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elatedbooks's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“‘Everything?’ I shrugged. ‘I think that’s my problem. I want to know everything.’”
This book is such a batshit crazy mindfuck like the big brain energy the author needed to construct this world is mind blowing.
I recently saw this thing about how good fantasy books have magic systems that tie in with the themes of the novel otherwise why not use another type or just set it in reality & while I don’t 100% agree with that because wizards are cool, this book is such a great example of why this works so well (despite being sci-fi but point still stands) because in essence it’s a creation myth & so all the philosophy & theology ties up in a neat little bow giving a very satisfying crescendo of understanding.
That’s not to say this book is easy to understand (re: big brain energy) & I’ve created this term instead of suspension of disbelief this book requires suspension of stupidity because at some stages you just have to accept that you won’t be able to understand quantum physics whilst reading this at 2AM & that’s okay 😌
Adam is so fleabag coded & I was disproportionately obsessed with him. Ariel on the other hand was not very fleshed out - we got a lot of introspection & inner thoughts from her but about thoughts themselves with little backstory (alternatively I’ve just forgotten it all in which case it wasn’t very memorable then)
Overall, this book facilitated a lot of thoughts for me especially since I’ve been interested in religion recently but the actually reading process, although enjoyable once I’d started, always felt a bit strenuous to pick up.
ALSO I HATED THE ENDING.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse and Rape
esme_may's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I wish I had waited a bit to read this because I finished PopCo earlier this month and I kept noticing certain themes come up in both, which made me feel like I was learning a lot more about the author than I would have liked. There were so many interesting ideas in this but I didn’t connect with the characters, and the concepts were often used for philosophical discussion which I wasn’t too keen on. I’d still recommend it, but not to everyone
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, Alcohol, Infidelity, Addiction, Cursing, Grief, Self harm, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Death, Murder, Homophobia, Incest, and Rape
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