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iwac's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bush42's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
conflicted on this one. lots to like - the fungal mystery, violent anger against corpos and the gig economy and our dying world. but all the POVs have the same distant noirish voice which gets exhausting as the book just keeps getting bleaker. it felt like all cynicism no love. i dunno. coming off vandermeer who does eco horror with so much empathy for his weirdo characters makes this one compare unfavorably.
kateofmind's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sharkiereads's review against another edition
slow-paced
1.0
This was not good. There was no plot, too many POVs, and literally nothing entertaining. I couldn't learn to care for anyone because they're POV was broken up by 10 other POV, and half of those never came back into significance.
Can't believe I finished it, it was so close to be a DNF.
Can't believe I finished it, it was so close to be a DNF.
dikestrike's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kay_west_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Favourite book of 2023!
This book is perfect for readers who love Emily St. John Mandel and Guillermo del Toro. The prose are beautiful on a backdrop of grotesque horror. I can not say enough good things about this book other than read it. Especially if you currently, or ever lived in Toronto, there is another layer of magic to it.
The book follows many different people who all live and work in Toronto, as a black mold slowly starts to take over the city's buildings. The characters are fascinating to follow as they navigate a city in chaos. Slowly we start to see connections between the people, places and information as the mold continues to grow and change. There is no third act lag which you usually find with atmospheric books like this - which is a gift itself.
One of my favourite quotes, "A true human scream behind them finally, then a guttural shuddering sound, like a new god being born from an old would reopened, pulled out in one piece and set free in these capillary tunnels, the stream of the city itself."
Also there's a racoon that keeps showing up through the book. which was honestly one of my favourite parts to read.
Although I received this book from NetGalley and ECW Press (thank you!), I'll be purchasing this book when it's out and gifting it to all the twisted beautiful souls I know.
This book is best read on public transportation, while wearing a mask and occasionally making direct eye contact with racoons.
This book is perfect for readers who love Emily St. John Mandel and Guillermo del Toro. The prose are beautiful on a backdrop of grotesque horror. I can not say enough good things about this book other than read it. Especially if you currently, or ever lived in Toronto, there is another layer of magic to it.
The book follows many different people who all live and work in Toronto, as a black mold slowly starts to take over the city's buildings. The characters are fascinating to follow as they navigate a city in chaos. Slowly we start to see connections between the people, places and information as the mold continues to grow and change. There is no third act lag which you usually find with atmospheric books like this - which is a gift itself.
One of my favourite quotes, "A true human scream behind them finally, then a guttural shuddering sound, like a new god being born from an old would reopened, pulled out in one piece and set free in these capillary tunnels, the stream of the city itself."
Also there's a racoon that keeps showing up through the book. which was honestly one of my favourite parts to read.
Although I received this book from NetGalley and ECW Press (thank you!), I'll be purchasing this book when it's out and gifting it to all the twisted beautiful souls I know.
This book is best read on public transportation, while wearing a mask and occasionally making direct eye contact with racoons.
kaylee2222's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
apricotknight's review against another edition
It's good, but it's slow, and I lost interest. There are so many characters the narration is split between that it takes a while for it to get back around to what was happening with any one of them.
alexao's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75