Ravneet > Recent Status Updates

I made it to chapter 22. The section was very interesting. I love the writing style and the metaphors that Amelie uses- they sounds so beautiful. This portion of the book is very fast paced, and the plot is thickening. Very excited to continue reading the next section later!

Chapter 28-36 were forgettable. If not for book club with my friend, I would have DNF'd this book earlier. The only interesting part now is Garret's dad. I am curious to know more about what causes him to become abusive. Otherwise, I feel that Garret and Hannah rushed into their "relationship" which is based on nothing more than trauma bonding, and again overtly sexual behavior.

Chapters 24–27 were asinine. I found the sexual content very uncomfortable, especially the misogynistic descriptions of women and how Hannah’s trauma is handled. Ch. 26 felt unnecessary, and Chapter 27 highlighted my frustration with the book’s tendency to romanticize the bare minimum and excessive sexual behaviour. I’m curious to know why people enjoy this type of romance than the actual story.

Chapter 12 to 24, I analyzed the gender dynamics more than actually enjoying the romance. I do like that Garrett has moments of genuine empathy and protectiveness, but his possessiveness and objectification constantly contradict that. Hannah also frustrates me with her double standards and how quickly she trusts him. I’m enjoying this more as a satirical analysis of the story than as an actual romance.

So, far the plot is getting better and better. And I like that along with Lan, the readers get to learn about practioning and lessons on classifications of supernatural creatures

Chapter 16
What I think overall: Wow, is this book an embarrassment ritual for Hannah?!
What I think will happen next? After making out with Garret and kissing Dean, I think she will try to convince herself there was no other way out and that those two things were bound to happen. (Eye-roll)

Chapter 15
What I think overall: Another hard read with all the vulgar comments.
What I think will happen next? Garret is practically coercing Hannah to kiss him; I’m certain the party scene will be a “handsy” one, as Garret says. 

Chapter 14
What I think overall: This chapter was disgusting and vulgar because I did not like how descriptively the sex scene between Garret and Tiffany was written, and I really did not like the casual “prude-shaming” directed towards Hannah
What I think will happen next? I think that Hannah and Garret will obviously start having sex in the next chapter.

Chapter 13: again the language, I understand is necessary to be authentic to the character but come one, this is so vulgar "Niko—if he can stop being pussy whipped for long enough to leave his dorm”
Moving forward, I’m going to write instead what I think of each chapter overall, rather than focusing on the vocabulary or individual sentences that I find cringey.

" Yet even as I say the words, I know Mary Jane Harper is not that woman. She’s shy and awkward and spends most of her time hiding behind a piano or curled up in her dorm room writing love songs about boys who don’t return the sentiment." - how mean!
Chapter 13: "Do you say, cool beans, boss, I’ll kill all these people for you, or do you say fuck off, and risk getting killed yourself?”- WHAT IS  “cool beans”

Page 103: "Justin, on the other hand, is sheer perfection. Dark jeans hug his long, muscular legs and his black sweater stretches across his broad shoulders in a delicious way that makes me shiver.
Pag 103: "Oh my God. He was looking for me?" - come on, Hannah- he is just a boy
"I’m not the only one looking—several females also swing their heads in his direction, and I can practically see their panties melt away -eww

Page 101: “Is that a boner?”" -yup, I knew it was too good to be true
Page 101: and here comes the dumbassery "Male?” I supply dryly. “Yes, I am, and that’s what happens to men in the morning. It’s biology, Wellsy." - I know this is true, but the way he talks is so ughhh. Say something nice or say it in a more eloquent way. Page 101: "My T-shirt hangs to her knees, emphasizing just how small she is." eww

Chapter 12
Page 100: "I’M ADDICTED TO that moment right before I wake up, when the wispy cobwebs in my brain thread together to form a coherent ball of consciousness." - okay I like this writing

This story has been so interesting to read so far- I’m a very curious to see what the grandmaster’s plan is for these secret missions!

Chapter 16:
"The night was clear, the moon brightening the stone paths to a polished silver as Lan set out to find him." - so beautiful is the imagery

"They were almost the same height, but where Yeshin Noro Dilaya’s fury was feral and unfettered as a wildfire, Zen’s was a blade forged in the blue heart of flame."- blue heart of flame - how does she even imagine this writing. I love it!

"The edges of Zen’s lips lifted slightly. “There is qì in this,” he corrected. “Stories often say practitioners’ swords are imbued with souls. That isn’t quite true; what is true is that we fill our chosen weapons with our qì to better protect us. "

" Gauze curtains stirred in the gentle evening wind; moonlight drifted through them to silver the floor."
"This close, she could make out the individual lashes of his eyes, see her face reflected in the midnight of his irises."
"The Last Kingdom opened before her beneath a waning moon: a sky like a bowl of black ink flecked with silver dust, mountains forming the jagged edges."

"“It is a sacred spring that is said to flow from the tears of the moon, representing the heart of yīn energies on this mountain. For thousands of cycles, masters and worshippers have held their prayers by its waters, hoping to unlock the balance in their energies…and you have just bathed in it.”" - this was so funny!

"Remember to think of each combination of qì as a musical note. You cannot make music without knowing all the notes like each one of your fingers" - This is an interesting concept and its beautifully written,
"The sun continued to sink; when it hung just above the horizon, the supper bell tolled throughout Skies’ End"
"From the ledges above plunged a waterfall, tumbling down before being swallowed by a pool."

Chapter 14 :"His eyes held playfulness like a dusting of stars."
Chapter 15: Quotes I liked/ thoughts and feelings
"She seemed to have said the wrong thing. Shàn’jūn’s expression was still, a pond without a ripple, but Chue—his face fell."
"behind them, from the end of the hallway, came the susurration of a waterfall."

More quotes I loved! Chapter 14 Pg 281: "The anger swept from Zen’s face, leaving only a sorrow so profound that, for a moment, his eyes seemed to be drowning in it, a lake beneath a starless night"
Pg 282: "The last rays of sun had ebbed from the world. Like a tipping scale, the moon rose on the other side of the sky, its fluorescence carving the boy before her into black and white, parts known and hidden. 

Okay so much has happened but these are just some of the quotes that I am enjoying:
Page 267: "Zen watched emotions flit across the Master of Swords’ face like clouds across a sky."
Chapter 14 Pg 279: "The blood of sunset was fading, chased by a watery gray aftermath followed by ink-black night"

I read chapter 10-12 on Wednesday. Chapter 10: I like that rape is not taken lightly in the book, and I like that Elle included the realistic things that the survivor and their family deal with in the aftermath.I also really like Allie and Hannah friendship. Chapter 11: Hannah will "crash" at Garret’s house, in his bed, in HIS t-shirt (He is in boxers) b/c they bonded about their families and watched breaking bad?!

Page 150: I find it interesting that a Hin bell is equivalent to two elation hours and that each timeslot is assigned to a specific animal from the 12 zodiac signs-that is so cool!
Page 153: the part about the song that is stuck in Lan’s mind reminds me of the show disenchantment, and how there was a tune stuck in the main girls’s mind as well. It’s very intriguing.

I read chapters 10 to 13 and I find the writing poetic and metaphorical, which I thoroughly enjoy reading.
Page 144: The ripple of a golden pennant beneath an unbroken blue sky.
Page 145: “… eyes like pebbles beneath water”
Page 145: “the cloud yielding to a spill of crisp sunshine with the diamond – cut quality of winter“
Page 153:”Black flames rose to wreath the silver light.”

I read chapter 6-10, and the book is boring. I don’t like how conversational the author’s writing style is. She explains everything very blatantly. There is no intrigue. The plot so far is also predictable and nothing interesting has happened. The characters objectify each other, and are unrealistic. They are flat. The storyline is basic and reminds me of a cringey Disney channel movie.

So I took a lot of notes while reading this book from chapter 2 to chapter 6. So far I feel that the book is predictable. It reminds me of high school musical with added sexual activity. I think that Hannah is not so bright as a college student because at the end of chapter 5, she gets into the car of a man who she barely knows, even though she was raped at age 15.

There have been many weird and cringe quotes so far into the book
Hannah: “ but other than my ex, Devon, none of them made my body tingle. The way Justin Kohl does, and that freaks me”

Garret: “.. makes me want to go incredible Hulk on the booklet and repetition shreds.”
“I’m not asking to take off your clothes, baby.“

I also don’t like that in one chapter it’s broken down into duel POV’s