#i am also willing to share more info on them including info that contains spoilers i just didnt know how much is okay to say

[aro-ortega]

i am. wildly intrigued by sidestep from ur posting but i have NO idea who this. guy ? media? is. what’s up with it (if youre so inclined)

sidestep is the main character/protagonist/playable character of the interactive fiction game fallen hero rebirth and its sequel fallen hero retribution (and there will be two more sequels/books eventually)

there is So Much up with sidestep and most of it cannot be gotten into without entering spoiler territory. i can say that they ran away from an abusive home and became a hero in Los Angeles Diablos and then DIED and was brought back home - it has been 7 years since they've died and they've escaped their home again and are back in Los diablos but this time as a villain rather than a hero

sidestep is Los diablos' most eligible bachelor despite being a rat bastard and insufferable douchebag. they have So Much trauma and 10 000 issues, all of which i can't talk about bc Spoilers

omg i nearly forgot the biggest thing and this is not spoilers. they are a telepath, they can read people's minds and this power has only gotten stronger since their death. they are completely unable to read the thoughts of their (former ?) partner/friend/ally however

[bforbookslut]

ARC Review: Ferocious by Paula Stokes

Thank you to Tor Teen for providing me this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This review edition is an ARC and may differ from the printed edition.

I have given this book ☆☆☆☆. It is the second installment in the Vicarious duology. It generally belongs to the Contemporary Young Adult genre but also features elements of Science-Fiction, Romance and Spy fiction. Tor Teen publishes it. It is published 15th August 2017.

The blurb reads:

“Paula Stokes returns to the world of Vicarious in this sequel, a high-action psychological thriller with a protagonist out for vengeance.

When Winter Kim finds out that her sister is dead and that she has a brother she never knew about, only two things matter—finding what’s left of her family and killing the man who destroyed her life. Her mission leads her from St. Louis to Los Angeles back to South Korea, where she grew up.

Things get increasingly dangerous once Winter arrives in Seoul. Aided by her friends Jesse and Sebastian, Winter attempts to infiltrate an international corporation to get close to her target, a nefarious businessman named Kyung. But keeping her last remaining loved ones out of the line of fire proves difficult, and when all seems to be lost, Winter must face one last devastating decision: is revenge worth sacrificing everything for? Or can she find a spark of hope in the darkness that threatens to engulf her?”

Add to Goodreads | Read my review of Vicarious (coming soon) |

Ferocious releases today! And though my timeline says this should have been done and ready a couple of days ago but I’ve had a couple of medical emergencies to deal with.

Verdict:

Ferocious is slaying the 2017 publications game. It picks off immediately where Vicarious left off. While the plot in the first installment is centered around Winter finding out about how Rose died and finding her killer and then learning that she has a dissociative disorder, Ferocious is what Winter does next. It’s about avenging Rose and Gideon, it’s about coming full circle and going back to the events and people that brought the sisters into the United States, it’s about exorcising your demons and it’s about moving forward.

Ferocious is incredibly fast-paced, moving exactly like a double-episode special of Criminal Minds. It’s a lot of spy work, kicking ass, going undercover, using her senses (we’ll get to that in a bit) and basically accepting all the help that she rejected initially. Except, this time, they’re in Korea! Yes, you read that right. Ferocious is set mainly in Korea and I loved how there were little details about the culture and people included from Winter’s love for Korean food, the cosy guesthouses, different districts and their unique personalities and more. I think one of the biggest things that sets Ferocious apart from Vicarious as a stronger and more equipped Winter is knowing that she has multiple personalities. And seeing her utilise them, whether she expects it or not. I would have definitely loved to see a lot more of her disorder explained and broken down instead of just experienced like a film. But I do very much love that Winter, Jesse and Bas are now a team and they trust each other. They’re the only family that they have now that Gideon is gone. I also think it’s beautiful that Ferocious really explores Winter’s aversion to intimacy and how she develops her relationship with Jesse, allowing him to slowly come closer and really let him support her.

To break it down,

[may contain spoilers]

The Good:

Winter is a lot more aware of the kind of person she is and wants to be. She takes charge but is also willing to work in a team and share strength. I think that’s the strongest quality anyone could have.

It’s set in Korea. Although it’s not written by a Korean, and neither am I Korean so I have no right to speak about it, I think it was well-done and although, viewed slightly through a white-person’s lens, it wasn’t overly fetishized (see next section for more info on this) and a lot of the plot and story kept away from Korean culture and focused on it as a setting.

Teamwork!!! I love teamwork and I love solitary characters engage themselves as part of a team and see the value and strength in having people to support and lift you up.

I’m a sucker for romance so Jesse and Winter’s romance is bomb-diggity because unlike other YA romances, theirs took time to build. There first needed to be trust and understanding and caring and building boundaries and taking tiny steps. It’s not the mad head-long rush into hearts and kisses and sex. There are a lot of cute moments of them just holding each other and listening to heartbeats which is so powerful.

Winter is Korean and Jesse’s parents are from Mexico, so hello POC romances.

I like that mental illnesses, particularly Winter’s condition, are being brought to light and treated seriously. I’m not a fan of it being used as a plot device but the fact that it’s being brought up and it’s not a punchline, checks a box in my list. I particularly love that she sought professional help in the end because it’s so important to see it as a sickness, not something to be brushed off.

I like how Gideon’s character evolves eventhough he’s gone. Spoiler alert, bitches.

The Bad:

While the author has said she’s spent a good amount of her life in Korean, I find that placing your MC’s nationality and place of origin as something Asian becomes a point of orientalism because no matter how much time you’ve spent in for example, Korea, you’ll never be truly Korean because you can’t understand what it’s like to be Korean and hence, you’d be unable to capture what a Korean person is like. It’s handled well in Ferocious and Vicarious but it still bothers me. Winter, Rose and Gideon end up feeling very white-coded and the audience needs constant reminder that they’re not white girls, they’re pure Korean people. For example, readers are constantly reminded that Winter loves to eat gimbap, a type of Korean food, and that her name isn’t really Winter: it’s Ha Neul.

It’s too dark and gritty to be considered Young Adult. I’d definitely place it at New Adult. While the writing style feels very YA, easy to digest and uncomplicated, the subject matter (with Rose and Winter being survivors of sex trafficking) is overtly mature and the actions that Winter has taken, particularly flying halfway across the world to seek revenge and retribution seems actions of an adult, not a teenager. Although, Winter sits on the cusp between seventeen and eighteen.

It should come with trigger warnings sighs it’s 2017 why don’t books have these

More light could have been shed on dissociative disorders. Winter’s disorder manifests itself by taking over her senses when she desperately needs them and the chapters indicate which personality is in charge, which is great. But, it felt too much like a film. Her personalities seem to appear on command and when she really needs them rather than interrupting her life (except in the past) and in fact, saving her life. I get that YA books shouldn’t teach a lesson but if a mental illness was to be included and made a major part of the story, I’d love to see it handled a little better.

The writing is a little stifled. It’s harder to make an emotional connection with Winter. Rather, I am watching her life unfold before our eyes and going along with the ride. It’s like watching a movie.

Conclusion:

Ferocious is an awesome close to the Vicarious duology, tying up loose ends and answering questions readers had in the first installment. Winter is stronger and more badass this time around, and a lot more vulnerable. It’s incredibly fast and the action comes at you from every corner. I refused to put it down until my eyes literally shed tears because I was so exhausted. I think it’s a point that a lot of reviewers make that Ferocious (and Vicarious) is a little too old to be categorised into YA but we’re all equipped to handle such dark matters. Get Ferocious now and witness the conclusion to this incredibly dark, gritty and raw story.