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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
This is a collection of novellas set in a world where the use of magic unleashes poisonous and nigh-indestructible bramble upon the world, threatening to choke out humanity. The bramble is probably supposed to be a metaphor for climate change, and in light of that, the book’s exploration of topics such as the resulting inequalities and the ways people think about externalities is interesting. It’s a pretty dark book, but not without glimmers of resistance and hope. Still, though intelligently-written, the stories here are very premise- and setting-driven, and I can’t say I got especially emotionally drawn in.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
A collection of four individual short stories which all take place in the same fictional world
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Torture
Read my review at Lightspeed Magazine: https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/book-reviews-february-2018/
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
really enjoyed a lot of the aspects of the book and thought it was enjoyable, but it seems sort of empty in a sense that it feels like a prologue to something more; however, we haven’t received this “something more.” aside from that, I love the take with each new character and their views on the world changes.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I was prepared for it to be short stories, and I really appreciated getting to see four different stories that all take place in the same world. All of the stories do have pretty open endings, which I am not the biggest at fan of, but overall I really liked them all!
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
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
I wanted to like this book, and sometimes that's as good as you're going to get.
All four novellas are well written with mostly compelling characters who act in the manner you would expect - there's even a little cross over in the later stories.
The concept is wildly creative, but unfortunatley the execution of it falls flat. There's simply no resolution to any of the major conflicts.
At the end of the day the most positive thing I can say about this book is that I didn't hate it and don't entirely regret finishing it.
All four novellas are well written with mostly compelling characters who act in the manner you would expect - there's even a little cross over in the later stories.
The concept is wildly creative, but unfortunatley the execution of it falls flat. There's simply no resolution to any of the major conflicts.
At the end of the day the most positive thing I can say about this book is that I didn't hate it and don't entirely regret finishing it.
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
I didn’t realize that this was a collection of short stories. I was bummed that I’d already read the first story elsewhere, then excited that maybe it would be continued, then bummed that the other three stories didn’t touch on the original characters. Nicely written, though.