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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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:
No
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Too slow for anything to happen but when things do happen, they are not intriguing and for the most part it’s boring. I did enjoy reading about each character’s story but I do wish that the main story had more to offer.
Interesting ideas and world-building; the characters are a good set for the story, and the story works—but. It. Does. Not. Flow. I was never drawn from one scene to the next, never sensed any forward momentum. Since there is a dreamlike or hallucinogenic aspect to the characters' experiences, not having forward flow became frustrating, which I never desire in a read.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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
mysterious
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:
No
An interesting cast of focaliser characters. Weiwei is constantly questioning the world outside herself, while being consistent in her awareness of her position in that world; Henry is portrayed as naively religious, without his faith being ridiculed; and Marya keeps dodging her past, while maintaining a steady loyalty to it in her mind.
Also, I would expect more reviews to mention how strongly inspired by Snowpiercer this book obviously is. Just look at this quote:
The setting of the story, in its transience, is tethered to different cultures, which makes for a fun hybrid. The surreal vibe of the Wastelands is pretty cool and freaky and brings up some interesting thoughts about imitation and originality. The novel also seems to be a melancholy critique on the intellectualised preservation and study of nature, contrasting it with advocacy for a sort of unobtrusive, laissez-faire conservationism. The ending is chaotic, delirious, bacchanalian, frantic, and triumphant, leaving a feverish satisfaction, and opening a new chapter for this world.
Also, I would expect more reviews to mention how strongly inspired by Snowpiercer this book obviously is. Just look at this quote:
“Didn’t I disrupt the order?” she asked, knowing even then how important order was to the train—for everyone to have their role, for everything to be in its place.There are many other texts this book is reminiscent of: Shadow and Bone, for example, some hints of Nineteen Eighty-Four and its doublethink.
The setting of the story, in its transience, is tethered to different cultures, which makes for a fun hybrid. The surreal vibe of the Wastelands is pretty cool and freaky and brings up some interesting thoughts about imitation and originality. The novel also seems to be a melancholy critique on the intellectualised preservation and study of nature, contrasting it with advocacy for a sort of unobtrusive, laissez-faire conservationism. The ending is chaotic, delirious, bacchanalian, frantic, and triumphant, leaving a feverish satisfaction, and opening a new chapter for this world.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Another fun entry into the genre of cozy horror.