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izzenithal's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
Need to read again— I had expectations for pacing based on the first novel and I think that screwed a bit with my reading experience w this one. Really, really excellent though.
jwolflink3's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Too many parallels with the plot Ender’s Game, but probably better if you never read that.
sonialuto's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shrugabug's review against another edition
5.0
it is hard for a sequel to be better than an already amazing first book, but martine manages it
sthenic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
dupe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
lucasbrooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Slow start, but enjoyed the wider scope than the first book - could really feel the swath and weight of the empire. Climax may have ended a little too quickly for my tastes
stephanieridiculous's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not entirely sure about a star rating. I'm hovering somewhere in the 3 to 4 range.
The pros:
-Great characters, specifically Swarm
-Engaging writing style in general
-Fascinating aliens
The cons:
-A lot of repetition. Gripes between characters kept getting rehashed repeatedly, concepts kept getting explained, just lots of hand holding that wasn't necessary
-Our two main characters didn't really do much? I'm not entirely sure how exactly they contributed to the overall plot. They mostly just existed and things happened around them, and there is A LOT of convenient timing, and a very simple resolution needlessly wrapped up in "complex" political machinations
-There wasn't a lot of suspense, or rather the things the suspense was built off of someone else always already knew - including us, the reader.
-Tonal shifts that were not telegraphed or expected. Both within the duology and within this installment. In book 2 we get both graphic sex (that is needlessly referred back to constantly) and body horror. Neither of these things are bad necessarily (although I don't really care for either), but they were so abrupt to me, and so different from the tone of book 1, that it jolted me out of the narrative repeatedly.
The pros:
-Great characters, specifically Swarm
-Engaging writing style in general
-Fascinating aliens
The cons:
-A lot of repetition. Gripes between characters kept getting rehashed repeatedly, concepts kept getting explained, just lots of hand holding that wasn't necessary
-Our two main characters didn't really do much? I'm not entirely sure how exactly they contributed to the overall plot. They mostly just existed and things happened around them, and there is A LOT of convenient timing, and a very simple resolution needlessly wrapped up in "complex" political machinations
-There wasn't a lot of suspense, or rather the things the suspense was built off of someone else always already knew - including us, the reader.
-Tonal shifts that were not telegraphed or expected. Both within the duology and within this installment. In book 2 we get both graphic sex (that is needlessly referred back to constantly) and body horror. Neither of these things are bad necessarily (although I don't really care for either), but they were so abrupt to me, and so different from the tone of book 1, that it jolted me out of the narrative repeatedly.
cleo_reads's review against another edition
4.25
I enjoyed it almost as much as the first. Even though it’s quite different - bigger scope, higher stakes, much more ambitious (and the first one was pretty dang ambitious).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: War, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Minor: Genocide
robum's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5