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emma's Reviews > We Light Up the Sky
We Light Up the Sky
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emma's review
bookshelves: diverse, ya, sci-fi, from-publisher-author, arc, project-arc, 2-stars, unpopular-opinion, nope, reviewed, authors-of-color, lgbt-plus
Jul 26, 2021
bookshelves: diverse, ya, sci-fi, from-publisher-author, arc, project-arc, 2-stars, unpopular-opinion, nope, reviewed, authors-of-color, lgbt-plus
I don't, it may surprise you to learn, actually like being mean.
While I feel a certain je-ne-sais-quoi joyousness when I am writing a one-star review of a book that deserves it (the racist, the sexist, the stupid), even though I know these ones are most likely to receive an unending wave of disagreeable comments that will suck the life, happiness, and will to go on out of me...I do not like writing negative reviews of books that mean well.
And I tried to talk myself into liking this book. I did. Even though it's sci-fi (bleh). Even though COVID-19 occurred in the universe of this story (reprehensible). Even though I really don't like the cover (the greatest sin of all).
I mean, it's an ARC with an ensemble cast of main characters of color, one of whom is unhoused, one of whom is mourning. These are all good things.
But they're the only good things I've got.
The writing style was stilted, especially the dialogue, which was really unbelievable. I didn't care about the characters, maybe because the whole thing felt too short, which I (Goodreads' leading short books advocate) never say. It had a randomly inserted unnecessary romance, and, perhaps most inexplicably of all, NO CONTRACTIONS.
So it is with a heavy heart I say,
Bottom line: Don't write books about COVID. Or with any of the stuff above. But mostly that.
---------------
pre-review
my first time reading a book in which COVID-19 exists.
i am filled with dread.
update: warranted dread, to be precise.
review to come / 2 stars
---------------
challenging myself to read as many review copies as possible this month because i'm addicted to projects!
ARC 1: spaceman of bohemia
ARC 2: in search of us
ARC 3: aerialists
ARC 4: the sound of drowning
ARC 5: unleaving
ARC 6: the other side of luck
ARC 7: romanov
ARC 8: the storm keeper's island
ARC 9: gut check
ARC 10: when force meets fate
ARC 11: sisters in hate
ARC 12: before i disappear
ARC 13: big time
ARC 14: stolen science
ARC 15: have a little faith in me
ARC 16: invitation to a bonfire
ARC 17: the splendor
ARC 18: how to be luminous
ARC 19: the little women cookbook
ARC 20: while we were dating
ARC 21: the lost girls
ARC 22: wait for it
ARC 23: your life has been delayed
ARC 24: a million things
ARC 25: the royals next door
ARC 26: the love hypothesis
ARC 27: we light up the sky
While I feel a certain je-ne-sais-quoi joyousness when I am writing a one-star review of a book that deserves it (the racist, the sexist, the stupid), even though I know these ones are most likely to receive an unending wave of disagreeable comments that will suck the life, happiness, and will to go on out of me...I do not like writing negative reviews of books that mean well.
And I tried to talk myself into liking this book. I did. Even though it's sci-fi (bleh). Even though COVID-19 occurred in the universe of this story (reprehensible). Even though I really don't like the cover (the greatest sin of all).
I mean, it's an ARC with an ensemble cast of main characters of color, one of whom is unhoused, one of whom is mourning. These are all good things.
But they're the only good things I've got.
The writing style was stilted, especially the dialogue, which was really unbelievable. I didn't care about the characters, maybe because the whole thing felt too short, which I (Goodreads' leading short books advocate) never say. It had a randomly inserted unnecessary romance, and, perhaps most inexplicably of all, NO CONTRACTIONS.
So it is with a heavy heart I say,
Bottom line: Don't write books about COVID. Or with any of the stuff above. But mostly that.
---------------
pre-review
my first time reading a book in which COVID-19 exists.
i am filled with dread.
update: warranted dread, to be precise.
review to come / 2 stars
---------------
challenging myself to read as many review copies as possible this month because i'm addicted to projects!
ARC 1: spaceman of bohemia
ARC 2: in search of us
ARC 3: aerialists
ARC 4: the sound of drowning
ARC 5: unleaving
ARC 6: the other side of luck
ARC 7: romanov
ARC 8: the storm keeper's island
ARC 9: gut check
ARC 10: when force meets fate
ARC 11: sisters in hate
ARC 12: before i disappear
ARC 13: big time
ARC 14: stolen science
ARC 15: have a little faith in me
ARC 16: invitation to a bonfire
ARC 17: the splendor
ARC 18: how to be luminous
ARC 19: the little women cookbook
ARC 20: while we were dating
ARC 21: the lost girls
ARC 22: wait for it
ARC 23: your life has been delayed
ARC 24: a million things
ARC 25: the royals next door
ARC 26: the love hypothesis
ARC 27: we light up the sky
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Reading Progress
July 19, 2021
– Shelved
July 26, 2021
–
Started Reading
July 26, 2021
–
Finished Reading
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message 1:
by
Rea
(new)
Jul 26, 2021 07:57AM
I read a book recently that was published in 2020 and it was set in 2020 and it was so bizarre because it was everything was *normal*
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Rea wrote: "I read a book recently that was published in 2020 and it was set in 2020 and it was so bizarre because it was everything was *normal*"i prefer that tbh
Team let's pretend covid never existed in books cos I'm trying to escape here
The no contractions thing really threw me off to, I hope some got added in the final version
You put it on your unpopular opinion shelf but your opinion seemed exceedingly popular, judging by the current 3.36 average (okay but that’s seriously depressing.)
The unspoken rule of authors: don't write books set during covid or in which covid has happened until it is over. Or any other big historical event that is actively happening. I saw a few months ago a book about a girl in lockdown and it was so weird... Like, no it has not been around long enough for that. I firmly believe so.
While I agree with you on the "don't write books about COVID-19" bit, this was my first book I'd seen that had anything related to the pandemic, so I was kind of stoked to find out what this author's view was.
[Different Opinion] I don’t agree books shouldn’t be written about COVID yet, but I can see why it might bother some. Maybe a trigger warning would be useful here.
