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cerilouisereads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Body horror
opheliabedelia's review against another edition
- 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: Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Violence, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence and Body horror
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
samanthajaye's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Also, I appreciated that the romance was relevant, but not the sole personal motivator.
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder
troisha's review against another edition
- 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: Blood, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Xenophobia
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Racism, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Vomit
hcwarn'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, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
alouette's review against another edition
- 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: Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Medical content
Minor: Miscarriage and Terminal illness
internationalreads's review against another edition
- 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, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
pastelwriter's review against another edition
- 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: Domestic abuse, Violence, Blood, Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
alexiswiththefreckles'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
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Death of parent, Death, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Homophobia
unintentionallyasymmetric'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
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Drug use, Death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Child death