The Picture Bride was an intriguing look at how life looked for many Korean and Japanese women just one century ago. I enjoyed hearing Willow’s story with all its ups and downs but the ending definitely fell flat. It was out of place and came out of nowhere. I do wish that maybe part 3 was an epilogue rather than multiple chapters but overall it was still a good read!

Want to have an existential crisis? Read this book! In all seriousness though, this is a beautifully written book that really makes you think. It completely eliminates the idea of free will in an incredibly confusing way. How does Death Cast know when someone will die? Are more people dying as a result of Death Cast, especially if the way they are dying is completely as a result of getting the notice? For example, the book talks about “Bangers” a site for people who got the notice to kill themselves in the most creative way to win money for their surviving kin. These people had no intentions of killing themselves but because they got the notice, went through with it. Would they have been meant to die that day if Death Cast wasn’t around to notify them? On the other hand, if free will doesn’t exist and everything is fated, then Death Cast was always going to be there to notify those people anyways. If you couldn’t tell, this is a highly philosophical book with a sweet storyline despite the subject matter. I can tell you one thing, I am glad nothing like Death Cast exists. For a daredevil, this concept would be incredible. Imagine living each day knowing you’re not going to die so you’re essentially free to do any crazy thing you’d like. Sure you could get seriously injured, but guaranteed to not die! Me on the other hand (not a daredevil), I’d spend everyday thinking they forgot to call me and I actually am dying today 😅

I really enjoyed getting to see more of the political side of Star Wars (if that’s possible with a story that’s already so political 😅). Although it’s touched upon in other Star Wars media, the inner workings of the Senate were the main focus of this book. Not that I think many people would be reading this without watching Star Wars, I would definitely recommend having watched the prequels and The Clone Wars prior to reading this book. There are a lot of little nods to them that won’t make much sense without that background knowledge. I also really enjoyed getting to learn more about Padme’s handmaidens. They loved her so much and seeing that love makes her death hurt that much more in ROTS.