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maggietron's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.75
It was a bit long for me, but I don’t regret picking it up. The author crafts a rich, textured, vivid world that’s as fun to talk about as it is to read about. The characters are lovable and the themes are interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
cassimiranda's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This is my first Miéville, and I hope it's my last. The guy is clearly intelligent, has interesting world building concepts, and knows how to write well. Unfortunately, this book was heavy on the plot and light on the character work. I have no concept of who the (many, many) POV characters are, the hero is generic and has no personality, and the protagonists are caricatures without distinct traits. On top of which, the women (all two three of them) are easily identifiable stereotypes. My rating is on concept alone, the execution is mediocre.
If you're looking for a fast paced, complex, plot-driven urban fantasy it might work for you. Avoid the audiobook though, unless you want to listen to 16+ hour movie trailer. And don't read if you understand why tribbles are troublesome. Miéville paints a scathing portrait!
If you're looking for a fast paced, complex, plot-driven urban fantasy it might work for you. Avoid the audiobook though, unless you want to listen to 16+ hour movie trailer. And don't read if you understand why tribbles are troublesome. Miéville paints a scathing portrait!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Child death, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Police brutality
chapis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Clever book.jenny_d's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Things I liked:
- It's funny, but not necessarily in a bust-out-laughing-on-the-bus-on-the-way-to-work-making-strangers-stare-at-you kind of way. More in a I-can't-stop-smiling-because-heck-this-is-some-top-notch-wittiness kind of way.
- The world is intricate and layered, but still intriguing, and you can tell that there's even more of it to explore beyond London.
- Wati and the union.
- The magic system.
Things I didn't like:
- I feel like this would have been a better paced story if it had been spread out across three or four books. As it was, there were a lot of times that I couldn't really keep track of who belonged with which group. That may be due to the fact that I read it by audiobook though.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror