Reviews with content warning for Violence - Acceptance

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

applesodaperson's review

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

I would say that this was a decently satisfying conclusion to the Southern Reach series. It definitely wasn't perfect, and felt a little messy. It also answered a lot less questions than I expected it to. It pretty much didn't answer anything, except giving some more insight into the lighthouse keeper.
This book switched between 3 different perspectives. One was a flashback to the lighthouse keeper before Area X was created. It was interesting to see how

he absorbed that weird light sliver, which eventually turns him into the tower creature from the first book.

But other than that insight, I don't think his perspective was totally necessary. The second perspective was Ghost Bird and Control in Area X in the present. This was cool, but the time dilation was confusing. But seeing what actually happened to the biologist was absolutely insane and scary. But I also expected the present perspective to answer more questions. Although I did like that it was left unclear whether Area X has expanded to encompass the whole world. It is a very scary concept. The third perspective was the psychologist when she was the director of the Southern Reach. Honestly these chapters were forgettable and I'm still not quite sure what the reader was supposed to get out of it.
Overall, the constant switching between perspectives and time lines left me a bit confused. So I did like this book, but like Authority, it failed to love up to the sheer terror and brilliance that is Annihilation. That book was just pure art and the other two just failed to reach that high.
Read borrowed copy from a friend.

Content Warnings

gerryskeays's review

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-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

3.75

Wow. What a wild trilogy- if you asked me what the plot was I’m not sure I could tell you.
Certainly one of the most interesting and atmospheric series I’ve read - this one was a satisfying (as much as anything can be satisfying in a series allergic to answers or explanations) conclusion to it all.

Scene in bar came out of nowhere for me and rocked me to my very core. Vandermeer is a master of creating evocative and moving environments but somehow always remaining nebulous and subjective.

Content Warnings

jiaojiao's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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

3.0

So... I read the Southern Reach trilogy all in the span of a few days; I was just that invested in the mystery of Area X. Unfortunately for me, that didn’t seem to be what VanderMeer had in mind for the Southern Reach trilogy. Area X, as the primary setting of Acceptance, does feature prominently in Acceptance, since John, along with a few other characters, do wind up in Area X. However, the focus is still very much on its effects, rather than its origins. By the end of Acceptance, we only get speculations of what Area X is, very few of which are actually confirmed.

Acceptance picks up almost immediately where Authority leaves off. Unlike in Annihilation and Authority, no new characters are introduced; instead, VanderMeer expands on the story of characters we already know who seem to be prominently connected to Area X. We see the lighthouse keeper’s final moments, for example. Like Annihilation and Authority, Acceptance switches between present events and select events from each character’s past. In terms of pacing, I think this worked a bit better in here than it did in Authority, as the past events that come to light have more direct connections to either Area X or present events.

While I did like that a lot more loose ends were dealt with in Acceptance, I still felt like something was missing. I think it might just be that I was expecting from the trilogy. I’m used to novels that have more linear storylines, with clear resolutions. This trilogy, however, is very character-driven, introspective as a result, and focused more on the psychological horror of confronting an existential threat that, in the end, was impossible to control. There isn’t really a resolution. Just acceptance—and whatever peace that might bring. I’m left feeling kind of empty-handed.

I’m glad I finished the trilogy, but I’m not sure whether I’d pick up any other books by VanderMeer.

My rating system:

★☆☆☆☆ - DNF.
★★☆☆☆ - I really wish I’d read something else.
★★★☆☆ - Glad I finished, but I’m probably not re-reading this.
★★★★☆ - I really enjoyed reading this! Would probably rec/re-read.
★★★★★ - OMG.

Content Warnings

muffmacguff's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

One of the major strengths of this series is making you feel trapped in the characters’s world. Especially as the series progressed, with each successive book you see just how small a window the previous book gave you into the world of the series.
In this concluding book I think that’s a strength and also something that irritated the hell out of me! It’s so fascinating and disorienting, and I keep hoping anything will make more sense but it never does. There isn’t much to explain why all this weird shit is happening. Which is FINE and VALID but also makes me so angry.
Anyway these were a really interesting read that gave me a headache.

Content Warnings