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erinsbookshelves's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Violence and Suicide
Minor: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts
invaderday's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
(mild/vague spoilers throughout)
WOW this book! whew. it was tough to get through. it is an incredibly interesting subversion of the fantasy genre and the "chosen one" trope in particular. i think hazel is a very realistic and believable character (as are her counterparts). i appreciate the way that the world was pretty recognizably our own (if a portal started spitting out little monsters) and also that the fantasy elements (such as a dragon) were unapologetically fantastical.
it's hard for me to review this book because while i loved it and am definitely going to be thinking about it for a while, there were parts of this book that were not fun to read- which isn't to say they they weren't well-written or handled with care (they were) but the whole point here is bringing something new to the "chosen hero" character and the circumstances of that "fate", and even holding the entities responsible for that "fate".
it is SO interesting, especially with the amount of introspection that is really required when someone's only allies are alternate versions of themselves. seeing hazel so overly critical of herself and other versions of herself is painful to read only because it is so realistic. i know if i'd been in her position as a 16yo i would have absolutely thought the same things about my own appearance and mannerisms. looking back as an adult, it breaks my heart that i had so much compassion for other people and so little for myself, and this is something that hazel has to confront early, for better or worse.
it is also rather interesting to see a young character struggling with internalized lesbophobia. it's something i went thru and reading it is so uncommon that it become a very intimate experience, even though it doesn't get super deep (since hazel is kinda busy). the way hazel can't even say or think words like "gay" and "lesbian" and not necessarily wanting to commit to that label for herself let alone other people, is very realistic. i am not ace, but being a 16yo and not knowing if ur attraction to girls is real or not simply because you don't think about having sex with them? relatable! i didn't want to have sex when i was 16! it's hard to think about your sexuality when you're a teenager for so many reasons, so my heart really ached for hazel for pretty much this entire book.
this is starting to get long so i'm gonna talk about the ending really quick, so spoilers for the end!
i can't tell if i liked it or not. it wasn't satisfying but that was the point, right? a lot of fantasy books have a neatly wrapped up, "the threat has been vanquished, we may or may not have lost loved ones in the process, but everything is basically okay now happily ever after" type of ending, and that would not fly in this book! so it was an appropriate ending. it doesn't have definite answers. hazel changed but didn't completely transform into a new confident person because of what she went thru. she didn't get her goodbyes. she didn't have a big beautiful finale, honestly. one minute the world was in chaos and the next minute, it isn't. and now she has to figure out how to keep living in the world after the bizarre and unique and unbelievable trauma she went thru. it isn't an ending that leaves you with a lot of joy or hope or wonder. it kind of hurts.
i guess i think this book was everything it needed to be, and everything it should've been, and maybe i'm a little clouded looking at it because i see a lot of my younger self in hazel, too. corinne duyvis always manages to blow me away and i somehow never expect it to hit as deep as it does. I GUESS what i'm saying is: i liked this book, probably even a lot! and i'm going to be sitting with it for a while. and corinne duyvis really deserves more attention for really reimagining and reinterpreting how we can approach SFF fiction! idk how to end this review honestly i'll be surprised if anyone made it this far. fuck this book was really good tho
WOW this book! whew. it was tough to get through. it is an incredibly interesting subversion of the fantasy genre and the "chosen one" trope in particular. i think hazel is a very realistic and believable character (as are her counterparts). i appreciate the way that the world was pretty recognizably our own (if a portal started spitting out little monsters) and also that the fantasy elements (such as a dragon) were unapologetically fantastical.
it's hard for me to review this book because while i loved it and am definitely going to be thinking about it for a while, there were parts of this book that were not fun to read- which isn't to say they they weren't well-written or handled with care (they were) but the whole point here is bringing something new to the "chosen hero" character and the circumstances of that "fate", and even holding the entities responsible for that "fate".
it is SO interesting, especially with the amount of introspection that is really required when someone's only allies are alternate versions of themselves. seeing hazel so overly critical of herself and other versions of herself is painful to read only because it is so realistic. i know if i'd been in her position as a 16yo i would have absolutely thought the same things about my own appearance and mannerisms. looking back as an adult, it breaks my heart that i had so much compassion for other people and so little for myself, and this is something that hazel has to confront early, for better or worse.
it is also rather interesting to see a young character struggling with internalized lesbophobia. it's something i went thru and reading it is so uncommon that it become a very intimate experience, even though it doesn't get super deep (since hazel is kinda busy). the way hazel can't even say or think words like "gay" and "lesbian" and not necessarily wanting to commit to that label for herself let alone other people, is very realistic. i am not ace, but being a 16yo and not knowing if ur attraction to girls is real or not simply because you don't think about having sex with them? relatable! i didn't want to have sex when i was 16! it's hard to think about your sexuality when you're a teenager for so many reasons, so my heart really ached for hazel for pretty much this entire book.
this is starting to get long so i'm gonna talk about the ending really quick, so spoilers for the end!
i can't tell if i liked it or not. it wasn't satisfying but that was the point, right? a lot of fantasy books have a neatly wrapped up, "the threat has been vanquished, we may or may not have lost loved ones in the process, but everything is basically okay now happily ever after" type of ending, and that would not fly in this book! so it was an appropriate ending. it doesn't have definite answers. hazel changed but didn't completely transform into a new confident person because of what she went thru. she didn't get her goodbyes. she didn't have a big beautiful finale, honestly. one minute the world was in chaos and the next minute, it isn't. and now she has to figure out how to keep living in the world after the bizarre and unique and unbelievable trauma she went thru. it isn't an ending that leaves you with a lot of joy or hope or wonder. it kind of hurts.
i guess i think this book was everything it needed to be, and everything it should've been, and maybe i'm a little clouded looking at it because i see a lot of my younger self in hazel, too. corinne duyvis always manages to blow me away and i somehow never expect it to hit as deep as it does. I GUESS what i'm saying is: i liked this book, probably even a lot! and i'm going to be sitting with it for a while. and corinne duyvis really deserves more attention for really reimagining and reinterpreting how we can approach SFF fiction! idk how to end this review honestly i'll be surprised if anyone made it this far. fuck this book was really good tho
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Homophobia
astralbooks's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicide and Gun violence
Minor: Homophobia
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