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runlaurarun's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
This started slow for me, which is not unusual for a book with a lot of characters, but I ended up plowing through the second half and really enjoyed myself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Police brutality
Minor: Child death
minimicropup's review against another edition
Soft DNF. The writing is staccato film noir gritty style that had me re-reading lines because I thought some other character had been speaking, or I had set the scene wrong in my mind’s eye. Or had no idea what anyone was talking about, tangents and context were dropped in the middle of dialogue etc. Audio would work better for me I think.
The characters are hard to track, we’re thrown in scenes without context.
This is an investment read where I’ll need to accept I’ll have no idea what’s going on if I take too long a break between chapters without keeping notes. I don’t care about any of the characters so all the sex, scandals, and dangerous moments are falling flat for me.
I like the peek behind closed doors into the condos. It reads short-story style that all connect in some way. I wish we had only that without the storyline in between where we are following the developer and Wet investigators.
Captures the vibes of current and a potential not-too-distant future Toronto, I think that’s my main motivation to try again later.
The characters are hard to track, we’re thrown in scenes without context.
This is an investment read where I’ll need to accept I’ll have no idea what’s going on if I take too long a break between chapters without keeping notes. I don’t care about any of the characters so all the sex, scandals, and dangerous moments are falling flat for me.
I like the peek behind closed doors into the condos. It reads short-story style that all connect in some way. I wish we had only that without the storyline in between where we are following the developer and Wet investigators.
Captures the vibes of current and a potential not-too-distant future Toronto, I think that’s my main motivation to try again later.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
sarah984's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
I had fun with this one - a dark story of a future Toronto crumbling under the costs of doing business. I thought it was just a little bit too long (some parts were repetitive) but overall I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Death, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Car accident, Gun violence, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Dementia, Excrement, and Sexual harassment
cassie7e's review
dark
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Another sci fi made of gritty desperate vibes in a speculative future, affected by some looming threat. In this book it's both the "wet" and climate change. Books like this seem to revel in making their characters slimy, depressed, cruel or indifferent, at rock bottom, and/or with questionable and morally grey/black pasts. More than necessary. Like the book wants you to hate most of the characters instead of just understand where theyre coming from. This book has so many characters' perspectives packed into a standard length book that it didnt feel as impactful when things happen to them; you don't spend enough time to care about most of them, when the book isn't actively making you (me) hate them. So it feels dystopian but not really like horror. I felt detached. And made the story progress slowly despite being such an average length bc it takes forever to get each character up to speed.
Similar overall feel to The Wanderers (political & pandemic threats), New York 2140 (climate change and corporate ownership), For the Win (virtual reality gaming & union busting), and even Feed (zombies and politics), with varying levels of darkness and unappealing characters. Realism told from individual POV's in the face of an impending doom. (But I connected more with the characters and plots in these examples.)
I much prefer gothic/surreal/horror tones to this gritty realism that's popular right now. (See Mexican Gothic, We Spread, Annihilation, What Moves the Dead, Our Wives Under the Sea.) I think several scenes and aspects of this book would have worked better for me if we switched between short surreal scenes for some characters and kept the grounded realism for others, and wouldve made the book more concise.
Similar overall feel to The Wanderers (political & pandemic threats), New York 2140 (climate change and corporate ownership), For the Win (virtual reality gaming & union busting), and even Feed (zombies and politics), with varying levels of darkness and unappealing characters. Realism told from individual POV's in the face of an impending doom. (But I connected more with the characters and plots in these examples.)
I much prefer gothic/surreal/horror tones to this gritty realism that's popular right now. (See Mexican Gothic, We Spread, Annihilation, What Moves the Dead, Our Wives Under the Sea.) I think several scenes and aspects of this book would have worked better for me if we switched between short surreal scenes for some characters and kept the grounded realism for others, and wouldve made the book more concise.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Sexual content
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