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aileron's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide, Blood, and Cannibalism
kari_f's review
4.0
“Streaking away from this moment are dozens of possible futures, each waiting to be conjured into existence by a random event, an idle phrase, a miscommunication.”
I love that when you read a Turton book, there is always going to be a sense of mystery about where we are and what has happened to get us there, as well as a murder mystery to boot. This book almost felt like a cross between an Agatha Christie mystery novel (i.e. the island vibes of And Then There Were None) and a dystopian “The Giver” scenario. Add to that an AI character whose perspective we see throughout the book, in addition to scientific experimentation that goes beyond what many readers might reasonably consider to be ethical.
The story opens on an island, where there are scientists and villagers purported to be the last civilization on Earth, and a mysterious fog that threatens to destroy them all. A prominent figure dies while others have gone missing, and the reader is trying to figure out the island as well as who or what is behind the mysterious deaths and disappearances!
While I did figure out the whodunnit long before the end of the book, I quite enjoyed the ride! There were a few twists and turns I didn’t expect, and the premise and writing were good enough that I was entertained throughout the entirety of the book. I will definitely continue to look forward to Turton’s future works!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, and Murder
pewterwolf's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
I will be honest with you. I didn’t know what I was going to get with this. I just liked the cover and the blurb on the book, but I had such a good time with this.
It’s such a strange beast. It’s sci-if post-apocalyptic novel with a murder mystery at its heart. And I devoured this! I had such a blast with this, much more than I thought I would as the last few reads have been very middle of the road for me.
Because this is a mix of genres, you do have to give a tad more leeway over some of the far-fetched moments and elements, though there were several times that I did go “that seems like a stretch”. Plus, there are so many names thrown at the reader that you need a moment to go “are you important to the story?”
But this was unputdownable with the murder and the wider issues this book tackled (AI, generics, the environment, etc) and the audiobook is narrated by Adjoa Andoh makes this feel much richer. I really liked this as it was twisty, fun, unputdownable read, but I completely understand that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea reading for a crime thriller. I must say I’m intrigued to try out this author’s previous works.
It’s such a strange beast. It’s sci-if post-apocalyptic novel with a murder mystery at its heart. And I devoured this! I had such a blast with this, much more than I thought I would as the last few reads have been very middle of the road for me.
Because this is a mix of genres, you do have to give a tad more leeway over some of the far-fetched moments and elements, though there were several times that I did go “that seems like a stretch”. Plus, there are so many names thrown at the reader that you need a moment to go “are you important to the story?”
But this was unputdownable with the murder and the wider issues this book tackled (AI, generics, the environment, etc) and the audiobook is narrated by Adjoa Andoh makes this feel much richer. I really liked this as it was twisty, fun, unputdownable read, but I completely understand that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea reading for a crime thriller. I must say I’m intrigued to try out this author’s previous works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic
tmleblanc's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
An intriguing premise, but there were too many blind twists and turns to follow. The solution, in the end, felt ham-handed - almost (or maybe exactly) like “the butler did it.”
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty
912jae's review against another edition
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Slavery, Medical content, Grief, and Gaslighting
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