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goosegrimm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Death, Body horror, Sexual content, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Chronic illness, Colonisation, Torture, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Classism, Homophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
lizhmil's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Sexism
Minor: Homophobia
skudiklier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Confinement, Drug use, Excrement, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Car accident, Child death, Colonisation, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Transphobia, and War
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Body horror, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Ableism, Cannibalism, Cancer, Drug abuse, and Slavery
bookreviewsgr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault and Torture
Minor: Animal cruelty and Homophobia
kylieqrada's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Torture, and Violence
perditorian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Body horror, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Miscarriage and Homophobia
luckykosmos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Some notes:
- Kaaro is a misogynist. This is commented on in the plot, something the author is fully aware of and makes sure the audience knows. I like reading books from points of view of 'bad' people, but it's worth keeping this in mind.
- Plus, it leads into note #2 - while people are rarely sexualized, there is a lot of sex, particularly when Molara shows up. It isn't frequently said in detail, but sometimes feels out of place, except for the personality Kaaro has built up. I never want to read the phrase 'fleshy baton' again.
- Because of the nature of the xenosphere, sections that take place between the real world and the xenosphere can be a little hard to follow, if it switches between the two quickly. Nonetheless, it's fascinating, and given the final act of the book, I want to know more about how all of this works.
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Rape and Homophobia
v171's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Excrement, and Suicidal thoughts
ohlhauc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I didn't care much about any of the characters and felt most of them were underdeveloped, and the main character who was well-developed was sleazy, sexist, and moody.
What really didn't work for me, however, was the execution of the multiple timelines. The story jumps between different years in the main character's past, progressively moving towards understanding the alien technology. However, the chapters were very short and they often ended during an emotional moment or cliffhanger in a scene. As such, I never got the emotional payoff and by the time the story returned to that moment, much of the investment had dulled. Because the chapters were so short and there were quite a few timelines, it was also hard to keep track of each storyline, so I often felt in a daze, trying to remember what was happening, and having to flip through past pages to trigger. It was a frustrating readable experience and it meant that I was never able to fully connect with any of the side characters or scenes.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Homophobia, Torture, and Vomit