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A review by lilyrooke
The Ones We Burn by Rebecca Mix
1.0
are you looking for a painfully clunky attempt at exploring contemporary socio-political themes, resulting in a deeply uncomfortable read?
read this if you enjoyed: Avatar: The Last Airbender (actually don't, just rewatch the show, and save yourself the trouble of having to disassociate the series from this book.
rep: Sapphic MC and LI; I got Achillean vibes from the prince and ambassador but?
cw: nothing really? everything supposedly *dark* is so lacklustre. it'll make sense if you read the book.
Ranka is a monster. A butcher. She's so fearsome, and fierce, and cool. She likes going for long walks in the snow where she can conveniently tell anyone who might be listening to her thoughts everything they need to know about the background to the story for page after page after page, and she hates her enemies so much she's desperate to make friends with every one of them she meets. She's so vicious and consumed with vengeance that she's happy to sit around doing nothing for days, weeks at a time. A little light training here and there. Bit of light banter. Fear her, because she's going to destroy the world. or something?
Reading The Ones We Burn, I couldn't help thinking about modern trad publishing as an industry. It seems now if an author has a viral following on Twitter or TikTok, agents and publishing houses are all too keen to snap up their debut, regardless of quality, in order to cash in on their popularity before it wanes (and... has it waned in this case.) The urgency with which the publishing house wants to take the book to print, to get le monies, means appropriate time and care isn't/can't be given to editing, and to developing the story properly, or to improving the writing quality. This means we've got Mary Sue (sorry, Ranka), wandering around doing nothing for almost 200 pages, reminiscing about her former glory days (which would have made a far more interesting, action-packed book imo), while we're told again and again and again by the clunky narrative just how incredible she is and how everyone should be afraid of her. because she's just the best! 500 pages passes slowly when everything is over-narrated, to the point where the book reads like a detailed outline rather than an immersive novel.
honestly, this book is unnecessarily long, which means it's incredibly expensive. in this economy I'd recommend saving your money (and the trees. poor precious trees, dying for this). comments from people better informed notwithstanding, this book is just painfully boring and poorly written. stay far away and invest your money in something that'll actually make you happy. don't be like me. be smarter than me.
CAWPILE: 1.4 (1*)
favourite aspect: that it's over. I know that sounds harsh but seriously...
a wish: for books to be published on merit rather than social media virality.
disclaimer: please look to reviews by BIPOC and Jewish reviewers as to their opinions on the racism and/or antisemitism included in this book. I'm neither so I won't share any thoughts. I encourage you to look at what those reviewers are saying to get a sense of whether you want to try this book or not.
read this if you enjoyed: Avatar: The Last Airbender (actually don't, just rewatch the show, and save yourself the trouble of having to disassociate the series from this book.
rep: Sapphic MC and LI; I got Achillean vibes from the prince and ambassador but?
cw: nothing really? everything supposedly *dark* is so lacklustre. it'll make sense if you read the book.
Ranka is a monster. A butcher. She's so fearsome, and fierce, and cool. She likes going for long walks in the snow where she can conveniently tell anyone who might be listening to her thoughts everything they need to know about the background to the story for page after page after page, and she hates her enemies so much she's desperate to make friends with every one of them she meets. She's so vicious and consumed with vengeance that she's happy to sit around doing nothing for days, weeks at a time. A little light training here and there. Bit of light banter. Fear her, because she's going to destroy the world. or something?
Reading The Ones We Burn, I couldn't help thinking about modern trad publishing as an industry. It seems now if an author has a viral following on Twitter or TikTok, agents and publishing houses are all too keen to snap up their debut, regardless of quality, in order to cash in on their popularity before it wanes (and... has it waned in this case.) The urgency with which the publishing house wants to take the book to print, to get le monies, means appropriate time and care isn't/can't be given to editing, and to developing the story properly, or to improving the writing quality. This means we've got Mary Sue (sorry, Ranka), wandering around doing nothing for almost 200 pages, reminiscing about her former glory days (which would have made a far more interesting, action-packed book imo), while we're told again and again and again by the clunky narrative just how incredible she is and how everyone should be afraid of her. because she's just the best! 500 pages passes slowly when everything is over-narrated, to the point where the book reads like a detailed outline rather than an immersive novel.
honestly, this book is unnecessarily long, which means it's incredibly expensive. in this economy I'd recommend saving your money (and the trees. poor precious trees, dying for this). comments from people better informed notwithstanding, this book is just painfully boring and poorly written. stay far away and invest your money in something that'll actually make you happy. don't be like me. be smarter than me.
CAWPILE: 1.4 (1*)
favourite aspect: that it's over. I know that sounds harsh but seriously...
a wish: for books to be published on merit rather than social media virality.
disclaimer: please look to reviews by BIPOC and Jewish reviewers as to their opinions on the racism and/or antisemitism included in this book. I'm neither so I won't share any thoughts. I encourage you to look at what those reviewers are saying to get a sense of whether you want to try this book or not.