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rwsmith's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
i read this book after seeing a friend highly recommend it. i didnt realize how short it was. i listened to the audiobook - HIGHLY recommend - but this is one ill need to get a hard copy of for my shelf. the two readers of the audiobook were amazing and gave such interesting personalities to the main characters. im interested to see how differently ill perceive them when i read a physical copy.
the story is told almost entirely through letters that two time traveling agents write each other. they start as rivals, and slowly lower their guards and begin to fall for each other, trying to keep their relationship a secret.
i love the implications given when the story is told through their letters this way. the letters are at once straightforward and poetic. the writing of the whole novel is beautiful - tactile and soft and pointed and mysterious at the same time.
i'll definitely be reading this again. 5/5. its only a 4-hour audiobook, only a couple hundred pages. if you have an afternoon, there's no reason not to pick it up.
the story is told almost entirely through letters that two time traveling agents write each other. they start as rivals, and slowly lower their guards and begin to fall for each other, trying to keep their relationship a secret.
i love the implications given when the story is told through their letters this way. the letters are at once straightforward and poetic. the writing of the whole novel is beautiful - tactile and soft and pointed and mysterious at the same time.
i'll definitely be reading this again. 5/5. its only a 4-hour audiobook, only a couple hundred pages. if you have an afternoon, there's no reason not to pick it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Medical content, Grief, Genocide, Suicide, and Colonisation
han_amey's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Very confusing writing style which made it hard to get into. Around half way through I actually started enjoying it, but I probably couldn’t actually describe what happened to anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Violence
augustar14's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, War, and Grief
Minor: Stalking, Murder, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, Gun violence, Genocide, Colonisation, Abandonment, and Death
pacifickat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
-Red
This book is well crafted, brutal, and poetic. It also, for the most part, is not what I would have considered my kind of book, and I struggled to read past the first confusing chapters. I was not expecting the literary density and convoluted phrasing of the letters between the two main characters. It felt like work to focus and hold on to the plot. Epistolary works often require a bit of patience. But boy am I glad I stuck with it! This story has a great payoff, even if it leaves a lot unexplained in the worldbuilding and open for the reader to interpret and imagine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Moderate: Animal death, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Stalking and War
Poisoning, sexual innuendosoftgalaxy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Wow. I’ve never read a book like this before. I heard good things beforehand, and I was pleased that I enjoyed it as much as I did.
The writing is decadent and poetic. I’m not going to lie and say that I completely understood the sci-fi elements, but it didn’t matter to be honest.
This book had me silently screaming. Sapphic enemies to lovers plus time-travel is just *chef’s kiss*.
I want to read this again and again. Highly recommend.
The writing is decadent and poetic. I’m not going to lie and say that I completely understood the sci-fi elements, but it didn’t matter to be honest.
This book had me silently screaming. Sapphic enemies to lovers plus time-travel is just *chef’s kiss*.
I want to read this again and again. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: War, Murder, and Torture
sarajuneau's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I truly don’t know how to rate this. I felt quite confused for a majority of the time, and I found myself thinking that I don’t enjoy poetry nor science fiction, and here I am reading it. I found the love story compelling, and it made me think about the nature of love. I also enjoyed the ways in which the letters where exchanged. I would love to see this adapted to either a show or movie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Stalking, Murder, and Violence
emzhay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I have just been unmade and remade in the image of this book. Don’t text.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Murder, and Suicide attempt
thorns_and_thunder's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i really enjoyed this book, however, one downside was how vague the world dynamic felt. i know it was written in a more poetic way (which i enjoyed), however, i felt myself waiting for answers that were never explicitly explained.
this sounds ridiculous but even if the story was kept exactly how it was and there was a little glossary in the back of the book that explainedwho/what Garden was, who/what the Agency was, why Red signed up for the war, was Blue truly a princess or was that just the host body she was in when she became sick, and why they were even fighting with a few sentences for each. i would have been fully content with that. (and please done come for me i know much of it is either left to interpretation or explained in a broad/vague way but for dummies like me a small glossary would help and also not ruin the experience of reading this story).
this sounds ridiculous but even if the story was kept exactly how it was and there was a little glossary in the back of the book that explained
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Suicide attempt
the_night_reader_'s review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Death, and Murder
doryowo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ATE THIS UP MAN, the letter format / alt format will always have my heart AND I WAS EATING IT UPPPP lost track of time reading. ironic. but yes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder