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bluejayreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
I am having a really hard time figuring out what to say about this book. I think it's a case of my experieincing self and remembering self differing - I very much enjoyed this book while reading, but looking back I'm having a hard time saying exactly why. I think I mainly enjoyed the world and the plot and the creative mythology involved, because trying to write about the characters, I'm realizing that in retrospect they're all pretty bland.
There are four alternating perspectives in this book - Haidee and Odessa, the young goddesses, and Arjun and Lan, the goddesses' love interests and traveling companions.
Odessa, the goddess of the eternal night side of the planet, is the most memorable because of the great first-person narration of a character going mad. She's not unlikeable at the beginning - when the book opens, she's sheltered, bookish, trying to rebel a little against her mother's control, and not at all sure what to do about her crush on Lan. But Rin Chupeco does an absolutely stunning job with first-person narration of a person losing her self and not even realizing as she becomes darker and more unhinged. She became not at all likeable as a person but absolutely compelling as a character.
Lan, Odessa's love interest and one of her traveling companions, is traumatized. I really can't remember much else about her. Well, that and she's there to provide perspective to how unhinged Odessa gets as the story progresses. Lan led an exploring expedition, everyone except her died, and she has a lot of trauma around that. The trauma is handled really well, but it also seems to be her main personality trait.
Haidee, the goddess on the eternal day side of the planet, is Odessa's complete opposite. She enjoys engineering and mechanical tinkering, is full of compassion for everything and everyone, and embodies the bright sunniness of her side of the planet without going over the line into scorching desert. She wasn't a stand-out character, but she was definitely likeable - not a fascinating person or a charismatic personality, but honestly the only character in the book that I would want to be friends with.
Arjun, Haidee's traveling companion, was definitely the weakest of the four perspectives. That doesn't mean that he was bad, I just found him less compelling. He was a lot of the "orphan grows up with a bunch of other orphans raised by one adult and gets good at fighting and living a hardscrabble life" stereotype, with a few interesting additions that just barely keep him from being cardboard. He didn't have much motivation, though, which I think is why he was the least compelling. I also think his perspective got the least page time, but I didn't count pages to see if that was accurate.
I didn't hate any of these characters, but it was really the concepts that made me enjoy the reading experience. The magic system is really interesting (even if I didn't fully understand it), I loved the idea that the world is ruled by women who are supremely powerful goddesses and yet are mortal and every so often must be replaced by their daughters, and there are a lot more layers around the Breaking - when the world stopped spinning and divided into two kingdoms of eternal day and eternal night - and how it happened than appear on the surface. Even the settings are interesting, from a frozen fortress to seas full of krakens, golden cities protected by glass domes to creatures swimming through oceans of sand instead of water, there are a lot of really fascinating and creative fantasy things in this world. For me, the characters were more of a vehicle to explore this world and uncover its secrets, and that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Reading book two isn't high on my priority list, but I do intend to get to it eventually. The characters weren't stellar, but they were perfectly okay, and I wouldn't object to spending another book with them, especially since I have so many unanswered questions about what happened to break the world and what secrets Odessa and Haidee's mothers are hiding. And the broken world was such a cool setting, I'm excited to explore it more in book two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Chronic illness and Sexual assault
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.75
I loved this book so much! The plot is so interesting and I absolutely love the world building. Rin does SUCH a good job making these totally immersive worlds with their own lore and details without the feeling of info-dumping! In fact, most of what we know about the world we learn through the eyes of the four pov characters, who are all completely distinct! I love that. It can be really hard to do a good job distinguishing between pov's when there are a lot of them, and I didn't think this book had that problem at all!
I was definitely surprised by a lot of what happened but in a completely good way! I loved the characters and their relationships. This book was great and I can't wait for the sequel!
I was definitely surprised by a lot of what happened but in a completely good way! I loved the characters and their relationships. This book was great and I can't wait for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Gore, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Chronic illness, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual assault
alicelalicon's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Chronic illness and Cursing
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Grief
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.75
OMG ASDFGHJK. My love for Rin Chupeco's world building and writing has only grown after reading this!
Rep: Chronically ill sapphic MC, Asian coded sapphic (lesbian coded) MC suffering from PTSD, disabled POC MC that is missing one of his hands. Possible sapphic side character--seemed to have a romantic relationship with another woman, but am not certain. I believe most the characters are POC but I'm not 100% certain.
CWs: Violence, blood, physical abuse, bullying, animal death, cannibalism, death, gaslighting, grief, sexual content, mental illness (PTSD), murder.
Rep: Chronically ill sapphic MC, Asian coded sapphic (lesbian coded) MC suffering from PTSD, disabled POC MC that is missing one of his hands. Possible sapphic side character--seemed to have a romantic relationship with another woman, but am not certain. I believe most the characters are POC but I'm not 100% certain.
CWs: Violence, blood, physical abuse, bullying, animal death, cannibalism, death, gaslighting, grief, sexual content, mental illness (PTSD), murder.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Death, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Animal death, and Mental illness
Minor: Cannibalism and Blood
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
THE NEVER TILTING WORLD is a journey fantasy told by four sides as two separated sisters and their companions travel to the rift at the heart of their world to try and fix their parents' mistakes.
I like the world building, so much is shaped by the central conceit that something went wrong a decade and a half ago and the planet stopped spinning. I would like to know how gravity is still functioning, but other than that it has an internal logic that was pretty easy to follow. I like the magic system, there's enough information for it to make sense but it's not overexplained. I love this premise, and I love how it's carried out. The price of the gifts was a nice touch, the effects begin subtly and then cause a dramatic turn in the plot, making it clear both why anyone ever would have thought accepting them was fine, and how (from my perspective, at least) it's not worth it.
The four main characters all felt very distinct from each other, with different things they wanted, and many differences in what they were willing to give up and what they sought to protect. They had four very different backgrounds and it's shown well. I felt like I had room to like the book without liking all four main characters. I loved one, liked two, and have complex thoughts about the last one. That character undergoes a gradual change in mental state, it’s very well written. It’s marked by certain milestones, specific plot events that cause it to progress. It wasn’t until several of them it happened that I realized the shift they have been building, but when I looked back I could see its early stages. I love stories where a character undergoes a drastic change in how they perceive the world and interact with it, and this did a great job of portraying that shift. I liked how they were written, and my complex feelings come from initially loving them, feeling strange as their personality shifted to be wholly unlikeable, then realizing that it was shifting due to events in the story. At that point I didn't resume liking them as a person, but I love how they're written. I like the pair journeying in the desert the best, their duo was more relatable to me but one of the strengths of this book is that, as I said the main characters are so different that you'll probably like at least one of them, and the narrative doesn't hinge on whether you like all four of them as people.
The ending was good, it does make me want to read part two, and given that this is a duology the second half of the story is waiting in the sequel. It felt a little abrupt, but the characters both literally and emotionally arrived at a place that made sense as the ending before the next book. Sometimes duologies can feel like two intertwined stand-alone books, and sometimes they feel like a larger work split in two. This is very much that second type, I don't know if my impression will change once I read the sequel.
I like the world building, so much is shaped by the central conceit that something went wrong a decade and a half ago and the planet stopped spinning. I would like to know how gravity is still functioning, but other than that it has an internal logic that was pretty easy to follow. I like the magic system, there's enough information for it to make sense but it's not overexplained. I love this premise, and I love how it's carried out. The price of the gifts was a nice touch, the effects begin subtly and then cause a dramatic turn in the plot, making it clear both why anyone ever would have thought accepting them was fine, and how (from my perspective, at least) it's not worth it.
The four main characters all felt very distinct from each other, with different things they wanted, and many differences in what they were willing to give up and what they sought to protect. They had four very different backgrounds and it's shown well. I felt like I had room to like the book without liking all four main characters. I loved one, liked two, and have complex thoughts about the last one. That character undergoes a gradual change in mental state, it’s very well written. It’s marked by certain milestones, specific plot events that cause it to progress. It wasn’t until several of them it happened that I realized the shift they have been building, but when I looked back I could see its early stages. I love stories where a character undergoes a drastic change in how they perceive the world and interact with it, and this did a great job of portraying that shift. I liked how they were written, and my complex feelings come from initially loving them, feeling strange as their personality shifted to be wholly unlikeable, then realizing that it was shifting due to events in the story. At that point I didn't resume liking them as a person, but I love how they're written. I like the pair journeying in the desert the best, their duo was more relatable to me but one of the strengths of this book is that, as I said the main characters are so different that you'll probably like at least one of them, and the narrative doesn't hinge on whether you like all four of them as people.
The ending was good, it does make me want to read part two, and given that this is a duology the second half of the story is waiting in the sequel. It felt a little abrupt, but the characters both literally and emotionally arrived at a place that made sense as the ending before the next book. Sometimes duologies can feel like two intertwined stand-alone books, and sometimes they feel like a larger work split in two. This is very much that second type, I don't know if my impression will change once I read the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Vomit
Minor: Cannibalism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
gladiolus17's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cannibalism and Sexual assault
ramunepocky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- 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
In short, I really, really hecking enjoyed this book. I was a bit nervous at first when I realised it was four switching perspectives, but I found that they were distinct enough that it was easy to tell who was speaking, and it didn’t hinder the storytelling at all. In fact, I think it helped add to it as it gave us an insight into each of our four protagonists, and gave a nice back and forth between the two halves of the world and each of those who were there. I really liked that we got to see each situation from two different points of view too, like Arjun’s experience of the desert half of Aeon was very different from Haidee’s experience of it, and I loved learning about what they’d been through, and how it had impacted them, and made them into the people they were. I absolutely adored the world building in this book, I thought it was extremely fascinating, and I liked that we learned about it as the story went on, and everything became clearer instead of info dumping at the beginning. I also really loved the magic system, I thought it was very individual and unique, and really, really cool!! I loved that their gates could be a combination of things that made them into a certain kind of magic user, and that the goddess’ got to harness all the kinds of magic. I also loved that Aeon was a world with predominantly women in power, they were the goddess’, they were the rulers, they were the people in power, it was glorious and empowering. Also, there seems to be a distinct lack of homophobia, which we just stan tbh. As the story was told, I really enjoyed the parallels between the twins, like them both breaking out/running away at roughly the same time to start their journey to the same place. I also really liked learning about the history of Aeon, and the rites, and figuring out what that would mean for our twins. Goddamn the book ending on a cliffhanger, but lucky me, I have The Ever Cruel Kingdom right on hand to continue.
my favourite characters, as it stands, are Tianlan, Noelle and Haidee
I really love Tianlan; she’s been to hell and back, she suffers from so much trauma and was manipulated onto returning to places she literally lost her squad, her love, suffer and die, and yet she still goes, bravely fights on and does her best to stay alive to protect Odessa, to keep her alive, and to try and limit the suffering of others. I think it’s super sad that she thinks she doesn’t deserve to be alive, and that she doesn’t deserve the title of “Lady” anymore, just because she lived whilst they did not. It breaks my heart because she does deserve to live, and she does deserve to have a title. She’s a good healer, a kind-hearted person and incredibly strong. I love her.
Odessa makes me sad. I really loved her to begin with, I loved that she had her little acts of rebellion to obtain books, to have a life of her own outside of the tower and her illness, I love that she snuck away on the ship, and was kind to the scholars whilst the Devoted were not. Her destiny is just,,, sad. The fact that she receives these “gifts” and is too blinded by her new courage and abilities to recognise what she’s losing, to not even notice how much she’s changing as she loses her kindness, her control, her foresight, her mercy and modesty. The more she lost, the less I started to like her. She just became cruel and bitter, corrupted by hate, and in some cases, jealousy, her perspectives became more and more about how much she didn’t trust anyone, how much hatred she had for them, how much she wanted them dead. Even poor Noelle, who had done absolutely nothing to harm anyone or show her loyalties elsewhere, and Sumiko, who was a strong healer and doing everything she could to help Tianlan with her trauma and heal her. Some of her cruelty was justified; the Devoted /mostly/ had what was coming to them. The ones who abused and took advantage of the scholars and those of lower class to them deserved to have their status and gates taken, they had what was coming to them. But it just makes me so sad seeing Odessa’s POV become the way they are, so full of hatred and destruction and less the kind and excited person she was. Also, when she lost her self control, and Tianlan was holding onto her, so the galla taking that had the effect on Tianlan too,,, that part was just grim. So I wasn’t really sure how I felt about Odessa for a while, I kinda despised her, just a bit, but I was still scared for what the last sacrifice and gift would entail. when she refused to sacrifice Tianlan, when she refused the last gift/sacrifice and therefore refused them all and became herself again, it was a giant relief, and she instantly regretted almost everything she’d done, bless her
I absolutely adore Noelle, she’s so !!! goddamn !!! badass !!! The fact that she doesn’t have a gate of her own, that she has no magic and is a steward, she’s so goddamn BADASS!!! time and time again she’s came through with her weapons and slayed some monsters, shown absolutely no fear. Also, I absolutely adore her loyalty and friendship with Tianlan, she offers what Tianlan needs and accepts, whether she realises it and wants it or not. I JUST REALLY LOVE NOELLE !!!!
Also Haidee !!! Haidee is so sweet and precious !!! Her love for the dolugongs, the fact she names every animal she comes into contact with (including a big dead whale she was desperately trying to revive) is just so so sweet !!! I love that she’s a badass mechanika, I love when she completely modified and fortified their ride in 3 hours and Arjun was just blown away by all she managed to do with a couple of hours and some metal !! She’s so incredibly courageous, always doing what she believes to be right, even when others disagree with her, and without having anything /supernatural/ added, or taken away, to make her more so. I also loved her banter with Arjun, it often made me giggle.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this, and I’m so so so glad because it was a highly anticipated read, and it didn’t let me down at all !!!
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this, and I’m so so so glad because it was a highly anticipated read, and it didn’t let me down at all !!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content
PTSD, the sexual assault is more hinted at, but it’s very much prevalentnoreadingdegree's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
The first 50% of this novel was really strong for me. I loved the immersive and absolutely magical world that rin chupeco created. however, the further into the story we got the more cringe the romances and dialogue became. on top of that, i felt that the blooming romances felt appropriate during the beginning of the novel, but towards the end it took the forefront when these characters were in dire situations. i don't want to stop the momentum of the plot for a completely unnecessary sex/losing virginity scene (not graphic, but they reminisce afterwards).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Physical abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
kazkae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cannibalism
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Rarely do I read 100 pages of a book and predict it will be a 5 star read. This was one of those times. I was enthralled by The Never Tilting World from the first chapter, and as I continued reading, I could hardly bring myself to put down the book to do anything else. While this isn’t my first time reading one of Chupeco’s books, it is the first time they’ve completely hooked me with their lovely writing, intricate magic system and world-building, and complex, lovable characters. I can honestly say that I adored this book in every way, and I can’t think of a single element I disliked.
Some authors struggle, in my experience, with successfully writing multiple, distinct points of view. Chupeco, though, skillfully balanced the perspectives, personalities, and emotions of each of their four protagonists. I was fully invested in each character and enjoyed reading from every perspective. Major props to them for that.
Right now I don’t think there’s much else I can say, as I’m just in awe of the story I read. Despite being almost 500 pages, I sped through it in a little over a day. The last time I pulled that off was with a highly anticipated sequel back in August, and before that, I’m
not sure.
The Never Tilting World is a phenomenal fantasy novel, full of everything that makes a story memorable, that also demonstrates the power of sisterhood and comments on some relevant topics along the way. I can’t stop thinking about it, or recommend it enough. Absolutely a hidden gem. I’m looking so very forward to the sequel!
Representation
Some authors struggle, in my experience, with successfully writing multiple, distinct points of view. Chupeco, though, skillfully balanced the perspectives, personalities, and emotions of each of their four protagonists. I was fully invested in each character and enjoyed reading from every perspective. Major props to them for that.
Right now I don’t think there’s much else I can say, as I’m just in awe of the story I read. Despite being almost 500 pages, I sped through it in a little over a day. The last time I pulled that off was with a highly anticipated sequel back in August, and before that, I’m
not sure.
The Never Tilting World is a phenomenal fantasy novel, full of everything that makes a story memorable, that also demonstrates the power of sisterhood and comments on some relevant topics along the way. I can’t stop thinking about it, or recommend it enough. Absolutely a hidden gem. I’m looking so very forward to the sequel!
Representation
- full cast of characters of color
- chronically ill lesbian protagonist
- amputee protagonist
- bisexual protagonist with PTSD
- sapphic relationship
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Moderate: Physical abuse, Bullying, Chronic illness, and Violence
Minor: Rape, Cannibalism, Homophobia, and Sexual content
One of the protagonists has PTSD and she frequently has flashbacks and panic attacks because of it.