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quabbityash's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual violence and Violence
lunacurlypaws's review
challenging
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Deftly weaves between humor and horror, beautiful, will haunt you. Valente knows how to sneak in a punch to the feels while you're laughing at her sly humor.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia and Death
euphemiajo's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Death, Violence, and Bullying
Minor: Blood, Cancer, and Abandonment
mandkips's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Drug use, Animal death, and Sexual content
benchtuna's review
4.5
it's about hope and it's different kinds and how some kinds will destroy you more than help you. it's about greed and how we know nothing and own nothing and how nothing matters. it's about being alive, being with and being able to have choices. just an interesting, unique view on an apocalypse and what it means to feel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Hate crime, Abandonment, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty
triley's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Blood, Drug use, Violence, Animal death, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, Cancer, and Fire/Fire injury
thoughtsontomes's review
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I actually wasn't expecting to like this, because I traditionally haven't gotten on with Valente's other work, but I was pleasantly surprised by this. I listened to the audio, which I think helped, but I do wish the narrator had made the MC's voice age with time since we follow her up into adulthood and she sounds like a child the whole time. This was an interesting climate change sci-fi that leans into some of the ridiculousness of people living on a pile of garbage in the ocean while really painting a complex world. This is mostly us following our MC and being in her head, so it's less action based and the resolution may feel unsatisfying. But that's great about her is her hopefulness in the face of everything, which I'd say is a good trait for a character in a climate change novel, especially during out current times when people get very nihilist about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Bullying
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual content
bex_knighthunterbooks's review
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved this hopeful story of a girl living on the great pacific garbage patch after the climate apocalypse. The writing was very stylised, which helped Tetley's personality come through and felt realistic for a setting generations into the future, where words have different meanings. I was a little confused at times, but ultimately really enjoyed reading this. The story is more slice-of-life than plot-heavy, which I did like, especially as Tetley's outlook is so positive and charming, and yet we still get to see character growth between the two parts. But, there were also a few twists I didn't anticipate which worked wonderfully. The world building was also mesmerising with strikingly beautiful and absurd imagery, which meant the story felt like a mix between sci-fi and magical realism or fairytale, with a dash of humour. It was also really powerful, with many points that made me think - particularly on the themes of hope (the different places it can be found and the dangers it can bring), consumption and ownership. Would recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Cursing, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Sexual content
krys_kilz's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is definitely a modern day, post-apocalyptic Candide. It makes me want to reread it alongside Candide, so I can compare them more thoroughly.
Because the story is somewhat satirical, I did struggle with portions because I often take things literally. Despite that, there is a lot of razor sharp social commentary packed into this novella including musings on the nature of hope, the desire for easy answers and leaders who offer them, the allure of denial in apocalyptic times, and the movement of power and how it corrupts relationships. I thought the foil of Tetley and Goodnight Moon's characters as well as the foil of Garbagetown and the Mars colonies were exquisitely done and not heavy handed. The world building was incredible and I loved the thoughtfulness of each chapter title.
My only major critique would be some of the disdain towards the Fuckwits felt a little universalizing and problematic in some aspects. For example, there were several fatphobic comments comparing fatness to excess and decadence. Also not all humans participated equally in an extractive and destructive relationship with the earth - this erases histories of colonialism, imperialism, and domination of all kinds.
Overall, this is a very clever story and it will stick with me for a long time.
Because the story is somewhat satirical, I did struggle with portions because I often take things literally. Despite that, there is a lot of razor sharp social commentary packed into this novella including musings on the nature of hope, the desire for easy answers and leaders who offer them, the allure of denial in apocalyptic times, and the movement of power and how it corrupts relationships. I thought the foil of Tetley and Goodnight Moon's characters as well as the foil of Garbagetown and the Mars colonies were exquisitely done and not heavy handed. The world building was incredible and I loved the thoughtfulness of each chapter title.
My only major critique would be some of the disdain towards the Fuckwits felt a little universalizing and problematic in some aspects. For example, there were several fatphobic comments comparing fatness to excess and decadence. Also not all humans participated equally in an extractive and destructive relationship with the earth - this erases histories of colonialism, imperialism, and domination of all kinds.
Overall, this is a very clever story and it will stick with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Violence
Moderate: Death
evenstr's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence