Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Aiden Manchester is a 20 something college drop-out, unable to keep a job or a relationship because of a big secret: he creates random blobs of matter in his sleep. He is just trying to get by, living with his sister and niece when a new letter from his deceased father appears and sets him on a path to figure out his strange ability once and for all.
I think this was an interesting premise. I haven't read anything that resembles this kind of foray into powers and other dimensions and I enjoyed the writing. It was well paced and entertaining.
One of my bigger issues with the book is the way it presents it's female characters. None of them have any major arcs or intriguing storylines and the only one who does, Jessie, was sexualized to the point of actually being naked in the last act for no real reason. If that was supposed to be empowering, it wasn't. The only other female character with some backstory is hardly believable. She is the 'traitor' out to get revenge for the mistreatment of her father but her character doesn't appear to be very convincing. How did she get a job at the same ultra high-security, top-clearance level facility as him just by changing her last name? And if she really is trying to harm the facility, why did the money matter? If she's willing to be on the run and even get plastic surgery to escape, why make a deal with Red in the first place just for a life off the grid.
I think the premise can be explored further but the nuance afforded to Aiden desperately needs to be extended to the female characters in the novel.
Thank you to Netgalley/Angry Robot for the ARC
I think this was an interesting premise. I haven't read anything that resembles this kind of foray into powers and other dimensions and I enjoyed the writing. It was well paced and entertaining.
One of my bigger issues with the book is the way it presents it's female characters. None of them have any major arcs or intriguing storylines and the only one who does, Jessie, was sexualized to the point of actually being naked in the last act for no real reason. If that was supposed to be empowering, it wasn't. The only other female character with some backstory is hardly believable. She is the 'traitor' out to get revenge for the mistreatment of her father but her character doesn't appear to be very convincing. How did she get a job at the same ultra high-security, top-clearance level facility as him just by changing her last name? And if she really is trying to harm the facility, why did the money matter? If she's willing to be on the run and even get plastic surgery to escape, why make a deal with Red in the first place just for a life off the grid.
I think the premise can be explored further but the nuance afforded to Aiden desperately needs to be extended to the female characters in the novel.
Thank you to Netgalley/Angry Robot for the ARC
i don't hate it, but i don't love it, either.
there are some unique concepts here, unfortunately weighted down by tired tropes and racist and misogynistic stereotypes: racist, because of a native american character renamed from chief to chef, after an army commander with a "bad case of the PCs" demanded a change of nicknames; misogynistic, because most women seem to be labeled solely by their relative attractiveness and how desirable they are to the men. there's a really uncomfortable scene where a woman strips down mid-fight, to "throw off the enemy" and gain an upper hand; she's then knocked unconscious, and taken by a man who fully intends to assault her (and has already tried to in the past.) he is, thankfully, unequivocally presented as a villain, with no 'redemption' attempted to be offered, which is where a lot of media tends to go wrong. i'm also not really a fan of the approach of mental illness and disabilities within the narrative; the presentation feels antiquated.
as for the plot itself, the beginning feels slow - almost too slow for my enjoyment. it isn't really until the end, the last 20% or so, that i really found myself enjoying and appreciating the worldbuilding; i would've enjoyed the entire book more had it been more insight into white's purpose rather than the intense focus on red's quest for more power. aiden is an interesting character, and his journey of self-discovery does have its moments; i appreciated the conclusion, especially in regards to his family - and how he accepts his adopted family as his family, despite the initial struggle and distancing while attempting to reconcile the facts of his adoption.
i'm left with too many questions to be fully satisfied; while there's an obvious conclusion, there's also a setup for a sequel, which i feel like i'd appreciate more, if it expanded on the lore and provided more context. as a standalone book, i'm not really a fan; if it were made into a series, then it would be a decent enough starting point.
arc provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
there are some unique concepts here, unfortunately weighted down by tired tropes and racist and misogynistic stereotypes: racist, because of a native american character renamed from chief to chef, after an army commander with a "bad case of the PCs" demanded a change of nicknames; misogynistic, because most women seem to be labeled solely by their relative attractiveness and how desirable they are to the men. there's a really uncomfortable scene where a woman strips down mid-fight, to "throw off the enemy" and gain an upper hand; she's then knocked unconscious, and taken by a man who fully intends to assault her (and has already tried to in the past.) he is, thankfully, unequivocally presented as a villain, with no 'redemption' attempted to be offered, which is where a lot of media tends to go wrong. i'm also not really a fan of the approach of mental illness and disabilities within the narrative; the presentation feels antiquated.
as for the plot itself, the beginning feels slow - almost too slow for my enjoyment. it isn't really until the end, the last 20% or so, that i really found myself enjoying and appreciating the worldbuilding; i would've enjoyed the entire book more had it been more insight into white's purpose rather than the intense focus on red's quest for more power. aiden is an interesting character, and his journey of self-discovery does have its moments; i appreciated the conclusion, especially in regards to his family - and how he accepts his adopted family as his family, despite the initial struggle and distancing while attempting to reconcile the facts of his adoption.
i'm left with too many questions to be fully satisfied; while there's an obvious conclusion, there's also a setup for a sequel, which i feel like i'd appreciate more, if it expanded on the lore and provided more context. as a standalone book, i'm not really a fan; if it were made into a series, then it would be a decent enough starting point.
arc provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I liked the ideas and found it a good mix of different genres.
Unfortunately I also found the story quite slow and it didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Unfortunately I also found the story quite slow and it didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Angry Robot, the Publisher, in return for an honest review.
This book had such a unique premise that I instantly wanted to read it upon learning what it was about. Strange powers? Mysterious experiments? An evil person with a similar power? I had the sense it would be something like a really weird comic book. However, as much as I liked parts of it, I felt that other parts took me out of the plot, which made it a long read for me.
First of all, I liked the weird powers. It was very unique and new. It does get old reading about the same old superpowers, so this spin was very much appreciated. Actually, everything about the superpowers I liked. Each "quiver kid" had manifestations that developed differently, so even though they were similar, they weren't the same. I also really liked the characters. The antagonist was sort of obvious in all his moves. It felt sort of like "me. want. power." without any real character development on his part. The MC, however, had a great arc, especially given the fact that the whole book took place over one week.
The thing that took me out of it was the pacing. It would speed ahead in plot then come to almost a standstill where things were explained to me. I know this sounds stereotypical, but I really did want more "show don't tell" throughout. Everything was told to the MC, he didn't really figure anything out on his own. There weren't really flashbacks either, which I think could have been used to the books advantage instead of relying on another character explaining the past.
The ending seemed fast compared to all the buildup. And it sort of just stopped right in the middle if the climax. Right when we are about the figure something out, right when the MC was about to be told something very important, we are thrust out of the setting and to another time. It made it feel somewhat incomplete in my opinion.
Now, these are really just preferences. I know there are a ton of readers out there that love the cat-and-mouse feel of tempos. I just happen to enjoy a quicker pace in my books. Overall, this was a really original story that explored some ideas that I hadn't read about before. I know Hinz has written quite a few books and I do plan on checking some of his other works out. Especially if the ideas behind them seem to be as unique as 'Refraction'.
This book had such a unique premise that I instantly wanted to read it upon learning what it was about. Strange powers? Mysterious experiments? An evil person with a similar power? I had the sense it would be something like a really weird comic book. However, as much as I liked parts of it, I felt that other parts took me out of the plot, which made it a long read for me.
First of all, I liked the weird powers. It was very unique and new. It does get old reading about the same old superpowers, so this spin was very much appreciated. Actually, everything about the superpowers I liked. Each "quiver kid" had manifestations that developed differently, so even though they were similar, they weren't the same. I also really liked the characters. The antagonist was sort of obvious in all his moves. It felt sort of like "me. want. power." without any real character development on his part. The MC, however, had a great arc, especially given the fact that the whole book took place over one week.
The thing that took me out of it was the pacing. It would speed ahead in plot then come to almost a standstill where things were explained to me. I know this sounds stereotypical, but I really did want more "show don't tell" throughout. Everything was told to the MC, he didn't really figure anything out on his own. There weren't really flashbacks either, which I think could have been used to the books advantage instead of relying on another character explaining the past.
The ending seemed fast compared to all the buildup. And it sort of just stopped right in the middle if the climax. Right when we are about the figure something out, right when the MC was about to be told something very important, we are thrust out of the setting and to another time. It made it feel somewhat incomplete in my opinion.
Now, these are really just preferences. I know there are a ton of readers out there that love the cat-and-mouse feel of tempos. I just happen to enjoy a quicker pace in my books. Overall, this was a really original story that explored some ideas that I hadn't read about before. I know Hinz has written quite a few books and I do plan on checking some of his other works out. Especially if the ideas behind them seem to be as unique as 'Refraction'.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
I liked the ideas and found it a good mix of different genres.
Unfortunately I also found the story quite slow and it didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Unfortunately I also found the story quite slow and it didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Refraction definitely has to become one of the best sci-fi books this year/next year ! It was a fantastic read that drew me in entirely despite it being a pretty long book ! Here's what I thought of it !
First of all, the plot is super interesting. Aiden, who has a lame superpower (producing weird brown blobs out of thin air during his sleep) finds out he was a lab rat when he was a baby, and 6 other kids have also been subjected to the same experiments he was. Soon, Aiden is found by one of those babies, Red, who is set on eliminating the others. Aiden ends up joining a quest to stop Red from accomplishing this deed, discovering more and more about his past in the process.
I loved the fact that we get both thriller and sci-fi in the same book. Seeing Aiden discovering his past, learning about his powers, about the others who have powers etc. is fascinating. I felt invested in the story and in the characters, which is something I'm always looking for in a book !
Every character was unique, had an interesting backstory ! I'm glad they are all put on the spotlight at some point, and that the side characters weren't mere decoration or tools for the hero to use. Shout out to Magenta for being especially amazing ! She might have been my favorite character here ! Everyone is essential to the story, to fit together in one big puzzle we get to discover later on. Fabulous !
Regarding the pace of the book, I would say it's really fast paced. For me, it was both an advantage and an inconvenient, because everything happens so fast it can sometimes be a little hard to follow. It might have been the reason why the ending and the meaning of everyone's powers got a little lost on me. I'm not sure I truly understood the point of the powers and where it's leading everyone. That being said, that rythm also kept me reading at the speed of light, also keeping me on the edge of my seat (my bed actually !) during the whole read.
That last fact is also definitely due to the fact that Christopher Hinz is a great author, who knows how to keep the reader's attention. Congratulations to him for that, I look forward to read some more books by him now !
First of all, the plot is super interesting. Aiden, who has a lame superpower (producing weird brown blobs out of thin air during his sleep) finds out he was a lab rat when he was a baby, and 6 other kids have also been subjected to the same experiments he was. Soon, Aiden is found by one of those babies, Red, who is set on eliminating the others. Aiden ends up joining a quest to stop Red from accomplishing this deed, discovering more and more about his past in the process.
I loved the fact that we get both thriller and sci-fi in the same book. Seeing Aiden discovering his past, learning about his powers, about the others who have powers etc. is fascinating. I felt invested in the story and in the characters, which is something I'm always looking for in a book !
Every character was unique, had an interesting backstory ! I'm glad they are all put on the spotlight at some point, and that the side characters weren't mere decoration or tools for the hero to use. Shout out to Magenta for being especially amazing ! She might have been my favorite character here ! Everyone is essential to the story, to fit together in one big puzzle we get to discover later on. Fabulous !
Regarding the pace of the book, I would say it's really fast paced. For me, it was both an advantage and an inconvenient, because everything happens so fast it can sometimes be a little hard to follow. It might have been the reason why the ending and the meaning of everyone's powers got a little lost on me. I'm not sure I truly understood the point of the powers and where it's leading everyone. That being said, that rythm also kept me reading at the speed of light, also keeping me on the edge of my seat (my bed actually !) during the whole read.
That last fact is also definitely due to the fact that Christopher Hinz is a great author, who knows how to keep the reader's attention. Congratulations to him for that, I look forward to read some more books by him now !