Reviews

Rosewater by Tade Thompson

cjblandford's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this one. The somewhat clinical, almost simplistic narration style of the main character Kaaro, almost belies the reader into thinking it is a simple story, but it is not. It is a rich, layered story, with much symbolism that will take another reading to unpack. This story is not told linearly, and there are multiple storylines being told concurrently, and I usually hate that, but the reason I hate it is that it feels lazy or like a cheap trick to pad a story, but here it is done masterfully. I think one problem readers may have with this book is that the main character and narrator, Kaaro, is not all that likable, he's a but unreliable, and he can be sexist. I found it interesting that the author chose to present the first part of this story from Kaaro's perspective, with all of his faults. But it works for the story, as an introduction to the main conflict, from a source who is a bit detached from it. He wants to take an outsider's approach, and isn't motivated by higher ideals. In his youth, Kaaro was a thief, and as he develops abilities, his thievery transforms from the physical, to the mental, where he can steal a person's privacy by reading their minds and inner thoughts. He finds missing things, but doesn't fully understand how his abilities work, or know what he's capable of if he applied himself.   The near-future Nigerian setting is very interesting and worked very well for the story. The overarching story took a bit of time to reveal itself, but all of the tidbits and details in the lead-up were enough to keep me interested. I would read this again and I will continue the series because despite Kaaro not being a "save-the-world" type of person, I want to see how this conflict is going to play out. 

youngthespian42's review against another edition

3.0

My first impression of this novel was not a good one. It took a long time to win me over but by the end it truly did. I respect that Tade Thompson does not hold your hand as he walks you through is deep near future world.

The xenosphere that a lot of this novel takes place in is interesting and rich. The pandemic also informs the role the alien lifeform brings when they come to Nigeria. Africa's history with TB, HIV, and Ebola informs this view of an alien pandemic and makes the novel feel prescient to the current Covid Crisis.

There are three separate timelines this book bounces between and since the whole novel is one POV I found myself getting lost in the audiobook. I would recommend reading the book instead of listening although the narrator's performance is truly excellent.

Rosewater didn't stick with me enough to dive into the rest of the Wormwood Trilogy but I definitely think I will return to this word in the future.

gatonolivro's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

qwends's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

0verrun's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

geraldineleyendo's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The futuristic yet credible world built for this is truly interesting, and the author pours so much creativity in approaching the sci-fi themes. It creates really strong visuals (some of them hugely unpleasant or straight violent and tough to read!!!). Its moments of tension are a bit much in the erotica/gory side, but can still make an enjoyable read if you are open to them.

Characters have many interesting elements but they feel too random - it was hard to see how they fit in the story . The experience is that of reading a collage made from different short stories, not super cohesive.

Although I understand this is a trilogy, and maybe all the satisfaction comes in the following books, the story of Rosewater feels SO incomplete/unfinished it's a bit frustrating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Body horror and Violence

mdegge's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Aliens, psychics, mystery, broken timeline! Tough to rate... Definitely dark. The plot and world building are good. I am excited to see where the series goes with these dynamics. I wish there were a more likeable character in the story, but the main character is kind of neutral. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality, Violence, Death, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

vermilionred's review against another edition

4.0

Got kind of bogged down in the middle, but I do think it was worth it. It delivered what I wanted.

tishywishy's review against another edition

3.0

Honestly, not sure what to give this book. It's intriguing and all the alien aspects are truly unique but I couldn't full digest the story. I felt thrown all over the place and didn't know who was a friend or foe of the protagonist. Speaking of the lead, it wasn't easy to feel connected with him for the journey. Not going to continue the series.

katakarin's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75