Board Thread:News and Announcements/@comment-98.247.168.42-20181122042639/@comment-190.61.38.145-20190425012615

Unlike the book smugglers, I read the entire series, and will continue to read it. I do agree that comparing every detail to harry potter is unfair, but there are similarities that can't be ignored.

Sorry, but I think this series is

a) racist, (and undiverse)

and

b) downgrading humans with little explanation

First of all, yes making brown-skinned creatures their 'slaves' (though I have read the other books and they have explained that they are not their slaves) is a bit racist. I can see how it can be percieved like that. Also, they frequently downgrade the gnomes. Like when Keefe joins the neverseen and says that without the gnomes food tastes horrible- elves can't function without them making their food as their servants... okay... also, when Calla dies (yes its sad) she can't bother getting to know ANY other gnomes because it is too sad? That's like saying if your friend dies you cant look at another human again...

Next, Tam and Linh- when they are first introduced, "K-pop idols" or "like they'd stepped straight out of anime" They never properly state their race- only that they are asian. What?! K-pop is korean, and anime is Japanese. It is rude to just cite two different asian popular cultures as what they looked like, basically saying all asians look the same. Also, their last name is Song. When they meet Keefe's dad, and say their last name, he automatically knows wh they are the children of. Only one Song family in the entire Elvish world? It is a highly popular asian name, and therefore saying that there are not a lot of asians in the elvish world. And the song parents, Quan and Mai, have Vietnamese names. What?

And their are not a lot of black elves mentioned. The first black elf mentioned is in the book Exile, when Prentice is introduced. And not a single black elf is a part of their friend group. And before Tam and Linh they were all white. It's like the author got some backlash and added some asian twins to satisfy people.

And guess what- Eternalia is RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF CHINA. Yet everything about it, from the architecture to the people, is unapologetically Western.

And what about all the other races of the world? Polynesion? Filipino? I am unhappy with this representation.

Also what about LGTBQ+? How come it is never mentioned? How discriminatory. If the elves are so perfect, shouldn't homophobia be nonexistent? Or maybe the society is perfect because of the nonexistent homosexuals- which makes Kotlc even ruder if thats what it believes in. HP had the decency to include this, along with more explanations.

The next thing is that the humans are so badly put down, its a little rude. No wait- very rude. Saying that sexism doesnt exist (then why dont the guys wear dresses if it is not stereotypically a girl thing, and why is keefe insulted for taking care of his hair almost as much as biana as if its a girl thing?) Seriously the explanations are insane. Everything about science is put down, with no explanation. HUmans are stupid disgusting creatures. They are ugly and dumb. Yet humans are actually revolutionary. We have done so much despite how many problems we've faced. Even the elves use some of our science. (DNA? Thats on us) Also, at one point they mention how the elves knew about electricity before the humans. UM- humans CREATED electricity. I won't go too much into the science at the moment, but it's a well-known fact. And downplaying J.R Tolkien, saying he got the Lord of the Rings story from an elf? Excuse me, that was all human imagination. So many things are just not explained and ignored. How come elves act like humans but claim they are so different? And that one scene where Shannon Messenger talks about how short human lifespans are, and how the elves think that's why humans are so reckless? It's so dark- saying we are all gonna die. I mean, little 9 year olds read the series! And lastly, what?? Childbirth doesnt hurt for elvin women? Im at a loss for words. Downplaying one of the things that makes women so strong and powerful, the pain yet miracle of childbirth is just so horrible Im tempted to burn the book.

But if I did, what would I laugh at?