Caitlyn > Recent Status Updates

Reads as YA as opposed to NA—a neutral observation. Wong excels at body horror and combat sequences yet not descriptive imagery.

Despite being Young’s foray into adult fantasy, reads as YA with its characters’ ages adjusted. (Not necessarily a negative given my preference for YA.)

I feel no chemistry between Ari and Sam—and wish that an aged-down Will would have been MMC instead.

Stilted, telling-laden prose which detracts from immersion. It appears Chang has yet to better her craft.

Insofar, far too reliant upon telling—to the detriment of characterization and world-building.

Griff has grown into a formidable nuisance.

Novik has certainly improved in the diversity department, yet let me simply say that there is no such thing as “Chinese numbers”—that is akin to writing out Arabic numerals as their word counterparts (97 as ninety-seven). No one would do so while calculating their maths.

One thought: Manizheh is abhorrent, reprehensively immoral.

Consider me insofar unimpressed. I'd had higher hopes for such a pretty cover.

I must say the pacing has been dreary insofar⁠—and Noni's reliance on telling drearier.

I'm liking this insofar, SQUEE! :)

Lovely prose, atmospheric rendering of Hanyang. And Seol's delightfully unlike most YA heroines.

I like Lydia far more than Teriana! :)

Insofar, wordy & meandering. I'm not...charmed.

I SHIP NEZHA X RIN VERY MUCH SO. <3 CW: self-harm, suicidal ideation, death/gore.

I'm not sure I can respectfully, *genuinely* consider the use of psychedelic drugs to "see the truth of this world"... O_O

I'm not sure I can respectfully, *genuinely* consider the use of psychedelic drugs to "see the truth of this world"... O_O

A few names are proper Chinese—Fang Runin, for instance—and others are pseudo-Chinese (i.e. Venka). This...confuses me.

Me: I really, really want to like this.

Other Me: Rin’s <spoiler>self-removal of her womb</spoiler>—and its implication that women with reproductive ability cannot achieve power—enrages you. As does her obsession with Altan. And thr <spoiler>genocide</spoiler> she will “perform” fills you with fury.

Other Other Me: Is there truly a need to relive the Rape of Nanjing in fantasy form?

Needlessly brutal.

The cast and narrative style have—unbelievably?—grown on me.

I'm having a difficult while relating to—or liking—most of the cast? O_O

Distant narration composed of brand name-dropping and omniscient telling. As a love story, lacks love, soul.

Overblown metaphors about impossible dreams/worlds, sunlight, and dusk. Repetitive imagery.

A spiteful narrator detached in her telling-heavy narration. I'm not certain Kamai is likeable nor relatable...