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madamenovelist's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit and Police brutality
devirtualized's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Alcohol
remescient's review
- 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? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
klbreyfogle's review
- 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? Yes
4.5
I looked up the author afterwords and it turns out they do a lot of work for Seven Seas (who translate a lot of danmei) and that totally makes sense for how they’ve written the characters and some of the tropes. The complex interpersonal relationships, sort of convoluted plot and simultaneously loose and strict moral codes follow some of the common danmei tropes imo - if you like that (which I do, I think it’s super interesting) then you’ll probably like this! If you like a more straightforward plot and set of protagonists it might not be for you.
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, and Death of parent
theelizabethjoy's review
- 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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content and Death of parent
mordshunger's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
While it felt like it wanted to say things about religious trauma and trust and betrayal, I fail to see how it did say anything meaningful about them. It feels dangerous to read for people who struggle with upholding boundaries to people who have abused them. I don't even have the right words for a proper CW so I'll just say the lack of consent is disgusting and the immediate forgiveness of the same sickening. It really tampered my enjoyment of the story. The apologetics of an ever understanding, self-neglecting and self-hating POV is just too much.
In general, there is a very inflationary use of love in this book. I understand what this is going for and that is why I think it is dangerous. People who love deeply will see themselves in this and it's not great. This is bad. If love is just a verb for one person and a weapon and exploit for everyone else, it becomes meaningless to even call it such. Fuck that forever.
Chronological impressions:
Welcome to the religious trauma struggle bus. The vibes are chef's kiss but also vague and referential at all times, it feels like I got oil in one eye forever.
This book y'all, it's really just a pile of the worst people you know. My number one pick for most trustworthy guy in this is the not-so-informed-consent AI splinter and I'm sure they will try to kill everyone.
Sinai, Jin und Veyadi consistently bring the energy of an EMT driver/student in exam crunch after three consecutive shifts.
I hate All of Them, but I hate Imaru most. If this bitch doesn't die I'm not reading the next book. Can't believe there is immediate forgiveness, understanding and love after the ultimate betrayal.
I've read some reviews of some very confused people who get lost in who betrayed who first and which plots overlap and let me just say it doesn't matter who betrays who when they all do. They all do! They're the worst!!! And they keep asking more of him. Veyadi, et Tu?
Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Confinement, Blood, and Abandonment
Do not read this if consent is important to you to be able to enjoy a book. Just skip it.booksthatburn's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
I love stories with worldbuilding that is immersive, not waiting for the reader to catch up, but just letting the story unfold; only explaining things that someone in the world would need stated, more explicitly. THE ARCHIVE UNDYING provides explanations late, intertwined with regret.
As I’ve said before and will doubtless say again, I specifically love books which include mental transformations of nominally the same character, such that they understand some thing very differently than they did before, or have an entirely new state of mind. My particular favorite is when they are so different as to be a discrete person by the time the changes are done. THE ARCHIVE UNDYING is full of this, first with a narrator whose identity takes a long time to be known, and then with of variety of technologically assisted mental connections and transformative clashes of mind, such that even if everyone nominally remains afterward as entities, they are changed by those meetings.
Reading this is an audiobook definitely helped to let the story roll over me, enjoying the flow of the words even if I didn’t always understand why something was happening. A few pretty significant changes happen towards the end which reframe and contextualize the actions of some secondary characters. It’s the kind of book where I know I will reread it, if only to experience the shift in perspective that comes with knowing characters, backstories, and ulterior motives from the start.
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
devynreadsnovels's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and War
rowanbg's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cannibalism
Minor: Sexual content