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chamblyman's review
I hate not finishing books. Especially ones by authors whose work I have enjoyed greatly. I LOVE Vandermeer's adult stuff, and I was excited to see him tackle YA lit. I had fun with this for a while, but just completely ran out of steam after the halfway point. It reminded me of early Terry Gilliam movies like Time Bandits (which I love) or sort of a darker version of the zany, funny SF&F of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett (which I have enjoyed.) But those works really benefit from being succinct and fast paced. I can dig a big book, but this was feeling pretty bloated and messy to me. And it's only part one of a series! I think maybe YA's PG-13 rating didn't really jive with Vandermeer's twisted imagination, or maybe the humor didn't? I felt adrift on a sea of weird but not in the good way. I sincerely hope that this finds an audience, but it wasn't for me.
rgkingsbury's review
Absolute shit.
I stopped after a page on the nationality of a marmot
I stopped after a page on the nationality of a marmot
mattisonsbooknook's review
Far to confusing for me. It's a weird book and it's just not for me
marylep's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hetzelah's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
sophiawood's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
amber_mars's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-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? No
3.75
I have no idea what I just read. The back says "WARNING This book is not normal", but did I expect it to be this weird? No. This is the weirdest book I ever read and can be best described as "Alice in Wonderland, but add 20 other drugs to it". I still quite enjoyed it but it was just sooo weird.
belles_bookishlife's review
4.0
I adored this book. I love how fantastical and magical the world of Aurora was. I loved the absolute absurdity of it all. However please know this novel is not for everyone. This novel is what I’d call “Alice in Wonderland on crack”. I really had to court my brain while I read this book and simply take in the fantastic information as it was given. The world of Aurora is filled with life sized groundhogs, non physical gold entities, a bodiless Napoleon, land bridges and so much more. This novel was an incredible demonstration of great world building.
Where it lacked a bit for me was in a few of the side characters. I wanted more from them but I believe that will be seen in the next novels.
All in all I found this a really fun read and would recommend this to anyone who loves the absurd, silly and fantastic
Where it lacked a bit for me was in a few of the side characters. I wanted more from them but I believe that will be seen in the next novels.
All in all I found this a really fun read and would recommend this to anyone who loves the absurd, silly and fantastic
erikbail's review
2.0
DNF 30% in. Couldn't do it. Couldn't stand the boring bits and that was most of it