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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I absolutely loved this book. It was full of action and I loved the perspective. Can’t wait to read book 2.
“I sing the city. Fucking city.” N. K. Jemisin’s penmanship is like no other. From the very first lines, she leaves you stunned, grasping to interpret what’s happening. The level of imagination and creativity it takes to write a story where New York itself anthropomorphizes into real people “avatars” is nothing short of genius.
This novel is a love letter to New York, to America, to humanity. It reflects both the best and the worst of us. The story is rich, layered with unique characters and cultures, and full of complexity. It is vast, weird, and unapologetically bold, exploring multidimensional realities, gentrification, racism, and an evil entity trying to colonize New York.
Jemisin is truly in a league of her own. Her writing is eccentric, and while this book may not be for everyone, I loved it. I loved everything about it.
“The world is indeed comic, but the joke is on mankind.”
—H. P. Lovecraft
This is so far the biggest disappointment that I've read this year. And I don't say that because it was a bad book. It was just that I was hoping for SO MUCH more! This book has so much promise. I love the concept and the premise of this book. Cities personified? Sign me up! There's so much that could have been done there. But for me, the cast was just so extraordinarily large that I didn't care about any of them. There wasn't enough development because she tried to develop too many of them. It would have been clearer if there were a few very developed characters, and the rest were ensemble. This also could be an excellent story in a visual media, but it's highly possible, I'm just too dumb for this book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
for taste reasons struggled with the style of audiobook reading performance. also it was so stressful all of the way thru. none of these things are quality ratings just personal taste
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My newest favorite author!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The concept for this is very unique. Very environmental. Very whole. The idea that cities are represented by these “avatars” or “people” breeds a whole new meaning onto how we view land and space.
However, I wish the story let its ideas breathe more. There’s a lot of commentary, which I don’t mind. I don’t even mind on some level if books direct you where they want the reader to go in their mind. I admire when a writer doesn’t shy away from telling what what they’re trying to say. That is unless is becomes a bit overbearing. The equivalent of your teacher or boss hovering over you as you’re trying to get your work done.
I do understand the point in doing this to some extent with a story like thus. You don’t want readers to gather the wrong message, but you gotta give the reader some credit, I feel. You can be in the room, but you don’t have to breathe down our necks as we work, you get me (metaphorically)?
Again there really is a lot of potential here. I love the fresh, unique, Lovecraft homage this is, I just wish we were given more space to let the story be the unique piece of work that it is, instead of it being buried under commentary. Because the story works. I just wish it would let itself.
However, I wish the story let its ideas breathe more. There’s a lot of commentary, which I don’t mind. I don’t even mind on some level if books direct you where they want the reader to go in their mind. I admire when a writer doesn’t shy away from telling what what they’re trying to say. That is unless is becomes a bit overbearing. The equivalent of your teacher or boss hovering over you as you’re trying to get your work done.
I do understand the point in doing this to some extent with a story like thus. You don’t want readers to gather the wrong message, but you gotta give the reader some credit, I feel. You can be in the room, but you don’t have to breathe down our necks as we work, you get me (metaphorically)?
Again there really is a lot of potential here. I love the fresh, unique, Lovecraft homage this is, I just wish we were given more space to let the story be the unique piece of work that it is, instead of it being buried under commentary. Because the story works. I just wish it would let itself.