Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

119 reviews

sakeriver's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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

It’s always surprising—pleasantly so—to read a story in a familiar subgenre that feels like something you’ve never read before. Multiverse stories all (or almost all) have in common an exploration of identity, of what makes us is. And this one does that, of course, but it stands out for the distinctive voice of its protagonist, and the way she moves not just between worlds, but within the world she inhabits.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, and Violence

katieandkiri's review

adventurous challenging dark 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death

Moderate: Body horror

un_savoury's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, and Classism

Moderate: Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent

queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? No

5.0

5 ⭐ CW: violence, death, murder, abuse, sex work, suicidal ideation 

The Space Between Worlds by Michiah Johnson is a dystopian scifi story that is gripping and brutal. One of my friends has been bugging me to read this, and I finally got around to it. Let's just say this friend is two for two in the scifi recs. 

Earth has figured out that multiverses do exist, and Adam Bosch has created a way to traverse them. The catch is that in order to travel to these other Earths, your doppelganger has to have already died. We follow Cara, a traverser that is special, because out of the 300 and some Earths, she has died in most of them. 

As Cara traverses these different versions of Earth, she meets the same people living different lives, but discovers there are a lot of commonalities. Every world has a Wiley City, a walled city for the rich and elite progressives that denies access to those living in Ashtown. Ashtown, where Cara is originally from, is desolate and full of violence. When Cara starts to question why no other Earths have discovered how to travel, she finds herself enmeshed in corporate sabotage involving the multiverse. 

This was such a brutal read, but it was also so beautifully written. We learn so much about Cara on Earth Zero as well as a lot about her other selves. We also get a thread about her being in love with her distant handler, Dell, but that isn't what it seems either. So much sapphic pining. I loved seeing Cara's character growth and her growing morals all while being tough and ruthless. There is some nonbinary representation on the side, but it was nice to see how it was integrated into the world. 

I don't want to give too much away, but it's definitely worth the read if you were a fan of This is How You Lose the Time War (with less romance focus). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Sexual content

anishaaa's review against another edition

adventurous 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

3.25

One of the better books we've read in book club. Johnson did a great job of adding in social commentary without being heavy handed, and weaved it seamlessly into the world. I'm also stoked to have a

sapphic interracial couple (?).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death

kshertz's review

adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I enjoyed the whole concept! Multiverse but only available if you’re dead on earth and in most multiverses. So minorities become valuable because of the high mortality. 

I got confused a lot and not enough romance. But excellent commentary on Earth and lots of fantastic one liners reflecting our social world and all that’s wrong with Earth and it’s humans. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Abandonment, Murder, Body horror, Death of parent, Death, Violence, War, and Gun violence

prosenheim's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, War, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Classism

Moderate: Deportation, Gore, Child abuse, Addiction, and Abandonment

Minor: Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, Lesbophobia, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Suicide

workingdaley's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

3.5

I read this book for a book club that I was in, and I found it to be a fascinating read. Not my favorite by any means, but I find the concept of turning something as aspirational as dimension traveling into grunt work for the poor that (mild spoilers)

the rich are actively trying to replace

to be deeply interesting. It's one of the things that I love about Afrofuturism. It's important to take these concepts that we are aspiring to and consider who it is being built off of and what the consequences of that are for society at large. This book does a great job of exploring that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Classism, Death, and Deportation

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual violence, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, and War

Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Sexual content

emlo's review

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

I always find with parallel world type books that I pick holes in the plot. If you can gloss over the bits that don't quite work this is an enjoyable book. Although I didn't like the MC as much as some of the side characters - I found myself wanting to know more about Mr Cheeks and Esther. Also what happens on 175? There's definitely more to these worlds to come back to! It reminded me a bit of mad max. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Death

Moderate: Addiction

athnyx230's review

reflective tense 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, War, and Blood

Minor: Miscarriage