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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Absolutely loved the ending, the scale of the world and the stakes. Everything just fits together really nicely at the end, but there is still plenty of stuff left unanswered for the sequel. Making each chapter from different characters perspectives is also really clever, as I could see all of the character's motivations from their own viewpoint.
I feel as though I enjoyed this book in the exact opposite way the author intended.
I can tell that this book was conceived entirely from vibes. What the author intended was to create something that would feel like the classroom scene from the Secret History but longer, and delve into characters deeply. And don't get me wrong, I love flawed characters and character-focused books and even a tasteful dash of purple prose - but this book is not intended to prompt discussion in the way that the Secret History does. It is here to tell you how the world is, and there's a big difference between the characters doing this and the book doing this. Each of the characters all have the same drab worldview where they only think the worst about the world and the people around them, and without a single character offering an alternate perspective (and with the author's insistence about how intelligent they are) it comes off as this being the only acceptable intellectual worldview. The author affords all the intense emotions (the "innocent fragility of being human", or "being gods") without actually experiencing them. What I mean is this: there are no instances, throughout the entire book, of a character being surprised, or uncomfortable, or challenged emotionally. Very few characters care about anyone at all. This means that as readers, we have no anchoring point from which to actually grow attached to the characters, so despite them being flawed, they are impenetrable, which prevents them from feeling like real people. At one point, characters that have been established to have a blistering rivalry put their talents together to create a wormhole - which seems like a huge moment both for the plot and the characters, but we don't see it at all, and it's barely mentioned later. Therefore, describing these rivals as having "true synchronicity" when their only bonding moment was offscreen feels inauthentic, as does the many other big declarations that are made.
Instead of enjoying this as a deep, mystical, intellectual masterpiece, I just kind of read through it as a campy, satirical version of itself. My favorite characters (Ezra, for whom the aforementioned cynical worldview actually works, because of what he's been through; and Reina, because she breaks through some of the bullshit) were obviously not the author's (Libby and Parisia). I kept waiting for it to get to the point where some people would betray each other, but it never needed to because they never trusted each other (again they appear impenetrable) and in this, Callum is particularly bad. If he doesn't care about anything, why should we care about him? I cannot fathom how the society is the good guys, or even the ones we're supposed to root for. As a minor criticism, for a book that criticizes capitalism so often, it sure does have a lot of class differences and competition for a reward.
Did I enjoy this book? Yes, as a guilty pleasure. But I don't know if I'll be getting lost in the world anytime soon.
I can tell that this book was conceived entirely from vibes. What the author intended was to create something that would feel like the classroom scene from the Secret History but longer, and delve into characters deeply. And don't get me wrong, I love flawed characters and character-focused books and even a tasteful dash of purple prose - but this book is not intended to prompt discussion in the way that the Secret History does. It is here to tell you how the world is, and there's a big difference between the characters doing this and the book doing this. Each of the characters all have the same drab worldview where they only think the worst about the world and the people around them, and without a single character offering an alternate perspective (and with the author's insistence about how intelligent they are) it comes off as this being the only acceptable intellectual worldview. The author affords all the intense emotions (the "innocent fragility of being human", or "being gods") without actually experiencing them. What I mean is this: there are no instances, throughout the entire book, of a character being surprised, or uncomfortable, or challenged emotionally. Very few characters care about anyone at all. This means that as readers, we have no anchoring point from which to actually grow attached to the characters, so despite them being flawed, they are impenetrable, which prevents them from feeling like real people. At one point, characters that have been established to have a blistering rivalry put their talents together to create a wormhole - which seems like a huge moment both for the plot and the characters, but we don't see it at all, and it's barely mentioned later. Therefore, describing these rivals as having "true synchronicity" when their only bonding moment was offscreen feels inauthentic, as does the many other big declarations that are made.
Instead of enjoying this as a deep, mystical, intellectual masterpiece, I just kind of read through it as a campy, satirical version of itself. My favorite characters (Ezra, for whom the aforementioned cynical worldview actually works, because of what he's been through; and Reina, because she breaks through some of the bullshit) were obviously not the author's (Libby and Parisia). I kept waiting for it to get to the point where some people would betray each other, but it never needed to because they never trusted each other (again they appear impenetrable) and in this, Callum is particularly bad. If he doesn't care about anything, why should we care about him? I cannot fathom how the society is the good guys, or even the ones we're supposed to root for.
Spoiler
To me Ezra is perfectly justified and makes sense.Did I enjoy this book? Yes, as a guilty pleasure. But I don't know if I'll be getting lost in the world anytime soon.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i’d give this a 3.5 star! i liked the concept but found the characters were confusing to follow sometimes, and the concept of the magic was quite complicated. i enjoy a bit of scientific magic but it got a bit too much for me. the ending surprised me in some elements, and i let out an audible gasp or two
will be reading the whole trilogy nonetheless!
will be reading the whole trilogy nonetheless!
4.5/5
This book was so intense it was incredibly. The writing was beautifully and the characters were all so well-written. I loved the story line but I also love how the book took a stronger approach on characters and giving an insight to each and every one of them. There were so many tense moments in this book combined with the hesitant bonding as they all come to terms with their life at the Alexandrian Society and I loved reading how this progressed and cannot wait to read more. The ending had me so shocked I definitely didn't see it coming, although maybe I should have? Either way I loved it and cannot wait to read more. (I especially loved Tristan and Libby and they were some standout characters to me personally.)
The only thing I will say is that at times the book felt like it was dragging a little and that my brain wasn't quite able to catch up entirely (but that was probably due to how often I was putting the book down for work etc).
This book was so intense it was incredibly. The writing was beautifully and the characters were all so well-written. I loved the story line but I also love how the book took a stronger approach on characters and giving an insight to each and every one of them. There were so many tense moments in this book combined with the hesitant bonding as they all come to terms with their life at the Alexandrian Society and I loved reading how this progressed and cannot wait to read more. The ending had me so shocked I definitely didn't see it coming, although maybe I should have? Either way I loved it and cannot wait to read more. (I especially loved Tristan and Libby and they were some standout characters to me personally.)
The only thing I will say is that at times the book felt like it was dragging a little and that my brain wasn't quite able to catch up entirely (but that was probably due to how often I was putting the book down for work etc).
J'ai adoré !!!!!
Je pense le relire avant la sortie du prochain tome car il y a des éléments qui ont dus m'échapper vu que j'ai été coupé plusieurs dans ma lecture.
Mais sinon ce libre est vraiment incroyable ! J'ai adoré découvrir tous les personnages petit a petit, je trouve ce livre tellement intéressant de par les descriptions minutieuses, tout le travail psychologique, l'intrigue... Vraiment un coup de coeur
J'ai hâte de les retrouver dans le prochain livre et de suivre la suite de leur aventure
Je pense le relire avant la sortie du prochain tome car il y a des éléments qui ont dus m'échapper vu que j'ai été coupé plusieurs dans ma lecture.
Mais sinon ce libre est vraiment incroyable ! J'ai adoré découvrir tous les personnages petit a petit, je trouve ce livre tellement intéressant de par les descriptions minutieuses, tout le travail psychologique, l'intrigue... Vraiment un coup de coeur
J'ai hâte de les retrouver dans le prochain livre et de suivre la suite de leur aventure
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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
I was frustrated with how slowly the plot of this book unfolded, but I loved the characters enough to stat invested. Definitely looking forward to Book 2!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder