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geraldineleyendo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The futuristic yet credible world built for this is truly interesting, and the author pours so much creativity in approaching the sci-fi themes. It creates really strong visuals (some of them hugely unpleasant or straight violent and tough to read!!!). Its moments of tension are a bit much in the erotica/gory side, but can still make an enjoyable read if you are open to them.
Characters have many interesting elements but they feel too random - it was hard to see how they fit in the story . The experience is that of reading a collage made from different short stories, not super cohesive.
Although I understand this is a trilogy, and maybe all the satisfaction comes in the following books, the story of Rosewater feels SO incomplete/unfinished it's a bit frustrating.
Characters have many interesting elements but they feel too random - it was hard to see how they fit in the story . The experience is that of reading a collage made from different short stories, not super cohesive.
Although I understand this is a trilogy, and maybe all the satisfaction comes in the following books, the story of Rosewater feels SO incomplete/unfinished it's a bit frustrating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body horror and Violence
bluberrybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Body horror, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, and Torture
deb_is_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.5
Positives: There were so much elements in this story that was just plain cool. The aliens, Kaaro's and other's abilities, the female characters are interesting and I wanted to see more of them.
Negative: So there were a lot of time jumps that weren't chronological. We'd jump from the 2060s to the 2040s to the 2060s again then to the 2050s and references to other time periods within those time jumps. It felt like I should have had a scrap piece of paper to keep track of things. It was a little bit of work to follow. The writing is fine and digestible though.
Sexual moments were also very jarring at times. Romantic moments between Kaaro and Aminat were fine but there were also moments of random erections and sudden moments of sex/sexual assaults. I try to give the author the benefit of the doubt but I felt that a lot of random bouts of sexuality were straight up not needed. It's so strange because our main character is a stated misogynist and we do see him grow a bit, but the random sexual bits kinda ruin it.
Further thoughts: I might be more interested by the next installment because I think we follow more perspectives.
Negative: So there were a lot of time jumps that weren't chronological. We'd jump from the 2060s to the 2040s to the 2060s again then to the 2050s and references to other time periods within those time jumps. It felt like I should have had a scrap piece of paper to keep track of things. It was a little bit of work to follow. The writing is fine and digestible though.
Sexual moments were also very jarring at times. Romantic moments between Kaaro and Aminat were fine but there were also moments of random erections and sudden moments of sex/sexual assaults. I try to give the author the benefit of the doubt but I felt that a lot of random bouts of sexuality were straight up not needed. It's so strange because our main character is a stated misogynist and we do see him grow a bit, but the random sexual bits kinda ruin it.
Further thoughts: I might be more interested by the next installment because I think we follow more perspectives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Body horror
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Miscarriage, and Medical trauma
Minor: Sexism, Homophobia, and Torture
zias's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
The time skips in this story were a little confusing as were the scientific concepts at times, but I thoroughly enjoyed this take on an alien invasion of the human race in a not-so-distant future. I found Kaaro to be funny and likable as a main character with flaws and motivations. I can’t wait to read the following books in this series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Body horror, and Torture
madison_mls's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
If you love science nerd stuff, you’ll like this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
cassie7e's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Fascinating worldbuilding/sci fi take. Love a setting that's not in the US or Europe. Works as a stand alone (thank goodness) though I will eventually continue the series.
The writing has a tone that feels very masculine and unrelatable to me (similar to how I felt about American Gods, though less offputting in this book), but books do not have to be relatable to be enjoyable! The weirdness kept me interested. Also I enjoy a nonlinear narrative.
The writing has a tone that feels very masculine and unrelatable to me (similar to how I felt about American Gods, though less offputting in this book), but books do not have to be relatable to be enjoyable! The weirdness kept me interested. Also I enjoy a nonlinear narrative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Colonisation, and Violence
Moderate: Torture and Body horror
Minor: Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Alcohol, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Racial slurs
maricasement's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
I have conflicted feelings about this book. I went into it knowing only what was written on the blurb and was really excited for the story. The story is told in first person and as the main character (Kaaro) was introduced I got even more excited because I thought they were an interesting, if a bit misogynistic, female character. Alas, Kaaro turned out to be an arrogant and irritating misogynistic male character. My dislike for him was increased by being immersed in his inner thoughts and his obliviousness to his faults. However, I do understand why the author made the choice to use the first person perspective as it becomes more relevant and important in setting the scene as the book progresses.
Because of my dislike for Kaaro, the first half of the book dragged. There was a lot being set up at the start as well, and this meant that the book took a while to grip me. Once the book revealed an awareness of Kaaro's faults and the mystery started to take shape, I started enjoying the book a bit more. Don't get me wrong, Kaaro is still a character I dislike, but the other (female) characters, the plot and the world building now have me hooked.
I will probably read the next in the series, as it seems to be told from a different character's perspective and I would love to learn more about the world Tade Thompson has crafted.
Because of my dislike for Kaaro, the first half of the book dragged. There was a lot being set up at the start as well, and this meant that the book took a while to grip me. Once the book revealed an awareness of Kaaro's faults and the mystery started to take shape, I started enjoying the book a bit more. Don't get me wrong, Kaaro is still a character I dislike, but the other (female) characters, the plot and the world building now have me hooked.
I will probably read the next in the series, as it seems to be told from a different character's perspective and I would love to learn more about the world Tade Thompson has crafted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Excrement, Gore, Kidnapping, Body shaming, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Miscarriage, War, Vomit, and Emotional abuse
oodles17's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, and Body horror
albernikolauras's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
Rosewater is a book following a town centered around an alien presence and the main character Kaaro as he looks into the reason people with powers like him are dying. It's a fast-paced sci fi that throws you into the action and jumps around in the timeline to help you figure out the history of Rosewater.
This book is not for everyone. Kaaro is a misogynistic coward and an opportunistic criminal, and you are stuck with him for the majority of the book. I ended up having a near affection for him despite this - he's probably the most likable unlikeable character. But his issues are never left unconfronted, Aminat is amazing, and the plot kept me interested the entire time. It's jam packed with government conflicts, underhanded trickery, an oddly cute romance, and some squishy alien science.
This was a re-read to prep me for reading the rest of the books.
This book is not for everyone. Kaaro is a misogynistic coward and an opportunistic criminal, and you are stuck with him for the majority of the book. I ended up having a near affection for him despite this - he's probably the most likable unlikeable character. But his issues are never left unconfronted, Aminat is amazing, and the plot kept me interested the entire time. It's jam packed with government conflicts, underhanded trickery, an oddly cute romance, and some squishy alien science.
This was a re-read to prep me for reading the rest of the books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny and War
adamjeffson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Fatphobia, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Body shaming, and Gun violence