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pnwbibliophile's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
2.5
Thoughts around 50% in:
This has been a chore to read. Nothing has hooked me in yet. This book cranked up the idea of a poor opening to another level. Choosing to narrate from too many new character perspectives without first allowing the readers to get attached to the characters was this novel’s downfall. By the time you’d have your bearing with one narrator and their side characters (a litany of mostly new characters too), you’re shuffled away to a new narrator and their, also new, minions. This happens with 4 narrators, one being Darrow. Trying to juggle all of the new names, dynamics, and what bloodydamn moon or planet they were on was not only exhausting, but frustrating because I was learning them all while bored off my ass. Brown failed to really establish what any of these characters are working for so it felt like he was just showboating the world he built, which is interesting but you have to have plot too, boyo.
I was zoning out so much listening to the audiobook for approximately 30-50% of the details. So I understandably got lost and own up to that being my own fault. I had to then ask myself if I was going to restart 40% through, but couldn’t suffer through it again. So I read the wiki synopsis and that was better written than what’s actually on the page. That’s when I knew this book wasn’t going to be for me. Even now, I’m going back to my tried and tested method of engagement—audiobook in tandem with a physical copy—and that’s helping, yet I still don’t want to pick it up and continue on and just generally don’t care. I’ve been reading this damn thing for 12 days now and that’s glacial for me. This put me into the deepest reading slump I’ve been in in a long time. Perhaps the saddest realization for me was realizing I zoned out with a supposedly beloved by many gay character and didn’t feel the slightest attachment to him. Bro, I’m a gay and my little queer ears perk up with any mention of homosexuality in a book. If you can’t engage me with a gay character then quite frankly the writing isn’t the best.
End of book thoughts:
It managed to draw me in at 70%, which is far too late in a book. I get that Brown was trying to show the rebuilding, dysfunction, infighting, and opportunism that arises at the end of a war, but I didn’t care for the shifting narrators. I also didn’t care for the rather blah cliffhanger ending. It was just like “oh ok it’s over.” And Darrow didn’t end with a satisfying or even morally understandable plot line (I’m Reaper and abandoning my kid!). Weird choices were made in this novel all around and I commend Brown for trying something new, but it just wasn’t executed for me. I was actually beginning to not hate it and then the end just pulled the rug back out from under my feet. Let’s hope the rest of the series is written better.
I’m also going back to an original critique I have of Brown and it’s that he loves the make casual misogynistic or homophobic “bro to bro” banter and while I love the batter between characters like Sevro and Darrow, this isn’t NECESSARY and just shows the author doesn’t actually care about the FULL message of “fighting oppression” in his books. Every time this man writes the word “cocksucker” in an obviously derogatory way, it’s clear he looks down upon the two groups that the comment targets—women and queer men—and would rather include that as funny banter than do the emotionally mature thing and consider how such a comment is befitting a middle school boy. I’ll even venture to say that it felt like Ephraim, the gay character, was just added as another form of rainbow capitalism and a way to shield himself from critiques for not having any significant queer representation in a world encompassing hundreds of millions more people than our own. I’ll even add that the part about Reds having stereotyped negative views of homosexuality felt like a little too convenient way of Brown writing off his own homophobic writing in book 1 especially. It’s also not lost on me that the only two queer characters in this book were either a villain or a drug addict who abducts children. Yup, great representation there and further shows how this author needs to be strapped down for a DEI lecture.
This has been a chore to read. Nothing has hooked me in yet. This book cranked up the idea of a poor opening to another level. Choosing to narrate from too many new character perspectives without first allowing the readers to get attached to the characters was this novel’s downfall. By the time you’d have your bearing with one narrator and their side characters (a litany of mostly new characters too), you’re shuffled away to a new narrator and their, also new, minions. This happens with 4 narrators, one being Darrow. Trying to juggle all of the new names, dynamics, and what bloodydamn moon or planet they were on was not only exhausting, but frustrating because I was learning them all while bored off my ass. Brown failed to really establish what any of these characters are working for so it felt like he was just showboating the world he built, which is interesting but you have to have plot too, boyo.
I was zoning out so much listening to the audiobook for approximately 30-50% of the details. So I understandably got lost and own up to that being my own fault. I had to then ask myself if I was going to restart 40% through, but couldn’t suffer through it again. So I read the wiki synopsis and that was better written than what’s actually on the page. That’s when I knew this book wasn’t going to be for me. Even now, I’m going back to my tried and tested method of engagement—audiobook in tandem with a physical copy—and that’s helping, yet I still don’t want to pick it up and continue on and just generally don’t care. I’ve been reading this damn thing for 12 days now and that’s glacial for me. This put me into the deepest reading slump I’ve been in in a long time. Perhaps the saddest realization for me was realizing I zoned out with a supposedly beloved by many gay character and didn’t feel the slightest attachment to him. Bro, I’m a gay and my little queer ears perk up with any mention of homosexuality in a book. If you can’t engage me with a gay character then quite frankly the writing isn’t the best.
End of book thoughts:
It managed to draw me in at 70%, which is far too late in a book. I get that Brown was trying to show the rebuilding, dysfunction, infighting, and opportunism that arises at the end of a war, but I didn’t care for the shifting narrators. I also didn’t care for the rather blah cliffhanger ending. It was just like “oh ok it’s over.” And Darrow didn’t end with a satisfying or even morally understandable plot line (I’m Reaper and abandoning my kid!). Weird choices were made in this novel all around and I commend Brown for trying something new, but it just wasn’t executed for me. I was actually beginning to not hate it and then the end just pulled the rug back out from under my feet. Let’s hope the rest of the series is written better.
I’m also going back to an original critique I have of Brown and it’s that he loves the make casual misogynistic or homophobic “bro to bro” banter and while I love the batter between characters like Sevro and Darrow, this isn’t NECESSARY and just shows the author doesn’t actually care about the FULL message of “fighting oppression” in his books. Every time this man writes the word “cocksucker” in an obviously derogatory way, it’s clear he looks down upon the two groups that the comment targets—women and queer men—and would rather include that as funny banter than do the emotionally mature thing and consider how such a comment is befitting a middle school boy. I’ll even venture to say that it felt like Ephraim, the gay character, was just added as another form of rainbow capitalism and a way to shield himself from critiques for not having any significant queer representation in a world encompassing hundreds of millions more people than our own. I’ll even add that the part about Reds having stereotyped negative views of homosexuality felt like a little too convenient way of Brown writing off his own homophobic writing in book 1 especially. It’s also not lost on me that the only two queer characters in this book were either a villain or a drug addict who abducts children. Yup, great representation there and further shows how this author needs to be strapped down for a DEI lecture.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia and Misogyny
astrea13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic friendship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Body horror, Blood, Cursing, Death, Grief, Gore, Murder, and Kidnapping
Minor: Homophobia and Genocide
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