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rebeccazh's Reviews (2.89k)
A quick read - this is sort of a middle grade book written in verse about Jude's experience immigrating to US. She has to leave half her family behind while trying to fit in and find a way of belonging in a foreign country, dealing with exclusion and racism and xenophobia in schools. She's trapped between two identities, like a lot of the relatives she meets in the States.
This was very easy to read and I felt like the author really captured the voice of a young girl who's trying to belong. I liked the characterizations of the side characters and I loved the connections she formed. Overall, a really enjoyable read.
This was very easy to read and I felt like the author really captured the voice of a young girl who's trying to belong. I liked the characterizations of the side characters and I loved the connections she formed. Overall, a really enjoyable read.
A pretty decent book, easy to read and informative. I actually came away from this enjoying the author's writing style quite a lot. He's very funny and I think I would enjoy it if he wrote a short memoir of his life lol. A number of points here have been covered in other books in this genre.
I guess this series is just not for me. I tried to get into it but am still not feeling it after three books.
Although I finished this, I also can't believe I read a whopping 580 chapters. This book was just MAMMOTH. You thought books like [b:Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 1|58701949|Heaven Official's Blessing Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 1|Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1633385145l/58701949._SX50_.jpg|92368372] or [b:The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (Novel) Vol. 1|60583047|The Husky and His White Cat Shizun Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (Novel) Vol. 1|Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646874570l/60583047._SX50_.jpg|95491499] were long but this takes the cake.
Anyway. This book had some similarities to [b:地球上線 The Earth Is Online|42403109|地球上線 The Earth Is Online|Mo Chen Huan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1540076736l/42403109._SX50_.jpg|66089584]. I loved that book despite its flaws and I keep trying to find books similar to it. In this novel, the protagonist dies and is transported into a massive survival game/world with other people who have died. The survival world has lots of unlimited flow 'instances' where he solves puzzles or fights to survive with his life on the line. He uncovers chilling secrets of the entire structure of the survival game, finds love and makes friends, and manages to win at the end. The protagonist also gains lots of skills and power ups as he progresses, just like in a game.
The author is extremely creative. There were SO many logic puzzles, murder mysteries, games, etc. I really liked reading about them. They were fun to read and I was very impressed by how the protagonists deduced things (I like detective protagonists). No misogyny (thank god!) and many of the female characters were very complex. Her main and side characters are also all interesting, comical, and distinct (mostly). I especially loved the older team.
I think my biggest issue with this book is that it was way too long. The author was trying to create a survival game that has a progression route and structure inspired by a pack of poker cards, but it meant that the protagonists had to clear like, TWELVE levels of games, excluding sub tiers. Although the games were interesting, after a while I sort of got the gist and started skimming here and there.
I had another issue where I felt like the main characters were too overpowered and everything was going too smoothly. It doesn't feel like there are real stakes coz you know all twelve of the main gang will survive without much happening to them - very little character growth or development or change. The last arc kind of redeemed that a bit for me though. Finally, the path to victory wasn't so smooth.
Anyway. This book had some similarities to [b:地球上線 The Earth Is Online|42403109|地球上線 The Earth Is Online|Mo Chen Huan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1540076736l/42403109._SX50_.jpg|66089584]. I loved that book despite its flaws and I keep trying to find books similar to it. In this novel, the protagonist dies and is transported into a massive survival game/world with other people who have died. The survival world has lots of unlimited flow 'instances' where he solves puzzles or fights to survive with his life on the line. He uncovers chilling secrets of the entire structure of the survival game, finds love and makes friends, and manages to win at the end. The protagonist also gains lots of skills and power ups as he progresses, just like in a game.
The author is extremely creative. There were SO many logic puzzles, murder mysteries, games, etc. I really liked reading about them. They were fun to read and I was very impressed by how the protagonists deduced things (I like detective protagonists). No misogyny (thank god!) and many of the female characters were very complex. Her main and side characters are also all interesting, comical, and distinct (mostly). I especially loved the older team.
I think my biggest issue with this book is that it was way too long. The author was trying to create a survival game that has a progression route and structure inspired by a pack of poker cards, but it meant that the protagonists had to clear like, TWELVE levels of games, excluding sub tiers. Although the games were interesting, after a while I sort of got the gist and started skimming here and there.
I had another issue where I felt like the main characters were too overpowered and everything was going too smoothly. It doesn't feel like there are real stakes coz you know all twelve of the main gang will survive without much happening to them - very little character growth or development or change. The last arc kind of redeemed that a bit for me though. Finally, the path to victory wasn't so smooth.
Lighthearted reading while I'm making my way through [b:太岁 Tai Sui |58424234|太岁 Tai Sui |Priest|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624646037l/58424234._SY75_.jpg|91672507]. This is a xianxia or xuanhuan novel with the main character being 'reborn' after he died 16 years ago and lots of mysteries about his death and current state of things. He has a stoic nemesis who is actually his love interest (slightly similar tropes to [b:Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1|58701673|Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1|Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1633385186l/58701673._SX50_.jpg|92367991] but that's about where the similarities end).
The usual tropes about cultivation, evil/good, the Dao, etc are all here in this one. This is a very melodramatic (dogblood) book and the beginning was VERY intriguing because it wasn't a traditional transmigration/rebirth novel. The mystery of the strange events and plot twists are very fun to unravel.
I have only read one of the author's other books, [b:Breaking Through the Clouds 破云|42955695|Breaking Through the Clouds 破云|淮上|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543202377l/42955695._SX50_.jpg|66764793], which is probably her most famous one and it is very different from this book. The only similarity is the rather labyrinthian plot. However, once the truth was unveiled, my interest dwindled a bit because it was mostly about beating the villain. I think that in the hands of someone like Shui Qian Cheng, the melodrama of the whole story who have been utilized for maximum angst effect lol.
Still, it was fun to read this because I was in the mood for melodrama and xuanhuan stuff.
The usual tropes about cultivation, evil/good, the Dao, etc are all here in this one. This is a very melodramatic (dogblood) book and the beginning was VERY intriguing because it wasn't a traditional transmigration/rebirth novel. The mystery of the strange events and plot twists are very fun to unravel.
I have only read one of the author's other books, [b:Breaking Through the Clouds 破云|42955695|Breaking Through the Clouds 破云|淮上|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543202377l/42955695._SX50_.jpg|66764793], which is probably her most famous one and it is very different from this book. The only similarity is the rather labyrinthian plot. However, once the truth was unveiled, my interest dwindled a bit because it was mostly about beating the villain. I think that in the hands of someone like Shui Qian Cheng, the melodrama of the whole story who have been utilized for maximum angst effect lol.
Still, it was fun to read this because I was in the mood for melodrama and xuanhuan stuff.
I've read so many danmei at this point that it's hard for me to feel interested in something but this was quite fun. It's a esports webnovel. The strength of this webnovel is the main romance, specifically, the main character. He is SO. CUTE. I loved how much of a tsundere he is. Story-wise, it was rather average. I've only read a couple of esports stories but they are all very similar. Anyway, the fluff and the romcom shenanigans makes this book worth it (although I did lose interest a bit by the end...)
one of my favorite among the fairytale retellings! this is very enjoyable
I enjoyed this. Very enjoyable and with a pairing that I really like, and a unique take on zombies.