tori

i do not understand how i can feel so utterly neutral about a character then oda writes their backstory and they instantly become my FAVORITE character

I read this for school but don't get it twisted; the fact that this was required reading had absolutely no hinderance on my enjoyment of this.

I really really loved the writing style. It was so beautiful and seemed to romanticize every aspect of life. But there were so many plot points or lines of dialogue that just had me asking “why? But... but why?” I really couldn't get into the story, and that might be because this just wouldn't have been something I would've picked up on my own.

Also, there's definitely something to be said about how schools have us read stories about racism from a white character's POV and by a white author.

good lord this one wrecked me

he's my son. don't hurt him.

I really really enjoyed this!! This has been on my list since I read “The Strange Fascinations Of Noah Hypnotik” a little less than a year ago. One of my favorite things about David Arnold's books is that the characters are always crazy and wild and insanely memorable. I also love how there's always a bit a fantastical element to his stories. Not in the sense of magical realism but more to the effect of “That wouldn't really happen in real life, but I'm going to suspend my disbelief for the sake of the fact that I WISH it would happen in real life”, ya know?? I absolutely adore Arnold's writing style and the way he crafts his characters.

This 100% would've gotten 5-stars if it weren't for a few key things:

1) There were a few pretty fatphobic remarks from our main character. They weren't necessarily direct but more internalized. Mim also didn't learn or grow out of that behavior. It just didn't sit right with me.

2) There was a scene that was straight out of r/thathappened. I genuinely had to set the book down and take a break for a little while after I read it. It was something to the effect of:

Bad person: being bad
Mim: says something to that person
Everyone: CLAPS

I understand that this book was written in 2014 but it definitely shows. (Also the same thing happened in “The Fault In Our Stars” and that's not forgivable either. Just ugh)

3) I wasn't a huge fan of the last line. The ending as a whole was pretty great. It had just the right mix of ambiguity and closure, something I'm realizing David Arnold does really well. However, the very last two lines just didn't fit for me. This alone wouldn't have docked it a star, but combined with my other two points, it really just solidified its place at 4 stars.

Overall, it's a really great book and I feel it definitely deserves a read.

Personally liked this book more than the first one