Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by k_champagne
The Nichan Smile by C.J. Merwild
3.0
Freedom sometimes required one to look life in the eye and say, “I’m coming for you.”
3⭐️ for The Nichan Smile
✅ Dark Fantasy
✅ Shifter type species
✅ Dystopian
✅ BFFL to lovers (ish)
⚠️CHECK CW
I've been waiting a while to get to this book, mainly knowing it would be at least a trilogy and wanted to have the next to dive into. That said, I still managed to go in almost blind, with no idea what to expect from the plot, outside of it involving a somewhat dystopian world, it would be dark, and the promise of two ride or die best friends. Based on the latter alone, I was sold and didn't care about knowing any details.
Now, I am an absolute h0e for *anything* involving two people who put one another above everything else. That 'you and me against the world' kind of bond that can save and brighten a characters existence in even the worst of circumstances. And, that's what this is. Domino and Gus *live* in those worst of the worst circumstances - but who cares when they have each other? So... swoon, right?
It pains me but it cannot be denied... about 65% into The Nichan Smile, I started to drift. Despite my fav type of bond being very much present, I began skimming, skipping entire paragraphs (fine, even a page or two) because it just held no relevance to what it had FELT like the story was building to. Which brings me to my next point... WHY that happened.
For one thing, this book started out strong. The world building was there - not perfect, but enough that I understood the who / what of the MCs and the social hierarchy of the immediate surroundings, without being overhwleming. That said, as far as the rest of the 'world', any structure, alliances, types beings etc. well... couldn't tell ya. I do know there are Nichans, Vestige's (humans with a little something extra), and regular old humans who apparently travel the continent and try to 'purify' the 'abominations' caused by The Corruption aka a kind of taint that hit after the gods had been taken (or something like that).
The book opens with VERY young Domino, ~7 years old, finding an equally young prisoner Vestige (who would be Gus). INSTANTLY I was rooting for Gus and Domino and Mora. I needed them to come out on top. To establish themselves. Fight the good fight OR say F the good fight lets just be us and ignore the world, etc etc. But none of those things happened. Something was missing.
That missing thing was the antagonist / goal. That thing they are working toward or running from. Just merely surviving, which they were doing, without the goal of staying by each others side over everything else, a plan to escape, SOMETHING identifiable that would be uncovered in a big reveal. Each page felt like it was building, taking me closer to some THING, a big moment, the game changer.
That moment did not come. At all. Don't get me wrong, there is a TON of messed up and terrible stuff that happens - and almost every time it did (there was many) and I'd be all 'HERE we go! This is it!' only to find everything just going on business as miserable as usual by the next dang page.
WITHOUT THESE THINGS, THERE IS *NO* CLEARLY IDENTIFIABLE PLOT.
What are we working toward? Why should I keep going? I am not getting a clear picture of what we're working towards or fighting against aside from the same old stuff as before, that came rolling in like waves of a tide, not to be thwarted or fought - the characters just floated along this proverbial ocean. These kids are put through the wringer, face injustice, bullying, bigotry - but not once was there a light at the end of the tunnel or even a climactic 3rd act devastation - not that rivaled that of the already established perpetual devastating events. Gus and Domino are very much pushed around & have little choice in their lives - yes. Very true. But even in private, in situations where the opportunity to be decisive, do something - they just didn't. They rolled with the punches. No agency, not a single spec in at least 90% of this book.
Now, these are my immediate thoughts, and I hope it makes sense for now. I did get book two downloaded immediately, and I will read it. It's long, something like 600 pages I think. I plan on reading it between other things - hopefully that will chance and I will be pulled in by some great plot device - a change that has me absorbed in this messed up world again, unable to look away from the pages because I have a clear goal / resolution / action to root for and characters who have explicitly decided they will fight for.
Merged review:
Freedom sometimes required one to look life in the eye and say, “I’m coming for you.”
3⭐️ for The Nichan Smile
✅ Dark Fantasy
✅ Shifter type species
✅ Dystopian
✅ BFFL to lovers (ish)
⚠️CHECK CW
I've been waiting a while to get to this book, mainly knowing it would be at least a trilogy and wanted to have the next to dive into. That said, I still managed to go in almost blind, with no idea what to expect from the plot, outside of it involving a somewhat dystopian world, it would be dark, and the promise of two ride or die best friends. Based on the latter alone, I was sold and didn't care about knowing any details.
Now, I am an absolute h0e for *anything* involving two people who put one another above everything else. That 'you and me against the world' kind of bond that can save and brighten a characters existence in even the worst of circumstances. And, that's what this is. Domino and Gus *live* in those worst of the worst circumstances - but who cares when they have each other? So... swoon, right?
It pains me but it cannot be denied... about 65% into The Nichan Smile, I started to drift. Despite my fav type of bond being very much present, I began skimming, skipping entire paragraphs (fine, even a page or two) because it just held no relevance to what it had FELT like the story was building to. Which brings me to my next point... WHY that happened.
For one thing, this book started out strong. The world building was there - not perfect, but enough that I understood the who / what of the MCs and the social hierarchy of the immediate surroundings, without being overhwleming. That said, as far as the rest of the 'world', any structure, alliances, types beings etc. well... couldn't tell ya. I do know there are Nichans, Vestige's (humans with a little something extra), and regular old humans who apparently travel the continent and try to 'purify' the 'abominations' caused by The Corruption aka a kind of taint that hit after the gods had been taken (or something like that).
The book opens with VERY young Domino, ~7 years old, finding an equally young prisoner Vestige (who would be Gus). INSTANTLY I was rooting for Gus and Domino and Mora. I needed them to come out on top. To establish themselves. Fight the good fight OR say F the good fight lets just be us and ignore the world, etc etc. But none of those things happened. Something was missing.
That missing thing was the antagonist / goal. That thing they are working toward or running from. Just merely surviving, which they were doing, without the goal of staying by each others side over everything else, a plan to escape, SOMETHING identifiable that would be uncovered in a big reveal. Each page felt like it was building, taking me closer to some THING, a big moment, the game changer.
That moment did not come. At all. Don't get me wrong, there is a TON of messed up and terrible stuff that happens - and almost every time it did (there was many) and I'd be all 'HERE we go! This is it!' only to find everything just going on business as miserable as usual by the next dang page.
WITHOUT THESE THINGS, THERE IS *NO* CLEARLY IDENTIFIABLE PLOT.
What are we working toward? Why should I keep going? I am not getting a clear picture of what we're working towards or fighting against aside from the same old stuff as before, that came rolling in like waves of a tide, not to be thwarted or fought - the characters just floated along this proverbial ocean. These kids are put through the wringer, face injustice, bullying, bigotry - but not once was there a light at the end of the tunnel or even a climactic 3rd act devastation - not that rivaled that of the already established perpetual devastating events. Gus and Domino are very much pushed around & have little choice in their lives - yes. Very true. But even in private, in situations where the opportunity to be decisive, do something - they just didn't. They rolled with the punches. No agency, not a single spec in at least 90% of this book.
Now, these are my immediate thoughts, and I hope it makes sense for now. I did get book two downloaded immediately, and I will read it. It's long, something like 600 pages I think. I plan on reading it between other things - hopefully that will chance and I will be pulled in by some great plot device - a change that has me absorbed in this messed up world again, unable to look away from the pages because I have a clear goal / resolution / action to root for and characters who have explicitly decided they will fight for.
3⭐️ for The Nichan Smile
✅ Dark Fantasy
✅ Shifter type species
✅ Dystopian
✅ BFFL to lovers (ish)
⚠️CHECK CW
I've been waiting a while to get to this book, mainly knowing it would be at least a trilogy and wanted to have the next to dive into. That said, I still managed to go in almost blind, with no idea what to expect from the plot, outside of it involving a somewhat dystopian world, it would be dark, and the promise of two ride or die best friends. Based on the latter alone, I was sold and didn't care about knowing any details.
Now, I am an absolute h0e for *anything* involving two people who put one another above everything else. That 'you and me against the world' kind of bond that can save and brighten a characters existence in even the worst of circumstances. And, that's what this is. Domino and Gus *live* in those worst of the worst circumstances - but who cares when they have each other? So... swoon, right?
It pains me but it cannot be denied... about 65% into The Nichan Smile, I started to drift. Despite my fav type of bond being very much present, I began skimming, skipping entire paragraphs (fine, even a page or two) because it just held no relevance to what it had FELT like the story was building to. Which brings me to my next point... WHY that happened.
For one thing, this book started out strong. The world building was there - not perfect, but enough that I understood the who / what of the MCs and the social hierarchy of the immediate surroundings, without being overhwleming. That said, as far as the rest of the 'world', any structure, alliances, types beings etc. well... couldn't tell ya. I do know there are Nichans, Vestige's (humans with a little something extra), and regular old humans who apparently travel the continent and try to 'purify' the 'abominations' caused by The Corruption aka a kind of taint that hit after the gods had been taken (or something like that).
The book opens with VERY young Domino, ~7 years old, finding an equally young prisoner Vestige (who would be Gus). INSTANTLY I was rooting for Gus and Domino and Mora. I needed them to come out on top. To establish themselves. Fight the good fight OR say F the good fight lets just be us and ignore the world, etc etc. But none of those things happened. Something was missing.
That missing thing was the antagonist / goal. That thing they are working toward or running from. Just merely surviving, which they were doing, without the goal of staying by each others side over everything else, a plan to escape, SOMETHING identifiable that would be uncovered in a big reveal. Each page felt like it was building, taking me closer to some THING, a big moment, the game changer.
That moment did not come. At all. Don't get me wrong, there is a TON of messed up and terrible stuff that happens - and almost every time it did (there was many) and I'd be all 'HERE we go! This is it!' only to find everything just going on business as miserable as usual by the next dang page.
WITHOUT THESE THINGS, THERE IS *NO* CLEARLY IDENTIFIABLE PLOT.
What are we working toward? Why should I keep going? I am not getting a clear picture of what we're working towards or fighting against aside from the same old stuff as before, that came rolling in like waves of a tide, not to be thwarted or fought - the characters just floated along this proverbial ocean. These kids are put through the wringer, face injustice, bullying, bigotry - but not once was there a light at the end of the tunnel or even a climactic 3rd act devastation - not that rivaled that of the already established perpetual devastating events. Gus and Domino are very much pushed around & have little choice in their lives - yes. Very true. But even in private, in situations where the opportunity to be decisive, do something - they just didn't. They rolled with the punches. No agency, not a single spec in at least 90% of this book.
Now, these are my immediate thoughts, and I hope it makes sense for now. I did get book two downloaded immediately, and I will read it. It's long, something like 600 pages I think. I plan on reading it between other things - hopefully that will chance and I will be pulled in by some great plot device - a change that has me absorbed in this messed up world again, unable to look away from the pages because I have a clear goal / resolution / action to root for and characters who have explicitly decided they will fight for.
Merged review:
Freedom sometimes required one to look life in the eye and say, “I’m coming for you.”
3⭐️ for The Nichan Smile
✅ Dark Fantasy
✅ Shifter type species
✅ Dystopian
✅ BFFL to lovers (ish)
⚠️CHECK CW
I've been waiting a while to get to this book, mainly knowing it would be at least a trilogy and wanted to have the next to dive into. That said, I still managed to go in almost blind, with no idea what to expect from the plot, outside of it involving a somewhat dystopian world, it would be dark, and the promise of two ride or die best friends. Based on the latter alone, I was sold and didn't care about knowing any details.
Now, I am an absolute h0e for *anything* involving two people who put one another above everything else. That 'you and me against the world' kind of bond that can save and brighten a characters existence in even the worst of circumstances. And, that's what this is. Domino and Gus *live* in those worst of the worst circumstances - but who cares when they have each other? So... swoon, right?
It pains me but it cannot be denied... about 65% into The Nichan Smile, I started to drift. Despite my fav type of bond being very much present, I began skimming, skipping entire paragraphs (fine, even a page or two) because it just held no relevance to what it had FELT like the story was building to. Which brings me to my next point... WHY that happened.
For one thing, this book started out strong. The world building was there - not perfect, but enough that I understood the who / what of the MCs and the social hierarchy of the immediate surroundings, without being overhwleming. That said, as far as the rest of the 'world', any structure, alliances, types beings etc. well... couldn't tell ya. I do know there are Nichans, Vestige's (humans with a little something extra), and regular old humans who apparently travel the continent and try to 'purify' the 'abominations' caused by The Corruption aka a kind of taint that hit after the gods had been taken (or something like that).
The book opens with VERY young Domino, ~7 years old, finding an equally young prisoner Vestige (who would be Gus). INSTANTLY I was rooting for Gus and Domino and Mora. I needed them to come out on top. To establish themselves. Fight the good fight OR say F the good fight lets just be us and ignore the world, etc etc. But none of those things happened. Something was missing.
That missing thing was the antagonist / goal. That thing they are working toward or running from. Just merely surviving, which they were doing, without the goal of staying by each others side over everything else, a plan to escape, SOMETHING identifiable that would be uncovered in a big reveal. Each page felt like it was building, taking me closer to some THING, a big moment, the game changer.
That moment did not come. At all. Don't get me wrong, there is a TON of messed up and terrible stuff that happens - and almost every time it did (there was many) and I'd be all 'HERE we go! This is it!' only to find everything just going on business as miserable as usual by the next dang page.
WITHOUT THESE THINGS, THERE IS *NO* CLEARLY IDENTIFIABLE PLOT.
What are we working toward? Why should I keep going? I am not getting a clear picture of what we're working towards or fighting against aside from the same old stuff as before, that came rolling in like waves of a tide, not to be thwarted or fought - the characters just floated along this proverbial ocean. These kids are put through the wringer, face injustice, bullying, bigotry - but not once was there a light at the end of the tunnel or even a climactic 3rd act devastation - not that rivaled that of the already established perpetual devastating events. Gus and Domino are very much pushed around & have little choice in their lives - yes. Very true. But even in private, in situations where the opportunity to be decisive, do something - they just didn't. They rolled with the punches. No agency, not a single spec in at least 90% of this book.
Now, these are my immediate thoughts, and I hope it makes sense for now. I did get book two downloaded immediately, and I will read it. It's long, something like 600 pages I think. I plan on reading it between other things - hopefully that will chance and I will be pulled in by some great plot device - a change that has me absorbed in this messed up world again, unable to look away from the pages because I have a clear goal / resolution / action to root for and characters who have explicitly decided they will fight for.