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reads2cope's review against another edition
2.75
An interesting concept, but the execution fell flat for me. I didn’t like the humor, and there were too many plot holes to really connect with the setting. The ending was abrupt. By the last page, I felt like I needed an explanation about how the obsession with sex connected to the other themes. The treatment of Akash was also confusing - the other characters were so language-obsessed, was their refusal to see her as a woman an example of their prejudice? Or is the author just transphobic?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Racism, and Sexual content
blkudrna's review
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I’m genuinely not sure how to feel about this book. I really enjoyed how language, food, and art were used to describe a culture, and reading about Hiruko’s invented language. However, it left me with a lot of questions (losing the ability to speak means never aging?).
SPOILERS?
It was like in the last 2 chapters the author decided they didn’t like the story they’d written up until that point and just scraped it. Really not a fan of Susanoo’s graphic hatred towards women, that added absolutely nothing to the plot and was just there to be disturbing it seems. Even so, I wish there was a conclusion about Hiruko and Susanoo instead of the weird & public therapy session between Knut and his mother. The ending in no way ties the story together, completely abandoning all discussion about what it means to lose a culture and how language ties everything together.
SPOILERS?
It was like in the last 2 chapters the author decided they didn’t like the story they’d written up until that point and just scraped it. Really not a fan of Susanoo’s graphic hatred towards women, that added absolutely nothing to the plot and was just there to be disturbing it seems. Even so, I wish there was a conclusion about Hiruko and Susanoo instead of the weird & public therapy session between Knut and his mother. The ending in no way ties the story together, completely abandoning all discussion about what it means to lose a culture and how language ties everything together.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Xenophobia and Misogyny
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