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hngoodlett's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Vomit and War
taliahsbookshelf's review
- 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
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)
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Blood, and Abandonment
opheliabedelia's review
- 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
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, and Police brutality
Moderate: Body horror and Sexual violence
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
troisha's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry
alouette's review
- 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
I've always believed, like all rational people, that my selves are separate. That they- we- exist independently. But sometimes when life is too still, when I lie in bed in the quiet, I can feel it all happening.
it might take me awhile to sort out my feelings about this book in a legible way, so for now here's a quick list:
- worldbuilding was amazingly immersive and confronted issues of poverty, segregation, etc. with a full-on approach as well as going about the multiverse in a way that could be understood without much difficulty
- the characters were super diverse and had a lot of depth, with an exploration of ethics and an examination of their values across different worlds and different situations
- the plot twists were awesome, the plot itself with good pacing
- the main romance as well as other character interactions were brilliant (even if i feel like the big misunderstanding between the main romance couple was a bit silly)
- the author covered some very heavy subjects with a lot of care but also the honesty that such trauma encompasses
- for once i could feel positively about the existentialism in a novel
slightly ambiguous ending was perfect for the type of book this is
make sure to check content warnings before you read this!!
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Medical content
Minor: Miscarriage and Terminal illness
internationalreads's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
pastelwriter's review
- 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
The writing in this book was light enough to make this a breeze to get through while at the same time being substantial enough to deliver on the world building and themes explored by the narrative. It's honestly such strong writing for a debut. It never felt like the story was dragging. I was never confused about the world. I felt like I had gotten into a smooth sailing ship.
Honestly, one of my favorite things about this book was the world. It was the perfect mix of quasi-dystopian and realistic. It felt like a lived-in world. It wasn't like we learned about every nook and cranny of this world, but it was enough to make it feel like you knew everything you needed to in order to be right there with the protagonist.
My favorite part of this book, of course, was the characters. I was a huge fan of the antagonist(s) of this book. There were two men in particular in this book that were excellent antagonists because they were never reduced to caricatures of villains. They had realistic flaws and desires. They felt the full range of human emotion. They made decisions that made sense without turning into a cackling villain trying to destroy the whole world.
In addition, our protagonist and her love interest were so good! Cara was such a complex character. She had such conflicting desires and motivations. She was certainly not a perfect woman.
In addition, I love any book which talks about belonging and whose lives are valued. Cara wants desperately to belong in Wiley City. She thinks acquiring citizenship will make her life finally matter--which of course is completely misguided. Citizenship doesn't make you belong in a place that doesn't value you because of your roots. When where you were born means those around you think you are less than, it doesn't matter if you carve a place for yourself in their world.
Furthermore, Cara's need for belonging also translates into her having a consistent pattern of desperately wanting to be loved and accepted by those around her--to the point that she falls into toxic relationships because she wants to be wanted to badly.
Finally, as my spoilers have hinted at, the plot twists in this book were SO GOOD. Ugh. I loved them. They weren't mind blowing in terms of being completely out of left field, but I was still left gasping a few times at the turn of events.
If there is one complaint I have about this book, it would be that the ending felt like it could have used more page time. The ending felt a little rushed. Regardless, it was a good ending.
P.S. I also love that in this book the different earths have characters repeating similar patterns. People, in many ways, are "destined" to meet or "destined" to feel certain ways about each other. Whether these relationships work for the better or worse of those involved depend on other decisions made by the individuals in a particular earth. It's fucking great. As someone who is trash for the idea of soulmates, this book explored a similar idea in a much more nuanced way.
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
corinnereads7's review
- 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
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Murder
aardwyrm's review
- 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
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Child death
eleanora's review
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, and Car accident