Scan barcode
catsy2022's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Trafficking
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Suicide
kaleidoscope_heart's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Genocide, and Gore
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Excrement, Medical content, and Suicide
annfernandez's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I have some mixed feelings in regards to this novel. My opinion is largely positive, but I can't say I didn't have gripes.
There was only one character I found I really cared about throughout the book, and that was Ampersand. I was not invested in his relationship with Cora in part because I just found their attachment to each other something I couldn't really connect with, and also because I couldn't invest myself in Cora as a main character. I was invested in learning more about him and his culture, and that was it. I couldn't really grasp the dynamics between Cora and all her other family members, especially her aunt, and what I did understand I didn't really resonate with.
I thought the plot only got really intriguing around the last 300 pages of the novel. For the first half it did feel a little sluggish, I was engaged mostly to get answers the book of course presents us with, and didn't appreciate the approach to get said answers until well after the halfway point. After we reach that point though, the plot gets up and runs. Plot twist galore, so many different angles we go into that not only make the conflict so much more multifaceted but also make me excited to see what is to come.
Honestly, this book series has a lot of potential, I'm intrigued enough to see it through but I can't say this will be a new favorite any time soon.
There was only one character I found I really cared about throughout the book, and that was Ampersand. I was not invested in his relationship with Cora in part because I just found their attachment to each other something I couldn't really connect with, and also because I couldn't invest myself in Cora as a main character. I was invested in learning more about him and his culture, and that was it. I couldn't really grasp the dynamics between Cora and all her other family members, especially her aunt, and what I did understand I didn't really resonate with.
I thought the plot only got really intriguing around the last 300 pages of the novel. For the first half it did feel a little sluggish, I was engaged mostly to get answers the book of course presents us with, and didn't appreciate the approach to get said answers until well after the halfway point. After we reach that point though, the plot gets up and runs. Plot twist galore, so many different angles we go into that not only make the conflict so much more multifaceted but also make me excited to see what is to come.
Honestly, this book series has a lot of potential, I'm intrigued enough to see it through but I can't say this will be a new favorite any time soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gore
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Torture and Genocide
faithtrustozdust's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't like scifi, or speculative fiction. I'm not an alien person either, but as soon as Lindsay Ellis announced she was going to release a book, I knew I had to get it as soon as possible. I wasn't dissapointed. In so many words it's gripping, inventive, will make you think, and you'll fall in love with the main alien, Ampersand. I adored the main character Cora. Her flaws and complexities are all center stage, and the bond she develops with Ampersand is so endearing. The side characters themselves are also engaging. Her aunt Luciana is a particular favorite of mine and her conspiracy theorist father, Nils, is a looming presence in the book. (fans of breadtube will be delighted to know his parts in the audiobook are read by PhilosophyTube)
I give this book a hearty recommendation, it's engaging from start to finish, the characters and the action are both super well done, and I'm eagerly awaiting the second book.
I give this book a hearty recommendation, it's engaging from start to finish, the characters and the action are both super well done, and I'm eagerly awaiting the second book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore
ehmannky's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. I would say, the first third of this book kind of felt meh-ish to me. It was good, but I didn't particularly feel it settle in my heart. That changed once Ellis introduces the alien-human bonding moments about 1/3 of the way into the novel (absolutely lovely moments of reaching across barriers of communication, finding ways to relate to another being somewhere in the middle of the respective lived experiences). I love a good monster/alien-human relationship (especially when the alien in question posits that we are the horrifying ones), and once Ellis has space in the narrative to let that flourish, the book really felt like it comes together. I also liked that the main character Cora struggles with communicating with humans as well, and that it's through communicating with an alien that she seems to get more in touch with her own self.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Genocide
More...