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meggs1005's review
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Violence
likeactualsoulmates's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for my honest review!
Let me just preface this by saying I went into this knowing very little because I KNEW I would love it. So when I read in the first chapter that it was a book about the multiverse and people were able to traverse them I was hooked. For the first few chapters, I was indeed bored, but as soon as we got to a huge revelation about Caramenta's life and being I couldn't stop reading from there. So if you're reading this and the first few chapters seem dull, give it a few more and see how invested the plot twists make you.
We meet a character absolutely selfish and fighting for their well-being, and it honestly is off-putting. I wanted to know more about how this person ended up valuing their benefit so strongly over others, and learn I did. Because many of Cara's character traits that seem offputting at first glance made so much sense once put in perspective with her character arc. The author did such a good job making a believable character reaction to her awful situation, I don't know if anything different would have felt right. Of course, Cara would value self-preservation at the point we meet her, and we get to go on her character arc in this book.
What really threw me off though was how free form the plot was, which after having read it all I believe is what best fits how to tell this story. But for a long, while we had no real end goal, we had just met these characters and we're going along on a ride with them. Slowly at after the mid-way point, things get set in motion and then is when we get our end goal. Once I learned to let go of reaching for an overarching plot and just enjoyed this ride with these characters I really started enjoying this book. Without getting into spoilers, there were many molar dilemmas and genuinely awful situations presented to our characters and we got to see all their reactions and what consequences their actions had.
If you enjoy sci-fi books with a darker theme and don't mind some gore, I would definitely recommend this book!
Now I'd like to make a shortlist with all the quotes I highlighted for this book.
Let me just preface this by saying I went into this knowing very little because I KNEW I would love it. So when I read in the first chapter that it was a book about the multiverse and people were able to traverse them I was hooked. For the first few chapters, I was indeed bored, but as soon as we got to a huge revelation about Caramenta's life and being I couldn't stop reading from there. So if you're reading this and the first few chapters seem dull, give it a few more and see how invested the plot twists make you.
We meet a character absolutely selfish and fighting for their well-being, and it honestly is off-putting. I wanted to know more about how this person ended up valuing their benefit so strongly over others, and learn I did. Because many of Cara's character traits that seem offputting at first glance made so much sense once put in perspective with her character arc. The author did such a good job making a believable character reaction to her awful situation, I don't know if anything different would have felt right. Of course, Cara would value self-preservation at the point we meet her, and we get to go on her character arc in this book.
What really threw me off though was how free form the plot was, which after having read it all I believe is what best fits how to tell this story. But for a long, while we had no real end goal, we had just met these characters and we're going along on a ride with them. Slowly at after the mid-way point, things get set in motion and then is when we get our end goal. Once I learned to let go of reaching for an overarching plot and just enjoyed this ride with these characters I really started enjoying this book. Without getting into spoilers, there were many molar dilemmas and genuinely awful situations presented to our characters and we got to see all their reactions and what consequences their actions had.
If you enjoy sci-fi books with a darker theme and don't mind some gore, I would definitely recommend this book!
Now I'd like to make a shortlist with all the quotes I highlighted for this book.
- "It shames me more than it shames them, but it does shame us both."
- "I am always pretending, always wearing costumes but never just clothes."
- "Maybe it's just easier to think something is impossible than to try."
- "A rotating black hole does not collapse to a dot. That's the old-fashioned thinking. It collapses to a ring, a ring of neutrons. And if you fall through the ring of neutrons vertically, you wind up in Wonderland. You wind up on the other side of forever." -Michio Kaku
- "That was true power. Not to kill a man, but to kill a man in front of his family and force them to agree you did not."
- "You can't ever know another person, which is why you should never admire anyone."
- "Sometimes, focusing on survival is necessary. Sometimes, it is just an excuse for selfishness."
- " "A fallen angel is a demon.", "A being who can enact great change, either way." "
- "What does it mean to crave something toxic?"
- "Sometimes you have to bleed to know you're human."
- "Somehow using someone's need to keep them in line is less awful than using fear."
- "The only due powerful men recognize is a life- in service or in sacrifice."
- "Dear Brother from another time, today some stars gave in to the black around them & i knew it was you." -Danez Smith
This is grief because a powerful man killed someone I love but will never see consequences." - "Our dead are only weights on our backs when we won't let them walk beside us, when we try to pretend they are ours or they are not dead."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Child death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual content, Gore, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Grief, Violence, War, Addiction, Gun violence, and Terminal illness
beccaand's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Murder
Minor: Addiction and Drug abuse
mar's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
o|-<
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Murder, and Racism
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
reb_curt's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Drug abuse
infinitezest's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual violence, Murder, and Drug abuse
taliahsbookshelf's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
This. Book. Blew. My. Mind.
The premise, the plot, the characters, all of it fits together in this super intricate way. It's easy to follow but it's not easy to anticipate what's coming next.
I can't pinpoint the exact moment when I was reading that I went "Oh, this is what good writing is," but I can tell you I knew it. The whole time, I was engaged with the plot, I was invested in the characters and their journey, and I was intrigued by all of the challenges. Every time I put it down to take a break or go for a walk or get a snack, I couldn't stop thinking about it. To me, that's a sign of good book. And this? This was definitely a good book.
Although there is some worldbuilding that I felt could have been expanded to make this a duology, Micaiah Johnson crafted a world that feels eerily realistic and having a simple standalone definitely worked out.
While this does contain a romance, it's not the main plot of the book, and only serves to further character development of everyone involved. That being said, though, I was invested in the romance and was rooting for it to work so I'm glad it did . Bonus points: the romance is sapphic and the main character is an unlabeled (in the book) queer woman (most likely bisexual).
I will let you know: This isn't a YA novel. Although it doesn't contain any graphic scenes, the messaging and the divide between good and evil are incredibly subtle, though very power. I think younger readers could pick this up and would absolutely enjoy it, but marketing it as anything other than an adult sci-fi would be disingenuous to Micaiah Johnson's writing.
Favorite quotes:
The premise, the plot, the characters, all of it fits together in this super intricate way. It's easy to follow but it's not easy to anticipate what's coming next.
I can't pinpoint the exact moment when I was reading that I went "Oh, this is what good writing is," but I can tell you I knew it. The whole time, I was engaged with the plot, I was invested in the characters and their journey, and I was intrigued by all of the challenges. Every time I put it down to take a break or go for a walk or get a snack, I couldn't stop thinking about it. To me, that's a sign of good book. And this? This was definitely a good book.
Although there is some worldbuilding that I felt could have been expanded to make this a duology, Micaiah Johnson crafted a world that feels eerily realistic and having a simple standalone definitely worked out.
While this does contain a romance, it's not the main plot of the book, and only serves to further character development of everyone involved. That being said, though, I was invested in the romance and was rooting for it to work
I will let you know: This isn't a YA novel. Although it doesn't contain any graphic scenes, the messaging and the divide between good and evil are incredibly subtle, though very power. I think younger readers could pick this up and would absolutely enjoy it, but marketing it as anything other than an adult sci-fi would be disingenuous to Micaiah Johnson's writing.
Favorite quotes:
"Even worthless things can become valuable once they become rare."(5)
"Death can be senseless, but life never is."(191)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Physical abuse
spacebot3000's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
4.5
This is an amazing book - not only because of the premise and the world building, but also because of the complex character dynamics. There is so much subtlety in the way the characters are developed, and every single character is brought to life. Also, the way the parallel universes are set up is very unique and intriguing; I can't think of any other story that uses a system like this. This book does not sacrifice characters for plot or vice versa - both are so interesting and well-written that I can't think of a way to make it any better.
This book is definitely worth reading but you do have to be in the right space for it, since there is challenging content (see the content warnings). The content did contribute a lot to character development and plot, and I understand why it needed to be present.
This book is definitely worth reading but you do have to be in the right space for it, since there is challenging content (see the content warnings). The content did contribute a lot to character development and plot, and I understand why it needed to be present.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Addiction and Drug abuse
Minor: Child death
opheliabedelia's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Violence, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence and Body horror
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
glenfleskie's review
adventurous
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Addiction, Car accident, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Drug abuse