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errie's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Death, Alcohol, Confinement, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Mental illness, and Suicide
kemunto's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.75
I’m confused and sad. What just happened. I was heavily invested. Iris and her world gripped me, I found myself taken by this book. I desperately hope for a happily ever after. I realise, now, the beauty of life… even though it’s not perfect, it’s all we have.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Abandonment, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
miles's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
It's... fine. Dystopian, as I knew it would be from the blurb. I really need to stop reading/believing comments on the cover because the one that made me pick up the book now was simply not true. It reads, 'Uplifting, unputdownable and mordantly funny. A brilliantly relatable and ambitious ode to the humdrum and the sublime; a truly original novel that captures the pleasures and displeasures of modern, earthly life.' Especially for the first sentence. But the novel is neither, certainly not uplifting or funny in any way. Which is fine, but annoying when you go in with the expectation that it will be and with the want for something uplifting and funny. What you're met with instead is a deep permeating sadness and emptiness.
Iris, the protagonist, is depressed and suicidal and goes to live on Nyx to escape Earth, in the hopes of finding a more meaningful existence. This, of course, doesn't happen and Nyx quickly turns out to be an empty, boring, sad existence. The Nyxians miss Earth and many of the seemingly insignificant things. All the things they were promised (organically grown food, that more humans would follow and bring supplies etc.) are good for about a year and then supplies are running out, nobody follows and they receive less food every day, slowly starving to death. Unsurprising, to be honest. It is, after all, a dystopian novel and from the beginning I didn't think anything good could come from going to Nyx. The sameness of every day, of the never-changing landscape, of not being able to go outside and feel the sun or the breeze or rain, quickly becomes boring and oppressing. As I said: the novel is fine. Not much more than that, though.
Personally, I don't find Iris relatable, but rather annoying and I honestly don't care about her or any of the other side characters. Which, of course, makes it difficult to care for the novel as a whole. It all felt a bit superficial to me; nothing felt real. Sure, Iris's Earth existence is meant to feel like that because that's how she feels, but even Iris's depression and suicidal ideations feel flat and unimportant. Maybe that's the point? I don't know.
Considering how many dystopian novels there are, this one doesn't feel particularly original, either. The idea is interesting, but to me the novel focuses too much on Iris's Earth life. I enjoyed the switching between Nyx and Earth in the first two chapters and think it would have been more compelling to keep that up, or to at least include more instances of Iris commenting on the past on Earth from Nyx with asides. The Nyx part feels too rushed to build proper tension as to what is happening and the ending also falls flat as barely anything is explained. It leaves it open-ended, as in many dystopian novels but, instead of stimulating speculation about what happened, it feels very forgettable. Which is a shame, because the idea had a lot of potential, but it just didn't land for me.
Personally, I don't find Iris relatable, but rather annoying and I honestly don't care about her or any of the other side characters. Which, of course, makes it difficult to care for the novel as a whole. It all felt a bit superficial to me; nothing felt real. Sure, Iris's Earth existence is meant to feel like that because that's how she feels, but even Iris's depression and suicidal ideations feel flat and unimportant. Maybe that's the point? I don't know.
Considering how many dystopian novels there are, this one doesn't feel particularly original, either. The idea is interesting, but to me the novel focuses too much on Iris's Earth life. I enjoyed the switching between Nyx and Earth in the first two chapters and think it would have been more compelling to keep that up, or to at least include more instances of Iris commenting on the past on Earth from Nyx with asides. The Nyx part feels too rushed to build proper tension as to what is happening and the ending also falls flat as barely anything is explained. It leaves it open-ended, as in many dystopian novels but, instead of stimulating speculation about what happened, it feels very forgettable. Which is a shame, because the idea had a lot of potential, but it just didn't land for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Abandonment, Drug use, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Vomit, and Mental illness
Minor: Death, Cancer, and Death of parent
amberinbookland's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Pregnancy
auteaandtales's review
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Abandonment
Moderate: Fatphobia
migalu23's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was generally a good read but I think I could have enjoyed it more if I'd read it at a different time. Whereas I found the first half of the book engaging, in its exploration of depression and millennial melancholy, the second half fell a little flat. I was expecting or hoping for more of a resolution - or perhaps just a different resolution.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Abandonment
I really enjoyed the time spent explaining the decision to move to Nyx, and hoped for more on the consequences of these choices on those who were left behind. Perhaps even a brief epilogue from the perspective of someone other than the main character would have given me greater satisfaction. I felt I wanted more of a twist or explanation towards the end.
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