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ellanarose's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Every story in this shows that hope is necessary. Each one is tragic and beautifully written, but there's a thread of hope running through them all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Bullying, Death, and Colonisation
Minor: Blood, Sexism, Xenophobia, Genocide, Dementia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Rape, and War
accidentallyinspace's review against another edition
DNF after two stories. They are well written and interesting, but the subject matter is slightly too dark for what I need in my life right now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Child death, Misogyny, Xenophobia, War, Violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Rape
paperpaladin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The Hidden Girls and Other Stories is a great short story collection by Ken Liu. There is so much to say about these stories but I will try to keep it short. The stories in this collection fall into two groups: those that deal with the singularity and those that don't. About a third of the stories focus on the idea of humans being uploaded into the digital world and the changes that stem from that. These are good, poignant, and make you think. Some of the lines and ideas are etched in my head and will be with me for a long long time. The other stories are unconnected to everything else. They talk a lot about technology but there is a surprising amount of breathe in the topics that he touches on such as bullying, art, free speech, poverty, and more. There are a few stories that I didn't enjoy as much but I don't think any of the stories were bad or not worth the read.
I think my favorite story from the lot was "The cutting" which is better if you read it. I listened to the audiobook but did seek out a print copy at my library to reread this one and the page layout adds a level of depth to the story.
My rating system
1 - Did not enjoy
2 - Not irredeemable but has too many flaws to say I enjoyed
3 - Enjoyed it
4 - Great book but didn't love it
5 - Amazing book
I think my favorite story from the lot was "The cutting" which is better if you read it. I listened to the audiobook but did seek out a print copy at my library to reread this one and the page layout adds a level of depth to the story.
My rating system
1 - Did not enjoy
2 - Not irredeemable but has too many flaws to say I enjoyed
3 - Enjoyed it
4 - Great book but didn't love it
5 - Amazing book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Bullying
smithreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Death and Genocide
Minor: Gun violence, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Racism, and Pregnancy
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