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cannibalgender's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Drug use, and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, and Blood
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Medical content, and Medical trauma
emily_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I docked my rating half a star for two reasons. The first is that the writing could be very confusing from Kasey's perspective, both in terms of world-building and interpreting her personality. The pacing in this perspective also grew to be quite erratic. The second reason was the romance.
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Alcohol
courtneyfalling's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Even without that huge sticking point, I struggled relating to any of the main characters. Kasey is so science-focused to a fault, where it almost felt like Joan He was trying as hard as possible to make Kasey bot-like and unlikeable (and part of what rubbed me really wrong about this was that it ended up with Kasey feeling autism-coded and her most autism-coded traits being the 'worst' parts of her representation). By comparison, Cee seemed so much more human, and I feel like that was an obvious point. The twist happened, I was like what for maybe a chapter or two, and then it just sunk in, like duh.
Also... idk. I like enemies-to-lovers sometimes but the whole plot line between Cee and Hero was hard to connect with.
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Suicide, and Murder
lilifane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I absolutely loved 2/3 of the book. It had everything I enjoy, and I didn't expect any of it to be honest. But then, the last third and especially the ending left me a little disappointed. But the more I think about this last third... the more I like aspects of it. And the more I think about the ending, the more I understand what it did... I think I actually like it now. I still think there are some things that could have been handled better to make it perfect for me.
But first, what I really really loved about this book:
The structure of the book, the two perspective, the way they related to each other. This was fantastic. Even up to the chapter numbers that were different for the two perspectives you follow and fit the story perfectly.
That being said, the first 2/3 of the book were totally confusing, and I LOVED it. I just loooove how I had to piece everything together on my own because the author definitely doesn't take you by the hand and lead you. Every time you think you know what is going on, another details is revealed the next chapter, and you have to adjust your thoughts and theories and your understanding of the world and the story. I think it is remarkable that everything makes sense in the end. That details you were confused about were actually hints you just didn't have enough information to decipher yet.
Then we have the setting, the world building and the atmosphere that I really liked. And here again, you are thrown into the world and have to piece it together from the information scattered throughout the chapters. This I found a little bit more difficult than piecing together the story. There were a lot of things about the world that were only hinted at, and I just had to accept this and hope it would be explained at some point or not be that important. And I personally enjoyed the moments when I understood an aspect of the world by connecting two dots. The two locations, the island and the city, were really great contrasts.
Lastly, the discussions about climate change, responsibilities of the individual but also of society as a whole, were super interesting and very much relevant. In addition to that, there were also discussions about what makes you you. Are your needs more important than the needs of others? Or what are you willing to sacrifice to save someone else? And who should be involved in this decision? So so so many interesting thoughts.
What I didn't like this much:
I think my main critique is the characters. Although I loved the premise, the two separated sisters and I loved the discussions about different relationships among the characters... I had a hard time understanding them. I spent a lot of time in their heads, witnessed their thoughts and struggles, but they still stayed distant. And so in the last third when most of the plot was revealed, the mysteries were uncovered, and it came down to the characters making decisions... I didn't relate to or feel for them. This could have been really emotional, but it wasn't. Which is kind of sad. This was mainly due to the way dialogues and thoughts were written in the last third. Even more than at the beginning, they were very vague and abstract, so I had a hard time following what was actually being said. There were these big ideas and questions about morality and identity. But for this, the small things that make you fall in love with characters were sacrificed along the way.
But I still enjoyed the reading process a lot and loved the majority of the book. And I think the story won't leave me that quickly because there is so much to think about. Which is really impressive and doesn't happen often.
But also, how beautiful is this cover and the end pages?!?!?!
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer and Sexual content
nyoom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Racism, and Excrement
mitone_winona's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Both sisters are captivating in their own way. Cee is a charmer, resilient, lively, sweet, and loyal to her sister Kasey. Kasey is observant, cool, mind quick as a whip, determined, and self-aware of the city and the type of people and lifestyle that are within it.
While they both are very different, you find yourself cheering them on and hoping for the best. Kasey is very much allowed her grief and she expresses it in a way I think a lot of us would criticize her for, yet it's her way to grieve. Joan He does Kasey justice by not having Kasey completely transform into this person whose upbeat, the life of the party, or turn into Cee who she looked up to for being life personified. Kasey remained the same but did grow and understand herself and the world better. She is realistic in her hope, always logical but she is logical about her heart as well in knowing what it really wants.
This book essentially is grim in a way that you realize that Kasey and Cee have had to struggle continuously with their mind and emotions while trying to figure out the situations that they both are in; Kasey with her grief over her sister and tracing her last steps and Cee whose on a abandoned island while trying to keep Kasey alive in her mind and trying to remember more memories of her sister. Outside of the sisters, humanity itself is still struggling with climate change/environmental disasters/Class differences/etc. and still trying to find a solution to saving the environment as well as themselves.
If you want a book that leaves nothing unsolved, futurism that addresses environmental issues, two sisters that very much love one another trying to find each other, mystery, and tension? This book is for you and Joan He does a beautiful job writing the story and the book is truly worth it.
Graphic: Violence, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Terminal illness and Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Alcohol
chaptersonapage's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Those who have what is deemed a high rank, meaning they were the ones who helped the Earth more, or who were not ones who caused so much of the destruction of it, have the opportunity to live in places called Eco Cities. They’re cities in the sky where humans are safer than on the ground.
In the city lived two sisters, Celia and Kasey. While both sisters are opposites in many ways, they still love one another. Then, one day, Celia goes for a boat ride on the sea and never comes back.
The book picks up after this has happened. In alternating timelines, we see the perspectives of Kasey, taking place 3 months after Celia went missing, and Cee, taking place 3 years after she wakes up on the shore of an island with almost no memories.
The science in this book is a little jarring at first, but it’s also really interesting. We get sort of thrown into it, having to learn about the society as things happen rather than having it described in detail early on, but as I read the book I understood this choice stylistically.
Though this book takes place in such a scientific time in the world, the science comes secondary to the characters. It’s still important to the story, but I felt like this was more of a character study of the two sisters. Who they are, who they were, and who they are going to become. As they learn about themselves and each other, we learn too.
Cee is on an abandoned island, alone for years with only a bot for company. She spends her days building a boat, hoping she can eventually make her way off the island and find her sister, Kay. It’s the thing that keeps her going, day in and day out. She’s a very determined character, driven by her fleeting memories. She’s hardy, having learned to take care of herself since she has no one else to rely on. As her story progresses, you learn more about who she is, and you see how she changes and grows into herself.
Kasey on the other hand is still in the eco city, living life several months after her sister’s disappearance. She’s a very introverted character, one who prefers science over the company of others. She struggles with how she feels towards things, how she reacts differently then other people, but she’s also unapologetically herself. Though she operates differently from others, I feel like she still cared about things, it just came through differently than it would a “normal” person. I found her perspective really interesting to read, she’s different from a lot of characters in books. She’s not instantly likable, but I think that’s what made me like her. She is who she is.
At some points this book was a little confusing to me, especially earlier on. Some of the science stuff went a little over my head, but eventually I got a grasp on it as I learned more about the world and what happened. The beginning can feel a little slow, but some things start to dawn on you as you get closer to the midpoint where everything changes. Once this happens, the story becomes a lot more clear, and I feel like the pace picks up.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and Joan He’s writing. The ending was a little too open ended for my liking, I prefer a more concrete ending, but I also understand why it was left the way it was. It makes you think and reflect on the story and the characters even after reading. This was definitely a unique book, and I think it was a great read.
Graphic: Terminal illness
mirandavictoria'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Vomit, Death of parent, and Murder
chl0e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Minor: Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder