Roslyn

A love letter to reading and Jimbocho, literally immediately went on my bucket list for Japan. Also I love this sort of theme that I have discovered which is the reclaiming of life after being burnt out by work or a mundane tragedy such as a breakup in the beginning of this book.

I think in a time where I myself am beginning my young professional work life, these books give me comfort in that there is always simple solutions to heal again.

Comfy/10 heh

Finding ourselves in Murk where Viv finds time to grow as a character while surrounded by the most delectable baked goods and dusty books. This prequel is such an awesome story of coming of age, the process of developing temporary yet strong friends and connections, and making the reader jealous of all the food being eaten ;w;

From capturing the toil of women in the Ming dynasty to featuring the history researched chinese medicine, this book features such a journey I really enjoyed. For an exploration of girlhood to motherhood and beyond, there is something very moving about See's portrayal of the beauty and inspiration in women's experiences in the context of the time period.

I think this book does what it is supposed to do very well, just a simple comfy dnd set fantasy world with excellent cafe imagery and warm vibes! The appearance of the enemies didn't feel like there was as much threat or stake until near the end (but the low stakes is the point)

Overall I though the plot was great, the slowness and very steady pace it went at was great for the context of this book, I read it like I sip coffee haha- slow and steady. The end did feel a little cheesy but I think for a short comfy book to read, endings are typically hard anyhow so for what it is as a whole, I think it's a very great comfort read I'd be happy to recommend.

Really respect the research that was put into this book, and the language read really well. I thought it resolved pretty well in being true to the characters. However, there is still something lacking with the concept of the magical property of silver. I suppose the point was just to use it as a way to demonstrate humanity would still be the same despite this new magic. This book felt like a watertight ship with no lose ends, all the i's dotted as everything had a purpose, which was both uncanny and admirable. I liked the linguistic touch and the historical fiction aspect -didn't disappoint, however the narrative was a little almost too textbook.

Gripping writing, I liked the omnipotent interjections about things happening elsewhere, but the slow burn and thriller aspect to lead to an open ended resolution at the end which was a bit of a disappointment- especially since there was so much build up to the mystery.
There's a lot of crude/sexual descriptions, but I didn't mind it as much since most YA end of the world tropes sometimes forget to mention the crudeness of humans/”animal needs”. The feeling of isolation was also invoked and I did like that. Very vanilla end of the world trope though, so it shall stay a 3 star.

While there were some cheesy moments and predictable plot points, the ship was watertight in delivering the monotony and psychological nature in which a captialist dystopia functions. Wish there wad more on the world outside of the complex as it was vaguely bleak, however the world inside was very gripping to read about. It gives a bit like the silo series by Hugh Howey.

Romance isn't the usual genre I read, and the main characters making it to the end fairly unscathed was pretty predictable. It's a fluffy historical fiction that does the job I was hoping for it to do. It does also insert a little commentary on the treatment of Black soldiers/people and I found it quite natural within the plot and refreshing since I haven't read a historical fiction touching upon this topic. For the research, writing, and bibliography I have to give it to Julie Berry- her style satisfied what I was looking for- just a plain and simple feel good historical fic. I do appreciate the research and thoughtful ties to real historical figures of music. There is some lack of depth for what I hoped for with the Gods being intermingled, and a little bit with the characters who I did find, were still a little basic, regardless -the combo of this neat concept and warm writing style kept me engaged enough to finish it!

In the broad landscape of european perspectives during the second world war, I think while the book has a lot of stylistic and pacing issues, especially with jolty timeskipping, it captures broad issues of culture, patriotism, and naturalization of korean japanese.

The character development fell flatter as the book progressed however, I think there was a good sense of closure by the end.

I think it is worth a read to learn about east asian history if that is of interest.