Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
The book was, through and through, a great idea with poor execution. The craft is okay to good through most of the book, but the characters remain unlikable, both as people and as characters to follow within a book.
I read this on the beach in a day, which I'd say is the best way to do it! It's very diverting, and I loved the enthusiastic mashing-up of genres. However, the writing could be a little tighter across the board, and the magical elements unfortunately felt quite derivative of Lev Grossman's fantastic Magicians trilogy.
Still, this is definitely worth picking up for any genre readers (fantasy, scifi, or apocalyptic) looking for a sprawling read.
Still, this is definitely worth picking up for any genre readers (fantasy, scifi, or apocalyptic) looking for a sprawling read.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Super engaging, fascinating underlying concept, interesting resolution - great read!
I’m not sure what brought this onto my radar but I’m glad I picked it up. It’s a thrilling visceral read, full of whimsy, delight and depth, freely flitting between genres and showing them all up. While the plot may seem slightly flimsy it’s really about the execution and imagination. So wonderfully put together, enjoyably written and compelling.
I would happily spend more time in this world but I really hope there are no sequels. It stands alone nicely. Well worth reading.
I would happily spend more time in this world but I really hope there are no sequels. It stands alone nicely. Well worth reading.
There were a lot of things I loved about this book. The writing is great.. The details, the language.. It's pretty much perfect. The world-building is pretty good.. There's a definite feel for where and how and all of that. It's not weighed down with excess. I felt like books one and two were a bit slow, but it didn't make me put the book down.
The thing that lost stars for me was that I found both main characters pretty flat. All this cool stuff and yet.. Patricia is a void. There's just nothing interesting about her. Even if she's the one doing the things, it feels like things are just happening around her. Laurence isn't a lot better.. But at least I felt a little bit of something for him. He had a little emotional turmoil that actually felt like it was his and not just something that existed.
Connecting with characters is an entirely subjective thing, so what I find disconnected might feel deep and meaningful to someone else.. I would definitely recommend the book to other people.
The thing that lost stars for me was that I found both main characters pretty flat. All this cool stuff and yet.. Patricia is a void. There's just nothing interesting about her. Even if she's the one doing the things, it feels like things are just happening around her. Laurence isn't a lot better.. But at least I felt a little bit of something for him. He had a little emotional turmoil that actually felt like it was his and not just something that existed.
Connecting with characters is an entirely subjective thing, so what I find disconnected might feel deep and meaningful to someone else.. I would definitely recommend the book to other people.
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and execution of this book, it was very engaging and interesting. The reason I give it three stars is because oftentimes the writing felt sophomoric (like the birds names and how the main character thought). That made it hard to read every once in awhile because it was almost comical when it shouldn't be.
challenging
emotional
tense
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty
I really enjoyed this book, it made me think A LOT and I always appreciate that in a novel. The story line was interesting but I did have a bit of a hard time getting past the firs few chapters. However it really picked up at the end and I couldn’t put it down. The writing style was very unique. Overall I rate this at a 4.5 and its a book I will revisit again in the future so I can really dig into all of the complexities!
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
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:
Yes
What if the real solution to the environmental apocalypse is the friends we made along the way? This book wasn’t what I was expecting, in a good way. Every character is a person making flawed choices for what they think is the right way to deal with approaching catastrophic climate change. You want to shake them by the shoulders half the time, but then they pull it together. I think it’s a good read for anyone that enjoys sci-fi and fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence