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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
A begrudging 3 stars. I am not quite sure what to make of this book. I picked it up thinking that it would be sci-fi based on the time travel premise, but I’m not sure I would describe it that way now. There is definitely a science fiction aspect to it, but that the time travel is secondary to the semi-autobiographical story telling of the author’s personal experiences and viewpoints. I can see why other people liked the book - it offers sharp social commentary, a dark glimpse into our potential future, and a hopeful/warning ending. But, for the first 200 pages I was so utterly bored. The pacing was bad (like, one chapter was just 30 agonizing pages of the main character moping around her apartment with PTSD and seasonal depression, bad). I didn’t enjoy the style of storytelling either, rapidly switching from blunt, short descriptions (“telling” more than “showing”) to flowery steam-of-consciousness, spoken-word-esque ramblings about climate change, race, wealth inequality, etc. While the ramblings were cathartic, I’m not sure that’s quite what I needed right now or that any of the platitudes were particularly groundbreaking. Did I agree with this author’s perspective? Yes! Did I find it interesting or exciting? No! I also took issue with the main character who, in retrospective, was supposed to be painted as morally-ambiguous in her decision-making. I feel that I would’ve enjoyed the book a whole lot more if I knew the ending ahead of time and where the plot (and messaging) was going. That being said, what really made this book 3 stars over 2 for me was the last chapter and the author’s note. The last chapter has the main character speaking to herself in a different timeline, and therefore speaking to the reader in 2nd person. It made me so sad, not because of my attachment to the character, but because it reminded me of the current state of the world. And the authors note, explaining how much of the story was based on REAL historical events and REAL people pulled from footnotes - that was more interesting than any of the book to me! Overall, this book felt to me like a good idea but poor execution. The beautify of sci-fi is that it’s supposed to convey inherent, subtle commentary on society after immersing the reader in a world that, in first glance, seems wildly different from their own. THIS novel did the opposite - filled with modern-day anachronisms, the author painted a vivid image of our current society and tried to force the fiction is a vehicle for reflection; too heavy handed for me and losing its impact on delivery.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-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
Not a romance, well written fiction with good time travel plot, but not a romance and it was advertised as such.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I always want to fully understand time travel logic and I didn't but the ending still pulled on my heartstrings. I liked that this was more of a slow burn love story than sci-fi.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
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
Ця зірка належить Мирославові Томащуку — авторові найгіршого перекладу, який бачили мої втомлені очі.
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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