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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Chronic illness, Animal death, Mental illness, Gun violence, Sexual content, Grief, and Confinement
Minor: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Vomit
valpyre's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
[audiobook]
this was much more enjoyable for me than chupeco's the bone witch, so i was optimistic at the start. the premise was interesting, and i thought the main characters and romances had been well-introduced, though aspects of the way arjun was written rubbed me the wrong way. the plot picked up almost immediately, which was a plus, but after that it honestly all felt very stagnant. stuff happened, sure, but i didn't really feel any sense of urgency or drive. i think chupeco prefers to tell and rarely show, and i enjoy writing that's the other way around, so i had a hard time feeling invested in these characters and their goals. this had all the bones of a good fantasy, but ultimately it felt underdeveloped, so i don't think i'll be continuing the series.
this was much more enjoyable for me than chupeco's the bone witch, so i was optimistic at the start. the premise was interesting, and i thought the main characters and romances had been well-introduced, though aspects of the way arjun was written rubbed me the wrong way. the plot picked up almost immediately, which was a plus, but after that it honestly all felt very stagnant. stuff happened, sure, but i didn't really feel any sense of urgency or drive. i think chupeco prefers to tell and rarely show, and i enjoy writing that's the other way around, so i had a hard time feeling invested in these characters and their goals. this had all the bones of a good fantasy, but ultimately it felt underdeveloped, so i don't think i'll be continuing the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Violence, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Minor: Cannibalism and Sexual assault
mandkips's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Death, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
moon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
i had trouble getting through the first half of the book because the pov changes with every chapter and it broke my flow and concentration every time but after the pacing picked up in the second half, i breezed through it with ease.
the premise is very intriguing and unique, but i have to admit that it took till more than halfway through the book for me to get a decent grasp on the world-building and lore. the logistics of magic and how it worked in their world was so vague and poorly explained that if you ask me right now how gates and patterns are utilised, i would struggle to tell you.
that said, it was very easy for me to grow attached to the main characters. well, most of them. arjun and haidee were my favourite and while i know they're the least angsty/complicated pair of them, i loved how their characters grew and developed as the plot progressed. i also appreciated tian lan's complexity, but odessa on the other hand...it was cool seeing how her inner thoughts and morals gradually devolved as the ritual transformed her, but i feel that her character arc was very hastily concluded with no attention brought to the consequences or implications of her earlier actions. hopefully this will be addressed in the sequel.
the never tilting world is by no means perfect but i enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the sequel.
the premise is very intriguing and unique, but i have to admit that it took till more than halfway through the book for me to get a decent grasp on the world-building and lore. the logistics of magic and how it worked in their world was so vague and poorly explained that if you ask me right now how gates and patterns are utilised, i would struggle to tell you.
that said, it was very easy for me to grow attached to the main characters. well, most of them. arjun and haidee were my favourite and while i know they're the least angsty/complicated pair of them, i loved how their characters grew and developed as the plot progressed. i also appreciated tian lan's complexity, but odessa on the other hand...
the never tilting world is by no means perfect but i enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Cannibalism and Vomit
lesbian main character, chinese lesbian main character, disabled south asian main characterlucystolethesky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Confinement, and Animal death
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, and Cannibalism
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- 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
I loved this book so much! The plot is so interesting and I absolutely love the world building. Rin does SUCH a good job making these totally immersive worlds with their own lore and details without the feeling of info-dumping! In fact, most of what we know about the world we learn through the eyes of the four pov characters, who are all completely distinct! I love that. It can be really hard to do a good job distinguishing between pov's when there are a lot of them, and I didn't think this book had that problem at all!
I was definitely surprised by a lot of what happened but in a completely good way! I loved the characters and their relationships. This book was great and I can't wait for the sequel!
I was definitely surprised by a lot of what happened but in a completely good way! I loved the characters and their relationships. This book was great and I can't wait for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Gore, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Chronic illness, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual assault
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
OMG ASDFGHJK. My love for Rin Chupeco's world building and writing has only grown after reading this!
Rep: Chronically ill sapphic MC, Asian coded sapphic (lesbian coded) MC suffering from PTSD, disabled POC MC that is missing one of his hands. Possible sapphic side character--seemed to have a romantic relationship with another woman, but am not certain. I believe most the characters are POC but I'm not 100% certain.
CWs: Violence, blood, physical abuse, bullying, animal death, cannibalism, death, gaslighting, grief, sexual content, mental illness (PTSD), murder.
Rep: Chronically ill sapphic MC, Asian coded sapphic (lesbian coded) MC suffering from PTSD, disabled POC MC that is missing one of his hands. Possible sapphic side character--seemed to have a romantic relationship with another woman, but am not certain. I believe most the characters are POC but I'm not 100% certain.
CWs: Violence, blood, physical abuse, bullying, animal death, cannibalism, death, gaslighting, grief, sexual content, mental illness (PTSD), murder.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Death, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Animal death, and Mental illness
Minor: Cannibalism and Blood
booksthatburn's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
THE NEVER TILTING WORLD is a journey fantasy told by four sides as two separated sisters and their companions travel to the rift at the heart of their world to try and fix their parents' mistakes.
I like the world building, so much is shaped by the central conceit that something went wrong a decade and a half ago and the planet stopped spinning. I would like to know how gravity is still functioning, but other than that it has an internal logic that was pretty easy to follow. I like the magic system, there's enough information for it to make sense but it's not overexplained. I love this premise, and I love how it's carried out. The price of the gifts was a nice touch, the effects begin subtly and then cause a dramatic turn in the plot, making it clear both why anyone ever would have thought accepting them was fine, and how (from my perspective, at least) it's not worth it.
The four main characters all felt very distinct from each other, with different things they wanted, and many differences in what they were willing to give up and what they sought to protect. They had four very different backgrounds and it's shown well. I felt like I had room to like the book without liking all four main characters. I loved one, liked two, and have complex thoughts about the last one. That character undergoes a gradual change in mental state, it’s very well written. It’s marked by certain milestones, specific plot events that cause it to progress. It wasn’t until several of them it happened that I realized the shift they have been building, but when I looked back I could see its early stages. I love stories where a character undergoes a drastic change in how they perceive the world and interact with it, and this did a great job of portraying that shift. I liked how they were written, and my complex feelings come from initially loving them, feeling strange as their personality shifted to be wholly unlikeable, then realizing that it was shifting due to events in the story. At that point I didn't resume liking them as a person, but I love how they're written. I like the pair journeying in the desert the best, their duo was more relatable to me but one of the strengths of this book is that, as I said the main characters are so different that you'll probably like at least one of them, and the narrative doesn't hinge on whether you like all four of them as people.
The ending was good, it does make me want to read part two, and given that this is a duology the second half of the story is waiting in the sequel. It felt a little abrupt, but the characters both literally and emotionally arrived at a place that made sense as the ending before the next book. Sometimes duologies can feel like two intertwined stand-alone books, and sometimes they feel like a larger work split in two. This is very much that second type, I don't know if my impression will change once I read the sequel.
I like the world building, so much is shaped by the central conceit that something went wrong a decade and a half ago and the planet stopped spinning. I would like to know how gravity is still functioning, but other than that it has an internal logic that was pretty easy to follow. I like the magic system, there's enough information for it to make sense but it's not overexplained. I love this premise, and I love how it's carried out. The price of the gifts was a nice touch, the effects begin subtly and then cause a dramatic turn in the plot, making it clear both why anyone ever would have thought accepting them was fine, and how (from my perspective, at least) it's not worth it.
The four main characters all felt very distinct from each other, with different things they wanted, and many differences in what they were willing to give up and what they sought to protect. They had four very different backgrounds and it's shown well. I felt like I had room to like the book without liking all four main characters. I loved one, liked two, and have complex thoughts about the last one. That character undergoes a gradual change in mental state, it’s very well written. It’s marked by certain milestones, specific plot events that cause it to progress. It wasn’t until several of them it happened that I realized the shift they have been building, but when I looked back I could see its early stages. I love stories where a character undergoes a drastic change in how they perceive the world and interact with it, and this did a great job of portraying that shift. I liked how they were written, and my complex feelings come from initially loving them, feeling strange as their personality shifted to be wholly unlikeable, then realizing that it was shifting due to events in the story. At that point I didn't resume liking them as a person, but I love how they're written. I like the pair journeying in the desert the best, their duo was more relatable to me but one of the strengths of this book is that, as I said the main characters are so different that you'll probably like at least one of them, and the narrative doesn't hinge on whether you like all four of them as people.
The ending was good, it does make me want to read part two, and given that this is a duology the second half of the story is waiting in the sequel. It felt a little abrupt, but the characters both literally and emotionally arrived at a place that made sense as the ending before the next book. Sometimes duologies can feel like two intertwined stand-alone books, and sometimes they feel like a larger work split in two. This is very much that second type, I don't know if my impression will change once I read the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Vomit
Minor: Cannibalism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
kazkae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cannibalism
fromjuliereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
THIS WAS SO GOOD! Why is everyone sleeping on this book!? I really enjoyed this.
The premise is that the world has been broken, there is a broken climate because the planet doesn't turn anymore, and there are these two goddesses with magic rhat that don't know about each other.
This storyline was so unique to me! Somehow this book mashes fantasy and dystopian, with a sprinkling of sci-fi because of the broken world, and it works so well!?!?
I think all of these characters have become new favourites. Can I even pick a duo!? I really like Haidee. She is so knowledgeable and she likes mechanika and is just a badass, but so sensitive and empathetic. And Arjun is so funny and has that total tough guy exterior! Lan is a badass and I love her. Odessa I loved for the beginning and then things took a turn, but she is a very well done character!
The twists and betrayals were fantastic. The side characters and creatures they encounter were very well done. And this world! I am so intrigued by it and can't wait to learn more in book 2!!
I am someone who LOVES to reference maps when I am reading, so I found it frustrating there is no compass on the map. Haidee keeps talking about them heading west in the book, but looking at the map it looks like they are going northeast!? It bugged me to no end. But no matter, that was quite small.
This has LGBTQ+ rep, disability and chronic illness (of the magical kind) rep, discusses grief and mental health, and of course climate change with the broken world. Loved it!
The premise is that the world has been broken, there is a broken climate because the planet doesn't turn anymore, and there are these two goddesses with magic rhat that don't know about each other.
This storyline was so unique to me! Somehow this book mashes fantasy and dystopian, with a sprinkling of sci-fi because of the broken world, and it works so well!?!?
I think all of these characters have become new favourites. Can I even pick a duo!? I really like Haidee. She is so knowledgeable and she likes mechanika and is just a badass, but so sensitive and empathetic. And Arjun is so funny and has that total tough guy exterior! Lan is a badass and I love her. Odessa I loved for the beginning and then things took a turn, but she is a very well done character!
The twists and betrayals were fantastic. The side characters and creatures they encounter were very well done. And this world! I am so intrigued by it and can't wait to learn more in book 2!!
I am someone who LOVES to reference maps when I am reading, so I found it frustrating there is no compass on the map. Haidee keeps talking about them heading west in the book, but looking at the map it looks like they are going northeast!? It bugged me to no end. But no matter, that was quite small.
This has LGBTQ+ rep, disability and chronic illness (of the magical kind) rep, discusses grief and mental health, and of course climate change with the broken world. Loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Cannibalism
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