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gandalf_a's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, Genocide, Slavery, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, War, and Mental illness
Minor: Eating disorder, Self harm, Racism, Blood, Animal death, Child death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
culpeppper's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
- The metaphors were immense, sometimes clever and sometimes a little too on the nose, but largely the use of weaving those metaphors into the story was done well and enhanced the reading experience. As an example, the descriptions in the underwater mimic the setting, relying on feelings and ideas to form the world before Yetu goes to the surface where descriptions change to more solid things rather than concepts.
- The story has multiple perspectives. Though I do feel it worked thematically to have these other perspectives, and the stories they told enhanced our perspective, but it was always jarring and confusing in a way that took me a bit out of the story sometimes.
- It's a work of creative wonder, filled with countless concepts, and it's inspired me to read more of Solomon's work so I can have a longer experience that I think will suit their style of writing better.
Overall, there were some things it lacked that could have built out the world a bit more, and the pacing felt weird and off at times, I think that's partially the form and maybe some stylistic elements I don't fully understand. But I liked the experience of this world, of this look into our world, and the use of history and remembering as critical to it. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good.
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Abandonment, Genocide, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Grief, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Xenophobia, Colonisation, Animal death, and Confinement
Minor: War, Child death, and Fire/Fire injury
rainbopagn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Slavery, Physical abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Pregnancy, Genocide, War, Suicide attempt, Murder, Grief, and Colonisation
Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual violence, Animal death, and Physical abuse
numerous_bees's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Colonisation, Blood, Child death, Slavery, Genocide, Pregnancy, and Animal death
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
jinmichae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed the concept most of all, and the vignette of how they came together as a people. Unfortunately, I just didn't like the main character very much. She has reasons for being the way she is, but something about the way she was characterized made her not as sympathetic as she needed to be to explain her actions.
I also feel the overarching plot gets lost in vignettes which are more worldbuilding than progressing the narrative. I wish it was more focused on that main plot: I think it would be a better read as a short story instead of a novella. It also has a "woe is me" component that gets tiring.
I did appreciate that the main character is implied to have autism/gets overstimulated easily in a way that prevents her from doing her very important job. The depths of this discomfort isn't acknowledged by those around her though, which seems odd to me: she has family and friends who love her, and despite the plot important lack of long term memory, they *do* remember her sensitivities. I think that detail would have to be changed to make the way they treat her, and the way she reacts, make more sense.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Self harm, Racism, Abandonment, and Slavery
Moderate: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
wishbea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Ableism
kanthereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Self harm, Blood, Animal death, Death, Abandonment, Slavery, and Pregnancy
Minor: War and Suicide attempt
building_a_bookdom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Eating disorder, Genocide, Grief, Mental illness, Slavery, Blood, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, and Abandonment
Moderate: Pregnancy, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Child death, Murder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Body horror, Colonisation, and Death of parent
pages_and_cacti's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Moderate: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Self harm, Abandonment, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, and War
marsh_mall0w's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Genocide, Death of parent, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Gore, Self harm, Murder, Animal death, and Suicide
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Eating disorder