Scan barcode
christiek's review against another edition
58% in I realized that I didn't care about any of the characters and didn't give a hoot about what was happening. It's probably just me.
joeure's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the first one better. This one has A LOT going on. I'll read #3 to find out what happens.
deepakchecks's review against another edition
5.0
The previous volume Rosewater established the world beautifully, and finished with the alien Wormwood trying to establish a foothold in earth, and the main protagonist Kaaro, a trained sensitive, stopping to work for the government. In this volume, the flavor is different, more action-packed with multiple conflicts, with at least four different viewpoints and narratives.
One narrative is Aminat's who is being prepped for a space travel, but then is assigned the task to bringing in a person with high xenoform count. This person is Alyssa, whose viewpoint is also explored which leads us to an understanding of how the alien intends to colonize earth. There is the viewpoint of Anthony who has been taken over by the alien and is in the search of other human species to colonize. There is a political angle as well, in which the Mayor of Rosewater, Jack Jacques, unilaterally declares Rosewater an independent city-state and this leads to a war with the Nigerian government. Kaaro enters these proceedings and being the only sensitive who can communicate with the xenosphere, is tasked with protecting wormwood.
With the world building already established in the part 1, the freshness-factor was missing in the second volume, nevertheless a very fast paced and immersive work.
One narrative is Aminat's who is being prepped for a space travel, but then is assigned the task to bringing in a person with high xenoform count. This person is Alyssa, whose viewpoint is also explored which leads us to an understanding of how the alien intends to colonize earth. There is the viewpoint of Anthony who has been taken over by the alien and is in the search of other human species to colonize. There is a political angle as well, in which the Mayor of Rosewater, Jack Jacques, unilaterally declares Rosewater an independent city-state and this leads to a war with the Nigerian government. Kaaro enters these proceedings and being the only sensitive who can communicate with the xenosphere, is tasked with protecting wormwood.
With the world building already established in the part 1, the freshness-factor was missing in the second volume, nevertheless a very fast paced and immersive work.
steeevie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
oodles17's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and War
Minor: Rape
whatthekatdraggedin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
julieannasbooks's review against another edition
4.0
While I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Rosewater Insurrection was even better, answering many of my questions (as well as my hang-ups) from the first book, Rosewater.
Rosewater is very ambitious in its story, combining many elements and setting up a world that is beyond what I've seen in a SFF novel taking place on Earth. That being said, the first book left me with lots of questions and interest in these concepts (especially more background on Rosewater itself) and The Rosewater Insurrection answered that through so many character perspectives. While this is a jump from focusing mainly on Kaaro in book 1 to Aminat (and many others) in book 2, I much preferred the setup of this book. The very brief chapters combined with the time jumps made the story difficult to follow, and while there are more character POV's (and still a non-linear timeline) in this book, I found it much easier to understand.
The additional POV's in this book, along with the mystery and political elements in the storyline, added more layers to what has been a very unique storyline and world so far. I'm looking forward to the release of the final book in the trilogy.
Rosewater is very ambitious in its story, combining many elements and setting up a world that is beyond what I've seen in a SFF novel taking place on Earth. That being said, the first book left me with lots of questions and interest in these concepts (especially more background on Rosewater itself) and The Rosewater Insurrection answered that through so many character perspectives. While this is a jump from focusing mainly on Kaaro in book 1 to Aminat (and many others) in book 2, I much preferred the setup of this book. The very brief chapters combined with the time jumps made the story difficult to follow, and while there are more character POV's (and still a non-linear timeline) in this book, I found it much easier to understand.
The additional POV's in this book, along with the mystery and political elements in the storyline, added more layers to what has been a very unique storyline and world so far. I'm looking forward to the release of the final book in the trilogy.