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micahbean's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
novazan's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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: Suicide attempt
cassiealexandra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.75
This was an odd choice for me, a book that I bought for the cover and because I had store credit at the used bookstore. I ended up loving it. It had an interesting combination of Frankenstein and Wizard of Oz. It had twins who can communicate through a link in their minds. It had well-developed characters, despicable villains, and lots of adventure, intrigue, and action. I loved the relationship between the siblings and their quest. As a central California native, the settings of UC Berkeley and the Sutro Baths were familiar and vivid.
This was a long read, and there were a couple times when it felt slow, but I still had very few issues. I started this in print in July and it wasn’t “working” at the time, so when I picked it up again, I decided to change to audio. The narration was fantastic and I could not recommend it more highly. I think the alchemy and details might have been frustrating to me or I might have gotten lost in them with a print read, but the audio made that easier for me.
I love being surprised when reading. This is one of those books that took me by surprise, not in the plot but in what an absolute pleasure it was to read. I see more Seanan McGuire in my future.
The bottom line: Read this if you want a strange and delightful mixture of science fiction, urban fantasy, and contemporary with nods to Frankenstein, The Midwich Cuckoos (new TBR for me), and The Wizard of Oz.
— NOTES —
Genres: urban fantasy, science fiction
POV: 3rd-person, multiple
— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Pace: 4
Enjoyment: 5
Craft: 5
My Gut Feeling: 5
Total Stars: 4.75
This was a long read, and there were a couple times when it felt slow, but I still had very few issues. I started this in print in July and it wasn’t “working” at the time, so when I picked it up again, I decided to change to audio. The narration was fantastic and I could not recommend it more highly. I think the alchemy and details might have been frustrating to me or I might have gotten lost in them with a print read, but the audio made that easier for me.
I love being surprised when reading. This is one of those books that took me by surprise, not in the plot but in what an absolute pleasure it was to read. I see more Seanan McGuire in my future.
The bottom line: Read this if you want a strange and delightful mixture of science fiction, urban fantasy, and contemporary with nods to Frankenstein, The Midwich Cuckoos (new TBR for me), and The Wizard of Oz.
— NOTES —
Genres: urban fantasy, science fiction
POV: 3rd-person, multiple
— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Pace: 4
Enjoyment: 5
Craft: 5
My Gut Feeling: 5
Total Stars: 4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Murder, Suicide attempt, Gore, and Violence
hbocking's review
adventurous
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? Yes
3.0
Tbh this could have been at least 200 pages shorter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
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
nightstitch96's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Car accident, Murder, Death of parent, and Death
generaljinjur's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Had to return it to the library halfway through my first attempt, and picked it back up about a year later- I’m so so glad I did! Like many of McGuire’s books, this is as much an ode to stories as a marvelous story in and of itself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
guptillc's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm and Suicide attempt
crochet_dinosaur's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
artabria's review against another edition
dark
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? No
5.0
La premisa de Middlegame es tan simple como terrorífica: la alquimia existe, al igual que un alquimista sin escrúpulos que no tienen ningún problema con echar mano de la experimentación humana para conseguir controlar a la Doctrina, el concepto sobre el que se asienta el mundo y que concederá a su poseedor la dominación mundial.
Tras muchos años de pruebas e intentos fallidos, e incontables vidas destruidas para financiar el experimento, James Reed ha conseguido su objetivo: la Doctrina ha sido encarnada en un par de mellizos. Una vez maduren y manifiesten su poder, quién controle a los mellizos será capaz de dominar el mundo.
Si James Reed tiene una debilidad, además de carecer (por más de una razón) de cualquier pizca de humanidad, es su ego. En ningún momento duda que no podrá controlar a los mellizos que ha creado, aun cuando durante la narración se nos repite, incluido en el momento en que nacen los mellizos, que estos son capaces de viajar en el tiempo.
De este experimento para encarnar a la Doctrina en un par de cuerpos humanos, nacieron tres pares de mellizos, aunque el libro solo sigue la vida de uno de los pares: Roger, un chico capaz de aprender cualquier lengua, y Dodger, una chica cuya vida quedará marcada por su habilidad con las matemáticas. En ambos casos, este dominio de las lenguas y de las matemáticas es una extensión de su propia naturaleza.
Si bien la narración sigue principalmente a Roger y su punto de vista, tampoco se nos priva de ver fragmentos de la vida de Dodger. Tras haber sido separados al nacer, como parte del experimento para asegurarse de que sus poderes se manifiesten y poder asegurarse de que no se fortalezcan el uno a la otra (¡no vaya a ser que luego no los puedan controlar!), la historia sigue la vida de ambos según van creciendo y vamos viendo como, incluso con gente intentando evitar que se encuentren, sus vidas se van entrelazando una y otra vez, hasta que al final descubren lo que está ocurriendo y deciden enfrentarse a sus enemigos.
Seanan McGuire, por desgracia, no es una autora que no tiene tantos libros traducidos al castellano (únicamente los tres primeros de Wayward Children), pero su forma de escribir y de hilar la trama que te atrapa del principio a fin.
Tras muchos años de pruebas e intentos fallidos, e incontables vidas destruidas para financiar el experimento, James Reed ha conseguido su objetivo: la Doctrina ha sido encarnada en un par de mellizos. Una vez maduren y manifiesten su poder, quién controle a los mellizos será capaz de dominar el mundo.
Si James Reed tiene una debilidad, además de carecer (por más de una razón) de cualquier pizca de humanidad, es su ego. En ningún momento duda que no podrá controlar a los mellizos que ha creado, aun cuando durante la narración se nos repite, incluido en el momento en que nacen los mellizos, que estos son capaces de viajar en el tiempo.
De este experimento para encarnar a la Doctrina en un par de cuerpos humanos, nacieron tres pares de mellizos, aunque el libro solo sigue la vida de uno de los pares: Roger, un chico capaz de aprender cualquier lengua, y Dodger, una chica cuya vida quedará marcada por su habilidad con las matemáticas. En ambos casos, este dominio de las lenguas y de las matemáticas es una extensión de su propia naturaleza.
Si bien la narración sigue principalmente a Roger y su punto de vista, tampoco se nos priva de ver fragmentos de la vida de Dodger. Tras haber sido separados al nacer, como parte del experimento para asegurarse de que sus poderes se manifiesten y poder asegurarse de que no se fortalezcan el uno a la otra (¡no vaya a ser que luego no los puedan controlar!), la historia sigue la vida de ambos según van creciendo y vamos viendo como, incluso con gente intentando evitar que se encuentren, sus vidas se van entrelazando una y otra vez, hasta que al final descubren lo que está ocurriendo y deciden enfrentarse a sus enemigos.
Seanan McGuire, por desgracia, no es una autora que no tiene tantos libros traducidos al castellano (únicamente los tres primeros de Wayward Children), pero su forma de escribir y de hilar la trama que te atrapa del principio a fin.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt