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annavdn's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
A lesson in not judging a book by its cover. Although this book has a beautiful cover, this book was a big disappointment. I found myself falling asleep while reading the first half of the book. I really had to push myself to keep reading. The book became more interesting once Cee/Celia managed to set sail, and got suspenseful when Hero, her love interest, tried to kill her and she ties him up and kills him before he is revived, because he is also a bot and his purpose is to stop her who is believed to be the bot Cee . The chapters following made the preceding chapters where Cee/Celia was the narrator more understandable. That Cee/Celia died several years ago, and that the Cee/Celia we know is a bot created by her sister, Kasey/Kay, and that the words "Cee. Find Me." coming to her mind was a command that was programed into the bot that could pursue happiness and felt emotions, which is why Cee/Celia sought autonomy. Also, I don't really understand Kasey/Kay's motivation to put part of Cee/Celia's real brain into the bot only for her to tell bot Cee that she didn't regard her as a sister. Why give her the memories at all? Why let the bot feel sisterhood for Kay/Kasey when it wasn't reciprocated? It just seems cruel. And the only purpose of the bot, according to Kay/Kasey is to find out if Earth is habitable for humankind à la Eve in Pixar's Wall-E. It is also important to note that the bot identifies as Cee and she calls the human version of herself Celia.
Kasey appears to be autistic although it isn't explicitly stated in the book. However, she is a STEM prodigy, so even if she is neurodivergent, she falls into the genre of autistic character with savant syndrome. It's very cliché and savant syndrome in autistic people is quite rare. I also don't like how scientific advancement is their solution for climate change. Sometimes the solution is simple, which is coexisting with nature rather than trying to rule over it. When we think about areas with less pollution and more biodiversity (such as dark sky reserves or national parks) they are largely inhabited by native americans or indigenous people. That seems the way to go rather than the type of environmentalism that is centered in this book, which seems very imperialist. There was also a quote in chapter 37(?) that goes : "Would people ever willingly give up their freedoms for the good of others?" I found this quote to imply that the culture was individualist rather than collectivist, which is common in Western imperialist countries.
Romance was between Hero (who Celia/Cee initially tried to name Dmitri, Tristan, and Heath - Dmitri and Tristan being two characters who exist, but aren't important) and x Celia/Cee and between Antinium and Kasey/Kay. The romance was unnecessary and I think I would have rathered it not be included in the book at all. I am not certain what race the male love interests are, but I am under the assumption that they are both white, Hero especially due to the other names that Celia/Cee tried to give him along with the fact that he is mentioned to have blue eyes.Either way, both of the male love interests betray their counterparts, Antinium especially, whose goal is to get rid of all humanity (an eco-fascist philosophy). As a wasian, I just think it's tacky to see white love interests for Asian characters and I wish this was an interracial mix that was less prevalent in media. Unrelated to romance, the other characters that exist in this book are not super relevant, but none of the characters are developed.
Kasey appears to be autistic although it isn't explicitly stated in the book. However, she is a STEM prodigy, so even if she is neurodivergent, she falls into the genre of autistic character with savant syndrome. It's very cliché and savant syndrome in autistic people is quite rare. I also don't like how scientific advancement is their solution for climate change. Sometimes the solution is simple, which is coexisting with nature rather than trying to rule over it. When we think about areas with less pollution and more biodiversity (such as dark sky reserves or national parks) they are largely inhabited by native americans or indigenous people. That seems the way to go rather than the type of environmentalism that is centered in this book, which seems very imperialist. There was also a quote in chapter 37(?) that goes : "Would people ever willingly give up their freedoms for the good of others?" I found this quote to imply that the culture was individualist rather than collectivist, which is common in Western imperialist countries.
Romance was between Hero (who Celia/Cee initially tried to name Dmitri, Tristan, and Heath - Dmitri and Tristan being two characters who exist, but aren't important) and x Celia/Cee and between Antinium and Kasey/Kay. The romance was unnecessary and I think I would have rathered it not be included in the book at all. I am not certain what race the male love interests are, but I am under the assumption that they are both white, Hero especially due to the other names that Celia/Cee tried to give him along with the fact that he is mentioned to have blue eyes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Classism, Cursing, and Death
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
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