I loved the world Chee created! Just imagining what a world without books is like, it's kind of haunting!

This is a book about a book, and there is a story within a story, At its core, it is a love letter to reading and literature and stories.

I liked this book. It has a great adventure and mystery. Sefia is running for her life and meets a boy who she helps but doesn't want by her side. Archer on the other had doesn't want to leave her. He also needs to relearn how to be an actual boy. Sefia wants to avenge her families death and also save Nin. Along the way she meets some interesting people and reads some interesting stories. If you like adventure, pirates and finding oneself then pick up this book.

A fantasy world where people don't read. I mean...come on, the possibilities! Imagine would it would mean for this fictional version of humanity -- it'd be a completely different kind of world!

Sadly, this is just a standard fantasy with a heroine who is a blank slate fantasy heroine into whom any other YA fantasy heroine could be inserted with little difference as to the story. Sure there are assassins, thieves, pirates, romance -- all that good stuff you find in YA fantasy...but it simply reads hollow. And slow. So very slow.

Also this isn't a world where people don't read. There's no way this society could exist as it does without some kind of writing -- okay, it's not a latin alphabet or arabic numerals, but they have pictoral signs and symbols that absolutely function as a language and are read by people who see them.

I really enjoyed the world building that Chee crafted. It's an unusual idea that something as prevalent as written communication is such an invisible and foreign concept but she pulls it off beautifully.

One of my new favorite books! This author has such a way with words the pages flew by in no time! I can’t wait to see the next work by this author! This was such a joy to read!

I was completely captivated by this debut fantasy novel. A world where there are no books and no one that knows how to read... the idea completely intrigued me. But wait! Books and reading DO EXIST — at least if you are part of the secret hidden society. Then you know all about these mysterious things that hold such immense power in the world. There were so many characters revealed in this story... but it added to, not distracted from the story. In Sephia's interactions in the world at large, it only makes sense that she would encounter so many different people while she goes about her adventures. I truly enjoyed the way the story is told with excerpts from The Book intertwined. I can't wait to read the next!

A book called The Reader, about a world without books? What a promising premise! And a fantasy, to boot? Check and check!

And so it was with much anticipation that I finally got around to The Reader. The story follows Sefia, a young woman on the run with her fiery aunt, Nin, and in possession of a mysterious object that Sefia’s father died protecting—what Sefia later realizes is a book.

Shortly after the novel opens, the same people who killed Sefia’s father kidnap Nin, and Sefia embarks on a desperate search to find her aunt, despite still being in serious danger herself because she has the Book. A rather standard quest for vengeance with a rather unmemorable heroine ensues.

I became frustrated with Sefia quickly. Not far into the story, the book casually mentions that she’s spent a whole year looking for Nin and her abductors without any progress. A whole year passes in the span of a sentence! Sefia also teaches herself to read at what feels like an unrealistic pace. I think it’s a little ironic how fast Sefia picks up reading when the pacing of The Reader is laborious. At 15% in, I was still trying to work out what was going on plot-wise.

In addition to murky world-building, what really made this book confusing to me was the stories within the main story. While you later find out how they’re connected, for most of the book I found switching between the multiple narratives disruptive. Why are there now pirates in the story? Who is this Lon guy and why should I care about him? By the time the book explained the pirates and Lon, it was too late; the window for building my investment in them had passed.

I will say that the camaraderie among the pirates was well written. It’s evident that Captain Reed and the crew of the Current of Faith are a tight-knit group in a way that only surviving some harrowing adventures together can make them. I might have even enjoyed an entire book centered around their exploits on the high seas.

I’m sad to say that this was a disappointing read for me. While there are some very pretty passages of prose, the tedious pacing, lackluster characters, and jumping back and forth between multiple story lines made this a tough book to finish. I loved the premise so much, though, that I kept going, hoping that the story would pick up. Alas, it did not.

The Reader is such a fabulous and clever story that it's almost hard to believe it's Traci Chee's debut novel. It's complex, multi-layered and the writing is beautiful enough to capture you from the first page. Imagine a world where books are really magical, where the words written in them can be so dangerous that they have actually been banned. In fact, books were outlawed so long ago that most people don't even know what reading or writing is, let alone how to actually do them! It's such a fascinating and horrifying premise to a bookworm like me that I just had to find out how it all came about.

Now let's talk about our main character Sefia, she's someone who has survived some of the darkest things imaginable. She lost both her parents when she was young, barely escaping with her life when her father was tortured and murdered, and since then has only had her aunt Nin to rely on. The two are very close but Sefia has always known that dangerous people are hunting them so they have lived their lives on the fringes, always on the move and living hand to mouth. When those enemies finally catch them Nin sacrifices herself so that Sefia can get away and Sefia is determined to do whatever it takes to rescue her aunt from her captors.

The only clue Sefia has is a mysterious item that her parents always kept hidden and that Nin warned her not to touch. It turns out that item is a book and while Sefia is all alone she slowly teaches herself how to read it. Inside she finds a whole new universe opening up to her, one that's full of stories that totally change the way she looks at the world, as well as giving her some strange new magical abilities. The question is whether she can use those abilities to help rescue her aunt or whether her enemies will catch up with her first.

That's only the beginning of Sefia's adventures and I really don't want to say anything more about this story because I want you to be able to enjoy seeing everything unfold for yourself. There are several other narrators that I've not even touched upon but I'll just tell you that while each plot thread may seem totally unrelated in the beginning they are all very cleverly winding through and around each other to create a vast and complex tapestry that you'll only really be able to see at the end. There are so many characters I want to spend more time with as the series continues and I can't wait to see what happens next. The Reader really is a fantastic debut and I'm just glad that the rest of the trilogy is already available because I plan to binge read the next two books as soon as possible!

Unfortunately, I was unable to get into this title. It just wasn't a good fit for me. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this title. I will not be posting a review online, in order not to skew the ratings. Thanks for the opportunity to read it.

This book felt really disjointed and jumpy. I had a lot of trouble getting into the story and never felt a connection with any of the characters. The book took too long for the characters separate stories to come together. I do not plan to continue with this series.

This is a captivating fantasy that will engage readers of all levels. Such a cool concept! I really enjoyed the attention to world-building and the development of a strong character arc. I also like that this is book 1 of a series - that's truly the way to keep my students reading. :)

First of all, let me thank Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the chance to read and review this book: The Reader by Traci Chee
As always, these thoughts are my own.
I give this story 2.5 stars.


Synopsis: Sefia knows what it means to survive. After her father is brutally murdered, she flees into the wilderness with her aunt Nin. Nin teaches her to hunt, track, and steal, but Nin is kidnapped. Leaving Sefia completely alone, none of her survival skills can help her discover where Nin’s been taken, or if she’s even alive. The only clue to both her aunt’s disappearance and her father’s murder is the odd rectangular object her father left behind, an object she comes to realize is a book—a marvelous item unheard of in her otherwise illiterate society. With the help of this book, and the aid of a mysterious stranger with dark secrets of his own, Sefia sets out to rescue her aunt and find out what really happened the day her father was killed—and punish the people responsible.

Swashbucklers, sharpshooters, magic? The Reader seemed like the best book available.


But then I started reading and everything fell apart. This book sounds like exactly the kind of book that I like! I’ve been waiting to read it for a LONG time and so when Netgalley offered it again I snatched it up. But I’m sorry I did, because it my mind it was so much better.

Problems! The book began with a chapter that seemed mildly interesting: kidnapping, revenge, secrets, and skullduggery. Not quite enough information was given, but hey, it’s a first chapter and I can muscle through. But as I continued to read, I kept just being irritated with the slowness of the plot. The most difficult thing was that there were stories in this book, but the stories were confusing and I couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t.

There were too many characters, too many POVs, and I didn’t care about a single person. I wanted to care. I tried to care. But Sefia’s entire personality was wrapped up in the word revenge, though she does have a Hufflepuff moment here and there. I found her dull and one dimensional.

Pirates! I love pirates! I love swashbuckling and Captain Reed was interesting but he wasn’t consistent between the story and the story in the Book. This story confused me greatly. Overall, I struggled and had to slog through the story. I’m sorry I did! I really wanted to love it, and had been looking forward to it for a LONG time.

What do you think? Have any books fallen flat for you?
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I really enjoyed this book. I like the concept, how it breaks the fourth wall at times. I like the characters and I think the author does a great job of interweaving timelines and converging them. Even found myself surprised and caught off guard. Great read all the way around.

Sefia has been in hiding or on the run her entire life, and now her Aunt Nin has been captured by the same people that had murdered her father. They were looking an object that he had been hiding, with symbols that gradually Sefia learns to understand. In a society that has no written language, the power of a book is also the power of magic, and some people will do just about anything to get it.

The Reader has three separate timelines going at once, and it isn't until much later that you see how they intersect. At first, I thought that the other timelines were simply excerpts from the book that Sefia was reading to Archer, but then we see Captain Reed and members of his crew. The stories she reads about Captain Reed aren't just stories but are as real as she is. And it isn't that reading the stories created them out of magic, but the book that Sefia carries and learns to read from also tells the stories of just about everyone in the land. There is a lot of action in each of the storylines, in the form of slavers, assassins, and the high seas adventures. It felt almost cinematic in how they were described, and it really pulled me into the story. The fact that written words carry magic in this world is a rather obvious allegory for the way a good book can draw you inside of it and feel alive.

This is listed as Book One, and it's the start of a trilogy. I haven't picked up the next two books yet, but they're bound to be just as fascinating and wonderful as this one.

Usually when I choose a book, it’s after I’ve read the entire synopsis (sometimes multiple times) and usually a little skimming through the book. With The Reader, it went entirely out the window and as soon as I saw the cover then realize it had to do with books (a book within a book 😝) I immediately requested it.

And I was not disappointed. There is so much going on throughout the book my head was spinning. But in a good way. However, there were also parts that definitely reminded me of how long the book actually was. Obviously it wasn’t enough to make me stop reading, but it did make me take a few breaks now and then. Over all though, it was a great read, I absolutely loved it!

I was sucked in from the very beginning. This was literally a no adulting don’t bother me kind of book.

"The Reader" is an intriguing YA fantasy that follows a girl named Sefia. Her parents hid her in a secret room through the fireplace. Her mother died when she was young. When she finds her father brutally murdered and burned in their house, Sefia knows what to do- she was trained for it from a young age. She heads to her room and through another secret door to Nin, her neighbor and aunt. However, she also finds an item hidden there by her father- a book.

For a long time, she and Nin are on the run. Everything changes after Nin is taken, and Sefia embarks on a journey to save the only family member she has left. She opens the book and learns to read- luckily, her mother had taught her through play with blocks when she was little. She reads fantastical stories about Librarians and pirates, including about Captain Reed.

In the kingdom, young boys are disappearing. They are captured, their necks are scarred and then they are forced into a battle to the death. Sefia comes across one such boy being kept in a crate by the men who took him. Finding an opportunity, she frees him and he willingly follows her. He does not speak (perhaps cannot remember how), and so she calls him Archer. This book follows not only the stories Sefia reads from the book, but also their quest to find answers for both of them.

At first, I found myself getting lost in all the stories and characters- there are a lot of potential people to follow and remember, perhaps 4 or 5 storylines within the actual book. It's tough to remember where you were when you put it down and pick it back up. I think this would be better read in one sitting as a result. By about 30-40% of the way through, I found myself enjoying it more and better able to follow the multiple storylines. Captain Reed and his crew were probably my favorites- many are special/skilled and they have interesting adventures.

Sefia was a good main character overall, but I felt that we got only minimal answers in this first book. There is little closure, so you definitely will need the next book. A minor romance develops between Sefia and Archer, and I am curious to see how this plays out in the future. Overall, I enjoyed the read and would continue with the series.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I picked this book out for the Asian representation (she's on the cover! with monolids!) but unfortunately, I really struggled reading it. The basis of the world, an illiterate world where the idea of writing down information is unheard of, was an interesting premise. However, I wasn't thrilled by the execution. I also found the main character, Sefia, bland and at times actively unappealing. Finally, I found the world building and magic extremely lacking.

First and foremost, I had problems with how this illiterate society works. Supposedly, this society is illiterate. No one reads, no one's ever thought of writing things down. That's fine, civilization operated like that for thousands of years. I can buy it. As a consequence, there's a strong emphasis on story telling and on letting your name and story be told after you're dead, as a way to be remembered. Huh. That's actually a pretty cool consequence. I like it. Now introduce the secret society, that no only knows how to read and write, they've known for centuries. Wait what? And their mission is world peace? (through questionable means) What does keeping the ENTIRE WORLD illiterate have to do with attaining world peace? What benefit does that possibly bring? It was this fact right here that made reading the rest of the book difficult. I understand the author wants to explore an illiterate society, wants to write about a girl learning the wonders of reading for the first time, but the way that was done was just not great.

And this brings me to my next complaint. Sefia, the girl learning to read for the first time. At first, I simply found Sefia bland. The book begins with her aunt Nin get kidnapped by an unknown third party. Sefia, who's watching from under some bushes vows revenge. However, as the book progresses, that's all Sefia thinks about. Revenge. Despite being the main character and getting the most screentime, I easily found her to be the most boring of all the characters. Even the guard trio that for some reason got a chapter POV, full backstories and career trajectories, I found more interesting and fleshed out than her. Interspersed between Sefia's chapters, we get chapters of a second character who's been brought in as an apprentice to the Secret Reading Society. It's through him that we learn how this Secret Reading Society functions (kind of), the kinds of resources they have, and most importantly, how their magic works. I would have happily read an entire book of just him and his adventures. Other times, I found her actively annoying and frustrating. One quote in particular sums this up quite well.

"Having been a loner all her life, Sefia hadn't known what to do with the other children, so while they were playing Ship of Fools and gambling for copper ksipes, she stole their most valuable trinkets"

Wow, aren't you just the coolest.

My final complaint is in the writing and world building. There are countries and societies named, and I simply had no way to tell them apart. That country is the blue country, this one's red, they don't like each other. Great. Sefia hails from one country, they're currently sailing to another. Also great. But I never felt like knowing the names were relevant, and we were never really given any information that differentiated the lands apart. What are their cultures like? What about geography? How are they ruled? What kinds of cultures do they have? Are they ethnically homogeneous? Mixed? I will give the author credit for not simply making fantasy equivalents of pre-exisiting Earth cultures, but there really wasn't much to differentiate the two apart.

As an aside, I wanted to make a remark on a small but rather crucial element to the story. Sefia teaches herself to read because her parents were safeguarding a book, but it's only after Nin is captured that she opens it. She knows how to sound the letters out because her parents taught her when she was a child, but she struggles to learn how to connect those letters together. Effectively, she's reading English. What crossed my mind when this happened was that Sefia is very lucky these books were written in a language with an alphabet and not something like Chinese where the characters have no relation to the sounds they make.

Overall, I rate this book a 2/5. This world has a gimmick (illiterate society), which was unfortunately not executed in a way that I would have hoped. I also found myself really disliking the main character Sefia. I also wished the author would have spent more time going into the intricacies of the world and the magic.

Review posted on my blog on 9 Nov 2018

Going into this book there were so many overlapping parts that I had to start reading pretty slowly, but this is honestly so beautifully written that I couldn't stop. This is a fantasy novel completely different to everything I've read, the plot is unique and the idea of reading being magical still translate to our world so fluidly.

Let's go over my favorite parts of this novel!

the world: IT IS BEAUTIFUL. There's so many parts and tidbits in the writing, but the map at the front is also really nice. ( A little harder to look at when I have the digital copy, but I still appreciated it) It's still all being sketched out in my mind, but with 2 more books to read I'm sure I'll be able to use my imagination and fill in all the details.
the plot: The whole basis of this novel already really captured my attention, so every movement along the plot line was quite the adventure!
Sefia: This book only scratches the surface on her and I can already tell the next books will go even deeper and I can't wait!

The book feels like inception at times, but that's all part of the appeal. This was definitely a great first book for a trilogy, but it's all buildup and now I'm ready to pick up The Speaker.