So lately I've been really into this song, Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max. After reading this book, I've realized that that song perfectly describes DesiSo lately I've been really into this song, Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max. After reading this book, I've realized that that song perfectly describes Desi; she's sweet, but she's absolutely insane and any guy should be running from her as fast as possible. I hated Maurene Goo's other book, The Way You Make Me Feel, but I hoped it was just a fluke. Alas, thanks to Desi's craziness, I think I'm going to have to give a hard pass to all of Goo's books.
When I read the synopsis and realized that Desi would be trying dating like a K-drama, I thought it would be a bit cheesy and silly, but still a fun to read lighthearted quick contemporary. Maybe she would follow heriones to get out of her comfort zone and chase the guy or something. (I confess, I've never seen a kdrama). But no, this girl is legitimately insane, and also a crazy stalker too. There's cute and quirky, and there's full on crazy. This girl doesn't need a boyfriend; she needs a psychiatrist. Some of the insane things she does to get her love interest, Luca:
--Pretend she secretly wanted to be an artist and join art club and worm her way into Luca's group of artist friends so she can see him and pretend she has a mysterious secret ambition. It's not the worst, but it's pretty manipulative.
--Put nails on the road to get Luca into a car crash. Yes, she purposefully causes a car crash so she can look like a damsel in distress. First of all, you're going to kill him, and second of all, since he's thankfully not dead, do you think fixing a car is free? I'm pretty sure, in addition to being insane, this is illegal property damage?
--Facebook stalks Luca's ex girlfriend with a fake account and follows her so she can see exactly what she's doing at all times of the day. She honestly sets facebook alert/notifications so that she can see exactly where she is as she drives.
--Hides in a closet so she can eavesdrop on a private conversation between Luca and his ex girlfriend. The conversation is private for a reason, and you liking him does not give you permission to eavesdrop!
--Purposefully fall into a pool and flounder around so Luca will jump in and save her... even though she can swim and he can't! What kind of manipulative bs is this? He almost drowns so she can play damsel in distress!
Anyways, as if Desi wasn't insane enough, there's plenty of mind grating girl hate:
--Desi stalking and hating the ex girlfriend because she's his ex. Although she might not be the best person, I really didn't need to hear Desi sourly comment on how she probably has artfully displayed lingerie in her room.
--An entire rivalry between Desi and another girl, Violet, because they both like Luca. They seriously hate each other for a good part of the book because they're both crushing on the same guy!
So with all these unpleasant things about Desi, that romance had better be pretty amazing in other to compensate right? Well, I honestly have zero clue why Luca likes Desi at all, especially considering her manipulative bs. But apparently he does because yay instalove! This is about how their relationship progresses: 1. Desi sees Luca! Omg! He's so hot!!! 2. Luca draws a picture of Desi!! Omg!!! So this is love!! 3. Because Luca is hot and drew a picture of Desi, she decides he's going to be her boyfriend and crafts the kdrama list of steps. 4. Desi manipulates and pushes her way into his life. 5. I LOVE YOU
Anyways. I suppose this book wasn't the absolute worst thing in the world: I really enjoyed the Korean representation, and there were some cute fun parts. Overall though... if I ever meet someone like Desi, I'm running the other direction as fast as possible, and for now, I'm advising you to run from this book as fast as possible.
So I just finished reading this book and I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do with myself right now. I think I’m still in shock, and also dyingSo I just finished reading this book and I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do with myself right now. I think I’m still in shock, and also dying over the fact that I can’t read the next book yet because this book isn’t even out and I just… need to know what happens next… please… help
This book picks up about three months after the explosive and shocking end of the first book in the trilogy, A Spark of White Fire. It’s been a few months since I read that one, so at first I was a little confused over what was happening, but there’s actually a very helpful character guide at the beginning of the book that gives character descriptions, and so with that, after a few chapters, I was able to easily get back into the thicket of the action.
This book definitely has a darker and more somber theme than the first one. Esmae has done so much growing up from then, and the naive girl who just wanted to help her brother and go home is gone, replaced by someone who wants revenge and justice. She’s been lied, tricked, or betrayed by basically everyone she loves and trusts, and she struggles with dark, depressed thoughts throughout the novel that manifest themselves as bitterness and a thirst for revenge, as well as just withdrawing herself and shutting everyone out. This book really developed her, for good and for bad, and with the author’s great writing, I could really feel her pain through the pages of the book and just wanted to lean in a give her a hug.
Aside from just Esmae, the entire tone of the novel and the entire world felt so much darker as well, particularly since the stakes were so much higher. A war is starting, and I was holding my breath and frantically turning pages to see what would happen. People die, characters have to confront their worst fears and truths, and weapons with terrible destructive potential are teased. This book, like the last one, also played with morally grey characters and situations. No character was a saint, and they all did some pretty awful things that they justified in their own ways, and I loved seeing the complexities of the situations as characters toyed with darkness.
I adored the world that got more fully developed in this novel. This series is so unique and cool in the way it blends science fiction with fantasy in a way I absolutely adore: gods and myths flying spaceships across planets! We got to learn more about the gods and their backstories, and ancient myths that were coming alive to haunt the characters. This is also based off Indian mythology, so it was cool to read about and learn something new for me!
One thing I have mixed feelings about is that Esmae’s sentient warship, Titania, has a few chapters from her own POV in this book! I love Titania–she’s a great character who really cares about Esmae and it’s so fun and interesting to see the juxtoposition of a legendary unbeatable warship burning cities with one singing songs and getting excited to do trick shows–so I really enjoyed seeing her perspective! At the same time though, I dislike it when books add in unnecessary other POVs in sequels and subsequent books, especially since this time, most of the time it seemed to pop up just to give us exposition and info dumps, and felt kind of lazy like the author only used it because she needed to give readers information and couldn’t think of any other way.
So for most of the book, I was enjoying it. Pretty good, but not spectacular. And then I hit the last 50 pages or so and…oh man. It really hit the fan. I was shocked and glued to the book as what felt like twist after twist after twist were revealed! The ending was absolutely incredible, and the last page…ohmigosh I might die waiting for the next book!!
Before I even start the review, I think I need to have a moment of cover appreciation. I mean, have you seen the cover? The colors? It's g o r g e o uBefore I even start the review, I think I need to have a moment of cover appreciation. I mean, have you seen the cover? The colors? It's g o r g e o u s!! I swear I can't even articulate how much I love this beautiful colored cover. But okay, enough of that. Let's talk about the book. The book that was absolutely phenomenal.
Lately, it's probably not a trend and just me being behind, but I've been reading more and more books set in space and I'm loving it! This book was no exception, and the setting and world building were phenomenal! I loved the concepts of people flying spaceships around, battling each other from these ships, dodging asteroids while flying, immigrating to and from different planets, living in different star systems, and just basically the whole thing.
(Side note: is anyone else lowkey annoyed with changing curse words in novels, particularly futuristic ones? I've read it a few times, and it just makes the flow of sentences sound so awkward? I mean, I get in the future the language would change, but it seems so weird that only the curse words and nothing else, not the syntax or slang or common words would change, just the curses? I just couldn't take them seriously when they were like mung this and that lmao.)
It felt like there was some subtle political commentary in here, particularly with the mention of the Tawnies and other races that people didn't like. There was talk of trying to throw migrant refugees, such as Tawnies, out of the Commonwealth, manipulation and propaganda of the media in order to create a specific mindset, and overall just the immense forestation of hate. It was subtle, and well integrated in the book, but parts of it I felt were very powerful and relevant to today, and really made this book powerful.
I also really liked the immediate setting of the sort of space force academy. It was kind of fun easy YA, with moments where students were trying to pass tests, hanging out with each other on breaks, and dorming together. But at the same time, we're dealing with Ia, a dangerous criminal who is acutely aware of the world beyond their small school, and many of the other characters having links back home to everything happening with politics and battles, and I found there to be a nice contrast between the lighter and heavier content.
I initially thought that the book would just be about Ia, but it's actually split POV between three characters, and honestly, I loved them all.
--Ia, the Blood Wolf, was kind of giving me Kaz Brekker but female and in space vibes and obviously anything that gives me Kaz Brekker vibes is an 11/10. She's ruthless, and not afraid to knock people out, break a few fingers, or even kill and slaughter people to achieve her means. She's cunning and resourceful, and knows how to play and manipulate people. Yet at the same time it's clear how much she cares about her friends, and is willing to sacrifice herself for them, and just overall what she believes in. She's definitely kind of morally grey; she does bad things, but she does them for good cause, sooo... I loved seeing her character evolve and grow as she starts to see the other side of things, and realize that the world isn't as black and white as she used to think of it.
--If Ia had good character development, Brinn's was incredible! She's half Tawnie, a race of blue haired geniuses who are discriminated against and hated, who feels she must always hide her true identity and play herself down in order to fit in with everyone else. I loved seeing her start to change, and to accept herself for who she really is. And of course I'm always looking for multiracial representation, and I loved seeing Brinn struggle with being a halfie, feeling like one half of her was more important than the other instead of embracing her identity of being both.
--I was lowkey least interested in Knives, but he was still a pretty good character (although I didn't fall in love with him the way I love Ia and Brinn!!). He's a bit of a smol bean, with a famous and powerful father and other people pushing him to accept a job filled with glory instead of his small training job, just trying to lie low and hope people don't judge him for his family, and struggling with a tragic background on top of that. Also, his and Ia's romance was super slow burn and amazing and I was so quickly in love with the both of them together!
This book is so special to me because it's my first ever signed book--many thanks to the author and publisher for giving me a free copy at Yallwest :)This book is so special to me because it's my first ever signed book--many thanks to the author and publisher for giving me a free copy at Yallwest :)
Guys. Guys! When I got this book, I was basically jumping for joy! This book is so special to me because it’s my first ever signed book–signed and personalized by the author Mary H. K. Choi at Yallwest! And I have a matching pin to go with it that is just the absolute cutest! Gahhh I could gush about it forever! But I guess I should go on with the actual review though haha so maybe disregard this paragraph.
This book was about Pablo, a college dropout who Does Not Have His Life Together™. He’s months behind on paying rent, works the middle of the night shift at corner snack shop, is drowning in student debt, and probably can’t even get back into school if he wants to. He also seriously has no idea what he’s doing with his life and really doesn’t know what he wants to study or do or anything and man, I felt that.
I mean, fortunately my life is slightly more together than Pablo’s (or so I hope), but I’m starting college this year and I still have no idea what I want to study or do with my life and feel like I’m just bsing it all. I feel like I’ve read about so many YA characters who have their entire lives mapped out with a dream college to go to or whatever, and obviously in life all the adults somehow think I should have everything together and know exactly what I’m doing so this was so fresh and welcome and seriously relatable.
My thoughts on Pablo are kind of mixed. He’s definitely relatable, and pretty fun to read about. It was so obvious how much he cared for his family, despite often falling short of his mom’s expectations, and he was kind of snarky and sarcastic that was fun to read about. On the other hand, at times the way he treated people, especially his roommates, really made him feel like a jerk, and prevented me from really loving him and getting into his head. Also based off Emergency Contact I thought this book would be split POV between Leanna and Pablo, but it’s all Pablo which is kind of boo because I wanted to see her but oh well.
Leanna Smart is basically the opposite of Pablo–she has her life mapped out with her singing and acting and generally being famous, flying around the world in private jets and being mobbed by crowds of fans everywhere she goes. She and her storyline brought a bit of fun Hollywood life stuff to this book that I loved reading about because I’m lowkey a sucker for stories about famous people lmao.
The relationship between Leanna and Pablo was super cute, but it also felt really real, more so than most YA books I read. It was like, we really want to be with each other, but we have such different lives, and maybe we’re not in the best of places right now, so can we really work this out? I definitely enjoyed reading about it, and I found the ending really satisfying. But despite that there were some absolutely swoonworthy moments of course!
Beyond the romantic relationship, I enjoyed the other character relationships in this book. I loved seeing Pablo’s family, particularly the way he struggled to impress his Asian tiger mom who wasn’t even happy when he got into NYU, and the way he cared for his little brother as a sort of father figure when he was getting into all sorts of trouble. His group of roommates was also really fun to read about.
We need to talk about the representation though!! I had no idea that this book had biracial rep and it’s absolutely amazing! Pablo is half Korean and half Pakistani, and Leanna is part Mexican. There were some conversations about racism and racist stereotypes in media, and just everyday annoyances of people trying to guess but never figuring out exactly what you are.
(view spoiler)[There was also a great scene where Pablo visits Korea, expecting to feel some deep connection to it and the people there, but ends up feeling just as/even more out of place and alienated as he does in America, and oof, I felt that. Being half means never completely fitting in in either place. It honestly perfectly captured the way I felt when recently returning to Asian for the first time in a decade, where I knew it was part of my heritage and ethnicity, but I felt beyond out of place being unable to read signs and knowing I was being stared at. The biracial representation was definitely one of the major selling points of this book for me. (hide spoiler)]
Overall, this book was really enjoyable and relatable. It’s definitely more New Adult that YA since both of the characters are in their twenties, and as someone who is just graduating high school and moving to that college stage of life, this is the perfect time to read it....more
Other reviewers have mentioned that this book has incredible Asian representation, and I can only shout This book was so beautiful...and I feel heard.
Other reviewers have mentioned that this book has incredible Asian representation, and I can only shout my agreement because it really really does. The main character, Kiko, has always known she's not pretty, she's exotic, boys don't date girls "like her," because she doesn't conform to the idealistic typical beauty standards of tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, and white. She's always known that the beautiful girls in magazines, the beautiful girls she ought to paint, don't look a thing like her. This is something I've certainly felt in my life, as I've gazed at all the pretty blonde girls splashed across the media and never thought that I could be considered as pretty as them. But throughout the course of the book, Kiko gradually learns her own self worth, gradually sees that typical western beauty standards aren't the only standards for being beautiful. And as she gradually become more and more exposed to her Asian heritage and culture, small things like eating mochi and boba and taking shoes off in a house, she grows so much and this just resonated with me so much!
So yeah, the Asian rep was great. But the reason this book REALLY stuck out to me and the reason I really really felt heard was the biracial rep. I'm half Taiwanese and half white, and Kiko is half Japanese and half white, and her experience was so so so similar to my own, and it's an experience that I've NEVER read in a book before. I can count on one hand the number of books with half Asian characters I've read, and of those all were written by full Asian or full white authors, and it was so clear that this ownvoices book captured my experience perfectly.
Living in Nebraska, which is predominantly white, Kiko always stands out for being Asian. But even though everyone reduces her to that, she knows that she's not even fully that, not even fully Asian, doesn't even have one culture that she can latch on to, and just exists in that in between space.
Also, there were those small moments that she had that I completely related to. Like her and her siblings discussing which one of them looks most white and most Asian? I've done that SO OFTEN (verdict: I look slightly more Asian than my brother. I have a more Asian skin coloring and eyes. But he did get the Asian lack of hair and shortless lmao). And that discussion with Jamie when he asks when in the past she'd like to live in and she replies that someone like her would basically never exist in the past? Yeah, I've had those existential crises where I've considered how not very long ago in the past my parents interracial marriage would be illegal.
I can't imagine feeling like I'll ever belong anywhere. I'm either too white, or too Asian, but never enough of either.
Everyone expects me to be Asian, not white, because of the way I look. But I'm only half Japanese--I'm the same amount of Asian as I am white. Why doesn't anyone ever call me half white?
Anyways. I could gush about this representation all day. But there are so many other great things about the book! Kiko also has anxiety, and from what I've seen from ownvoices reviewers, the representation is very well done. I don't have anxiety, but I'm extremely socially awkward and related A LOT to Kiko. The way that she always considers what she wants to say, but then ends up saying something else because she doesn't want to be confrontational or is too scared to really speak her mind really spoke to me. And the way she never went to any parties, and always wanted other people there for her to rely on them when talking to strangers I was like this is literally me.
This book and it's writing style was also so beautiful. The words I was reading felt very lyrical and dreamlike, and although sometimes fluffy prose annoys me, I thought it was absolutely beautiful and perfect here. The chapters all ended with descriptions of Kiko's art and what she was drawing, and I could perfectly picture, them, messy and raw and full of emotions and beautiful.
This was a very character driven novel, about Kiko's development, and the relationships she had with other characters really played into that and enhanced the book. Jamie, her love interest, was so sweet in how he supported her. I loved how naturally the romance seemed to flow into this book, where it didn't turn out to be completely centered on it and Kiko's personal growth was still the most important, but the romance just added to my love for this novel.
Of course, Kiko's mother was definitely not a wonderful character. She's horrible and abusive, and the reason that Kiko is so broken and unsure of herself and desperate to get away. Seeing her grow up, and move on from craving her mother's affection to becoming strong on her own was incredible.
Listen. Nobody is more disappointed than me. I saw the adorably cute cover, with a Asian model on it looking fabulous!!, I heard great things about itListen. Nobody is more disappointed than me. I saw the adorably cute cover, with a Asian model on it looking fabulous!!, I heard great things about it, I saw that there was food involved (always a plus), and I was super excited. But alas, I really, really, really didn't like this book.
The premise of this book is absolutely adorable! It's about two girls, mortal enemies really, who end up spending the summer working together in a Korean-Brazilian food truck. There are strong themes of family, since Clara's parents aren't together and have a weird relationship, friendships, and even a super cute sign spinning Chinese boy! There is so much descriptions of mouth watering food, Koran and Brazilian inspired since Clara's dad is ethnically Korean but grew up in Brazil and now lives in the US (in LA no less!), and food is always a perk.
Unfortunately, the characters do not make me equally happy as the premise. Namely: Clara. I hated her with a burning passion. Clara is entitled, whiny, selfish, egocentric, and cruel. As I started reading this book, I started realizing that I really hated her, and that made it basically impossible for me to like this book. I noticed a lot of reviews have said that they love Clara because she's funny and sarcastic. Unfortunately, I didn't think her jokes were funny at all, but rather downright cruel. Here are a few lovely examples:
--The book opens with her making a complete joke out of prom, becoming prom queen, pouring fake blood on herself, and basically setting the gym on fire. She thinks this is hilarious, but I mean...just because you think prom is stupid doesn't mean you have to ruin it for anyone else! I would be seriously freaked out if I saw someone covered in blood, fake or otherwise, and people spend hundreds of dollars on prom only to have it ruined by this.
--Clara is "mortal enemies" with Rose, a very studious academically inclined student, because she's...studious and academically inclined? She relentlessly mocks her for things such as studying biology during the summer, taking notes, asking questions when she's being taught about her work. Honestly, I'm a total nerd myself and related to Rose most of anyone in this book, and I've been mocked like that, so I basically personally hated Clara. She also mocks Rose for watching what she eats because she's a dancer and needs to stay healthy, says lovely things like "ask Rose. She's unbiased, like Fox News," apparently organized a flash mob at Rose's dance show, and orders her around at work even though they're equals with the same job.
--She's incredibly insensitive to other people, and even other religions! At one point, she starts cooking a vegetarian meal in a pan that was cross contaminated with pork. When Rose tells her that she shouldn't because some people can't eat that for religious reasons, Clara says: "What they don't know won't hurt them. They'll just have to wonder why their food is suddenly more delicious. Hint: pork." I think this should speak for itself on how horrible she is. She also further bullies Rose for being uptight.
--She's constantly being mean to random people. At one point, her friend accidentally knocks over a woman's hat, and the woman snaps at him. This prompts Clara to make fun of her and throw leaves into her hat because she "deserves it." Maybe the woman wasn't the nicest, but there's no reason to stoop to her level! Besides, you never know what she's going through: maybe she's having a really terrible day and was rude this once even though she's typically a great person; does she still deserve to be bullied then?
Anyways, those are just a small selection of the many reasons that I hate Clara. Now, keep in mind that this book is sort of about a flawed, unlikable character becoming a better person over the summer, as she and Clara go from enemies to friends. The thing is, she improves a little, but she's still very unlikable by the end, so there's certainly not enough growth to make me like her. And worst of all is that she never apologizes. She never apologizes to Clara for bullying her, apologizes about being terribly insensitive to other religions. She becomes better, but never seems to accept and take blame for being terrible before. And I really didn't want this monster to get a happy ending.
As I said, I really liked Rose. I related to her a lot, and I liked watching her and Clara's relationship develop over the summer, or at least I liked seeing her get a friend (even if I wasn't so happy it was Clara the terrible). I think the relationship between these two girls was definitely the best part of the book.
The love interest, Hamlet, was basically a cardboard cutout. I really can't say what any good traits of his are besides being able to make good coffee and spin a cardboard sign well. He was really flat, and for a book called The Way You Make Me Feel there was shockingly little romance. Honestly, this book would definitely have been better if the romance was between Clara and Rose instead of Hamlet, or if there was no romance at all, and it was solely about the friendship between the girls.
At least, the one redeeming point for this book was the diversity! Clara and her parents are Korean, and they grew up in Brazil, Hamlet is Chinese, and Rose is black. There were some wonderful Asian moments and culture things thrown in there that I could definitely relate to and I really loved seeing in a book!
You know, when I pick up a science fiction book, I'm typically not expecting Gods and swords and arrows and kingdoms and all things fantasy. And when You know, when I pick up a science fiction book, I'm typically not expecting Gods and swords and arrows and kingdoms and all things fantasy. And when I pick up a high fantasy, I'm typically not expecting people living permanently on spaceships and frequent interplanetary travel. These two things are very, very different, and I really wouldn't expect them to work out together, but in this case they totally did!!
The book opens with Esmae ready to enter a competition for the best warrior to win the most powerful, impossible to defeat spaceship in the world. She plans to give this to her brother, who was wrongly exiled from his kingdom, and take back the throne from their cruel uncle.
The world building here was phenomenal! I loved reading about all the different planets and spaceships, as well as all the Gods and mythology. I'm not familiar with Indian myths/stories, which this book is based on, so I really enjoyed getting to discover them. The premise of fantastical elements in space also gave me Lunar Chronicles vibes, and that's basically my favorite series in the universe so that should tell you how incredible this world was set up to be!
What I really loved was how unclear and morally grey everything is. At first everything seems very typical, wronged prince, lost princess, usurper king, etc, and parts of this premise definitely weren't the most original, but as I got deeper into the story, it became less and less black and white and more and more grey. As everyone's motives start to become less clear, Esmae as well as me while reading it started to question which side she should really be on: to whom she should be loyal to and why. I loved seeing the tangled web of politics play out, and being unsure for the entire novel about who I should really support.
I loved the characters as well! Esmae is such a fierce warrior, but also she just so desperately wants to have the family that she never got to have, and I really just wanted to reach into the book and give the girl a hug! There were a few times that I was kind of annoyed with her actions, and how determined she is to be independent and not play by the rules even if it was kind of stupid, but for the most part I really loved her.
The romance here was...unnecessary. It was between two people who are related to each other, and I guess technically they aren't related to each other since one of them is adopted...but still. It seemed icky and I was like really why is this necessary? And even if they weren't related I still didn't get all the feels from the romance it was just kind of meh.
The ending though...the ending to this book was absolutely insane!! The whole book is leading up to the ending, leading up to what will happen when Esmae's actions set off a chain of events like a spark of white fire (roll credits), and at the end I was just shook and shocked and owaijfeskld. I definitely didn't see it coming and I feel betrayayed ahhh and I need to read the next book asap right now please
Many thanks to Scholastic for giving me a free ARC at Yallwest
I don't even have the words to describe the absolute cuteness overload that was this booMany thanks to Scholastic for giving me a free ARC at Yallwest
I don't even have the words to describe the absolute cuteness overload that was this book!!! I mean, first of all, just look at that gorgeous cover! With the cherry blossoms, and the drawn characters, and the adorable handwritten look of the cover...I just knew that I would be in for a treat, and I absolutely was!
I Love You So Mochi is about Kimi, a second generation Japanese-American teenager, who goes to Japan and meets her Japanese grandparents for the first time in her life during her senior year of high school, and goes through a period of self exploration and discovery along the way, trying to determine what exactly she wants to do with her life. The premise was so wonderfully cute, yet relatable, and I just adored every inch of this book!
Kimi is such a wonderful character to read about. She's spent her entire life trying to please her parents, especially her mother who wants her to go to a prestigious art school and become an artist. (This also brings up the equations of "Asian Mom Math" which had me cackling lol). Meanwhile, she doesn't really know what she wants to do, except that she's quit art lessons and loves fashion and experimenting with clothes. Reading about her struggle with her parents' expectations and her own desires, and her just feeling overall lost and confused and unsure of what exactly she wants to do with her life felt so personal and relatable to me, a senior in high school who is also trying to figure out just what to do with my life.
I love how Kimi's passion for fashion really shone through in this book. It was so clear how much she loved it, loved her work, and also the descriptions of her pieces, such as a piece of candy wrappers, paper notes, or a re purposed skating dress, were so clear and unique and I could absolutely picture them in my mind and see how much she loved them. We really get to see Kimi's fun, caring, and so complicated yet wonderful personality shining through her art pieces.
The setting was an absolute favorite part of this. Japan! Kyoto! From descriptions of street vendors (like mochi vendors!!), to walks through beautiful parks, to beautiful cherry blossoms, the setting was so amazing to read about and I really felt that I was there, in Japan. This book, and Kimi, is also certainly Japanese-American (Kimi's mom is first generation and her dad is fourth generation), as there are descriptions of growing up Asian in America, and even talk of the Japanese internment camps from WWII. Furthermore, since Kimi is American and has never been to Japan before, we really got to see her experience her culture for the first time, take it in with fresh eyes. We got to see her blundering around, not understanding parts of the language and culture, and trying to figure it out. Trying especially to figure out how she can look like everyone there, much more so than she did in America, yet still seem and act so completely out of place. This was so incredibly relatable to me, and I sometimes felt like Kimi's journey was an exact mirror of my own recent trip to Asian for the first time in ten years where I had to discover everything new.
Of course, would it be one of my reviews if I didn't have a paragraph dedicated to the food? Especially in a book with the word "mochi" in the title? Right from the first chapter there are absolutely mouth watering descriptions of mochi, sweet and chewy with a delicious treat in the middle, matcha and strawberry and all sorts of flavors, and I was here for it!! Kimi even gets to help make mochi at a street vendor's stall and it was just so much fun (and also super delicious) to read about!
One especially wonderful thing about this book was the strong family themes. Kimi goes to Japan initially to escape her mother's wrath when she fails to please her tiger mom, and there she meets her grandparents for the first time who have become estranged from her mom because her mom failed to live up to their expectations. We get to see Kimi meet and get to know her grandparents, and also learn about her mom's past with them, and overall see the importance of family.
So, um. Well. It's been, what, three weeks since I finished reading this book, and I'm only right now getting around to writing the review? Because I So, um. Well. It's been, what, three weeks since I finished reading this book, and I'm only right now getting around to writing the review? Because I procrastinate at literally everything although this is kind of next level procrastination because what do I even remember about this book three weeks later? Nevertheless!! I will try valiantly to review it!!
So it has to be said--everyone is saying it--but this book feels very similar to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Part of it is I guess just the whole six person heist thing that Bardugo made extremely popular and successful, and I really loved that! In that aspect, I was glad that this book was so similar to that book because I loved that one and so that shows that the premise really works and thus I really enjoyed this one as well! On the other hand, the characters felt very, very similar to the other characters, and because of that I couldn't help but to draw constant comparisons and come up, well, short. But now that that's out of the way, let's talk about this phenomenal book!
First of all, I absolutely adored the world this was set in--180os Paris! I'm one of those people who is obsessed with Paris and Europe haha. Furthermore, that would be cool enough as just a historical novel, but the magical aspects thrown in were amazing! In this world, people have the ability to Forge, sort of create magical objects like dust that can make you look like someone else or even be basically invisible, and statues that can move about on their own.
Our six main characters have to carry out a heist, steal an object on a practically suicidal mission, and I loved seeing the way they worked as a team, and was truly on the edge of my seat in some stressful situations where I really wasn't sure if the characters would succeed--or even survive!! In addition to the heists themselves, there was a lot of logic as characters deciphered codes and puzzles to unlock secrets and figure out their plans. I loved seeing these puzzles figured out, trying to figure them out myself since I'm a nerd, and then realizing that I'm nowhere near as smart as these guys and giving up and letting them figure it out for me!
Of course, what really carried the novel for me was all the characters. There's Severin, a wronged leader and treasure hunter determined to carry out impossible missions; Laila, a dancer and baker with a mysterious and terrible past leading her to have an essential goal; Tristan, a adorable gardener with a fierce love for his pet tarantula; Zofia, a sweet girl with a haunted past and an incredible ability with numbers, math, and patterns; Enrique, a fun historian always surrounded by books and knowledge, and Hypnos, an aristocrat who longs for friendships.
All of these characters were fantastic on their own, but I just really loved their relationships with each other more than anything else. It was so amazing, from seeing Severin and Laila's romantic tension, to Laila and Zofia bonding over cookies, to Tristan lecturing everyone about his tarantula. These characters had so many moments that made me smile, from their funny comments to their deep family-like bond, and I just loved them all to pieces.
Of course, the representation in this book is truly incredible! It's been a while since I read this book so I don't recall exactly what everyone was, but there are queer characters, Indian and Filipino and Black and more characters, and a Jewish character. (And there's probably more that I'm forgetting). But also! There are two biracial characters!! I'm biracial myself and I very rarely come across biracial characters in books so I was so excited to see not one but two!! And it was talked about too, with one character especially trying and wanting desperately to fit in with one culture, to join a group and help his people, but being unable to and being marginalized because he was seen not enough of that culture. Talk of never fitting in to either group really, not quite enough to either of the cultures and ending up sort of in the middle and not quite accepted by either group. I FEEL THIS SO MUCH!!! Honestly there is just so much representation in this book and if for no other reason (although there are definitely other reasons!!) you should read this book for that.
The reason I didn't give this book five stars was because there were parts, especially in the beginning, that I was really bored. I didn't really start getting into this book until around 100 pages in or so, and had a harder time connecting to the characters in the beginning, probably in part because there are so many different POVs in all the chapters (although I definitely grew to love them by the end!). Overall though, it was still very good!!
Many thanks to the author Joan He for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was one of my most anticipated books this year and it aMany thanks to the author Joan He for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was one of my most anticipated books this year and it absolutely did not disappoint! I’d already seen so many bloggers gushing about it, and I was especially so excited for the Asian (#ownvoices) representation in fantasy, since most books I read with Asians in them are contemporary! Well, if that sounds amazing to you as well, then look no farther than this book!
The setting and world building was phenomenal! I loved reading about the world, which seems to be like ancient China. There were so many little things, descriptions thrown in there, such as the robes the characters wear, that made my smol Asian heart so happy!
In addition, I love the fantasy world set up here. Magic, performed by sooths, has been outlawed, and the first chapters opens with Hesina committing treason in search of this magic which immediately pulled me in! But as the world develops, and we get to gradually see the rich and turbulent history of the land, the characters and readers start to question whether this is actually the right thing, and basically if everything they know is a lie (as is often the case for those poor hapless book characters) and basically it was just great.
I loved Hesina as a character! She becomes queen after the death of her father, a task difficult enough, and then in trying to investigate the unusual circumstances of his death, ends up learning and dealing with far more than she bargained with. The situation she’s thrown into is extraordinary, as is the way she deals with it! I loved seeing her grow as she learned more and more about her kingdom, and it’s historical and current circumstances, and is thrown into a world where really nothing is certain.
Hesina has a large unusual family, and I loved seeing her interact with all these characters. There are the twins, her adopted siblings who she shares a special bond with and has many funny moments I loved; there’s her full brother, who she shares a somewhat strained relationship with given the fact that her mother always loved her brother and never loved Hesina; there’s her half brother, a bastard child who kept popping up in unexpected ways throughout the story. All these relationships were so different and really showed different sides to Hesina, and then add in all the deceptions of the world and the fact that it’s really impossible to know the motives and loyalties of any of them and it’s crazy!
There’s just a small hint of romance here too and I was all about that romance! Hesina’s love interest is so dark and mysterious, and we know virtually nothing about him in the beginning and I loved the mystery unveiling around him! And also it’s just very romantic and swoony and it was definitely not over the top because there are so many fantasies with super high stakes and heroines who spend the entire time angsting about their love interest and not the fact that they’re about to die and this was definitely not one of those books; it did romance in just the perfect amount!
The ending with all the twists and turns was absolutely insane! I definitely did not see those twisty twists coming, and I basically flew through the last hundred pages or so as the stakes got higher and basically everything and everyone I thought I knew was a lie!!
What I didn’t love about this book was the very ending; it felt a unresolved and I would have liked more closure since this book is apparently a standalone. Also, the pacing wasn’t perfect; the book felt rather slow at the beginning compared to how fast and crazy it was at the end. Overall though, I still absolutely loved it!
This book was such a wonderful Asian fantasy! I feel like so many of the books I read featuring Asians are contemporaries, and I really don't get to rThis book was such a wonderful Asian fantasy! I feel like so many of the books I read featuring Asians are contemporaries, and I really don't get to read that many Asian fantasies, so I was really excited for this one! It was definitely far from perfect, but I did really enjoy it so hooray!
The World I absolutely adored the incredible world this book was set it! It's a Japanese inspired fantasy, where the world is filled with humans, who hold all the power with their spells, and yokai monsters, who would be so much more powerful if they weren't forced to wear enchanted collars by the humans. There is a lot of mythology seamlessly woven into the story, both about the gods who created the world and the humans and yokai living in it that I loved reading about. There was also plenty of talk of politics, and the complicated dynamic between these two creatures and their rulers that I loved reading about!
The premise of the book kind of reminded me of a cross between The Selection and The Hunger Games, but in all the best ways! It's a competition of girls competing to marry the prince and become the next empress, but instead of just wearing pretty dresses all day, they have to fight all the elements and risk death to conquer all the seasons. The royal palace had spring, summer, fall, and winter rooms, and I loved reading about those!
The Pacing Unfortunately, one issue I had with this book was the pacing! As I said, the competition and the seasonal rooms were incredible, but I felt like they passed by in the mere blink of an eye! The beginning of the book, which establishes all the characters in their homes, felt really drawn out compared to the rest of the book, which was really rushed and I would have liked to see developed more. The ending especially felt really rushed, and although I really loved it, I feel like the author tried to tie up too much in too few pages.
The Characters Mari I loved Mari! She's a yokai who never fit in, never pretty enough to take the role of the other yokai in her village, so she has to win the competition and become Empress of All Seasons instead to make her family proud. While at first she seemed a bit naive and fixated only on herself, she grew so much by the end and really fought for a better world.
TaroI gotta admit, I didn't like Taro as much. In the beginning, I loved my smol bean, the prince who doesn't want to be a prince, who never makes his father happy, and who just wants to build mechanic flying birds and insects. Unfortunately, I feel like after that he was never really developed, and became a really weak character who decided to change his entire life's plan after one conversation with a girl.
AkiraAkira is half human and half yokai and I love him for it! The author, Emiko Jean, is half Japanese and half white, so she wrote this character who is really torn between two different identities, exhibiting some traits of both human and yokai but not really fully either, without a group of people he can really fit into. Since I'm half Asian myself, I loved reading about this character and even though I'm not half monster lmao I found myself really relating to Akira! He also grows and develops so much, from an innocent boy flitting around the forest to a warrior fighting against the corrupt system and I just really liked Akira.
The Romance My main problem with this book was the romance. It was totally instalove. Taro has one conversation with Mari, and falls head over heels in love with her, and Mari gets there after, like two conversations. I really didn't feel anything between them. Romance was actually pretty minor in the book, and clearly didn't play a big role in the story, fortunately. The book was really feminist, showing that the women didn't need to listen to men and could rule and change things on their own! However, the romance was so annoying when it kept popping up and I really wish it wouldn't lmao.
Overall I had a few issues with this book, but I did really enjoy it! To anyone looking for another lovely Asian fantasy, I would definitely recommend this book!...more
Wow. What a book this was. It was dark, it was twisted, and it definitely did not sugar coat. And by the end of it I'm left completely reeling and alsWow. What a book this was. It was dark, it was twisted, and it definitely did not sugar coat. And by the end of it I'm left completely reeling and also dying for the next book!
This is definitely one of the darkest books I've ever read, to the point where it really didn't feel so much like YA and more like NA? I would say it's upper YA definitely--I'm seventeen and I probably would have DNFd this book if I read it just two years ago since it would be too intense for me. It's the only book I've ever read that has an actual trigger warning printed in front (violence and sexual abuse), and I think that's really good, since there are some disturbing scenes of sexual violence/assault/abuse and even a rape scene that are hard to read.
I was in complete awe of the worldbuilding. This is an incredible ownvoices Asian fantasy world, where humans and demons are divided into castes, and paper girls are taken against their wills, or at least against the prorogation Lei's will, to be concubines to the cruel demon king. I loved seeing more and more of the world unfold from the way the caste system divides society to the warrior clans and everything else!
For the most part, I really like Lei. She is defiant and adamant in getting out of the role she never wanted, and although she was a bit more passive at the beginning, more trying to stay alive than really change anything about the terrible world, I loved seeing her grow more fierce and passionate as the book progressed! I thought she had incredible character growth thrown into a terrible situation and seizing it!
Of course, like everyone else, I loved the romance. It seems from the synopsis a bit like it might become another of the many many Beauty and the Beast type books where the girls falls in love with the cruel captor man, but that's not the case here! This is a book about two girls who never wanted to be the king's concubines, and who fall in love with each other in a world that wants to make that impossible. It was pretty slow burn in the beginning, and then the way the two girls were there for each other and supporting each other through the terrible things that happened was so incredible. I love these two girls so much!
I loved the rest of the girls as well, particularly seeing the dynamics they had with each other, and learning more and more about them, learning that nobody is as one dimensional as they seem. All of the girls were complicated, as is to be expected when thrust into such a horrible situation. There were a few moments when I was getting annoyed because it seemed like girl on girl hate just because, but as we learned more about the characters and their motives, I thought the positive and negative relationships the girls had with each other on the surface really fit the story.
The ending was really intense and insane, and definitely didn't go about the way I thought it would. I was on the edge of my (metaphorical because I read in bed) seat for the whole ending part of the book! I didn't like it that much, as it felt a bit weird and unrealistic to me, which is the reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars. Overall, this was a really incredible book though and I'll definitely be looking forward to the sequel!
I've now read this book three times: 1. once when I was a junior in high school and was still a ways from what Lara Jean was going through 2. onc2/8/20
I've now read this book three times: 1. once when I was a junior in high school and was still a ways from what Lara Jean was going through 2. once when I was a senior in high school but still a little before Lara Jean who had gone through the stress of college apps, but before hearing back from schools and prom and graduation etc 3. once in my first year of college (this time), after getting rejected from my top choice school, going to prom and graduation, saying goodbye to friends, and really growing up
lemme just say, it hits harder every time.
I related SO MUCH to Lara Jean being so scared of change, the feelings of being unsure where life is taking us, the feelings of wanting to cling to our childhood, while also closing that chapter of life and being excited for the future
5/5 stars this time. after rereading the entire trilogy in like a week, this is definitely my favorite book
(also I cringe at that review I wrote one month into blogging old reviews are the worst) ---
2/17/28
Two years ago, Lara Jean watched her older sister, Margot, go through a painful breakup with her boyfriend because she was leaving to go to college. Now they've come full circle and Lara Jean is in the same position.
Lara Jean and Peter have been been in a blissful relationship for over a year, and they plan to keep it that way. With senior year drawing to a close, they're ready to continue the next chapter of their lives by going to the neighborhood university, UVA, where they'll be able to continue their relationship without curfews or parents, but still be close enough to pop over home if they want. But of course things don't go as planned, and Lara Jean is forced to make the hardest decisions of her life regarding where the next four years of college and beyond will take her.
While still a fairly light contemporary, this book is the most serious and emotional in the series. Lara Jean's relationship with Peter has been such an important thing in her life, but she's suddenly forced to consider other things, and what is really the most practical, and the most important. I almost cried reading this book.
I think that this book is the most relatable in the series as well. Both of the first two books had the dreaded love triangle, which most teens probably can't relate to. Instead, this book has Lara Jean struggling with something all high schoolers have to consider; what to do after high school and where to go to college.
The book was also filled with the nostalgia with ending the high school chapter of Lara Jean's life. Even for people who are not in a relationship, leaving high school means leaving childhood friends and family, and placing yourself in a completely unfamiliar situation. The book examines these, including leaving Lara Jean's oldest friend, Chris.
As always, I loved the situation with the sisters at home. I loved how Margot was really a mother figure and gave Lara Jean good advice on making the choice for college. It was bittersweet to see that the sisters would never live together again, but also beautiful in showing how they were family always and had their arguments and disagreements, but of course, at the end of the day loved each other.
There's also the element of Lara Jean's dad marrying their next door neighbor, Ms. Rothschild/Trina. It was definitely a fun part of the novel seeing the wedding preparations, and it was also a powerful part seeing how the girls adapted to seeing their dad marry again after their mom's death so long ago.
Throughout the entire book, I honestly had no idea how it was going to end, right up to the last page. It was bittersweet, but really beautiful and fitting, and I loved it. If you are like me and scared to read this book because you loved the ending to PS I Still Love You so much, I recommend reading this one anyways because the ending was so satisfying.
So I've read this book FIVE TIMES now... I'm okay with that (also my review is two years old it's like the third review I ever wrote when I first2/2/20
So I've read this book FIVE TIMES now... I'm okay with that (also my review is two years old it's like the third review I ever wrote when I first started blogging and it's so cringe I'm dying)
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1/13/18
As a highschooler, it’s easy to admire boys from afar and shrink into your own shell, invisible from the world. It’s hard to venture outside of your comfort zone, something Lara Jean Song Covey is all too aware of as she is pushed into the spotlight.
Lara Jean writes love letters to all the boys she thinks herself in love with. She doesn’t ever intend to mail them; she just wants to admire them from afar, never putting herself out there, until one day someone sends her letters off and she is confronted by all the boys she wrote to.
When the boy she loves desperately, her older sister’s ex boyfriend Josh, confronts her, she hastily enters a fake relationship with another of her letter recipients, Peter. The relationship, intended to make his ex girlfriend and her crush jealous, quickly evolves into an endearing friendship, and then maybe a little more.
I think that most any high schooler can relate to Lara Jean. She has to put up with the stress of high school, gossip, rumors, and even cyberbullying. And she’s not perfect in any way; she fights with her sisters, she crushes on people she can’t have, she’s gone through her fair share of falling outs with old friends. To me, this just made her more endearing. She makes mistakes, she learns from them, she makes new mistakes.
The relationship between the three sisters in the story is extremely important. It is even more so because their mother is dead, and the sisters have to be there for each other. One of the biggest changes in Lara Jean’s life is her older sister, Margot, going away to college. As someone who, too, has just had an older sibling go to college, I think this book captures the changing atmosphere perfectly. There are moments when you grow apart from each other, things that have come between you that you never thought would occur. There are fights, and a changing atmosphere. But at the end of the day, you’re siblings and you have each other’s back.
I also really loved the diversity in this book. Lara Jean is half Korean, half white. There are certain stereotypes that come from being biracial, or Asian, and as someone who is half Asian myself, I thought that Lara Jean was a great representation.
Of course, the most important thing in this book is the romance. Throughout the novel, Lara Jean really gets close to a boy for the first time in her life. She learns the difference between loving someone from a distance, and getting close and really loving them. This is a great maturing point for her.
She also has great chemistry! There is a bit of a love triangle, but I’m extremely satisfied with who she ended with, and how the story ended.
The only thing that bothered me about this book was that how okay Lara Jean was with being in love with, and wanting to be with her sister’s ex. I think that’s a certain line that shouldn’t be crossed. But again, she’s clearly a flawed character, and that doesn’t make the book any worse for me. And she definitely matures over the course of the plot.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book. It was a light, quick read, but no less beautiful or impactful. This book is the first in a trilogy, and I will enthusiastically continue reading!
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