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easytocrash's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-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
3.25
tatyanavogt's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, I HATED this book at first. Like I thought the stuff going on was interesting and that I should like it but the experience of actually reading it was horrible, so much so that I DNF'd it with the intention of not picking it back up and read a different book.
BUT, I kept thinking about it. I wanted to know where the story was going to go, I was invested in this world, fascinated by what was going on and I wanted to know how it was going to end! And I am glad I cam back to it because I started to enjoy the book once the focus shifted and we were working towards better things.
Okay, so it was a hard parallel to swallow that humans were literally a cancer to this living creature since it feels like we're that to earth which is really depressing. I felt so bad for the creature they were killing and cutting into.
I also HATED how the society was structured. So ridged and cruel. It was frustrating to be in a black focused world that was so cruel and unkind so I couldn't enjoy the beauty of the world.
And I just didn't connect with the characters early on so I didn't know why I was suffering through all the uncomfortable bits. Now admittedly that wasn't what I was expecting AND I was going through some shit myself so I wanted a more hopeful book so thats not fully the fault of the book itself just my own expectations.
Once our main characters saw the issues in their society and decided that they needed to do something to turn things around, thats when I stopped hating the book and started looking forward to seeing how things would go.
BUT, I kept thinking about it. I wanted to know where the story was going to go, I was invested in this world, fascinated by what was going on and I wanted to know how it was going to end! And I am glad I cam back to it because I started to enjoy the book once the focus shifted and we were working towards better things.
Spoiler
Okay, so it was a hard parallel to swallow that humans were literally a cancer to this living creature since it feels like we're that to earth which is really depressing. I felt so bad for the creature they were killing and cutting into.
I also HATED how the society was structured. So ridged and cruel. It was frustrating to be in a black focused world that was so cruel and unkind so I couldn't enjoy the beauty of the world.
And I just didn't connect with the characters early on so I didn't know why I was suffering through all the uncomfortable bits. Now admittedly that wasn't what I was expecting AND I was going through some shit myself so I wanted a more hopeful book so thats not fully the fault of the book itself just my own expectations.
Once our main characters saw the issues in their society and decided that they needed to do something to turn things around, thats when I stopped hating the book and started looking forward to seeing how things would go.
ninacharlem's review against another edition
3.0
A wildly imaginative story that started strong, but lost focus in the last third of the novel.
macethespaceace's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-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
3.5
miamiapc's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
xenobatty's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
A provocative, brutal, beautiful book. It flips the script of many societal issues. The author makes expert use of body horror the invoke visceral reactions from readers to personalize issues of environmentalism and class disparity. The world building is delicious, but leaves you wanting more. (Hopefully the next book capitalizes on the fantastic framework developed here.) The narrative is interesting and compelling, and the characters are multi layered and transform throughout the book. This book allows for surface level enjoyment of the narrative, or deeper interaction when you examine the intricacies and implications of the world and how they reflect our own.
The ending of the book feels a bit rushed, but everything is wrapped up well before the second book.
The ending of the book feels a bit rushed, but everything is wrapped up well before the second book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Racial slurs
Pregnancy Horror:silviaaa's review against another edition
I'm at 12% (1 hour 13 minutes) through the audiobook, I like it so far but I didn't realize it was a series. I will likely pick it back up soon.
11corvus11's review against another edition
DNF. I like this a author, but this one is way too fantasy for me.