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shimelyasmin's reviews
31 reviews
A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
It’s a good story, but I have a few gripes.
I finally was able to put my finger on why this author doesn’t seem to be able to quite get there when it comes to describing their characters inner thoughts & feelings. Because there are two perspectives in this book, I eventually noticed that the way the perspectives were written weren’t all too different. We have two different characters whose inner monologues don’t differ all too much. They both notice and emphasize the same exact things the other would in the situation. I feel that the only reason Kang and Ning’s chapters didn’t blend in as much as they could’ve was because they were in different locations a majority of the book. I feel like it is just another facet of how this author doesn’t seem to know how to really convey a character’s personality so well.
Kind of confused as to why this is a duology instead of a trilogy. I feel like everything was pretty stuffed in there in the end. Not that it was bad at all because I enjoyed it a lot (and cried a little), but I would’ve loved more!!!
What I can say is bad about the ending of this series is the epilogue. Who edited that? Who proofread? They did the author dirty. Why did the tense keep shifting???? Just pick a damn tense!!!!!
I finally was able to put my finger on why this author doesn’t seem to be able to quite get there when it comes to describing their characters inner thoughts & feelings. Because there are two perspectives in this book, I eventually noticed that the way the perspectives were written weren’t all too different. We have two different characters whose inner monologues don’t differ all too much. They both notice and emphasize the same exact things the other would in the situation. I feel that the only reason Kang and Ning’s chapters didn’t blend in as much as they could’ve was because they were in different locations a majority of the book. I feel like it is just another facet of how this author doesn’t seem to know how to really convey a character’s personality so well.
Kind of confused as to why this is a duology instead of a trilogy. I feel like everything was pretty stuffed in there in the end. Not that it was bad at all because I enjoyed it a lot (and cried a little), but I would’ve loved more!!!
What I can say is bad about the ending of this series is the epilogue. Who edited that? Who proofread? They did the author dirty. Why did the tense keep shifting???? Just pick a damn tense!!!!!
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I almost didn’t continue reading this book because the beginning is slow and I am not too fond of the author’s writing style, but I pushed ahead because I was really curious about the magic system. I’m glad I did! What really caught me was the court drama. I think it’s written well and I am curious to see where it goes in the next book.
I feel complicated in regards to Ning because in some ways I appreciate her character, in other ways I find her boring. She is the type of protagonist who you can’t really tell the personality of because the author really does not get it across well. I would find myself surprised by her actions because I didn’t know that she would do that. It felt like her inner monologue was a lot more peaceful(???) compared to how she expressed herself, which seemed to perhaps be loud and brash. I don’t really know how to describe it further. I also dislike how pretending to be a shennong-tu lacked difficulty for her. I would’ve been super interested in seeing a lot more challenge in regards to that. However, I do appreciate how she actively takes a role in the story. She makes decisions herself instead of the story sweeping her along.
In regards to the pace, I’ve labelled this medium paced in my review but I’d say it’s slow paced in the beginning and then fast paced somewhere towards the middle.
I feel complicated in regards to Ning because in some ways I appreciate her character, in other ways I find her boring. She is the type of protagonist who you can’t really tell the personality of because the author really does not get it across well. I would find myself surprised by her actions because I didn’t know that she would do that. It felt like her inner monologue was a lot more peaceful(???) compared to how she expressed herself, which seemed to perhaps be loud and brash. I don’t really know how to describe it further. I also dislike how pretending to be a shennong-tu lacked difficulty for her. I would’ve been super interested in seeing a lot more challenge in regards to that. However, I do appreciate how she actively takes a role in the story. She makes decisions herself instead of the story sweeping her along.
In regards to the pace, I’ve labelled this medium paced in my review but I’d say it’s slow paced in the beginning and then fast paced somewhere towards the middle.