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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed the world building and speculative aspect of the story. Enjoyed the main character's point of view. It was interesting and zippy but confused me at the end, but that happens to me a lot so could be user error.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is so unhinged and criminally underrated.
I sort of get what people are maybe not liking about it. I found the Before parts to be kind of a slog. But reflecting I’m not really sure how you’d write the book without them. Maybe they could have been trimmed back a bit.
I think it was slightly mismarketed as a SciFi-Thriller. It sort of is but I’d put it more in the horror category and if that’s not your thing, this book will not be your thing. It is DARK.
From page one there is a feeling of eeriness following the reader, the sense of something extremely sinister lurking on every page. Ashby expertly draws it out in slow and subtle reveals. It’s my favorite way to do horror.
I think the other part of this, the SciFi, while absolutely fascinating, has the potential to leave some readers wanting. There are so many interesting tidbits dropped about the world on each page. But it leaves the reader with questions that don’t ever really get answers. What the hell happened to America? What is going on with women’s rights? You get the distinct sense that the world is a horrible place without anyone coming in and outright stating, “Shit sucks right now.”
But anyway. I loved Kristen’s character. I thought there was some subtle critique/social commentary I really enjoyed. It would make a great discussion book. Maybe even a reread for me some day.
I sort of get what people are maybe not liking about it. I found the Before parts to be kind of a slog. But reflecting I’m not really sure how you’d write the book without them. Maybe they could have been trimmed back a bit.
I think it was slightly mismarketed as a SciFi-Thriller. It sort of is but I’d put it more in the horror category and if that’s not your thing, this book will not be your thing. It is DARK.
From page one there is a feeling of eeriness following the reader, the sense of something extremely sinister lurking on every page. Ashby expertly draws it out in slow and subtle reveals. It’s my favorite way to do horror.
I think the other part of this, the SciFi, while absolutely fascinating, has the potential to leave some readers wanting. There are so many interesting tidbits dropped about the world on each page. But it leaves the reader with questions that don’t ever really get answers. What the hell happened to America? What is going on with women’s rights? You get the distinct sense that the world is a horrible place without anyone coming in and outright stating, “Shit sucks right now.”
But anyway. I loved Kristen’s character. I thought there was some subtle critique/social commentary I really enjoyed. It would make a great discussion book. Maybe even a reread for me some day.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had so many “WTF” moments while reading this book. I love my F-bombs more than the next guy but felt like the scattered vulgarity was forced and unnecessary. Many of the mystery points didn’t make sense to me—just because someone was the last off the crashed plane they’ve all been milling around for 24 hours doesn’t mean they stole the black box; the narrator specifically propped the door open with a rock so she wouldn’t get locked out then later said she was locked in because the system didn’t recognize women; and the big reveal made me wonder if the villain of these specific events was intended to be having a psychotic break because the dots were only loosely connected. The flashbacks felt like I should be deducing something important but instead just slowed down the narrative and added additional “WTF?” (although I appreciated what character revelations they implied about the narrator). Overall, I was very disappointed in a book which had been hyped up to me. This book may land better for women in tech or people who thought Lost was good. I also felt like it would have been better described as a horror novel than a mystery or thriller.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is an interesting read, at first I thought it was a reflection on the perils of technology but then I realized it's more than that. The main character has her flaws but I can't help rooting for her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
A group of employees and their CEO celebrating the sale of emotion tracking AI algorithm, crash onto a not-quite-deserted tropical island.
For those who do survive, they come across a beautifully stocked private palace. The house however has more secrets than anyone might have guessed
This book is for fans of Black Mirror, and I think that it was delivered. However, my biggest complaint was that these people all survived this plane crash, but there’s really no explanation really into what happened with the plane. Why did they go down. But the people who survived just carried on like nothing had happened. I would be a mental mess; on the verge of a breakdown, you can guarantee that. The characters were detached and showed sociopath tendencies. Kristen was a great character and full of depth. It was interesting to see the flashes to the past so I could get to know her more. Really added a lot of understanding.
This book is most certainly a twisted read and one that will make you wonder, and keep you guessing until the last minute.
Thank you to @tornightfire and @netgalley for this e-arc. I appreciate it so much.
All thoughts are my own.
For those who do survive, they come across a beautifully stocked private palace. The house however has more secrets than anyone might have guessed
This book is for fans of Black Mirror, and I think that it was delivered. However, my biggest complaint was that these people all survived this plane crash, but there’s really no explanation really into what happened with the plane. Why did they go down. But the people who survived just carried on like nothing had happened. I would be a mental mess; on the verge of a breakdown, you can guarantee that. The characters were detached and showed sociopath tendencies. Kristen was a great character and full of depth. It was interesting to see the flashes to the past so I could get to know her more. Really added a lot of understanding.
This book is most certainly a twisted read and one that will make you wonder, and keep you guessing until the last minute.
Thank you to @tornightfire and @netgalley for this e-arc. I appreciate it so much.
All thoughts are my own.
fast-paced
Glass Houses struck my fancy because it was supposedly about a start up that crash lands on a deserted island containing a mysterious Glass House- which is a cool premise. However, I would be interested to find out what actual percent of the book took place on the island, because it felt like the majority of the book was extremely long flashback chapters. While I don't hate a flashback, I really struggled with the flow of the book - it felt like it needed a serious editor to restructure everything. It starts with a plane crash and dead people, but because the reader has NO idea who anyone is, there are no stakes. In general actually, the plot had little to no stakes, and as a reader I struggle with enjoying a book where I don't care what happens to anyone. All of this combined with a plot that contained enormous holes and the book was a serious struggle to finish.