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studiouspencil's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
SPOILERS- This book made me cry, and not in a good way. A big topic in the novel seems to be the nature of people- if we are inherently selfish, if we deserve to continue as a species, and most importantly, who counts as a person and who doesn’t. This is where the book fell apart for me, because the narrative repeatedly falls back on comparing passionate, spontaneous, AI/Robot Cee, who is not human, but “seems” human, with her “sister” Kasey. In many places the book itself seems to be arguing that Kasey, despite being biologically human, is not. Because she is autistic. Kasey is heavily coded as being on the autism spectrum through her social difficulties, muted emotional responses and cognitive empathy, and black and white, goal driven thinking. This book made me feel /bad/ about myself, it made me feel like less of a person as an autistic person, reading the way Kasey was portrayed. Kasey isn’t perfect, and I’m not saying she should be- her views even briefly slide into ecofascism, which I can never condone, but the way Cee then justifies almost murdering Kasey, the way other characters treat her, the way she thinks of herself- it all comes off as a deeply ableist portrayal of an outdated Theory of Mind portrayal of a young autistic woman. The plot has potential, the twists are amazing, but I could barely make it through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Drug use
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Terminal illness
Minor: Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, and Medical content
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Death, Child death, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
emily_mh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Okay this book hit me quite hard which is the main reason why I've rated it so highly. It was confronting and haunting; whenever I finished a reading stint I had to stare into space for a bit and process what I had just read. It raised so many challenging questions, like how much personal freedom we can morally have in an environmental crisis, and who gets to decide who survives such a crisis. I was fascinated by how He envisioned the future of humanity, especially the solutions people made to reduce their carbon footprint. I also loved the sister relationship in this. They had such deep connection and love for one another.
I docked my rating half a star for two reasons. The first is that the writing could be very confusing from Kasey's perspective, both in terms of world-building and interpreting her personality. The pacing in this perspective also grew to be quite erratic. The second reason was the romance.I wish that Cee and Hero's relationship had been platonic. Or at least if it had to be romantic/sexual, I wish that their physical intimacy wasn't the reason why Cee's happiness spiked so high. Emotional connection provides happiness too, and more stable happiness that I feel that Kasey would have programmed for. In all honesty though, when a book impacts me the way this one did, reasons such as those aforementioned aren't enough to significantly affect the overall star rating, hence only a half-star dock.
I docked my rating half a star for two reasons. The first is that the writing could be very confusing from Kasey's perspective, both in terms of world-building and interpreting her personality. The pacing in this perspective also grew to be quite erratic. The second reason was the romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Gore, Body horror, Blood, and Self harm
Minor: Drug use, Excrement, Vomit, Racism, Sexual content, Confinement, Child death, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Sexual violence
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
Though the premise of and considerable hype surrounding this book had captured my attention, the book itself couldn’t hold it. I want to read, but I don’t want to read this. So, as disappointing as it is to say, I’ve decided this just isn’t my cup of tea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
Violence - choking Parent death - prior to the story (This is only representative of the portion of the book I read.)nyoom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Colonisation, and Gun violence
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Excrement, and Racism
mirandavictoria's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Murder, Terminal illness, and Death
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Colonisation, Murder, and Xenophobia
Minor: Body horror, Racism, and Sexual content
celia_haz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Medical content and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
So this is one of those books where you're dropped into this new world without much context and you get the details the further you get into the story. Let me just say that this works extremely well for this story, particularly for the driving mystery between the two sisters.
I desperately want someone I know to finish this book because I want to discuss it with someone! Much of this dystopian world that He has created is based on climate change and the fact that humanity is to blame for the destruction of the planet. This could have gotten too heavy handed, but I think it blended well with Kasey and Cee's own storylines. It's because of the state of the world that they're in the situation they're in, and while you think you might know what's going on, you probably don't. Or, you at least don't know the whole story.
Fair warning, this book might also break your heart. That ending! I'll definitely be thinking about this book for a long time, and it's also a book that would benefit from a re-read because I'm sure there's stuff I missed. I didn't want to put this book down the further I got into it because I needed to know what was going to happen next.
I know this book is hit or miss for some people, but it was definitely a hit for me. Now I just need to find someone else to read it and discuss! Maybe I'll suggest it at my next book club.
I desperately want someone I know to finish this book because I want to discuss it with someone! Much of this dystopian world that He has created is based on climate change and the fact that humanity is to blame for the destruction of the planet. This could have gotten too heavy handed, but I think it blended well with Kasey and Cee's own storylines. It's because of the state of the world that they're in the situation they're in, and while you think you might know what's going on, you probably don't. Or, you at least don't know the whole story.
Fair warning, this book might also break your heart. That ending! I'll definitely be thinking about this book for a long time, and it's also a book that would benefit from a re-read because I'm sure there's stuff I missed. I didn't want to put this book down the further I got into it because I needed to know what was going to happen next.
I know this book is hit or miss for some people, but it was definitely a hit for me. Now I just need to find someone else to read it and discuss! Maybe I'll suggest it at my next book club.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Violence
bibliofilth's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was a challenging one for me, because there was so much about it that I really liked and almost an equal amount that just did not work for me at all. So we're gonna dust off the ol' bulleted list again.
What I liked:
+ The themes overall, but specifically the examination of privilege and complacency. Kasey comes from a wealthy family and lives in high status in an sheltered eco-city while the rest of the world is left to face the results of pollution and climate change, which include deadly storms and higher radiation levels. Additionally, people are barred from entering the eco-city based on the eco-sins of family past - if your great-great grandfather owned a pesticide company, you're barred from entering the eco-city. There is a LOT to unpack there and a lot of Kasey's story is about these various systems. It's also worth pointing out that the "solution" the eco-cities thrive on is by requiring citizens to spend most of their time in stasis pods and interact virtually - essentially escaping to a digital world while ignoring what's happening in the real world. All of that was fantastic.
Spoilers:
I also really enjoyed the resolution of Kasey's arc and her solution. We see her intensely struggling with this anger, this desire to just let everyone suffer because they didn't do anything to stop all this pain (and oof, does that hit even harder after living through 2020 and dealing with anti-maskers) but ultimately she chooses life and rebirth - not just for those special or rich enough to "deserve it."
+ I think I might have a "thing" for purgatory-like stories, because I've definitely found myself drawn to media that has a purgatory-like setting. Cee's time on the island definitely fits this mold. I saw a lot of reviewers say they found her earlier chapters dragged on and they enjoyed the latter ones more, but for me it's the exact opposite. The mystery of who Cee was, why she was on this island, what had happened to her, etc. was extremely compelling.
+ I really enjoyed the writing itself - it's very evocative even though it flits between first and third person.
+ Certain aspects of this reminded me of the video game Horizon Zero Dawn - not saying that this was clearly inspired by that game or anything like that, but it was a positive because it's something I liked in that game as well.
<i>Spoilers for both Horizon Zero Dawn and The Ones We're Meant to Find</i>:
Kacey reminded me of Elisabet - both of them are these incredibly intelligent, technology-focused heriones that feel distanced from everyone else. And Kacey's solution gives me flavors of Elisabet's solution as well.
+ That plot twist. One of them, because there's like 70.
Robot! I really enjoy robot fiction and questions about life and consciousness that come with it, so that was a pleasant surprise.
What I didn't like:
+ I really want to figuratively and metaphorically yeet both of the main male characters out of this story, particular the one involved in Cee's story. I get WHY he's there, but I think the exact same message could've been made without needing him and it just derailed Cee's entire storyline for me. It just wasn't a compelling romance and it distracted from the relationship between the two sisters and Cee's self-actualization. Unfortunately he's a main part of her story after a certain point so it's a pretty major part of the book. Likewise I just felt like the other male character could've been done better for the role he was serving in this story.
+ This is 100% a vibes/emotions >>> logic kind of story, which I'm normally fine with but it strained it a bit too much at parts. You really need to not pick apart or dissect any of the worldbuilding or character decisions because the story really just includes details in order to further the plot and just get you back to focusing on the sisters and themes it wants you to focus on.
+ Tied to that, there's a lot of worldbuilding details that are left pretty vague that would've helped further the themes if we saw more of them. Some of this is on purpose to further the mysteries and unanswered questions, but this extends to areas of the story where that's not really necessary. A non-spoilery example is a clear picture on what life outside the eco-cities is like - there's early references to ecological disasters and a latter reference to swimming in the ocean being banned due to pollution. Outside of that, it's left pretty vague with only a few details that come much further on in the story. I'd have liked to have some of that sort of info more upfront because it helps set the stage for the reader to understand the stakes and themes.
+ There's a final chapter that just summarizes everything that happened in the span of 6 years that was really annoying and I tbh it comes off like an editor asked the author to include it to add clarity and tie up loose ends. Idk if that's the reality, but I'm telling you that's how it comes across.
+ It was a little weird and distracting that there's a lot of new terms in this book for things that already exist, specifically science terms. I suspect that was done to make this feel more futuristic but it doesn't really make sense that we'd stop calling something by the same name we've been using in English for hundreds of years for no other reason than it's the future - especially when so many other words are unchanged. Imagine if "chairs" were suddenly called "butt pods." Actually...do imagine that, I'm going to start using that from now on.
Overall I would say this is worth reading.
Content Warnings: Death, grief, suicidal ideation, minor blood/violence
Representation: Both MCs are asian; author is of Chinese descent
What I liked:
+ The themes overall, but specifically the examination of privilege and complacency. Kasey comes from a wealthy family and lives in high status in an sheltered eco-city while the rest of the world is left to face the results of pollution and climate change, which include deadly storms and higher radiation levels. Additionally, people are barred from entering the eco-city based on the eco-sins of family past - if your great-great grandfather owned a pesticide company, you're barred from entering the eco-city. There is a LOT to unpack there and a lot of Kasey's story is about these various systems. It's also worth pointing out that the "solution" the eco-cities thrive on is by requiring citizens to spend most of their time in stasis pods and interact virtually - essentially escaping to a digital world while ignoring what's happening in the real world. All of that was fantastic.
Spoilers:
I also really enjoyed the resolution of Kasey's arc and her solution. We see her intensely struggling with this anger, this desire to just let everyone suffer because they didn't do anything to stop all this pain (and oof, does that hit even harder after living through 2020 and dealing with anti-maskers) but ultimately she chooses life and rebirth - not just for those special or rich enough to "deserve it."
+ I think I might have a "thing" for purgatory-like stories, because I've definitely found myself drawn to media that has a purgatory-like setting. Cee's time on the island definitely fits this mold. I saw a lot of reviewers say they found her earlier chapters dragged on and they enjoyed the latter ones more, but for me it's the exact opposite. The mystery of who Cee was, why she was on this island, what had happened to her, etc. was extremely compelling.
+ I really enjoyed the writing itself - it's very evocative even though it flits between first and third person.
+ Certain aspects of this reminded me of the video game Horizon Zero Dawn - not saying that this was clearly inspired by that game or anything like that, but it was a positive because it's something I liked in that game as well.
<i>Spoilers for both Horizon Zero Dawn and The Ones We're Meant to Find</i>:
+ That plot twist. One of them, because there's like 70.
What I didn't like:
+ I really want to figuratively and metaphorically yeet both of the main male characters out of this story, particular the one involved in Cee's story. I get WHY he's there, but I think the exact same message could've been made without needing him and it just derailed Cee's entire storyline for me. It just wasn't a compelling romance and it distracted from the relationship between the two sisters and Cee's self-actualization. Unfortunately he's a main part of her story after a certain point so it's a pretty major part of the book. Likewise I just felt like the other male character could've been done better for the role he was serving in this story.
+ This is 100% a vibes/emotions >>> logic kind of story, which I'm normally fine with but it strained it a bit too much at parts. You really need to not pick apart or dissect any of the worldbuilding or character decisions because the story really just includes details in order to further the plot and just get you back to focusing on the sisters and themes it wants you to focus on.
+ Tied to that, there's a lot of worldbuilding details that are left pretty vague that would've helped further the themes if we saw more of them. Some of this is on purpose to further the mysteries and unanswered questions, but this extends to areas of the story where that's not really necessary. A non-spoilery example is a clear picture on what life outside the eco-cities is like - there's early references to ecological disasters and a latter reference to swimming in the ocean being banned due to pollution. Outside of that, it's left pretty vague with only a few details that come much further on in the story. I'd have liked to have some of that sort of info more upfront because it helps set the stage for the reader to understand the stakes and themes.
+ There's a final chapter that just summarizes everything that happened in the span of 6 years that was really annoying and I tbh it comes off like an editor asked the author to include it to add clarity and tie up loose ends. Idk if that's the reality, but I'm telling you that's how it comes across.
+ It was a little weird and distracting that there's a lot of new terms in this book for things that already exist, specifically science terms. I suspect that was done to make this feel more futuristic but it doesn't really make sense that we'd stop calling something by the same name we've been using in English for hundreds of years for no other reason than it's the future - especially when so many other words are unchanged. Imagine if "chairs" were suddenly called "butt pods." Actually...do imagine that, I'm going to start using that from now on.
Overall I would say this is worth reading.
Content Warnings: Death, grief, suicidal ideation, minor blood/violence
Representation: Both MCs are asian; author is of Chinese descent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts