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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
hypnotic. it's a pity i read it in the english translation; i could feel the russian underneath and sometimes, when a word or a sentence or grammar structure didn't feel quite right, the difference between the language families felt quite stark. then again, given the themes and plot of the novel, this amount of thinking about words and grammar was entirely appropriate. anyway, most reviews are incorrect and this is not at all like if harry potter was written by kafka. i am so happy to announce that this is instead like an unholy child of kuang's poppy war and cartarescu's solenoid.
I really don't know whether I loved or hated this book. It was super mysterious at first but I felt like it fell through towards the end. The writing was beautiful but there was some utterly gross content (not just Kafkaesque).
A fascinating story about a young girl who is forced to attend a high school studying really weird stuff - none of which makes sense, until it does but it's too late to escape then. This is an irrational, semantic story but I would have liked to have an appendix or an epilogue to clear things up a bit.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
π° ππ π πππππππ. π°'π πππ πππππ, πππ πππ ππππππππ π πππππππ ππππ. π¨ππ ππ ππ πππ ππππππππππ
πππππππππ ππ πππππππππππ. π¨ππ
π° ππππ ππ. π° ππππ πππππ π πππππππ. π° ππ πππππππ ~ i can't give a rating on this book
If the producer of Black Mirror released a new episode titled Password, Words, Pronunciation, Verb, Noun that plays with fragments of reality, concept, and metamorphosis, it would be this book.
This book is weird. It's the kind of book that makes you question everything. It throws you headfirst into a world where nothing makes sense-until maybe it does? Or maybe it never does, and that's the point.
Sasha is an ordinary girl until she's not. A strange man forces her to complete seemingly meaningless tasks & if she didn't execute it, something bad will happen to her family. Each time she executes it, she vomits a gold coin. Eventually, she's sent to a school where the subject of study is words, but not in any way that makes sense. Words aren't just language; they are existence itself. As Sasha learns, she becomes-but what, exactly, is she turning into? A language? A concept? An idea woven into the fabric of reality? If identity is tied to language, then what happens when language stops being just words and starts shaping the universe?
For the spoiler-curious, the school is attempting to embed themselves within the fabric of the universe by merging their very essence with the concept of language. This gives them the broad ability to reshape reality, but it takes years to even open their students to the possibility of how reshaping works, and several more years to help them control their powers. It's a wild idea, made even more unsettling by how little guidance or clarity is offered.
This book shouldn't work. There are no clear antagonists, no traditional stakes, no real explanations. The lessons at the school are gibberish. The transformations Sasha undergoes are disturbing. The entire book is a slow, creeping existential crisis.
I stumbled blindly alongside Sasha, waiting for things to make sense, only to realize that understanding might not even be the goal. By the last third of the book, I had fully accepted that my brain was simply too small to grasp everything that was happening. And yet, I couldn't stop reading.
I still don't know if I understand Vita Nostra. But I do know I won't forget it. It was an experience.
If the producer of Black Mirror released a new episode titled Password, Words, Pronunciation, Verb, Noun that plays with fragments of reality, concept, and metamorphosis, it would be this book.
This book is weird. It's the kind of book that makes you question everything. It throws you headfirst into a world where nothing makes sense-until maybe it does? Or maybe it never does, and that's the point.
Sasha is an ordinary girl until she's not. A strange man forces her to complete seemingly meaningless tasks & if she didn't execute it, something bad will happen to her family. Each time she executes it, she vomits a gold coin. Eventually, she's sent to a school where the subject of study is words, but not in any way that makes sense. Words aren't just language; they are existence itself. As Sasha learns, she becomes-but what, exactly, is she turning into? A language? A concept? An idea woven into the fabric of reality? If identity is tied to language, then what happens when language stops being just words and starts shaping the universe?
For the spoiler-curious, the school is attempting to embed themselves within the fabric of the universe by merging their very essence with the concept of language. This gives them the broad ability to reshape reality, but it takes years to even open their students to the possibility of how reshaping works, and several more years to help them control their powers. It's a wild idea, made even more unsettling by how little guidance or clarity is offered.
This book shouldn't work. There are no clear antagonists, no traditional stakes, no real explanations. The lessons at the school are gibberish. The transformations Sasha undergoes are disturbing. The entire book is a slow, creeping existential crisis.
I stumbled blindly alongside Sasha, waiting for things to make sense, only to realize that understanding might not even be the goal. By the last third of the book, I had fully accepted that my brain was simply too small to grasp everything that was happening. And yet, I couldn't stop reading.
I still don't know if I understand Vita Nostra. But I do know I won't forget it. It was an experience.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
I could not put this book down! Itβs very weird, but I really appreciate that it isnβt just weird in plot, itβs also weird in writing style and how it uses language, which I loved. Incredibly surreal and philosophical, Iβve definitely never read a fantasy book like this and I canβt wait to continue the series.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Binge read this in one day. I felt a little bit like Sasha at the end when I was falling asleep with just 10 pages to go. I really enjoyed language being the point of all of this.
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character