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jesshaleth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I understood about 65% of this book. Read 100% of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, and Gore
Moderate: Confinement, Child death, and Rape
pedanther's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, War, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Rape
Moderate: Body horror, Colonisation, Blood, Confinement, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, Torture, and Xenophobia
Minor: Ableism, Drug use, Gun violence, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Alcohol, Bullying, Child death, Classism, and Cursing
bea_evans's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Very confusing book. Strange world, hard to know what was going on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Rape, Blood, Death, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Gun violence
Moderate: Torture, Suicide, and Murder
grandiose_r's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Murder, Gore, Gun violence, War, and Genocide
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Torture
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, and Suicide
illiteratesquirrel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
(Spoiler-free) I have to give credit where credit is due. This is a pretty good read for those who want military sci-fi action. I have to admit that its premise is incredibly unique and the socio-political system is deeply complex. It explores the concept of free will pretty interestingly and I'll leave it at that. Also awesome cover art. No really. No one can fathom how much it helped me in trying to imagine this world even for a little bit. Little did I know before starting this book that I would need it immensely.
Also I'm not sure why some people say this is character-driven, but this book focuses on the plot. Trust me, the characters don't have time to drive the plot. The plot does it itself just fine. In fact, the plot is so independent that it ragdolls the characters around and it barely gives you any time nor does it WANT to give you a reason why you should give a sh*t about these people(?) (Honestly idk if they're humans are not and it isn't ever clarified.) Read this book purely for the plot. Nothing else.
However, this is where my "generous" praise stops. Just a personal opinion, but this is not a light-hearted read especially if you're not familiar with sci-fi fiction. Sure, there's gore and stuff, but the prose in general. Again. This is NOT beginner-friendly to sci-fi newbies.
This was an incredibly hard book to get into. The barriers for this new world with no physical resemblance of our own are incredibly high in this book. It dangles you off a cliff and expects you to fly even though you're a penguin. Scratch that, you're not even a bird species. Just a frog.
Some words were being used completely out of context which is expected of sci-fi, but this even applies to our "real" vocabulary. I was reading but definitely not understanding. I barely got comfortable with the fact that I will never know what is exactly being described and that wasn't until after the 100-page mark (ch 8). Mind you, the author NEVER explains anything. If you think you're going to even get a sliver of a explanation, you'll just have to wait until the next book. I've finished the entire book and I still don't know what the author means by "calendrical" or "heretical rot." It felt like pulling the skin off my teeth to just get past a page in the beginning. It was okay in the middle when the plot was really being exciting and bit more digestible, but I found myself bored again in exactly the last three chapters with me skimming past the tedious descriptions and trying to get the important bits out. You have no idea how my eyes were speeding through those pages just to finally be done with this book. Also, not the entire ending, but the last few chapters fell short for me. Pretty anticlimactic especially when the character is confronted by one of the most prominent villains of the story. Womp womp. But then again I guess that's pretty characteristic for the author not to dramatize it (remember my point of how the characters are to the plot above).
All in all, honestly I'll probably check out the 2nd book out of a sick obligation to my curiosity on how the author will manage the characters after the explosive ending because admittedly, it sets up the next book nicely with a classic cliffhanger. But the question of whether I will finish that book like this one is debatable.
Also I'm not sure why some people say this is character-driven, but this book focuses on the plot. Trust me, the characters don't have time to drive the plot. The plot does it itself just fine. In fact, the plot is so independent that it ragdolls the characters around and it barely gives you any time nor does it WANT to give you a reason why you should give a sh*t about these people(?) (Honestly idk if they're humans are not and it isn't ever clarified.) Read this book purely for the plot. Nothing else.
However, this is where my "generous" praise stops. Just a personal opinion, but this is not a light-hearted read especially if you're not familiar with sci-fi fiction. Sure, there's gore and stuff, but the prose in general. Again. This is NOT beginner-friendly to sci-fi newbies.
This was an incredibly hard book to get into. The barriers for this new world with no physical resemblance of our own are incredibly high in this book. It dangles you off a cliff and expects you to fly even though you're a penguin. Scratch that, you're not even a bird species. Just a frog.
Some words were being used completely out of context which is expected of sci-fi, but this even applies to our "real" vocabulary. I was reading but definitely not understanding. I barely got comfortable with the fact that I will never know what is exactly being described and that wasn't until after the 100-page mark (ch 8). Mind you, the author NEVER explains anything. If you think you're going to even get a sliver of a explanation, you'll just have to wait until the next book. I've finished the entire book and I still don't know what the author means by "calendrical" or "heretical rot." It felt like pulling the skin off my teeth to just get past a page in the beginning. It was okay in the middle when the plot was really being exciting and bit more digestible, but I found myself bored again in exactly the last three chapters with me skimming past the tedious descriptions and trying to get the important bits out. You have no idea how my eyes were speeding through those pages just to finally be done with this book. Also, not the entire ending, but the last few chapters fell short for me. Pretty anticlimactic especially when the character is confronted by one of the most prominent villains of the story. Womp womp. But then again I guess that's pretty characteristic for the author not to dramatize it (remember my point of how the characters are to the plot above).
All in all, honestly I'll probably check out the 2nd book out of a sick obligation to my curiosity on how the author will manage the characters after the explosive ending because admittedly, it sets up the next book nicely with a classic cliffhanger. But the question of whether I will finish that book like this one is debatable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
sofipitch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I struggled a little orienting to the world in the beginning, and that is on purpose, but a lot of what is supposed to keep your attention are these large military space battles, which isn't necessarily my favorite thing. But the end when things make it all come together is excellent. It also contains an interesting and nuanced portrayal of colonialism and the subtle/cultural ways a colonizing force can take power as well as horrible war crimes. I think if the Texicalaan series is the cultural aspect and Baru Cormorant is the brutality, this book is the most realistic for how well it captures both
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Genocide, Violence, Gore, Gun violence, and War
Moderate: Dysphoria
hevs's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.75
Czekałam na taką książkę chyba dekadę. Jest łogiń, nie czekam na polskie wydania dalszych tomów tylko lecę czytać w oryginale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Gore
halfcactus's review against another edition
dark
5.0
WHAT THIS BOOK IS: a slow-burning revenge story in space
WHAT THIS BOOK HAS: loyalty, animal AI, a literally calculating protagonist who has an unironic love for dramas, animal AI, crises of pastry, 2 people sharing a body
This was great! The visual detail and worldbuilding are amazing; I kept getting distracted imagining how the signifiers change forms. At some point I had to stop reading just to take in the description of a sinister candle (whose existence gave us a deeper sense of the history and context of the current regime).
The editing is very *chef's kiss*. The entire novel is a product of conscious, careful choice, no scene wasted.
WHAT THIS BOOK HAS: loyalty, animal AI, a literally calculating protagonist who has an unironic love for dramas, animal AI, crises of pastry, 2 people sharing a body
This was great! The visual detail and worldbuilding are amazing; I kept getting distracted imagining how the signifiers change forms. At some point I had to stop reading just to take in the description of a sinister candle (whose existence gave us a deeper sense of the history and context of the current regime).
The editing is very *chef's kiss*. The entire novel is a product of conscious, careful choice, no scene wasted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide and Gore
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
can't tell if I just have no brain power at the moment or if the worldbuilding and plot legitimately are never explained in a way that makes sense. want to maybe give it another shot in the future to see if my feelings change, but for now, just kind of impenetrable
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Death, Murder, Gore, and War
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Genocide, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Rape
Minor: Child death, Torture, Sexual content, Suicide, Ableism, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
bluejay21's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, and War
Moderate: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault