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oh_sanny_day's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, War, Homophobia, Gun violence, Confinement, and Torture
Minor: Rape
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Moderate: Homophobia, War, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Blood, Death of parent, Animal death, Death, and Chronic illness
Minor: Rape, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, and Violence
purplepenning's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Bullying, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Slavery, and Torture
Minor: Excrement and Rape
semeyers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Reading other reviews, I am seeing that many criticisms about the book center on the lengthy descriptions. This is something that bothers me as well, but I honestly did not notice it in this book. The descriptions were definitely more than was needed to simply set the scene, but it didn't overwhelm or irritate me. Each of the characters have such a connection to where they are that I felt we were just getting an idea of their feelings for their city, the nature, their space.
I also enjoyed the premise. I loved the weaving in of the fictional Cloud Cuckoo Land story and seeing more and more links between it and the characters. I loved the juxtaposition of the different time periods, including the two separate wars hundreds of years apart. It was a unique read for sure.
My criticisms lie in the amount of characters and the ending. There were so many characters that, despite the novel being over 600 pages, you spent only a short amount of time with each character. It was hard to truly feel connected to them and sometimes I would just be getting into a portion of the novel and boom end of chapter. The novel was also a slow burn, which is fine, but when the ending came, it came quickly. I was really craving more information and more of a resolution for one of the characters at the end (view spoiler). The book focused on climate change a bit and I was glad to see there was an accurate focus on it, especially after reading Migrations which felt very unrealistic.
Overall, highly recommend this book! May even be worth a shot if you are not usually a fan of the author.
Graphic: Animal death, War, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Rape, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Abandonment, Torture, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy
jacstomski'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Murder and Sexism
Minor: Domestic abuse and Rape
kkm0112's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
Minor: Rape
jen_again's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: War, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Rape