NJ
How is this a debut?!?! How am I lucky enough to have read both this and the Sword of Kaigen in the same year?!?!?
I have rarely inhabited a character's head the way I did Rin's. I just... I don't have coherent thoughts, I just really love this book and I don't know how the rest of the series could be any better
I have complex emotions about this book.
From the first few pages, I sank into the narrative of the book. There was something so comforting and familiar about the writing. It made it easier to read some of the more difficult aspects of the book. However, as thought-provoking as this book was for me, I felt removed from the characters. This is not to say that there were not complex or nuanced, they definitely were; I just couldn't connect with them the whole way. I loved this book though, and will still be thinking about it in the months to come.
4.5 stars
Mhairi McFarlane's characters are always human in the best possible way. Each of these characters could easily have been a caricature in the hands of a less talented writer. But McFarlane made me empathise and laugh with each of them.
It's interesting to see McFarlane 'wage war' on the idea of the nice guy in her two most recent novels. In both [b:Just Last Night|54870201|Just Last Night|Mhairi McFarlane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1606106948l/54870201._SY75_.jpg|78642686] and [b:If I Never Met You|51213487|If I Never Met You|Mhairi McFarlane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1595853597l/51213487._SY75_.jpg|71665792], there's a stereotypical good guy whose flaws are not just brushed over due to his niceness. The heroines take them to task and instead end up with the less conventionally pleasant love interest. In both novels (but more so in [b:If I Never Met You|51213487|If I Never Met You|Mhairi McFarlane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1595853597l/51213487._SY75_.jpg|71665792]), Mhairi touches on the cowardice and misogyny that often underlies this nice guy's niceness. But more generally, McFarlane highlights through these 'good guys', how all of us, despite our best intentions (and the lies we tell ourselves) are capable of being harmful, even to the people we claim to love. This idea is buttressed by Susie's betrayal and how Eve has to come to terms with and forgive her for it even in Susie's absence. By the end of the novel Eve still considers Susie her best friend despite the revelation of the 'big bad'.I can't deny that I felt justified when all my reservations about Ed's character were confirmed by the narrative. This would have been a 2-star review if Eve had ended up with Ed. I was so mad at him for the first 80% of the novel but I liked that their friendship did not implode when Eve called him out. It is a testament to Mhairi's character crafting ability that after spending much of the book disliking him, I was happy in the end that Eve didn't totally lose his friendship.
I truly loved this book. I probably won't be rereading it because so much of it was sad and difficult to get through (had to take multiple breaks), but I can't wait to read more McFarlane.
I have one more Sherry Thomas HR to read then that's it. No more. At this point I don't think I'll read Tempting the Bride until 2025. Im saving it for a truly rainy day.
I loved this book so much. And while it had great writing, good characterisation etc. going for it, I enjoyed it this much because I adore mutual pining and the whole book was filled with pining. Admittedly the ending was a bit rushed but at this point I honestly don't care. I know I'll be rereading it multiple times this year and I honestly can't wait!
Will and Nora were cute or whatever, but Will and Gerry have my heart.
I had one small quibble though. It felt like Gerry was coded as autistic and I don't know how I felt about him having to change so much of himself to reconcile with his wife with seemingly no concessions or compromises from her end. I'm probably overreaching though, there may be nothing here, but I couldn't stop thinking about it.
After how much I loved [b:The Sword of Kaigen 41886271 The Sword of Kaigen M.L. Wang https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546137241l/41886271.SX50.jpg 65383313], I was so excited to read another SPFBO winner. However, this was a miss for me. It was too plot-driven for my tastes with little character development. It was battle after battle and after the first couple of battles, I was tired of the whole schtick. I don't see myself reaching for another Hayes book anytime in the future.
After enjoying [b:Fair as a Star 53342294 Fair as a Star (Victorian Romantics, #1) Mimi Matthews https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589846812l/53342294.SY75.jpg 82018204], I couldn't wait to start this novella. However, it was all over the place. I couldn't take the proposal scene seriously because the hero referred to the heroine as ‘little fool' and that gave me intense [b:Rebecca 17899948 Rebecca Daphne du Maurier https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386605169l/17899948.SX50.jpg 46663] vibes.
I love marriage-of-convenience romances. It's so lovely to read about two good (but flawed) people trying to make the best of an uncomfortable situation who end up falling in love. [b:In for a Penny 36453426 In for a Penny Rose Lerner https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508616699l/36453426.SY75.jpg 7385934] really knocks that trope out of the park. By the end of Lerner's story I felt like I truly knew Penelope and Nev. The only reason this is not getting a 5-star rating is because I thought there was too much going on at the end. I would also have liked to see Penelope and Nev happy and settled for a longer time. However, Lerner has a free novella on her website that serves as an epilogue and reading that gave me the fluffy feelings I needed.
I have to give up on Christina Lauren. I haven't enjoyed any of their last few releases and this was the final nail in the coffin. I loved the beginning of this book, I especially enjoyed the flashbacks to early Macy and Elliot but the ending truly sucked. Maybe other readers would have seen the reason for their break coming but I really didn't. The whole incident was handled poorly and the authors didn't treat it with the sensitivity it deserved.
2021 isn't even halfway through and I already know this is going to be one of the best books I read this year. M.L Wang's characters are nuanced and complex and as someone who loves character-driven stories, I was blown away by how real Misaki and Marumo felt. These weren't pure individuals driven by a higher purpose; they were flawed, interesting people who had complicated and at times brutal relationships with their friends and family.
Talking only about the character development though is doing the book a great disservice. The action scenes are well-written and engaging. Wang is such a gifted writer. I can't wait to read more of her work.
I don't know yet if it's my favourite of the series. It'll depend on how much I reread it in the next few months, but I really enjoyed this.
Eve and Jacob are so sweet together. But while I enjoyed their romance a lot, my favourite part of the book was Eve's journey of self-acceptance. This was such a great book and I'm really sad to see this series end.
I wanted to like this more but the characters had very little chemistry. By the end of the book I believed they had built a supportive friendship but I struggled to see them in a romantic context. In fact, I found myself rooting for the heroine's other romantic interest, as I felt the author did a better job writing the sexual tension between them.
I'm leaving this unrated for now, because while I really enjoyed the world-building and the plot, I didn't really like how the book ended.
Most of my frustration with the book is rooted in one character, Elena. As readers, we are supposed to love her and cheer on her growth throughout the book but that's difficult to do when she largely ignores the abuse and unfair treatment heaped on her friends. That's a bit easier to understand in the beginning when she has little power but it makes little sense by the end when she is Master Warder. Sure she fights for their safety when they are in danger but she never calls out any of her colleagues' biases and prejudices. I didn't expect her to take on the entire social hierarchy of Charisat but it's interesting to see that despite the power she wields by the end, Elena doesn't even try . Is it because she is too self-interested to fight for better treatment for people she cares about? Does she think the prejudice is justified? What exactly is it that drives her inability to stand up for people who have consistently put their lives in danger to save hers? Her inaction would be an easier pill to swallow if the narrative called out her behaviour, but it absolutely doesn't. Despite this, she is arguably the character that has the best outcome by the end of the book.
Thus, in spite of the lengths Wells goes to portray the abysmal treatment of the kris and foreigners in Charisat, the narrative doesn't present a compelling argument for why they should be treated better. It almost seems to accept their inferiority. I feel like this point is further buttressed by Wells' treatment of Khat's rape at the hands of the Elector's heir. It's quickly glossed over and not discussed again, although it is suggested that such behaviour is commonplace among patricians and krismen. It was a horrifying scene and should absolutely have been treated as such.
It's such a shame because this was in most parts such an enjoyable read. However, it was Wells' second book and written more than 2 decades ago so I'm willing to give the rest of her books a chance.
