i was looking for some lit edits of the reader by @tracichee to reblog here because lit edits are usually what interest my followers in books i love, but i’m having trouble finding any appropriate hype, so. I Will Create It
a quick list of some of the reasons the reader trilogy is one of my favorite series OF ALL TIME, across ALL GENRES:
thoughtful characterization and meaningful character arcs with surprising but organic development
real stakes and tragedy and characters reacting realistically (sometimes messily) to traumatic events
a “kids against the oppressors” YA series that actually takes into account the costs of war, the ethical ramifications of violence, the grief and trauma associated with being literal child soldiers, the longing for home/family, etc
plays clever and sometimes gutwrenching meta scales on the plot (the main character has a book in which everything that has happened and will ever happen is written, and you see her literal fingerprints on the pages as you read her story the same way she does)
VERY good for people who like angst, “die for each other” commitment, and “i am trying so hard to unwrite my love’s fate” storylines
also very good for people who like antiheroes, complicated messy storylines, characters who are given room to screw up, and adults who are just as messy and complicated as the younger YA protagonists
what i’m saying is it will appeal to the raven cycle and six of crows fandoms alike (which are two of the biggest YA bookblr fandoms i’ve seen around here)
but that’s NOT to say that this series is similar to them - it’s incredibly fresh and explores SO MUCH about YA fantasy that i often see ignored, and you can feel how much the author cares about the story being told
stunning prose that sits with you for like. years
the interweaving of the plot is SO CLEVER i want to study that alone for months like “how did you do this”
the heroine is a woman of color; traci chee has talked about bringing her own perspective to YA fantasy and writing protagonists who look like her and share her cultural background, & her writing SHINES
and yes, there is lgbtq+ rep, including several nonbinary characters in the third book
i KNOW i’m forgetting a lot of the best things about this series because it’s been a while since i reread it, but like. bookblr get on it it’s literally So Fucking Good
