Brittani S Avery

Being a computer programmer myself, I really loved the Black girl coder representation. I can relate to having long nights searching through Google, StackOverflow, etc. to find the right (or close to the right) thing to make my code work.

I really loved Kiera and her relationship with her sister, which somewhat reminds me of my relationship with my own little sister. I also enjoyed how her relationship with Cicada grows throughout the book. Harper and her little brother were annoying. Her little brother was almost intolerable. However, I understand their part in the story: the ignorant White friends. I honestly could not stand her boyfriend, Malcolm, from the beginning. My feelings for him only grew more negative as the book progressed. I find it a little odd that both the main male characters were portrayed with few (if any) redeeming qualities while the female characters had quirks that weren’t necessarily negative. I wish the characterization could have been more balanced in that aspect.

Some of the chapters took the reader away from Kiera’s point of view. The Cicada chapters were a nice way to intermix how her friendship with Kiera affected her and why she needed SLAY. However, the other chapters seemed more like filler with characters that had little effect on the plot. Those could have been cut to save some time and refocus on the plot.

Even though I really enjoyed the game of SLAY and the vivid descriptions of the cards taking form, I had some moments where it was difficult for me to suspend my disbelief. Thousands of members on multiple servers throughout the world with only two people moderating? I moderated a forum years ago and even with the few hundred we had, we needed way more than two. Also, I often asked myself what exactly were the sites rules regarding harassment and the like when a troll entered SLAY to disrupt it. As the creator, Kiera should have implemented rules regarding harassment and could have easily banned the troll for that. Due to the plot, she didn’t, but I found that a little hard to believe. I also doubted how hundred and then thousands of people (even if they were all Black) could have coexisted peacefully for three years without any incidents.

Overall, the female characters were great and the game SLAY was super creative, but the male characters were more like evil caricatures and the believability diminished as the book progressed. Those are the reasons why I would give Slay a 3.5 out of 5.

NOTE: I got to page 204 before setting the book down. This review will not be based on the entire story

When I originally picked up this book, I was looking for inspiration from other YA authors/books, particularly from the fantasy and sci-fi genres (given that my own book, Element Unknown, is sci-fi/fantasy). I really liked the summary describing a massive war that has been raging for 500 years and how the two main characters, Jax and Naomi, are thrown into the middle of it by their circumstances crossing. I started to read the opening chapters and I found myself really enjoying Naomi and her struggles in survival and meeting the interesting people in her life. Jax was a little bland for my taste and it was hard wanting to care about the goings-on in his life.

As I continued reading and as more characters were introduced, it grew harder and harder to tell them all apart. Despite the chapters being in first person, there didn't seem to be a distinct voice between the characters and they all started to sound the same but with slightly different events/abilities.

The book, also, was a bit of a slow burn. I didn't receive full details about the war going, such as the enemy and the background of the war, until after reading nearly 200 pages. I realize that there is a lot of set up to the world and the history, but it seemed to go a bit slow.

Perhaps one day I will come back and finish the book and, by extension, this review. However, the book was very ‘meh,' interesting enough to get started but not enough to complete.

I picked up this book based on the the short description on the back. I enjoy thrillers and realistic science fiction, so I figured that I would enjoy this book as well. And for the most part, I did. I really liked Rosie as a character and how she didn't pretend that she was like the other students, particularly the popular ones. I also enjoyed how she cared more about others than herself, though that sometimes got her into some trouble with trying to figure out her relationships with Linus, Burnham, and the other students, especially as she continued to discover more and more about the secrets of the school. Some of her choices I didn't quite understand. There is one in particular, toward the end of the book, where she trusted a complete stranger over a friend. I didn't understand why she thought that would be a good idea.

O'Brien's way of writing was pleasant to read and kept my attention, causing me to become invested in the characters. There were some annoyances though. One such annoyance was her overuse of “I said”/”He said”/etc. When reading a conversation between two people, the inclusion of the saying tags isn't always necessary and, sometimes, even distracts from the conversation. The biggest annoyance was the ending of the book. I had to re-read the last chapter to figure out exactly what happened. It didn't make me throw the book across the room as O'Brien said it made other readers (as stated in her interview included in my copy of the book). However, it didn't feel like a satisfactory ending. To be honest, I would have preferred the original ending she mentioned in the interview.

Overall, I liked The Vault of Dreamers, but the ending did not leave me feeling fulfilled, but rather like “Oh, that's it? It's done? Shrugs Okay, I guess.” And while I know there is a sequel, the ending seemed pretty finite and hasn't made me what to find out what happens next.

Overall, I did enjoy the book, loving the mixture fantasy and regency. It was something unique, which was the reason why I picked up the book in the first place. As I started to listen to the book (audiobook narrated by the author), I liked learning about Jane and the relationships with her family, the Dunkirks and the rest of the people of their neighborhood. However, some of the characters annoyed me as the book continued. Jane, while praised for her wit and glamour abilities (which I associated with intelligence and logic), proved to be somewhat dense about the happenings around her, especially in the flirtations of Mr. Dunkirk and the identity of Melody's secret beau. Melody was a spoiled brat who used her beauty constantly to one-up her plain sister because she was jealous of her talents, which didn't make sense to me. Everyone paid all the attention in the world to Melody and very little to Jane, but Melody wished for the attention of every eligible bachelor it seemed. She even at one point had her sights on another, but still grew upset at Jane for supposedly having two suitors. It was completely immature of her. Their mother made my physically roll my eyes at some of her words and I practically hated her by the end of the book. I did like the supporting characters such as their father, Mr. Dunkirk, and Mr. Vincent.

The end of the book seemed rushed as it attempted to tie up loose ends. It was a messy recounting of the events of the week after the duel. I also don't remember if Beth, Jane's best friend throughout the book, received an update in the rushed summary of events. I find that odd since Beth was such a prominent character after her introduction. The last chapter was more like an epilogue than an actual chapter, which caused the book to end on a ‘meh' note.

One thing that would make the book a bit more interesting is a more detailed explanation of glamour. The construction and formation of it was hinted at throughout the book but never explained in the amount of detail I wished. I was just told constantly that both Jane and Mr. Vincent were very accomplished in their control of it. I love seeing the science between the magic, so to speak, detailed in books and I think that having an explanation of how glamour is created would have added more to the fantasy setting.

I really loved Ashfall and how realistic a scenario Mullin created. All the characters started out as normal people just living their lives and just one-by-one they all had to adapt and change to fit their new living conditions. It definitely struck the emotional heartstrings and the moral dilemma of helping others or leaving them to their fates.

I will admit that I am in the camp of liking Darla more than the main character, Alex. I really loved her attitude and how she called Alex out when he did a bone-headed move or allowed his softhearted sympathy to get them in trouble. I also loved how strong she was depicted physically and even mentally. However, when tragic struck her personally, she didn't try to hide it even though she was the super strong tough girl.

Alex was the same in that he didn't truly hide his emotions either, which is great to see in a male main character, especially as a teenage boy. I know that my brother often talks about how real men don't cry and other nonsense. However, some of the badassery that Alex pulled in the book totally proves his manliness despite him allowing himself to grieve and express emotions more than just anger and frustration (even though there was plenty of that too–and for good reason!)

Overall, the changes that the society, environment, and characters go through this book is very thought-provoking and makes for a good read. I'm looking forward to getting the second book in the series and continuing Alex and Darla's story.