Striking Distance

i am torn on this book! it is a fun read but i also had some issues with it; all in all im giving it 3 ½ stars! which is still a good rating!!

what i liked:
- it expanded a lot on the four characters that the novels focuses on and it was nice to see more about their backstory and their thoughts/feelings; the comics are a bit more superficial in that aspect since there is also the heavy focus on fencing
- the writing style is easy and fun and works really well with the different characters. i loved some of the dialogues and several lines made me laugh out loud!
- if you liked the comics then this book feels like the official canon fanfiction that you needed. and i mean this wholeheartedly as a compliment. i'm glad that we get more content with these boys. choosing to focus less on fencing and more on the interpersonal relationships and making the characters grow that way was also a good choice in my opinion. the comic works well as a sports story but i think as a text only story it was better to focus more on other aspects.

what i disliked:
- while it focuses a lot on the four point of view characters, some characters from the comics just.... aren't even mentioned; characters who would have clearly been involved in some scenes
- i could see the overarching theme of the book. i think. but at times it felt a bit ... plotless. especially the two different stories of aiden/havard and seiji/nicholas didn't have a lot of connections; which is fine on its own but it just added to the feeling of the book having no proper plot going on. at times it felt a little bit like various fanfiction tropes were combined and the reader just jumps from one trope to the next. i don't mind tropes at all but i would have liked to get a little bit more than just that
- some stuff just made me go “what.” and made the characters and their actions seem like weird fictional caricatures, i think it might have been better if some ridiculous plot points/scenes had been toned down just a little bit. although i will say that the ridiculousness certainly amused me, even if it broke any semblance of immersion

conclusion:
read this book if you liked the comics! i don't think you will regret it, it is very fun and these characters are so lovable. i am very curious about the sequel to this and i can't wait :B