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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
I liked it! This fresh tale feels urgent with dangerous actions perpetrated/planned by the protagonists and yet the reader sees where both sides are coming from. Nature + Magic + Science + Humanity = yay
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to love this because the author seems lovely, but it felt kind of flat to me. I was never fully convinced about Patricia or Laurence as characters - I didn’t connect with either of them, and they felt very much like story elements to me versus fully fleshed out characters. The plot was also confusing - it had big gaps where I wanted to know more (like healing and trickster magic), and felt jerky and choppy throughout. The tech vs magic tension just didn’t feel compelling or interesting to me either. I am reading Anders’ non-fiction book Never Say You Can’t Survive and definitely tell this is her book. Her “voice” is super geeky, warm and generous, and snarky/silly. I am enjoying her writing advice and thoughts moreso than I did this novel.
[b:All the Birds in the Sky|25372801|All the Birds in the Sky|Charlie Jane Anders|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1429225322s/25372801.jpg|45119441] is an eclectic mix of everything that interests me. Science fiction, fantasy, birds, philosophy, love and an intricate plot blend the lives of Patricia and Laurence together. I love the creative use of science vs. magic to problem solve a looming disaster. It is an engaging read that I struggled to put down!
adventurous
dark
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:
No
Interesting, if flawed, as some of the narrative logic doesn’t make sense. The whole book isn’t quite sure what it wants to be, but that doesn’t make it not interesting. The dual-perspective format was a whole lot like modern romance stories, which this is, but way darker.
This book started out so weirdly and I almost didn’t stick with it. About halfway through I was really hooked and it didn’t seem as weird. The last quarter I felt like it was less weird and I don’t know whether it actually was or if I had just become accustomed to the weird factor. I ended up really enjoying it!
It’s about humans figuring out their place in the world we find ourselves in - the mix of science and nature and how we can balance the two without destroying either or each other. It’s not being about humans, but about nature and science and how we interact with the two poles and become nonbinary thinkers regarding ourselves, nature and science.
It’s about humans figuring out their place in the world we find ourselves in - the mix of science and nature and how we can balance the two without destroying either or each other. It’s not being about humans, but about nature and science and how we interact with the two poles and become nonbinary thinkers regarding ourselves, nature and science.
Second time reading it, and it’s still one of the best books I’ve read in the past decade, possibly ever. A beautiful marriage of sci fi and fantasy magic, asking what we owe this planet of ours.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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