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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Well that just flew by! I picked this up after an advert and review in SciFi Now and what a great recommendation that turned out to be. I guess at heart this is a love story or at least an entangled relationship story. At first it reads a lot like a YA book which is no bad thing but quickly moves the characters into adulthood. I quite liked this change but it did feel at times that the author had forgotten about the events of the children at times as much as they had. Until the end when the tree came back into the story. So in the end quite an intentional break and something that Patricia in particular had to remember.
This novel has so many good points its got magic and secret magic societies, its kind of Steampunk in tone with all the crazy tech developments at times and has a figure through the story in Milton who is some sort of Tony Stark style supergeek who in the end goes more than a bit nuts. And of course Peregrine. The AI that became a trusted friend for Patricia and which Laurence pretty much forgets about - "Is a Tree Red?" this is perhaps the oddest phrase to put forward as a reason for the causal event for an AI to gain true intelligence. Its also up there with 42 as just a plain odd thing to put into a book as a central part of the story. It works though but perhaps could have been more central to the characters.
I thought the characters worked well and the pace of the story was really good, its a real page turner.
Great first novel I'd highly recommend it as good holiday reading as long as you don't mind a bit of philosophical musings.
This novel has so many good points its got magic and secret magic societies, its kind of Steampunk in tone with all the crazy tech developments at times and has a figure through the story in Milton who is some sort of Tony Stark style supergeek who in the end goes more than a bit nuts. And of course Peregrine. The AI that became a trusted friend for Patricia and which Laurence pretty much forgets about - "Is a Tree Red?" this is perhaps the oddest phrase to put forward as a reason for the causal event for an AI to gain true intelligence. Its also up there with 42 as just a plain odd thing to put into a book as a central part of the story. It works though but perhaps could have been more central to the characters.
I thought the characters worked well and the pace of the story was really good, its a real page turner.
Great first novel I'd highly recommend it as good holiday reading as long as you don't mind a bit of philosophical musings.
I wanted to love this book and I really enjoyed the first half. It then got very messy and jumped about, reading in parts like a bad YA novel and one of the worst sex scenes I've read. The second half just really lost me and I don't know if it was because I was reading on a kindle (where I'm finding it harder to get back into a book if I lose interest a bit) or what but I completely gave up caring about the end of the world and the 2 protagonists.
An enjoyable tale of an enduring friendship (with a few ups and downs) between two misfits, set right on the border between fantasy and science fiction. The only real flaw is that for all the catastrophe towards the end, there's little real sense of danger for the lead characters. But that's okay, what it lacks in drama it makes up for in charm.
I do not know who the target audience for this book is, all I know is that it is not me
been listening to this on audiobook for a while. loved the tech vs. nature concepts, but not amazing execution imo
DNF@ 15%
Gave me the Ocean at the End of the Lane vibes. Just really wasn’t feeling it.
Gave me the Ocean at the End of the Lane vibes. Just really wasn’t feeling it.
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was really looking forward to this book. Both my favourite author (Becky Chambers) and an instagram friend with whom we usually enjoy the same books recommended this book.
Ouf... it was a task to read, let me tell you. I buddy read this with my partner and we started this one 9 months before we actually finished it. If we had not decided to go for it and power through finishing the book together, I would have simply put it down and never look at it again. I am sad to this but I am really frustrated and puzzled as to how this book has been so praised. The plot was incredibly nonsensical, the whole premise was based (in my opinion) on people who just cannot actually communicate with each other (a trope which I loathe), and we do not even get to know the characters all that well at all to the point where I was asking who is who all the time. The reading experience was truly painful. I was shouting 'what' out loud a number of times and only some sentences here and there gave a moment of clarity as to where we are, who we are with and what is actually going on. I felt there were too many details that were just mentioned once and it was extremely unclear what was worth retaining or not. All in all, what i remember now one day after I completed the book, is that it was written by someone in the fanfiction mentality, trying way too hard to be smart and weird and quirky and just had outdated hipster vibes all-round. a no from me, sadly.
Ouf... it was a task to read, let me tell you. I buddy read this with my partner and we started this one 9 months before we actually finished it. If we had not decided to go for it and power through finishing the book together, I would have simply put it down and never look at it again. I am sad to this but I am really frustrated and puzzled as to how this book has been so praised. The plot was incredibly nonsensical, the whole premise was based (in my opinion) on people who just cannot actually communicate with each other (a trope which I loathe), and we do not even get to know the characters all that well at all to the point where I was asking who is who all the time. The reading experience was truly painful. I was shouting 'what' out loud a number of times and only some sentences here and there gave a moment of clarity as to where we are, who we are with and what is actually going on. I felt there were too many details that were just mentioned once and it was extremely unclear what was worth retaining or not. All in all, what i remember now one day after I completed the book, is that it was written by someone in the fanfiction mentality, trying way too hard to be smart and weird and quirky and just had outdated hipster vibes all-round. a no from me, sadly.
An interesting book.... I think the word I would use to describe it is "quirky".
I liked the intertwining of fantasy and science fiction. There were some things that I felt were not quite given enough explanation, but at the same time, it kind of fit with the weird and surrealist vibe I got from this book. Overall, I did enjoy reading this.
I liked the intertwining of fantasy and science fiction. There were some things that I felt were not quite given enough explanation, but at the same time, it kind of fit with the weird and surrealist vibe I got from this book. Overall, I did enjoy reading this.
Very rambly review ahead...
I liked this book - just about - but I read negative reviews of it and agreed instead of getting outraged. This might be because it didn't really end up doing what I thought it would do, it sort of trundled along and how convenient, Patricia and Laurence are in love all of a sudden and suddenly naked and sorry but WHEN did that little plot development happen? What about all the love for bloody boring Serefina?
I loved Patricia's witchy magic life and her interesting friends, particularly Ernesto, but like many other readers I was fuming at how they treated her. I didn't think Patricia was arrogant at all, she showed herself through and through to be such a decent person. But I think even she was underdeveloped - her connection with to the Tree was never properly explained and when she finally returned to it I was so disappointed, because I felt like it could have been so good and it really wasn't. I liked the first half a lot more than the second, it reminded me of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket.
So much was unexplored and left unexplained. Theodolphus looked like he was shaping up to be a horrible Count Olaf type man and then he neatly disappears, only for Patricia to see him every now and then and be filled with intense loathing. It just didn't GO ANYWHERE, but I'm still glad I read it. I wish Patricia every happiness in her future life with drippy Laurence.
I liked this book - just about - but I read negative reviews of it and agreed instead of getting outraged. This might be because it didn't really end up doing what I thought it would do, it sort of trundled along and how convenient, Patricia and Laurence are in love all of a sudden and suddenly naked and sorry but WHEN did that little plot development happen? What about all the love for bloody boring Serefina?
I loved Patricia's witchy magic life and her interesting friends, particularly Ernesto, but like many other readers I was fuming at how they treated her. I didn't think Patricia was arrogant at all, she showed herself through and through to be such a decent person. But I think even she was underdeveloped - her connection with to the Tree was never properly explained and when she finally returned to it I was so disappointed, because I felt like it could have been so good and it really wasn't. I liked the first half a lot more than the second, it reminded me of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket.
So much was unexplored and left unexplained. Theodolphus looked like he was shaping up to be a horrible Count Olaf type man and then he neatly disappears, only for Patricia to see him every now and then and be filled with intense loathing. It just didn't GO ANYWHERE, but I'm still glad I read it. I wish Patricia every happiness in her future life with drippy Laurence.