Reviews

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

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larb's review

3.0

I loved the first 1/3 of this book. After that, I found the story got a bit less interesting and I couldn’t relate to or really understand some of the characters choices. The premise is very interesting, but I felt that parts of it fell a little flat and didn’t quite live up to what I was hoping for. I enjoyed the book but felt it had some wasted potential.

soezanneh's review

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reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Content Warnings

emilyeehaw's review against another edition

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Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

after so many years of having this book on my tbr, i’ve read it! and i really enjoyed it!!!!! exactly the sad type of family story i eat up.

i do wish we could have gotten more flashbacks of the siblings as children, but even without that, it was a lovely story about family.

itsbridgette's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

The concept was interesting but it fell flat for me. I feel like it could have been 50 pages shorter. By the time we reached Varya’s story, I had already lost interest. The only reason why I’m not giving it less stars is because the author’s prose is good.

shimmery's review against another edition

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4.0

This was the kind of book I couldn’t wait to get back to and finished in a weekend. Intriguing premise (4 siblings who are told as children the dates on which they will die), interesting subject matter (not just the idea of fate and nature vs nurture but each sibling has a very different life: ballet dancer, magician, doctor, biologist) and beautiful writing. I’m not giving it 5 stars because I didn’t like how Daniel’s part ended and I personally sort of switch off reading about scientists — but these are personal preferences, objectively it probably is a 5 star book. I loved the relationships between the siblings and thought Benjamin captured well that intense love and belonging that exists when there is a group of you (I have 4 sisters myself and rarely come across writing that manages to capture that dynamic so well). A very moving book.