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adarossiwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
bluuejeans's review against another edition
2.0
This book was not what I wished it to be. Missing out on all the cool techy stuff and all the action and excitement I felt it promised. It was a bore and at the end I just really wanted it to be over.
Now.. to new adventures
Now.. to new adventures
ken_bookhermit's review against another edition
2.0
Concept was interesting and the writing style is enough to get the story told—but that’s it. The main character’s obsession with her liminal position in society, being a brown equivalent of an “oreo” grated. I rarely agree with antagonists but damn did I agree about those who argued against the main character and her middle class privilege.
It wasn’t a particularly fun read because the characters were not that compelling. Except maybe for Haber and Stornetta.
It wasn’t a particularly fun read because the characters were not that compelling. Except maybe for Haber and Stornetta.
zanderstruck's review against another edition
2.0
I received a free e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I got about 10% into this book when I realised this won't be a book I'll enjoy. I skipped ahead a bit, already bothered by how the main character, a woman of colour that seemed to have a strong personality in the beginning at least, which I enjoyed very much, was always talking about her issues as a person of colour and a woman in the society in this book written by a man, even if he knows about the struggle of a non-white person. I didn't look into the author, just scanned his profile on Goodreads and saw in other reviews that he apparently has very public political opinions. These are also very present in this story and I didn't feel like reading a political story about things that are already so present in my day to day life.
Overall, I gave this one 2 stars even though I DNFed about 30% in and then skipped to the ending with some stops in between, because I think the basic premise and world build are interesting and definitely show promise. It just wasn't for me, but if you're interested in a political, not so far away sci-fi dystopian story, check this one out.
I got about 10% into this book when I realised this won't be a book I'll enjoy. I skipped ahead a bit, already bothered by how the main character, a woman of colour that seemed to have a strong personality in the beginning at least, which I enjoyed very much, was always talking about her issues as a person of colour and a woman in the society in this book written by a man, even if he knows about the struggle of a non-white person. I didn't look into the author, just scanned his profile on Goodreads and saw in other reviews that he apparently has very public political opinions. These are also very present in this story and I didn't feel like reading a political story about things that are already so present in my day to day life.
Overall, I gave this one 2 stars even though I DNFed about 30% in and then skipped to the ending with some stops in between, because I think the basic premise and world build are interesting and definitely show promise. It just wasn't for me, but if you're interested in a political, not so far away sci-fi dystopian story, check this one out.
karenika's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars.
As someone who has a history in both finance and tech, I was excited to read this book. I wasn't exactly sure what the plot would be but I thought it had potential.
I am loath to say anything bad about a book because I know a ton of effort goes into writing a book and it's a huge accomplishment. This book has an interesting story line and I liked the last 15% more than the rest of the book. For someone who's looking for an interesting, plot-driven story, it might just be the thing.
For me, there were several things that made the book less than ideal. The beginning of the book dragged quite a bit longer than I would have liked. It took a long time for the reader to find what was in the drive and what this whole thing was about. This would have been interesting in a character-driven story but in a story that was mostly about the plot, it made me impatient and frustrated. Some of the details of this future world were interesting to me but I felt the author didn't give me the depth I would have liked. The characters were reasonably under-developed with possibly the exception of the main character. Even Ichi did a lot of telling of her backstory as opposed to feeling like a 3-dimensional character for me. Most of them didn't change or grow much (except Amanda) so it just fell flat for me.
What ended up being the most frustrating part for me was the lectures the women gave each other (and the men) about how hard it was being a woman (or being biracial). It felt super didactic and super condescending. As a woman, I felt offended and annoyed. As a reader, I felt like the characters were taking a pause in the middle of the plot to lecture each other. It just really didn't fit at all. There were several other political commentary sections that felt the same way. Like the author was lecturing through the characters. It bothered me enough that I almost put the book down.
I don't want to give away the interesting parts of the plot but I did enjoy Tatsu and found the plot around Tatsu to be interesting and enjoyable. I think this story would have been more enjoyable without some of the extra commentary, especially if you enjoy plot-driven stories.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.
As someone who has a history in both finance and tech, I was excited to read this book. I wasn't exactly sure what the plot would be but I thought it had potential.
I am loath to say anything bad about a book because I know a ton of effort goes into writing a book and it's a huge accomplishment. This book has an interesting story line and I liked the last 15% more than the rest of the book. For someone who's looking for an interesting, plot-driven story, it might just be the thing.
For me, there were several things that made the book less than ideal. The beginning of the book dragged quite a bit longer than I would have liked. It took a long time for the reader to find what was in the drive and what this whole thing was about. This would have been interesting in a character-driven story but in a story that was mostly about the plot, it made me impatient and frustrated. Some of the details of this future world were interesting to me but I felt the author didn't give me the depth I would have liked. The characters were reasonably under-developed with possibly the exception of the main character. Even Ichi did a lot of telling of her backstory as opposed to feeling like a 3-dimensional character for me. Most of them didn't change or grow much (except Amanda) so it just fell flat for me.
What ended up being the most frustrating part for me was the lectures the women gave each other (and the men) about how hard it was being a woman (or being biracial). It felt super didactic and super condescending. As a woman, I felt offended and annoyed. As a reader, I felt like the characters were taking a pause in the middle of the plot to lecture each other. It just really didn't fit at all. There were several other political commentary sections that felt the same way. Like the author was lecturing through the characters. It bothered me enough that I almost put the book down.
I don't want to give away the interesting parts of the plot but I did enjoy Tatsu and found the plot around Tatsu to be interesting and enjoyable. I think this story would have been more enjoyable without some of the extra commentary, especially if you enjoy plot-driven stories.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.
lifeandtea's review against another edition
4.0
Review link: https://lifeandteablog.wordpress.com/2019/04/19/book-review-tangles-game-by-stewart-hotston/
I want to begin by saying that I received this book for free through Netgalley, but all thoughts are my own. This book is a thriller based on technology & the growing roles of social media, encryption and blockchains within modern society. It’s about a woman named Amanda who is living a normal life until she is sent a parcel, and this parcel immediately makes her the most targeted woman on the planet & she is an enemy to many. I’ll admit I wasn’t too sure what I was getting myself into with this book but I did really enjoy it. There was a lot of action, a lot of swearing (a warning to those who don’t like bad language) & a lot of tech & coding based jargon. Some of what was being mentioned I didn’t initially understand, but I felt as if Stewart Hotston helped explain things a little more. This book really did grab my attention to begin with and I thought the synopsis provided by Negalley was super interesting I had to request it. I am also thinking a sequel may come out for this book as it does end on a cliffhanger, but it can also work well as a standalone novel. I thought there were a lot of unique and interesting characters from various backgrounds, and there’s most definitely a political element to this book. And although I’m not usually one to get into politics, I do think it added a lot to the story and created an extra element to the reasoning behind certain characters actions. There’s a fair bit about gender, race and other things similar to that which I wasn’t expecting, but as I said before, it definitely adds something to the story. I do also feel as if I may need to do a bit of Googling to understand certain elements of the plot better, both relating to politics but also the internet and coding, but enough information is provided within the book to have enough of an understanding that it doesn’t affect your enjoyment of the plot. If you’re into tech and coding I definitely recommend this as a must-read, and even if you’re not into coding, it is an interesting book with a unique plot and a nice variation of characters. Overall, there’s a lot of drama and action and it’s a unique plot with interesting characters.
I want to begin by saying that I received this book for free through Netgalley, but all thoughts are my own. This book is a thriller based on technology & the growing roles of social media, encryption and blockchains within modern society. It’s about a woman named Amanda who is living a normal life until she is sent a parcel, and this parcel immediately makes her the most targeted woman on the planet & she is an enemy to many. I’ll admit I wasn’t too sure what I was getting myself into with this book but I did really enjoy it. There was a lot of action, a lot of swearing (a warning to those who don’t like bad language) & a lot of tech & coding based jargon. Some of what was being mentioned I didn’t initially understand, but I felt as if Stewart Hotston helped explain things a little more. This book really did grab my attention to begin with and I thought the synopsis provided by Negalley was super interesting I had to request it. I am also thinking a sequel may come out for this book as it does end on a cliffhanger, but it can also work well as a standalone novel. I thought there were a lot of unique and interesting characters from various backgrounds, and there’s most definitely a political element to this book. And although I’m not usually one to get into politics, I do think it added a lot to the story and created an extra element to the reasoning behind certain characters actions. There’s a fair bit about gender, race and other things similar to that which I wasn’t expecting, but as I said before, it definitely adds something to the story. I do also feel as if I may need to do a bit of Googling to understand certain elements of the plot better, both relating to politics but also the internet and coding, but enough information is provided within the book to have enough of an understanding that it doesn’t affect your enjoyment of the plot. If you’re into tech and coding I definitely recommend this as a must-read, and even if you’re not into coding, it is an interesting book with a unique plot and a nice variation of characters. Overall, there’s a lot of drama and action and it’s a unique plot with interesting characters.
eloisebell's review against another edition
3.0
This was a great thriller-ish tech book, set in a very probable future where cryptocurrency and social media reign supreme.
The writing had me hooked from the beginning and it was clear to see the author had a lot of knowledge of Science and Technology.
Great read.
The writing had me hooked from the beginning and it was clear to see the author had a lot of knowledge of Science and Technology.
Great read.
raidingbookshelves's review against another edition
1.0
DNF
Unfortunately I found Tangle's Game very difficult to follow, the heroine (Amanda) very unlikable and her character was quite erratic.
I struggled to get into the story, the beginning dragged and by the time I gave up, I still had not seen the point of any of Amanda's interactions, I didn't know anything about Tangle except that he treated her poorly. I didn't understand the relevance of the social ranking system, or what was actually on the drive and why it was worth endangering so many people. I also didn't enjoy the constant discussions on how as a biracial woman, Amanda does not experience privilege - it felt like condescending and irrelevant to the plot progression. It felt as through Hotston was just shoehorning the conversation in rather than developing it properly around the characters.
I hate to leave a book unfinished but I quickly lost interest in this book and haven't picked it up again. I don't intend to try it again any time soon but I would like to try a different novel by this author - maybe I'm just less interested in the technology than the story.
Unfortunately I found Tangle's Game very difficult to follow, the heroine (Amanda) very unlikable and her character was quite erratic.
Spoiler
She wanted nothing to do with Tangle and his ideas, but she followed his instructions, threatening strangers break into her home and she hires them to help her. Amanda values her own independence, wealth and intelligence but mistrusts it in other women.I struggled to get into the story, the beginning dragged and by the time I gave up, I still had not seen the point of any of Amanda's interactions, I didn't know anything about Tangle except that he treated her poorly. I didn't understand the relevance of the social ranking system, or what was actually on the drive and why it was worth endangering so many people. I also didn't enjoy the constant discussions on how as a biracial woman, Amanda does not experience privilege - it felt like condescending and irrelevant to the plot progression. It felt as through Hotston was just shoehorning the conversation in rather than developing it properly around the characters.
I hate to leave a book unfinished but I quickly lost interest in this book and haven't picked it up again. I don't intend to try it again any time soon but I would like to try a different novel by this author - maybe I'm just less interested in the technology than the story.
annapeat's review against another edition
1.0
In the acknowledgment of this book, the author says that “almost nothing in here is outside the realms of current technology” as if that is a good substitute for not explaining the technology that exists in the period of time that it is set in. After reading the whole book, I still have no idea what a blockchain is despite this word being the most repeated throughout. Also, the author never explicitly gives a time frame as to when it is set: he alludes to past events like Brexit but doesn’t say exactly how long ago they occurred. It’s the lack of detail which makes the world very difficult to believe. In comparison to 1984 by George Orwell which is so terrifyingly realistic, the world he describes is very flat and artificial.
Another issue is pace. There are moments which are unimportant that are dragged out. The points which are meant to be tense are rushed. The result is that I didn’t really feel any sense of anticipation.
The dialogue is also a major problem, it honestly made me cringe. It’s like the author watched a really cheesy spy movie and decided to copy and paste. The dialogue also sometimes swaps from really simple language to over complicated language, as if the author decided to take out a thesaurus and have a play.
I didn’t mind the main character although I found her very shallow and indecisive at times. My major problem was with the other characters. So someone who was threatening you LITERALLY 5 MINUTES AGO is now defending you from someone else and then you’re suddenly friends? If that happened one time I could understand it, but pretty much all of the character’s allies end up coming to her side in the same way.
The only thing I did like was the underlying message of privilege and power although it could have been explored in a much better way and didn’t really account for much in the long term.
Another issue is pace. There are moments which are unimportant that are dragged out. The points which are meant to be tense are rushed. The result is that I didn’t really feel any sense of anticipation.
The dialogue is also a major problem, it honestly made me cringe. It’s like the author watched a really cheesy spy movie and decided to copy and paste. The dialogue also sometimes swaps from really simple language to over complicated language, as if the author decided to take out a thesaurus and have a play.
I didn’t mind the main character although I found her very shallow and indecisive at times. My major problem was with the other characters. So someone who was threatening you LITERALLY 5 MINUTES AGO is now defending you from someone else and then you’re suddenly friends? If that happened one time I could understand it, but pretty much all of the character’s allies end up coming to her side in the same way.
The only thing I did like was the underlying message of privilege and power although it could have been explored in a much better way and didn’t really account for much in the long term.
rhiareads's review against another edition
2.0
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Unfortunately this one just didn’t do it for me. I feel like it was mismarketed slightly, I was expecting punchy sci-fi and instead I got politics in a “sci-fi” future. And I don’t like politics. Sure it’s important but I read to get away from real life, not to read about real life.
Also, i didn’t like any of the characters. Amanda is self-centred, indecisive and annoying, Tangle is a massive dick, basically all the side characters are pretty horrible people, except maybe Ichi and Tatsu.
This book was just not for me. Fans of political intrigue maybe, but I like my sci-fi with science.
Unfortunately this one just didn’t do it for me. I feel like it was mismarketed slightly, I was expecting punchy sci-fi and instead I got politics in a “sci-fi” future. And I don’t like politics. Sure it’s important but I read to get away from real life, not to read about real life.
Also, i didn’t like any of the characters. Amanda is self-centred, indecisive and annoying, Tangle is a massive dick, basically all the side characters are pretty horrible people, except maybe Ichi and Tatsu.
This book was just not for me. Fans of political intrigue maybe, but I like my sci-fi with science.