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A review by beccisays
Chrysalis and Requiem by Quinton Li
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I'm disappointed in my reaction to the book, as I wanted to love it much more than I did. There are some really interesting dynamics and concepts at play. However I ultimately failed to follow and connect with the story as it unfolded in the way I had hoped to.
I've recently read another of Quinton Li's works "Tell Me How It Ends" and I did find I enjoyed "Chrysalis and Requiem" more and felt some real noticeable growth in their writing with this one, though as a reader I would like to see this continue to improve moving forwards.
This book captured my interest during many of the high-stakes, tension-building moments. I would say that towards the end of the book, events became more cohesive and gripping. The beginning of the book was a bit more scattered and difficult to follow, particularly the timeline of scenes and the mental state of each of the characters. I found it difficult to make sense of certain aspects such as the repetitions of 1,2,3,4 and finger tapping during times of stress, or flashback thoughts or memories that are interjected during unrelated conversations and scenes.
One positive thing I will say about this author, is they handle character differences smoothly and with great skill. Gender, sexuality and disabilities are portrayed and discussed on page with consistent respect and appreciation. This is something I love and you rarely see done well. I share a love of tarot with the author also and to see it so abundantly featured within their books is wonderful. There were references to biblically accurate angels which is a bold thing to include, seeing as they are kind of terrifying. You can tell the author's interests shine through in their work and their passion for certain subjects is easy to see. I think for those that have not read any other work by Quinton Li, there's likely to be some confusion for readers about Chrysalis and Requiem's magic and people, such as the differences between Caemi and Senti as I don't recall it being explained much within this book.
Overall, I am glad I gave the author's work another go by reading this book and I hope to see them continue to improve their writing style in future. I would love to see some short stories set in this world so that they can hone their writing skill and story creation before diving into another ambitious and complex project such as another novel. Their ideas are always impressive, it's the execution that does not translate so well into a great reading experience.
Thank you Quinton Li and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I've recently read another of Quinton Li's works "Tell Me How It Ends" and I did find I enjoyed "Chrysalis and Requiem" more and felt some real noticeable growth in their writing with this one, though as a reader I would like to see this continue to improve moving forwards.
This book captured my interest during many of the high-stakes, tension-building moments. I would say that towards the end of the book, events became more cohesive and gripping. The beginning of the book was a bit more scattered and difficult to follow, particularly the timeline of scenes and the mental state of each of the characters. I found it difficult to make sense of certain aspects such as the repetitions of 1,2,3,4 and finger tapping during times of stress, or flashback thoughts or memories that are interjected during unrelated conversations and scenes.
One positive thing I will say about this author, is they handle character differences smoothly and with great skill. Gender, sexuality and disabilities are portrayed and discussed on page with consistent respect and appreciation. This is something I love and you rarely see done well. I share a love of tarot with the author also and to see it so abundantly featured within their books is wonderful. There were references to biblically accurate angels which is a bold thing to include, seeing as they are kind of terrifying. You can tell the author's interests shine through in their work and their passion for certain subjects is easy to see. I think for those that have not read any other work by Quinton Li, there's likely to be some confusion for readers about Chrysalis and Requiem's magic and people, such as the differences between Caemi and Senti as I don't recall it being explained much within this book.
Overall, I am glad I gave the author's work another go by reading this book and I hope to see them continue to improve their writing style in future. I would love to see some short stories set in this world so that they can hone their writing skill and story creation before diving into another ambitious and complex project such as another novel. Their ideas are always impressive, it's the execution that does not translate so well into a great reading experience.
Thank you Quinton Li and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.