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moshalala's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
newamsterdame's review against another edition
2.0
The Waking Land starts off with a fast-moving plot and a fascinating central emotional conflict. The world-building is lush, and the main character's narration is clear and compelling. However, I would have loved for the narration to linger more on the main character's emotional conflicts and especially her eventual changes of heart. About halfway through the book, the plot begins to move so quickly that there's no time to linger on anything, and barely enough time to understand why the main character is making the choices she does. It becomes increasingly difficult to buy into her relationships with other characters, even when the audience is told how strong those bonds are meant to be. This is particularly noticeable in the relationship between the main character and her central love interest. Both characters-- and the entire cast, really-- have a lot of potential, but the audience doesn't get to know them well enough to buy into their relationships and feel for their losses and difficult decisions. For a book with a dramatic tagline about the main character destroying what she holds dear, the promise of that internal strife and difficult decision-making never really plays out in the narration and emotions of the book. There's a lot of potential here, but the story really needed to slow down and allow its characters to develop.
as3's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Death
jeauneil's review against another edition
5.0
I didn’t think I would like this book as much as I did, but it was a really good read. I agree with others that the world building could have been better, but otherwise liked the characters, and plot. It wasn’t completely predictable the way most books are these days, maybe the love story part, but Bates threw a few curve balls in there that I didn’t expect. I know this is vague, but I don’t want to give spoilers away, but it was a book I could get completely enamored with, staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning to read it. I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book!
I received free books from Penguin Random House in exchange for this review.
I received free books from Penguin Random House in exchange for this review.
aurora512's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
ginac's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5