Destiny
I have not come by an absolute 5-star mystery in months, but this had EVERYTHING I wanted and more. Black mcs, no token blk-to-white characters, no stereotyping or micro aggressions, and very realistic representation of the traumatic effects of SA. Another major part of my rating stems from the fact that the story accurately captures how harmful small-town conservative culture can be, and how it can translate into trauma. The characters personalities were such a special part of this story as well, and I was cheering the MC on from the first five pages. I also loved how Pryce's POV provided readers w/ what life is realistically like for gay men in the black community, which really opened my eyes to their distinct experiences and broadened my perspective on their struggles, as well. I have learned loving new things from this novel and will continue to do independent research, because of it. Pryce's family relationships were also beautifully and distinctly represented, which I barely ever see in media. I love the fact that, again, we were given an imperfect, healthy, black family unit that are willing to adapt in order to learn and better support their children. The writing also added to my rating, since it was so well written. Although the novel was longer than traditional mysteries, the plot did not stretch or make the story fall flat. The author made perfect use of those pages. I genuinely believe that this should be a trilogy!!! I would love to be carried along w/ Pryce as he solves more cases throughout college, and I would also love the opportunity to view life through his lens as he embraces hisself. 6 ⭐️s. I kept putting my ereader down in order to make the story last longer lol. The author def. has a new fan, and I cannot wait for future releases!!
“No matter which realm they met on, her friend would always see her, understand her, recognize her, deeply and completely.” 🥲🩷
Still a 3.5 ⭐️, however I have to give the sequel its flowers. Idk how F.C. Yee does it, but her sequels are always significantly better than their predecessors, and it leaves me so conflicted. I don't know if I liked it or hated it. Although the story had its flaws, I did enjoy the gang, the thoughtful world building, and the author's telling of Yangchen and Kyoshi so much, even if Yangchen is not my favorite Avatar anymore (I'm devastated abt this😭.) Here's to hoping that we get a Kuruk story next, although I would love for it to resembles Kyoshi's story more than Yangchen's.
3.5 ⭐️ but I just can't bring myself to bump it to a 4. I have known and loved the Avatar series and its characters since I was six, and I'm so sad. I wanted to love this SO bad, but it just...didn't happen. Everything was so inconsistent. I did love every mention of the air nomads and their culture, however. I just expected Yangchen to be my favorite Avatar novel, but Kyoshi still holds that spot. Out of my love for Yangchen and the Avatar universe though, I'll give the next novel a try and try not to lose my mind inside it. 😭 hoping for the best
👉🏾 “And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere.”
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“Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever...Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes.” 🥲
This is my third reread of this book, each in different stages of life, and every single time, I can't help leaving with both new understanding and deeper heartbreak.
My sociology prof. recommended this read to me. I absolutely understand why.
Keeping these close bc I won't be forgetting them anytime soon —
“And it looks like we're doing the same thing, over and over, but we've got one damn thing the Phoenix never had. We know the damn silly thing we just did. We know all the damn silly things we've done for a thousand years, and as long as we know that and always have it around where we can see it, some day we'll stop making the goddam funeral pyres and jumping into the middle of them.“
“I want to see everything now...Look at the world out there, my God, my God, look at it out there, outside me, out there beyond my face and the only way to really touch it is to put it where it's finally me...I'll hold on to the world tight some day. I've got one finger on it now; that's a beginning.”
sick to my stomach. this story started out as a 5-star, but eventually, it turned into victim blaming for SA victims and created a disgusting narrative that basically says—traumatized victims deserve punishment for realistically reacting to their perpetrators, while their abusers apparently deserve a good, redeeming life bc they've “suffered” for a little while too, as if anything could ever possibly equate to r*pe. The show really did this pos book-author a service by changing everything about it. I'm appalled that I ever touched this and that it somehow reached its popularity.
I anticipated these two being my favorite since the beginning of the series, but I can't shake the feeling that their love is so imbalanced. Ryan gave up SO much, and I don't see Fabian ever reciprocating it. HOWEVER, I admit that Fabian was so good for that angel and seeing him progress against his anxiety was so beautiful and realistic. 😭 the Ilya cameo, the ending, and the cute little moments between the couple nearly brought it to a 4 star, but ultimately, their story was not a favorite of mine.
It was a ripoff of truly devious (the authors other series) tbh, the mystery was so anticlimactic, & the build up of romance meant nothing in the end and nearly resulted in a 1 star rating. The only thing that saved it was my love for the FMC. Had higher hopes for this, but I'm still holding out hope for the next truly devious book.
