Nguyet Tran
Very readable, but ultimately not very memorable. I didn't find anything particularly striking about it. The characters felt flat, and I didn't see much organic growth, so I wasn't emotionally moved.
Margot, in particular, comes across as simply mean without much convincing justification. I also struggle with stories where privileged characters prey on the less privileged. It's a dynamic I find hard to sit with. I felt deeply frustrated by the unfair situation Funke was trapped in, as well as by Liv's reckless behavior and Margot's repeated atrocities without meaningful accountability. It reminded me of the protagonist in The Kite Runner, which I ended up DNFing because I was just so angry the whole time.
Very readable, but ultimately not very memorable. I didn't find anything particularly striking about it. The characters felt flat, and I didn't see much organic growth, so I wasn't emotionally moved.
Margot, in particular, comes across as simply mean without much convincing justification. I also struggle with stories where privileged characters prey on the less privileged. It's a dynamic I find hard to sit with. I felt deeply frustrated by the unfair situation Funke was trapped in, as well as by Liv's reckless behavior and Margot's repeated atrocities without meaningful accountability. It reminded me of the protagonist in The Kite Runner, which I ended up DNFing because I was just so angry the whole time.