Barely Competent > Recent Status Updates

This book does seem a little self indulgent with the world building. It's good all of these things were thought and worked out but I do wonder if we as the reader needed to know, if it serves the story we experience for us to be told.

Kissing has always seemed strange to me. Who came up with it and why? How does something that seems so fundamental to romantic love not exist in every culture? Why is it so ubiquitous in ours?

It is rare for my heart rate to be this accelerated while reading. An excellently written battle scene. Might need a break to get my pulse back in control

As much as I admire the world building there's a lot to keep track of. And the differing units of time really takes me out of it every time

There is no theotype to control earth. Interesting 🤔

"What if she were raped? His mind jumped from that and landed on, What if someone raped her and she got pregnant?"
Such vile possessive thoughts. I wanted to like this book and there are parts that I can find appreciation for but then you get something like this and I just feel disgusted. What is the point?

Am I imagining that many gay coming of age stories have moments of sexual assault framed as almost romantic? Whether or not it's as common as I think, this is not the first time I've read this kind of thing and I'm so incredibly sad

I'm sure that objectively this is a good book but I don't think it's for me. I'm confused, I'm uncomfortable, and I'm not having a good time.

So I'm a third in and I'm not quite convinced on what the "hook" is. Naturally it's this missing tape that is described in the blurb but I just don't know why I should care about that or anything else

I have got to say I really don't like this type of "twist" this is the third book recently I remember it being in and it just feels cheap.

"Anden let out a shaky breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding."
And there we have the line

I was not expecting this much sex. It's really not my thing

"Shae suddenly felt as if she’d let out a breath she’d been holding for two years"
At least it's a variation on the cliché

Vampires??

I find it a little difficult to reconcile the anger Turner has over a magical artifact being used to track runaway slaves when he is part of the police. It's almost as if he isn't aware of people in power using it to oppress minorities while he himself is part of an institution used to oppress, punish and even enslave minorities.

Interesting Israel mention. Of all the countries in the world. Is the author trying to portray this character as violent and cruel by doing this?

I'm not sure if it's the translation or the manner of storytelling but it does feel a bit stilted

Even in this the main character "let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding"

As much as I'm for representation of all sorts of people the messy and hypersexual included the denigration of Queenie and her body is just really uncomfortable and distasteful to me.

The way Rory keeps trying to get her shroud off is so uncomfortable. It reminds me of the boys at school who kept trying to take off girls' hijabs

I don't know why but this book is irking me

Why is this Gargoyle here!? What is actually happening and why am I supposed to care?

Is this book good?
Not by any stretch of the imagination
Do I really want to finish it to see how bad and nonsensical it gets?
Yes
Does reading it fill me with rage and question why I enjoy reading?
Definitely!
Wish me luck

The way this book talks about weight is very uncomfortable

50 pages. An insufferable main character and quite a few uncomfortable remarks. It's not looking good

I really wish the chapters were shorter

Why are we having a third act breakup fight with 25 pages left in the book!?

Holy eating disorder and warped body image batman!

I really think we should reconsider doing accents in audiobooks. Doing an Indian accent when you're not Indian is quite uncomfy in this day and age

Not sure how I feel about this twist. All the signs were there but this is the second book about Syria that has this plot twist and it's just a bit... Emotional? Over the top? Something like that