Cayla

As the use of alchemy chips away at the alchemist’s soul, so too has this book scraped me a bit more raw for having read it. My lack of a full 5 stars here is less a reflection of the book’s quality (which is excellent, and Marie Lu should be very proud), and more because my own soul requires just a tad more levity and hope than the grimdark of this particular story. But that said, this one will stick with me and I do highly recommend it if you’re in search of complex characters and powerful prose.

I read this all in one sitting kind of late at night so I'm still reeling a bit. Maybe should wait for it to settle before I review but meh. 

It wasn't quite the “take the old tale and twist it a little” I expected so much as it was a complete reinvention built on the crumbling foundation of the old tale, but damn if it didn't donkey kick me in the feels right at the end. The plot is sort of meandery and the non-linear format is occasionally a little slippery for the brain, but the depth of the writing is where the book really shines. It immersed me good. 

• 2.5 stars *
  
  The first half of this book was fairly solid. Wasn't blow-me-away fantastic but was easy to read and the characters intrigued me.
  
  The second half of this book was a mess. The relationship between the two leads was a bumpy, potholed road full of miscommunication and zero empathy for the other's situation. Morgan, who I had liked at first, nose-dived into being very annoying. All character development was rushed through in short conversations and half-epiphanies, and the ending felt abrupt and somewhat undeserved.
  
  Pros:
  - Despite her rocky start, I did like Ruby. She got the most actual character development and was definitely the most interesting person in the book.
  - Some very potent LGBTQ+ issues were touched upon and some good points were made. However, the actual conversations were surface-level and didn't dive as deeply as they maybe should have, considering how important they were to the plot.
  - Someone did call Morgan on her bullshit when she got really out of hand. I had been worried it would be written off as justified because of her trials and tribulations, but thankfully it was not. Or at least not entirely.
  - Billy.
  
  Cons:
  - The romance wasn't paced well. Some of the back and the forth at the beginning was good, but there was a bit of instalove in the later parts that didn't make sense to me.
  - Bumpy messy second half as mentioned above.
  - A couple of characters got dropped toward the end, and I would have liked more resolution.
  - Morgan needed a lot more character development and understanding of how her situation and perspective, while important, was not the same as every other queer person.

I'm actually having a hard time formulating all of the reasons why I loved this book, but here goes.

[EDIT: I tried to use a spoiler tag but apparently they don't work on mobile so I guess the whole review is getting hidden. Oh well. I am not about to ruin the ending of this book for anyone.]

- The way the mental health of the characters was gently worked into their personalities without entirely dominating their identity or being portrayed as their Character Flaw was so, so good. Both main characters had actual development arcs that felt real and right for them, and they had different ways of dealing with things that spoke to an actual difference in upbringing. I've read a lot of books recently where that kind of character work has been flat or just plain missing, so the depth of this one was especially wonderful to me.

- The sheer cuteness. It's marketed as a rom-com and it sure did deliver, but it also delivered on the other, non-romantic relationships. The support network and interpersonal development of the whole cast was so great.

- The social commentary. I definitely am not one to watch reality TV, especially the genre used as the backdrop of this story, but I really appreciated the angle that this plot took. SpoilerThe end did briefly make me think “No way, that would never happen,” but then I realized that's exactly why it needed to happen. If my default is to assume that a gay relationship would be unthinkable on reality TV, what does that say about society? As the author cited in the acknowledgements, “Paradox though it may seem . . . it is none the less true that Life imitates art far more than Art imitates life.” (Oscar Wilde) If our art shows that all relationships are valid and love is important, we can give life something to imitate.

- The feels. Obviously there was a lot of warm and fuzzy, but toward the end there was definitely some minor eye leakage. It was just impossible not to be invested in these characters and feel for them when things got rough.

- The writing. It was well-written, easy to read, and witty, which is obviously the best combo. All of the characters had fairly distinct voices and I highlighted so many things because they were just so hilarious. 10/10

So this was not a cohesive review at all but this book is potentially a new favorite and I will be returning to it, as well as keeping a sharp eye out for any books the author decides to publish in the future.

This was, by the author’s own telling, a story about “assimilation and language and the seduction and horror of empire,” and it was a damn good one. How language and culture intertwine, how poetry can become propaganda can become cultural identity, how a fascination with the exotic might confuse one’s own sense of home and self and loyalty… and all through the lens of a brilliant cast of characters with sparkling wit and fascinating complexities.

A beautiful reminder of how prose can be poetic without being purple, and how effectively language can be woven when the writer truly knows what they want to say.

I loved every word of it.