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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Unfortunately just missing the mark of a 5 for me because while it's written so well, and does so many great horror scenes, as well as character/world building....that 3rd part was tough to get through. Again. Written as one would want the POV written and still done so well...I just really didn't vibe with it!
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Wow. That was really, really good. I doubted it in a number of places, but the last section came through even though when I began it I found the narrator unbearable. Beautiful writing.
Lost me a bit with some of the middle stuff. I couldn't quite grock the thematic relevance of Cass & Jim's interactions, and I never understood what was going on with Commander Thistle.
Whitby <3
Lost me a bit with some of the middle stuff. I couldn't quite grock the thematic relevance of Cass & Jim's interactions, and I never understood what was going on with Commander Thistle.
Whitby <3
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was an odd one. It didn’t feel like it was a necessary part of the story, like it didn’t add anything to the series. I liked Old Jim’s perspective. When it switched to the guy who was angry and cursing all the time, I put it down for a bit. I did enjoy the rest of it, though, because the jerk was hilarious as his mind started to be affected by Area X. I’m ambivalent on this one.
challenging
mysterious
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:
Complicated
I’m not rating this book right now. I think people on Reddit convinced me that I need to reread this series at some point. Once I got into the groove, I liked the first 3/4 of this book. But the last 1/4…listen, I curse like a sailor but that was too much. I get the cursing is a device..but it just took so much away from the story. But that last hour was something!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The fourth of a trilogy that probably should have stayed a trilogy. The book was decent and was pretty bold in its approach, but I don't think it added much of value to the series. The Southern Reach Trilogy originally ended in Acceptance which mostly tied the series together while leaving some mysteries such unsolved. It seems to be that Absolution set out to provide some more context to the story and solve some of those mysteries. After reading Absolution though, it seems to have barely touched on some of the remaining mysteries and opened up far more mysteries than could ever reasonably be solved.
It was a bit of a frustrating read in several ways. The aforementioned excess of unsolved mysteries and new confusing story-lines, the intentionally muddy story-telling, the snails pace, and telling one of the stories from the perspective of a character that simply can't tell a coherent story. I do appreciate the pretty prose and the risks that the author took with some of his decisions, and parts of Absolution were great, but the whole was only okay. I'm glad I read this one, but I'm not sure if I'm glad that it was written in the first place.
It was a bit of a frustrating read in several ways. The aforementioned excess of unsolved mysteries and new confusing story-lines, the intentionally muddy story-telling, the snails pace, and telling one of the stories from the perspective of a character that simply can't tell a coherent story. I do appreciate the pretty prose and the risks that the author took with some of his decisions, and parts of Absolution were great, but the whole was only okay. I'm glad I read this one, but I'm not sure if I'm glad that it was written in the first place.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
So disappointed that this didn't work for me. The first two stories were okay, but I just couldn't do "The First and the Last" given the writing style.
dark
tense
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated