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naideraid's review against another edition
2.0
*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review*
To be brutally honest, up until the wild ending, I was really, really not vibing with this one. I think the premise was mostly interesting, but there were a few different aspects of the book that made this a difficult book to read.
For starters, the narrative style in this was... a choice. It's written in 1st-person POV (not my favorite, but I can work with it). The main character, Marney, has grown up around ichorite ever since she was forced to work in the ichorite manufacturing factories. This has given her a rather debilitating illness--called "luster-touched"--which causes her body to essentially start to shut down and her mind to hallucinate. It's a fascinating concept, but the way it translated into the narrative style was confusing. Because Marney hallucinates often (there's ichorite everywhere), the narration reflects this. While this could've been interesting enough in small doses, the fact that it happens so often really impacted my ability to completely follow (or enjoy) the story.
This leads into the fact that the way this was written didn't seem to allow me to feel much for the characters outside of Marney (and I didn't completely feel for Marney either). The writing felt very stilted at times and none of the characters really jumped off the page as a result.
Then, there's the fact that the world-building is delivered into GIANT chunks of text, often spanning pages. It often felt tedious and I didn't care enough in the world to want to know more.
Honestly, if it weren't for the wild, unique ending, this would've been a 1-star read. This has Gideon the Ninth as a comp title, but I'd honestly say that Gideon is less confusing than this turned out to be, even at its most confusing (at least, to me). So, overall, really didn't work for me and I'm honestly glad to be done reading it.
To be brutally honest, up until the wild ending, I was really, really not vibing with this one. I think the premise was mostly interesting, but there were a few different aspects of the book that made this a difficult book to read.
For starters, the narrative style in this was... a choice. It's written in 1st-person POV (not my favorite, but I can work with it). The main character, Marney, has grown up around ichorite ever since she was forced to work in the ichorite manufacturing factories. This has given her a rather debilitating illness--called "luster-touched"--which causes her body to essentially start to shut down and her mind to hallucinate. It's a fascinating concept, but the way it translated into the narrative style was confusing. Because Marney hallucinates often (there's ichorite everywhere), the narration reflects this. While this could've been interesting enough in small doses, the fact that it happens so often really impacted my ability to completely follow (or enjoy) the story.
This leads into the fact that the way this was written didn't seem to allow me to feel much for the characters outside of Marney (and I didn't completely feel for Marney either). The writing felt very stilted at times and none of the characters really jumped off the page as a result.
Then, there's the fact that the world-building is delivered into GIANT chunks of text, often spanning pages. It often felt tedious and I didn't care enough in the world to want to know more.
Honestly, if it weren't for the wild, unique ending, this would've been a 1-star read. This has Gideon the Ninth as a comp title, but I'd honestly say that Gideon is less confusing than this turned out to be, even at its most confusing (at least, to me). So, overall, really didn't work for me and I'm honestly glad to be done reading it.
renstrange's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.0
3 stars feels generous, but the first half of the book was pretty good. unfortunately, it takes over half of the book to even get to the blurb. the world-building in this book is confusing. i get the sense the author has all the answers, but they didn’t bother to put them on the page. i still don’t understand what ichorite is, exactly what it means to be lustertouched, and why that gives you powers. i also don’t have a strong sense of who marney is. how did she become the whip spider? i love the communist ideals and overt lesbianism, but it just wasn’t enough to carry this story
elinidk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
4.5
symbio's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
Holy shit.
Lesbians are bugs are god. I’m honestly at a loss for words here. Very good book
Lesbians are bugs are god. I’m honestly at a loss for words here. Very good book
rachrow's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
micareads123's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book took some work to get through, but I knew what I signed up for. Ultimately, I found it a very entertaining, if unhinged, SFF with great political intrigue/commentary.
Marney is lustertouched. This is an affliction experienced by the children of those who mine ichorite, a metal deposited deep in the earth and widely exploited by the world’s dominating industry. Being lustertouched, Marney can manipulate ichorite, but at a cost. It causes her great pain to be in contact with the metal.
Throughout the book, being lustertouched is equated to being “allergic to ichorite.” I didn’t know I needed to read about allergies being a cursed superpower, but I did. The way ichorite is increasingly used in everything, making the world less and less inhabitable for the lustertouched (who are the workers fuelling the industry), and the industry’s total lack of regard for their lives, let alone well-being, sends a powerful message about ableism.
Marney is a complex character who is steadfast in her determination to effect change and spur a better “Hereafter.” She is loyal to a fault (relatable) and inspiring in her commitment to her cause.
While this book is definitely unique in its delivery, I would recommend it to those who have enjoyed books like the Locked Tomb series, the Broken Earth Trilogy, The Spear Cuts Through Water and The Traitor Baru Cormorant.
Marney is lustertouched. This is an affliction experienced by the children of those who mine ichorite, a metal deposited deep in the earth and widely exploited by the world’s dominating industry. Being lustertouched, Marney can manipulate ichorite, but at a cost. It causes her great pain to be in contact with the metal.
Throughout the book, being lustertouched is equated to being “allergic to ichorite.” I didn’t know I needed to read about allergies being a cursed superpower, but I did. The way ichorite is increasingly used in everything, making the world less and less inhabitable for the lustertouched (who are the workers fuelling the industry), and the industry’s total lack of regard for their lives, let alone well-being, sends a powerful message about ableism.
Marney is a complex character who is steadfast in her determination to effect change and spur a better “Hereafter.” She is loyal to a fault (relatable) and inspiring in her commitment to her cause.
While this book is definitely unique in its delivery, I would recommend it to those who have enjoyed books like the Locked Tomb series, the Broken Earth Trilogy, The Spear Cuts Through Water and The Traitor Baru Cormorant.
atacatsews's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.75
naamah's review against another edition
I tried I really did but this was just not my cup of tea , but it wasn’t a bad book at all.
louforristall's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.25