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jayisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.25
For a limited time, Tordotcom made Middlegame downloadable for free, which was nice. I admit I have a tendency to jump at any opportunity to get a free book, even if I don’t know the premise of it. It was absolutely the case with this book, ahaha.
That said, I think I enjoyed this book? It’s hard to tell because, admittedly, I didn’t fully follow what was happening at times. I think there were two reasons for this. One is that there’s a lot of fascinating worldbuilding, but there was a little too much happening. The other related reason is because of the point-of-view that McGuire decided to write in, which was limited third-person primarily from the perspectives of Roger and Dodger. I don’t mind reading books that don’t have an omniscient perspective, but I think it would have helped for this book because, goodness, Roger and Dodger simply have no idea what’s happening for most this book. In other words, the reader has to deal with this as well, and that can get really frustrating. As a result, the story got messier.
On a more positive note, though, I was fascinated by this idea of math and language being the foundation of the world (in a way). I also really enjoyed how McGuire explored the relationship between Roger and Dodger. It was such a unique dynamic that felt very real. Lastly, McGuire writes beautifully with multisensory descriptions that added so much to the book.
I could have missed something that resulted in my confusion, but I may look into the sequel. I’m admittedly curious to know what more McGuire can do with the worldbuilding she has done. Plus, it might make more sense since I have some footing from this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Gore, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child death
yourlocalsadie's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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: Blood
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Self harm, and Death
rebeccaxpaige's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Cursing, and Self harm
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
milliemudd's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Violence, Death, Gore, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Physical abuse
whatcassiedid's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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? Yes
5.0
Wow I really loved this! Very intense worldbuilding that was a little confusing at the start, but made a lot more sense as it went on. The jumping around in timelines kind of reminded me of This Is How You Lose The Time War, which I adored.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
alexhaydon's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Body horror, and Blood
chloeeereads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book has easily made its way into my all time favourites list. I was so hooked right from the first sentence - this book intrigued me, confused me, made me laugh, made me sad, made me think, and I loved every second.
The premise of this book is confusing but so cool and I will try and explain as best I can without giving anything away. Rodger and Dodger are twins (one set of many) engineered by alchemists and separated at birth, destined to grow and live a life apart before coming together when their maker deems fit. Roger is incredibly skilled in language and words, and Dodger in mathematics and numbers, but neither of them realise just how important or dangerous their abilities are. Together, they are the physical embodiment of The Doctrine, an ancient conception which allows its wielder to control time and the universe.
We follow Roger and Dodger throughout their childhoods and into adulthood, as they begin to learn more about themselves, each other, and the world around them. The writing in this book was stunning, and McGuire had such a way of taking something inherently weird and dark and twisted and confusing and weaving it into a story about friendship, family, heartbreak and sacrifice. The relationship between Roger and Dodger was raw and tender and so wonderfully built as the story progressed. There were characters that you couldn’t help but just hate, and so many twists and turns. It was so fun trying to figure out what was going on as Roger and Dodger were doing the same, and we deal with multiple timelines, time warping, telepathy and more. It’s definitely a confusing book and one that will make you verbally say “uh what the fuck” more than once, but it was so intriguing and wonderfully executed. I have been thinking about these characters and this story since I closed this book, and I will probably never stop thinking about it.
If you’ve been seeing this book around or meaning to read it, this is your sign to pick it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
hanz's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident
alcoraca's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder, Suicide attempt, Blood, Death of parent, and Death
cameronreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I put off reading this book for so long and it was because I knew I was going to love it and wanted to 'save it', but love doesn't put into words how amazing this book was. It was one of the most beautifully crafted books I have ever read, and whilst I was confused for most of it (and still somewhat am) it was in such a delightful way that added to the amazing atmosphere and made the experience infinitely better. The characters were so deep and complex and I loved watching Roger and Dodger grow up and how their relationship developed throughout the years. I love how Seanan McGuire utilises all her characters to the fullest and truly fleshes out each one, allowing us to read from so many perspectives and really get a sense for what's going on. The 'magic' system was wonderful and confusing in the best possible way. It was dark and atmospheric and simultaneously heart-breaking and joyful. I adored this book. Seanan McGuire did it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicide attempt, Death, Blood, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Cursing
Minor: Addiction