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internationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Drug use, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Grief, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Murder, Police brutality, Violence, Torture, War, Body horror, Excrement, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Classism, Blood, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
madnabox's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book shifts timelines every chapter. It was very confusing at first, but I got used to it. It uses that time rewind to give the reader information that is pertinent to the plot. I get that it is used to keep the intrigue going, but I really did not like it.
I also did not like Kaaro, the main character. He is arrogant and self centered. Maybe he's like this because he's supposed to be an anti-hero because he's "not the saving the world type." Not my vide.
The writing was good. The world was well thought out. I'm glad it wasn't a cliff hanger ending, because I'm not interested in continuing to read this trilogy any time soon. I'm sure I will, but maybe not this year.
I also did not like Kaaro, the main character. He is arrogant and self centered. Maybe he's like this because he's supposed to be an anti-hero because he's "not the saving the world type." Not my vide.
The writing was good. The world was well thought out. I'm glad it wasn't a cliff hanger ending, because I'm not interested in continuing to read this trilogy any time soon. I'm sure I will, but maybe not this year.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Sexual content, Gore, and Miscarriage
goosegrimm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.5
Rosewater is an interesting book. I'm not quite sure its my cup of tea however. I very much enjoyed Thompson's voice and his attention to detail in the setting. His prose is beautiful and really draws you in. However, the narrative is very disjointed and while that serves the overall story quite well, I had difficulty following even with the chapter headings. My suspension of disbelief was also occasionally broken both by the timeline changes and some of the plot points. Overall if you would like a genuinely fascinating sci-fi world to explore, this is a great fit. Just be warned that it can occasionally be difficult to follow despite how beautifully written it is. I am excited to read further works both in the Wormwood trilogy and by Thompson.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Body horror, Sexual content, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Chronic illness, Colonisation, Torture, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Classism, Homophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
thisisbecker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, and Death
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
2 🌟 CW: violence, murder, mob violence/lynching, sex, zombies, descriptions of blood and corpses, medical/body horror, ethnic cleansing mention, cannibalism mention, grotesque descriptions of mutated bodies, torture
I Initially bought Rosewater by Tade Thompson, because it's a scifi novel by a Nigerian author, but upon reading I was very disappointed.
We follow Kaaro, a Yoruba man in Nigeria in 2066, who works for a secret government agency called S45 (reminds me of Section 31 in Star Trek.) Kaara lives in Rosewater, a town that didn't exist until 11 years ago when extraterrestrial life crashed to earth and released viruses called Xenoforms. The xenoforms that were released by the alien had different effects on people. In Kaaro's case he became a psychic they call a Sensitive. It sort of reminded me of the show Sense8, but instead of a specific cohort, you can read all people.
I did not enjoy this book. I struggled to get through and seriously thought about dnfing it several times, but powered through anyway. I found the MC to be a misogynistic asshole, and didn't really have any redeeming qualities. I thought the going back and forth in time was a weird choice, since the flashbacks were all out of order, which made it a bit hard to follow.
I felt like the author didn't know which plot points to follow, so he just threw them all at you. There was even a zombie plot at one point. I wasn't quite sure what the point of Oyin Da's character was since it didn't seem to really go anywhere. There was also a weird sex thing happening that I thought was unnecessary.
This was very high concept scifi, and the author is clearly very smart and a talented writer, this story just wasn't for me. I will not be reading the rest of the Wormwood trilogy.
I Initially bought Rosewater by Tade Thompson, because it's a scifi novel by a Nigerian author, but upon reading I was very disappointed.
We follow Kaaro, a Yoruba man in Nigeria in 2066, who works for a secret government agency called S45 (reminds me of Section 31 in Star Trek.) Kaara lives in Rosewater, a town that didn't exist until 11 years ago when extraterrestrial life crashed to earth and released viruses called Xenoforms. The xenoforms that were released by the alien had different effects on people. In Kaaro's case he became a psychic they call a Sensitive. It sort of reminded me of the show Sense8, but instead of a specific cohort, you can read all people.
I did not enjoy this book. I struggled to get through and seriously thought about dnfing it several times, but powered through anyway. I found the MC to be a misogynistic asshole, and didn't really have any redeeming qualities. I thought the going back and forth in time was a weird choice, since the flashbacks were all out of order, which made it a bit hard to follow.
I felt like the author didn't know which plot points to follow, so he just threw them all at you. There was even a zombie plot at one point. I wasn't quite sure what the point of Oyin Da's character was since it didn't seem to really go anywhere. There was also a weird sex thing happening that I thought was unnecessary.
This was very high concept scifi, and the author is clearly very smart and a talented writer, this story just wasn't for me. I will not be reading the rest of the Wormwood trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Medical trauma, Torture, and Sexual content
Minor: Genocide and Cannibalism
violent, but consensual (although questionable) sexual situations, grotesque descriptions of mutated bodiessprigofjuniper's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? N/A
5.0
rosewater is the first installment in tade thompson's wormwood trilogy. The story is set in nigeria in 2066, and it follows the protagonist kaaro, an agent for section 45 of nigeria's secret government. kaaro is a sensitive, meaning he can access a dimension called the xenosphere in which he reads people's thoughts. each chapter follows kaaro during different influential chapters of his life, from first discovering his abilities to his current work with S45. there's a lot of jumping around, but it isn't confusing; the time skips add context and backstory when we need it, so we aren't overwhelmed by chronology. the story was engaging, and I never felt bored while reading. i wouldn't say kaaro is loveable, but I grew to admire and respect him throughout the book. he's relatable and funny though very private. i loved experiencing how romance influenced his attitude and outlook. i can't wait to get my hands on the next book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Drug use
Minor: Vomit, Torture, and Infidelity
skudiklier's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was super interesting! I had a weird experience reading it because I did so very slowly and deliberately, which is unusual for me. It was somewhat dark and not entirely what I expected. But I hope to read the rest of the trilogy eventually!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Confinement, Drug use, Excrement, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Car accident, Child death, Colonisation, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Transphobia, and War
sarah984's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is a really unique alien invasion story set in Nigeria in the 2060s, in a city that has built up around an alien biodome that mysteriously heals the sick once per year. The alien has also released a sort of spore into the atmosphere that allows some people to access special abilities like mind reading. The main character is a psychic who (mostly unwillingly) works for the government. His perspective is awful because he's an immature misogynist, but the story itself and the nature of colonization that it exposes are interesting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Body horror, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Ableism, Cannibalism, Cancer, Drug abuse, and Slavery
avidc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This took a while to pull me in, but the unfolding of the plot really got me in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Abortion
Moderate: Animal cruelty
bookreviewsgr's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Αν είστε λάτρεις των ταινιών δράσης με εξωγήινους, cyberpunk αισθητική, τηλεπάθεια, κατασκοπεία, μυστικές υπηρεσίες και πολύ σεξ που δεν προσφέρει τίποτα στην υπόθεση, τότε αυτό είναι το βιβλίο που θέλετε να διαβάσετε. Πιστεύω ότι αν οι χαρακτήρες ήταν λευκοί αντί για Μαύροι και η υπόθεση διαδραματιζόταν στην Αμερική αντί για τη Νιγηρία, θα είχε γίνει ήδη blockbuster ταινία με 2-3 sequel. Όπως όλα τα blockbuster βέβαια, έχει αρκετά θεματάκια που μπορεί να σας αποτρέψουν από το να το απολαύσετε.
Ο Kaaro είναι grey character, δεν ξέρω αν θα τον έλεγα αντί-ήρωα, αλλά αντιπαθητικός είναι σίγουρα. Είναι σεξιστής στα όρια του μισογυνισμού, αλλά ευτυχώς το ξέρει και αυτός και ο συγγραφέας. Είναι επίσης ομοφοβικός. Αυτό μάλλον δεν το ξέρει, αλλά το ξέρει ο συγγραφέας και φαίνεται ότι ο Kaaro κάνει μια μικρή προσπάθεια να μάθει. Έχει εγκληματικό παρελθόν, παρόν και ίσως και μέλλον, αλλά αυτά θα τα μάθετε διαβάζοντας την ιστορία. Έχει επίσης και τη δυνατότητα να διαβάζει τη σκέψη και να επικοινωνεί μόνο με αυτή με άλλους που έχουν την ίδια δυνατότητα. Τέλος, 95% του βιβλίου σκέφτεται με το πέος του και κάπου κούρασε να διαβάζουμε για τη στύση του.
Η αφήγηση δεν είναι γραμμική, εναλλάσσεται με την αφήγηση του παρελθόντος όπως μαθαίνουμε για τη ζωή του Kaaro πριν ξεκινήσει να δουλεύει για το section fourty - five και για τα πρώτα του χρόνια στην υπηρεσία. Επίσης, κάποια πράγματα δε συμβαίνουν στο γνωστό τρισδιάστατο κόσμο, αλλά κάπου αλλού. Οπότε, καλό θα είναι να εστιάσετε την προσοχή σας καθώς το διαβάζετε γιατί είναι εύκολο να μπερδευτήτε.
Αν το βιβλίο είχε πρωταγωνήστριες την Aminat (σύντροφο του Kaaro που χρειάζεται άμεσα να μάθει τη είναι φεμινισμός και να παρατήσει τον Kaaro) και τη Femi (αφεντικό του Kaaro που ξέρει να κόβει το χέρι που απλώνεται χωρίς άδεια) θα ήταν ακόμα καλύτερο.
Στα θετικά τώρα.Το worldbuilding είναι εξαιρετικό. Φουτουριστικό και ταυτόχρονα ρεαλιστικό. Η cyberpunk αισθητική του με κέρδισε από τις πρώτες σελίδες. Οι εξωγήινοι του Thompson δεν είναι από αυτούς που έρχονται με 100 διαστημόπλοια και εισβάλλουν στη Γη. Έρχονται ήσυχα - ήσυχα και εισβάλλουν με την άδειά μας... ή μάλλον με την άγνοιά μας. Αυτό είναι ένα στοιχείο που μου άρεσε πολύ γιατί είναι διαφορετικές οι δυναμικές μεταξύ γήινων και εξωγήινων. Είναι δύσκολο να γράψει κανείς για την πρώτη επαφή με τους εξωγήινους χωρίς να πέσει σε κλισέ, όμως θεωρώ ότι ο Thompson έχει κάνει πολύ καλή δουλειά γιατί οι εξωγήινοί του είναι αρκετά ξένοι και διαφορετικοί.
Η διαρκής και συχνή εναλλαγή χρονικών περιόδων προσφέρει ακατάπαυστη κινηματογραφική δράση. Για εμένα αυτό έπαιξε σημαντικό ρόλο στην απόλαυση του βιβλίου. Δεν ήταν ένα βιβλίο που διάβασα για να με προβληματίσει. Αυτό που μου είχε λείψει είναι αυτή η ελαφρότητα των ταινιών και βιβλίων δράσης. Σίγουρα θα διαβάσω και τα άλλα δύο βιβλία της σειράς. Ελπίζω μόνο να αλλάζει ο πρωταγωνιστής.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault and Torture
Minor: Animal cruelty and Homophobia