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bloodmaarked's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
reread 06/09/23:
i reread this in preparation for seasonal fears which i just went and bought, and quite honestly i feel just as much love for this book as i did the first time. so yeah, no updates, refer to original review thx
✧ let's talk about books on my tumblr ✧
original review 06/12/21:
come talk books with me over at my twitter!
oh my god i loved this. something about that cover just told me i would. it was sharp and dark and clever - maybe even too clever at some points, but even where there were plot points that took a while for me to grasp, i was still gripped the whole way through. it's so hard to describe, but yeah, this story was a whole weird, mind-twisting journey of alchemy and power and godhood, and i loved every minute of it. what's more, i loved the cast too! roger and dodger have my whole heart, but i also loved leigh and erin who grew on me over the course of the book. i wish i'd had more time to read because i'm sure i would've torn through it at the speed of light rather than over the near-month that it took in reality. but, if you love SFF, and you love a story that will keep you guessing, i would 100% recommend this. seriously can't wait for seasonal fears to come out - not long now!
i reread this in preparation for seasonal fears which i just went and bought, and quite honestly i feel just as much love for this book as i did the first time. so yeah, no updates, refer to original review thx
✧ let's talk about books on my tumblr ✧
original review 06/12/21:
come talk books with me over at my twitter!
oh my god i loved this. something about that cover just told me i would. it was sharp and dark and clever - maybe even too clever at some points, but even where there were plot points that took a while for me to grasp, i was still gripped the whole way through. it's so hard to describe, but yeah, this story was a whole weird, mind-twisting journey of alchemy and power and godhood, and i loved every minute of it. what's more, i loved the cast too! roger and dodger have my whole heart, but i also loved leigh and erin who grew on me over the course of the book. i wish i'd had more time to read because i'm sure i would've torn through it at the speed of light rather than over the near-month that it took in reality. but, if you love SFF, and you love a story that will keep you guessing, i would 100% recommend this. seriously can't wait for seasonal fears to come out - not long now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Medical content, Death, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Cannibalism, Bullying, Drug use, and Alcohol
lectora21's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Self harm, Vomit, Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Violence
jazhandz's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
If this book were 20% shorter it would've been 50% better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Death of parent, and Abandonment
abitsybat's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Murder, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Self harm, Medical content, and Stalking
Minor: Medical content, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
cryptid_crow's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The book is entirely self referential, but doesn't make that clear until roughly 1/3 of the way through. Once it does, though, the story makes sense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
chalkletters's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Seanan McGuire had come up on the Reading Glasses podcast, and at previous meetings of book club, as a great writer who packed an emotional punch. I’ve had Every Heart a Doorway on my TBR for ages and, were it not for lockdown, would probably have been leant a copy. Thanks to all of this, I went into Middlegame with relatively high expectations.
Even at the beginning, Middlegame’s plot and structure are pretty complicated. For quite some time I had no idea what was going on, and how all the puzzle pieces related to one another, but in a good way! I’ve had this feeling before, where I don’t know what’s happening or how it relates but I know I’m having a great time being carried along for the ride. I recognised it from the first time I read On the Jellicoe Road, which is one of my favourite books by one of my favourite authors.
It helps that the characters are easy to like. I cared about Roger and Dodger from the first passages written from Roger’s perspective. Seanan McGuire wrote them in such a way that I wanted them to be happy, I wanted them to be together and I wanted to learn more about them all at once. The strength of that desire carried the narrative for the first half of the book.
By the second half, the picture on the box of the jigsaw puzzle is starting to take shape. I found it particularly interesting that it was the villains of the novel who were trying to bring magic back into the world. That’s usually the job of the heroes, so it was a neat inversion (though, I have to say, it’s not quite that simple).
Caroline at book club suggested that Middlegame might be a kind of metaphor for the process of writing, which I thought was really interesting. You have to have the right elements, the right building blocks of plot and when it goes wrong, it’s possible you might need to go back a long way to find a small decision you can twist to get the outcome you want. I definitely want to reread the whole book with this in mind and also considering Edward’s idea that Reed was deliberately created to be a villain who would drive Roger and Dodger in a certain direction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Self harm
Moderate: Death, Drug use, and Violence
Minor: Forced institutionalization
tqlikesbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“They were supposed to grow up with their hands in each other’s pockets, compensating for one another’s weaknesses, encouraging one another’s strengths.”
Having only read one other book by McGuire, the first book in her Wayward Children Series, I was not sure what to expect from Middlegame. I have also seen very mixed reviews; generally people who adored her other books seem not to enjoy Middlegame, and those who did not seem to like Wayward Children seem to love this. As I loved listening to the audiobook of Every Heart a Doorway, I was not if I would 'get' this book. However I truly enjoyed this.
Essentially, Middlegame follows a set of twins, created to embody a mysterious doctrine by a man who seems to be modelled on both Victor Frankenstein and his creation. The twins are split up shortly after their creation and sent off to different families, though as they grow, they find a way to communicate with each other and fate seems to bring them together.
What gripped me most about Middlegame was the writing itself. It was otherworldly, creative and clever while still being accessible. The story was so unique and imaginative; I loved the nods to the Wizard of Oz and various bits of folklore and fairy tales, and how McGuire blended these elements with lots of high-logic based mathematics and science. Although I can see why this certainly isn't everyone's cup of tea as it was confusing at times and there are many questions left unanswered by the end.
I found I particularly loved the story of Roger and Dodger, their connection and how they complemented each other and seemed to find their missing halves in each other.
Dark, timeline-twisty and magical- for me Middlegame encompasses all the best elements of sci-fi and fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, Suicide, Gore, and Self harm
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Drug use
natural disaster (earthquake)
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