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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Read for The Late Night Book Club. Started off super strong and I couldn’t stop reading, but I felt like it kept going on and I honestly am not even completely sure what happened at the ending.
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
funny
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:
N/A
oh GOD. So damn topical right now. I was really impressed by how engaging Alderman’s story telling is. Like I was picturing MCU infinity war level visuals while reading. So badass. Love Roxy she’s my favorite. Also I was very impressed by Alderman’s ability to write in different styles, from historiography to morning news to Reddit threads to behind-closed-doors political discourse to the provenance of a new religion and on and on. The world building was so intense. And the last chapters, reflections between the fictional author of the work and a colleague, discussing how history is written and interpreted 500 years later… so compelling. What a note to end on.
This book lost a star for me because honestly at around 65-70% I fear we began to lose the plot… and I’m not sure I followed the escalation immediately preceding the cataclysm. Like that felt a little unrealistic to me. And in the larger scheme of orchestrating and revealing global events, I think some of the earlier character development was a little hollow. But other than that this was an engaging (if not scary and horrific) read and I’m looking forward to talking about it at book club
This book lost a star for me because honestly at around 65-70% I fear we began to lose the plot… and I’m not sure I followed the escalation immediately preceding the cataclysm. Like that felt a little unrealistic to me. And in the larger scheme of orchestrating and revealing global events, I think some of the earlier character development was a little hollow. But other than that this was an engaging (if not scary and horrific) read and I’m looking forward to talking about it at book club
I really enjoyed the premise and the first half of the book. The second half seemed to lose steam, and the main characters lost my interest, and I find it really hard to believe that everything would go so downhill so badly.
I also had a hard time with the right wing nutjob terrorists, although that isn't the book's fault. I like to read novels to escape, and realistic villains like that are too much like reality!
I also had a hard time with the right wing nutjob terrorists, although that isn't the book's fault. I like to read novels to escape, and realistic villains like that are too much like reality!
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
medium-paced
I found this novel to be quite thought provoking
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
I found this novel to be quite thought provoking
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes