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mcgildey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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? Yes
5.0
anna_hepworth's review against another edition
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I adored this book, from the initial (incredibly) violent opening, to the chaotic ending. I would not claim to understand what was going on for significant parts of the story, and I absolutely did not care. The shared past of the characters, the darkness they were either surviving or were drawn back to, these were sketched in minimalist detail, adding to an atmosphere of unreality.
The viewpoint characters are regularly unreliable, not least because at least one of them has had some kind of control put on their thoughts. It is coercive and, at times, downright terrifying, in how one character is forced to respond to another.
Viewpoints vary between humans and AI. Because it is a far future in space, sometimes those are closer to each other than to current humans, and are joyfully alien.
I'm not putting in content warnings, but recommend people who are cautious about violence and body horror to check what other people have said.
The viewpoint characters are regularly unreliable, not least because at least one of them has had some kind of control put on their thoughts. It is coercive and, at times, downright terrifying, in how one character is forced to respond to another.
Viewpoints vary between humans and AI. Because it is a far future in space, sometimes those are closer to each other than to current humans, and are joyfully alien.
I'm not putting in content warnings, but recommend people who are cautious about violence and body horror to check what other people have said.
northernplunder's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
whatdotheyknowaboutfriends's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
stellarian's review against another edition
3.0
For me, a 2.5. A constant assault of over the edge noir ultra violent space opera, with an over the edge vocabulary (and I don’t mean the constant use of fuck). Just, too violent a word stream with too little plot cohesion. Not for me.
talonsontypewriters's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Emotional abuse, Blood, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Body horror, Suicide, Death, Murder, and Grief
Minor: Deadnaming and Vomit
voxvenati's review
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-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
5.0
I don’t know if there’s anything to say beyond that I’m obsessed.
Khaw delivers another gruesome, gorgeous work dripping with viscera and purple prose where love is at the center of everything. The characters are flawed and delightful. The Minds are fascinating. Pimento….my beloved.
I love this world. I wish I had more time in it. This is an absolute reread for me.
Khaw delivers another gruesome, gorgeous work dripping with viscera and purple prose where love is at the center of everything. The characters are flawed and delightful. The Minds are fascinating. Pimento….my beloved.
I love this world. I wish I had more time in it. This is an absolute reread for me.
inthebelljar's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
I liked a lot of the ideas and concepts goings on in this book, but the execution was really lacking. I didn't feel like I understood the characters or their motivations, nor did I have a total handle on the world this took place in by the end. I'm more than okay with being thrown into a story and trying to figure out what's going on, but this, ultimately, felt very lackluster and confusing. So many things ended feeling unresolved and there were multiple times throughout the book where I felt like, "okay, so why is this happening?" or "what's even the end goal here?"
There was also this pervasive feeling of being told what I should think of the characters (i.e., Rita is manipulative and charismatic) instead of just...being shown how those characters act. I really had trouble buying into why any of these characters had ever bonded with one another, let alone trusted each other for this final mission.
A lot of Cassandra Khaw's works sound promising to me, but after this and Nothing But Blackened Teeth, I just don't think their writing is for me, unfortunately.
I liked a lot of the ideas and concepts goings on in this book, but the execution was really lacking. I didn't feel like I understood the characters or their motivations, nor did I have a total handle on the world this took place in by the end. I'm more than okay with being thrown into a story and trying to figure out what's going on, but this, ultimately, felt very lackluster and confusing. So many things ended feeling unresolved and there were multiple times throughout the book where I felt like, "okay, so why is this happening?" or "what's even the end goal here?"
There was also this pervasive feeling of being told what I should think of the characters (i.e., Rita is manipulative and charismatic) instead of just...being shown how those characters act. I really had trouble buying into why any of these characters had ever bonded with one another, let alone trusted each other for this final mission.
A lot of Cassandra Khaw's works sound promising to me, but after this and Nothing But Blackened Teeth, I just don't think their writing is for me, unfortunately.
remibaker's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Good read. Pretty faced pace. Quite descriptive in the environment - it can be a bit overwhelming/confusing trying to keep track of everything going on, but I enjoyed the plot
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Suicide, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
chrispy_mac's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
There was potential here but the book as it is, is a mess. I liked the themes, I think the world could have been interesting with some more development... but the characters were shallow and the plot mostly boring. Khaw's visceral prose couldn't punch its way out of a flimsy plot. But, it shows promise and I'll be interested to see what they write in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Death, and Toxic relationship