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ohlhauc's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
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? Yes
This was just an okay read for me. The concept was interesting and some of the plot points and ideas were interesting. While a small thing, it was also refreshing to see aliens not portrayed as a monolith race but as different groups of the same race (like we have people from different countries, etc.).
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Homophobia, Torture, and Vomit
horizonous's review against another edition
There are only so many orgasms - by the male MC, just for clarification; the women in this book only seem to exist in terms of his sexual satisfaction or for him to disrespect them - and descriptions of breasts and mentions of vomit I can read about before I call it quits.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Sexism
Moderate: Blood, Excrement, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Vomit
Minor: Animal death and Misogyny
hanz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Despite having an interesting premise, I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. The constant time jumps made the story difficult to follow. The main characters constant sexism and objectification of women made him difficult to root for, and even though some characters describe him as amoral and sexist, there were no real consequences for his actions. He still got everything he wanted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
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