize and plan ahead, and the way he struggles so much with the morality of war and resistance. He feels like a real person. I think as the reader, he's us in many ways. What I especially loved about him was his relationship with Rin. They are really opposites of each other, but they compliment each other so well. You can feel the love they have for each other, but it's purely platonic. It's just so good, so ugh, so sdfkdsgjdsklf. The little moments we have of them together, holding each other, touching each other, watching out for each other made the ending hurt even more. As we see Rin slowly start to lose her sanity and turn on the people she loves, I had a feeling I knew where things were headed. The fight scene at the end was something that had been long coming since the beginning. But those last looks Rin and Kitay share with each other before the end will forever be etched into my brain.
<blockquote>"Do it.
Take what you want. I'll hate you for it. But I'll love you forever. I can't help but love you.
Ruin me, ruin us, and I'll let you."</blockquote>
I honestly want to curl into a ball and cry just thinking about it. My only consolation is that they both went together because if Kitay had been the only one to die, I would have thrown this book across the room.
A lot happens in this book, especially when I think back to where this book started and where things ended. I liked seeing more of southern and eastern Nikara and watching as Rin comes to accept where she's from and fight for her people. But Rin is a difficult character to enjoy. There's quite a bit of repetitiveness and not as much development in the ways you would expect. She keeps trusting the wrong people and getting screwed over. She doesn't make the best decisions. And while Kitay is there to be reasonable and cool-headed, Rin does call most of the shots. When I think about the trauma Rin has been through and how paranoid she got by the end of this book, and how fragile her victory was, I knew things couldn't stay the way they were. There was no happy ending in her future. The only option was for Rin to destroy everything, let the world burn, and succumb to the fire herself. But what was the point if nothing was left.
The ending made me feel so hopeless. And I think that hopelessness is something we're all familiar with right now as we watch oppression and dehumanization take place right before our eyes. Rin remembering Kitay's words–"it's a long march to liberation"–and realizing that sometimes you have to give in and sacrifice yourself with the hope someone else will carry along the light of liberation, is just a stab in the heart. How many times have our people resisted against the white colonizer? Only for the oppressor to be replaced with a new oppressor, to colonize us in a different way? How many times have we won, but realized that the oppressor has too much control of the world for us to survive without relying on them? How many times have we had to compromise, "bend the knee", give in a little, just to live? The offer Nezha gave Rin was horrifying. To be unable to use her powers, to be a test subject for the rest of her life, to be unable to carry on the traditions and history, to be wiped out of existence from memory as well as life. We've seen this done over and over again by colonizers to Indigenous populations around the world. We're seeing it now in Gaza.
I hate the ending of this book BECAUSE it's too real. Most of us pick up books like this and want the ending to be hopeful and somewhat happy. But there was no way for Rin, Kitay, and Nezha to move on together from this. It boils my blood to imagine Nikara under Hesperian rule again, and it hurts because I know this has happened in our world. And it might happen again and again and again. I can't help wondering when this cycle will be broken. If it can ever be broken. How long is the long game going to last? I wish I knew the answers to these questions.
Picking up this series now was probably the best decision I've ever made. The emotions I went through reading this series would not have been the same if I had read this 4-5 years earlier. I will cherish this series forever and hopefully reread it again one day. My only complaint is Rebecca not being as vocal on Palestine. I had high expectations of her after reading Babel, but now having read this trilogy, I'm shocked she hasn't said anything about what we're seeing happening in Gaza. Especially the way she word for word has described everything we're seeing live right now: the bombings, torture, rape, dismemberment, decayed corpses, starvation, illness etc. As I sit here, writing this, I just remembered back in The Poppy War when the Federation gave the Nikara barrels of salt that contained some kind of explosive powder, which exploded after they had started distributing the salt to the civilians and how that eerily mimics what Israel has done to Lebanon just a couple days ago. The parallels I keep seeing between fiction and reality...I just wish all the authors I loved used their platforms to speak out, especially those who are less likely to suffer from the consequences because of how much money they make their publishers.
4.75/5 stars. Cannot wait to reread this trilogy one day.
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
Okay but what the actual fuck just happened!!!!
This review will contain spoilers and will probably make zero sense. So much happens in this damn book, my brain will probably never be able to process it completely unless I do a reread. And I already want to reread it, even though I just finished.
The ending???!! I did kind of get spoiled for Nezha's betrayal because I was googling something completely unrelated and it popped up out of nowhere. But I didn't actually get spoiled for how exactly he betrayed Rin, so while I was on high alert and stressed out of my mind, I was still not expecting what ended up happening.
This book has so much death *cue smashing tables and breaking chairs* I was not expecting to lose so many of my favourite side characters. No one warned me (I am glad they didn't, but still). We lose two members of the Cike off the bat, which was sad at first, but THE ENDING??? Baji and Suni??? AND THEN RAMSA?? Like what is even going to happen in book 3, I don't want to know. Ramsa was one of my favourite characters. Just a leetle bebe blowing things up. I loved him so much. And with Baji and Suni, they really provided the much needed comedic relief and camaraderie I needed in this book. And this is completely ignoring what happened to Qara, who I also loved.
I think as the reader, we feel more connected to these side character deaths than Rin does. Rin brushes over the death of her friends very easily, and moves on quickly–probably as a trauma response in order to cope with what needs to be done. And while I do really enjoy Rin as a character, and am pretty invested in what happens to her and the story, I don't know if I "love" her character like I would other characters who have better access to their emotions and feelings, besides just anger and revenge and hatred. I do understand why she is the way she is, and I kind of like reading a book with a character like this because it's refreshing and different, but it is at the same time, very weird. Rin spends so much of this book trying to humanize herself and her people for the Hesperians, but sometimes I wonder if she's forgetting to actually be human herself and experience her grief and pain, rather than just play a role for others.
The character development in this book was incredible though. We see so many light bulb moments for Rin (FINALLY) and things finally click together. As a reader, reading this in 2024, I am in awe at the parallels between what is happening in this book and our life right now. The realization that it's always the white man behind the world's problems. It's the white man whispering enticing words in the ears of the people they want to manipulate and colonize, telling them what to do and how to do it, getting them to enact the wars they want, only for the white man to swoop in at the end as a "saviour" with their ships and guns, ready to stay and build their military bases, spread their religious propaganda, and exploit the natural resources.
This quote especially had me pause mid-frantic reading:
<blockquote>"We live in the most beautiful country in the world. We have more manpower than the Hesperians. We have more natural resources. The whole world wants what we have, and for the first time in our history we're going to be able to use it."</blockquote>
How true is this quote for so many countries around the world, except they never get to actualize this statement and live the life they deserve to live because of foreign powers like the US and Britain and Canada and Europe.
My favourite character in this book is Kitay and I already know bad stuff is going to happen to him in the next book and I already want to burn the entire world down to protect him, BUT ANYWAY. I LOVE HIM. My precious baby scholar, just trying to do some accounting and reading, but realizing he has to kind of save the world and help Rin. Kitay is me. I am Kitay. I think if a character were to summarize how I've been feeling the last 10 months, it would be him.
<blockquote>“Kitay wanted vengeance and blood. Under that frail veneer of control was an ongoing scream of rage that originated in confusion and culminated in an overwhelming urge for destruction, if only so he could tear the world down and rebuild it in a way that made sense.”</blockquote>
His dark sense of humour and sarcasm honestly made me laugh out loud so many times, just ask Gretal because she had to deal with me laughing randomly during our Mooby lives. I love him so much I just want to squish him. And his bond with Rin is so precious and perfect. He balances out her rashness with his calm intellect. They are literally two sides of the same coin. Both want revenge, but both need each other. AND MORE PEOPLE NEED TO LISTEN TO KITAY. The poor kid was being dismissed left right and center throughout most of this book and he was right every time.
Venka surprised me in this book and I've grown from hating her to actually loving her. I'm so excited to see what happens in book three with her part of Rin and Kitay's group.
I'm still not over this ending though. Nezha's character arc took an interesting turn. But I think my favourite part of this book was when Rin realized (or more like put words to what she probably already knew) why she and Nezha never got along in the beginning and how the class difference between them in a way reflects the broader issue we see in this world between North and South Nikan. And how this leads her to finally accepting who she is and fighting for her people and the South. I think it was a very moving, powerful moment and wrapped this whole book up so perfectly.
I still want to personally murder the Hesperians, and Vaisra and his wife. And also Nezha deserves to be punched in the face a few times because wtf you selling out Rin to the evil white men for?? Rin gave as good as she got though and honestly Nezha deserved it even if he did sort of let them escape. I can't forgive him for what they did to Rin and the Cike, and what they would have done to Kitay too.
Anyway, this review doesn't make sense because it took me 3 days to write. I'm going to go read The Burning God now and hope I don't die.
This review will contain spoilers and will probably make zero sense. So much happens in this damn book, my brain will probably never be able to process it completely unless I do a reread. And I already want to reread it, even though I just finished.
The ending???!! I did kind of get spoiled for Nezha's betrayal because I was googling something completely unrelated and it popped up out of nowhere. But I didn't actually get spoiled for how exactly he betrayed Rin, so while I was on high alert and stressed out of my mind, I was still not expecting what ended up happening.
This book has so much death *cue smashing tables and breaking chairs* I was not expecting to lose so many of my favourite side characters. No one warned me (I am glad they didn't, but still). We lose two members of the Cike off the bat, which was sad at first, but THE ENDING??? Baji and Suni??? AND THEN RAMSA?? Like what is even going to happen in book 3, I don't want to know. Ramsa was one of my favourite characters. Just a leetle bebe blowing things up. I loved him so much. And with Baji and Suni, they really provided the much needed comedic relief and camaraderie I needed in this book. And this is completely ignoring what happened to Qara, who I also loved.
I think as the reader, we feel more connected to these side character deaths than Rin does. Rin brushes over the death of her friends very easily, and moves on quickly–probably as a trauma response in order to cope with what needs to be done. And while I do really enjoy Rin as a character, and am pretty invested in what happens to her and the story, I don't know if I "love" her character like I would other characters who have better access to their emotions and feelings, besides just anger and revenge and hatred. I do understand why she is the way she is, and I kind of like reading a book with a character like this because it's refreshing and different, but it is at the same time, very weird. Rin spends so much of this book trying to humanize herself and her people for the Hesperians, but sometimes I wonder if she's forgetting to actually be human herself and experience her grief and pain, rather than just play a role for others.
The character development in this book was incredible though. We see so many light bulb moments for Rin (FINALLY) and things finally click together. As a reader, reading this in 2024, I am in awe at the parallels between what is happening in this book and our life right now. The realization that it's always the white man behind the world's problems. It's the white man whispering enticing words in the ears of the people they want to manipulate and colonize, telling them what to do and how to do it, getting them to enact the wars they want, only for the white man to swoop in at the end as a "saviour" with their ships and guns, ready to stay and build their military bases, spread their religious propaganda, and exploit the natural resources.
This quote especially had me pause mid-frantic reading:
<blockquote>"We live in the most beautiful country in the world. We have more manpower than the Hesperians. We have more natural resources. The whole world wants what we have, and for the first time in our history we're going to be able to use it."</blockquote>
How true is this quote for so many countries around the world, except they never get to actualize this statement and live the life they deserve to live because of foreign powers like the US and Britain and Canada and Europe.
My favourite character in this book is Kitay and I already know bad stuff is going to happen to him in the next book and I already want to burn the entire world down to protect him, BUT ANYWAY. I LOVE HIM. My precious baby scholar, just trying to do some accounting and reading, but realizing he has to kind of save the world and help Rin. Kitay is me. I am Kitay. I think if a character were to summarize how I've been feeling the last 10 months, it would be him.
<blockquote>“Kitay wanted vengeance and blood. Under that frail veneer of control was an ongoing scream of rage that originated in confusion and culminated in an overwhelming urge for destruction, if only so he could tear the world down and rebuild it in a way that made sense.”</blockquote>
His dark sense of humour and sarcasm honestly made me laugh out loud so many times, just ask Gretal because she had to deal with me laughing randomly during our Mooby lives. I love him so much I just want to squish him. And his bond with Rin is so precious and perfect. He balances out her rashness with his calm intellect. They are literally two sides of the same coin. Both want revenge, but both need each other. AND MORE PEOPLE NEED TO LISTEN TO KITAY. The poor kid was being dismissed left right and center throughout most of this book and he was right every time.
Venka surprised me in this book and I've grown from hating her to actually loving her. I'm so excited to see what happens in book three with her part of Rin and Kitay's group.
I'm still not over this ending though. Nezha's character arc took an interesting turn. But I think my favourite part of this book was when Rin realized (or more like put words to what she probably already knew) why she and Nezha never got along in the beginning and how the class difference between them in a way reflects the broader issue we see in this world between North and South Nikan. And how this leads her to finally accepting who she is and fighting for her people and the South. I think it was a very moving, powerful moment and wrapped this whole book up so perfectly.
I still want to personally murder the Hesperians, and Vaisra and his wife. And also Nezha deserves to be punched in the face a few times because wtf you selling out Rin to the evil white men for?? Rin gave as good as she got though and honestly Nezha deserved it even if he did sort of let them escape. I can't forgive him for what they did to Rin and the Cike, and what they would have done to Kitay too.
Anyway, this review doesn't make sense because it took me 3 days to write. I'm going to go read The Burning God now and hope I don't die.
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I added this book to my tbr years ago and kept procrastinating reading it because everyone who has ever read it said it was a difficult book to read. I was a little scared and unsure if I was ready, but I had no idea <i>when</i> I would be ready. I picked it up in part because I felt that this book sounded so relevant to what is going on in Gaza, yet I don't think I realized just how well I timed this until I got to the last quarter of this book.
Chapter 21 is a haunting chapter. I do think if I had read this book when it came out, it would have been a very difficult chapter to read. But seeing what this book describes played out in real life...real life is honestly much more horrifying than a book. Whatever anger I can muster up for the Federation in this book, is nothing compared to the hatred and rage I feel towards Israel, Zionists, the US, and all of their supporters. And I think this is why I feel so confused. People who have read this book and other stories like it, who can feel for these characters, for the innocent lives lost, for the atrocities committed, can't seem to find the ability to care about real people in the world we actually inhabit. They can't seem to make the same connections I can to what I read and what is actually happening. To care more about fictional lives than the lives of the people around you, is just something I cannot fathom anymore. And yet people like this do exist.
This book is so powerful, especially in 2024. It's eye-opening and a stark reminder of how history is repeating itself right before our very eyes. The conversations we get with Kitay and Rin at the end this book are words repeated back to us in the present.
<blockquote><i>"They were monsters! They were not human!"</i>
"Have you ever considered that that was exactly what they thought of us."</blockquote>
The characters in this book are morally grey and complicated. They have so many layers to them that explain why they are the way they are, yet it doesn't ignore how their decisions and actions make them complicit in horrible crimes against humanity. We see the characters trying to justify their actions and find a way to live with that guilt, but as the reader, we see between the lines and understand that what they have done cannot be condoned. And I really appreciate that Rebecca was able to have that come across in this book.
I do like Rin as a character. I can't exactly describe her as your typical main character who is the hero of the story because she's not exactly that. But I am looking forward to seeing what happens to her in next book and how she grapples with what she has done. Every character in this book gave me mixed feelings, except for maybe Kitay. But I think it was refreshing to read a book with characters like this instead of the usual stark good vs evil we get.
Chapter 21 is a haunting chapter. I do think if I had read this book when it came out, it would have been a very difficult chapter to read. But seeing what this book describes played out in real life...real life is honestly much more horrifying than a book. Whatever anger I can muster up for the Federation in this book, is nothing compared to the hatred and rage I feel towards Israel, Zionists, the US, and all of their supporters. And I think this is why I feel so confused. People who have read this book and other stories like it, who can feel for these characters, for the innocent lives lost, for the atrocities committed, can't seem to find the ability to care about real people in the world we actually inhabit. They can't seem to make the same connections I can to what I read and what is actually happening. To care more about fictional lives than the lives of the people around you, is just something I cannot fathom anymore. And yet people like this do exist.
This book is so powerful, especially in 2024. It's eye-opening and a stark reminder of how history is repeating itself right before our very eyes. The conversations we get with Kitay and Rin at the end this book are words repeated back to us in the present.
<blockquote><i>"They were monsters! They were not human!"</i>
"Have you ever considered that that was exactly what they thought of us."</blockquote>
The characters in this book are morally grey and complicated. They have so many layers to them that explain why they are the way they are, yet it doesn't ignore how their decisions and actions make them complicit in horrible crimes against humanity. We see the characters trying to justify their actions and find a way to live with that guilt, but as the reader, we see between the lines and understand that what they have done cannot be condoned. And I really appreciate that Rebecca was able to have that come across in this book.
I do like Rin as a character. I can't exactly describe her as your typical main character who is the hero of the story because she's not exactly that. But I am looking forward to seeing what happens to her in next book and how she grapples with what she has done. Every character in this book gave me mixed feelings, except for maybe Kitay. But I think it was refreshing to read a book with characters like this instead of the usual stark good vs evil we get.