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third_bookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There's a review on the back of the hardcover copy of this book saying something like "Too Like the Lightning will stay in your head for a long time." and man. It sure will.
This book tries to do a lot, and I'm not sure it fully delivers on a lot of it. Super interesting concepts are introduced, but I think it will depend on the rest of the series whether this are really followed through on.
This book tries to do a lot, and I'm not sure it fully delivers on a lot of it. Super interesting concepts are introduced, but I think it will depend on the rest of the series whether this are really followed through on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Incest, Car accident, Death of parent, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Child death, Misogyny, and Rape
midwichtriffid's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Child death, Body horror, Sexual assault, Suicide, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Sexual violence, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Gore, Murder, and Religious bigotry
music_maker's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
A wild ride. Ada Palmer throws wrinkle after wrinkle into a story set in a world already riddled with them. It's easy to get lost, dazed, and completely emersed in the book, but after finishing it and gaining some distance, any reflection tends to elicit not fondness or interest, but simply leaves one thinking: What?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Rape
Moderate: Suicide attempt
itsphoenix's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Torture, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
ewmod's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I genuinely cannot assign a numerical rating to this book; the closest I can describe is that it is simultaneously a 0/5 and 1/5 and 2/5 and ... and 5/5.
Too Like the Lightning is an 18th century history (+ some epistolary) about a near future where gender, religion, and the idea of "a majority" are taboo. The cover art and blurb are quite misleading so if you are in the review section of this app wondering if this book is for you, please know that. And also know that the content warnings are NOT exaggerating.
Here is my best attempt at describing my feelings towards this novel...
Characters: Good. Enjoyed. What more could you want besides a cute little boy and a supporting cast of wildly despicable people. Character beats were rolled out well.
Worldbuilding: It's giving Divergent. Also everyone is mixed race but only about five ethnicies seem to exist. There are maybe a bit too many "what if the future was like *this*" premises because parts of the book end up drowning in the set dressings but I do see the vision. Overall it's interesting, if a bit goofy at times.
Plot: One of the aspects of the book that worked the best for me! I liked all how all of the threads wove together (though the actual scene where things are finally made clear is really underwelming). Pacing is a bit off--imo it does something I don't like very much where it is very clear that this is The First Book of A Series. Idk maybe it's a ~stylistic choice~ to leave off on a cliffhanger but to me it's just a bit cheap.
Vibes: The 1700s thing is neat. It is SO pretentious, but the book knows it's being pretentious. There are times where the line between the narrator and the author is very blurry and they are largely the bits where they defend the pretentious-ness/style. I do like the long asides where people just have discussions about 18th century philosophers--really on the nose there but it's fun. On the other hand-slash-consequently, this is a very grotesque book filled with very uncomfortably vivid descriptions of sex (in both meanings) and violence. I think the weird carnality struggles to convey any higher theme or meaning but again--I see the vision. Masturbatory in all senses. BUT REALLY WEIRD VIBES ABOUT GENDER HOLY SHIT. Every woman* has her tits described. In detail. (*Everyone with a vagina is a woman and everyone with a dick or a position of power is a man.) Either this author** sucks or the book just did not age very well wrt sex vs gender. (**It does seem to push beyond the narrator here--that shit is hammered the fuck in.) Thrusting 18th century vibes on gender onto a more androgynous future is, idk, fun to play with I suppose but very analogous things are extremely happening in the real world and it is extremely scary to be living through. This was the biggest frustration for me and the thing that put me the closest to putting the book down. I think I am possibly Supposed To Be Frustrated but it is just not something I want to be pushed to be frustrated by.
Theme??/Politics???: Jesus CHRIST. Best way I can put it is this book describes...anti-Enlightenment? We start with a world supposedly liberated from gender discrimination (oppression and also distinguishment), organized religion, and geographic nations/hegemony and learn along the way that all of these things stuck around. Cool ok. Except...I *really* cannot tell and I want to believe I am off here...but the takeaway seems to be that these things are all good?? Effective maybe?? I was waiting for some sort of subversion or something but nothing else in this book made my skin crawl the way a scene where a naive and reader-inserty protagonist faces a long and condescending lecture about how [reductive ideas about womanhood] are Cool and Powerful. Again the line between author and narrator/characters is imo a bit blurry so I hope I am just on the wrong side here and the invoked revulsion is not supposed to be a "haha gotcha" revulsion. Plus this is book 1 of 4 (god help me but I think I'm going to pick up the next one) so maybe I'll get some clarity on this.
There is no tldr for this and honestly I think my small essay is quite abridged relative to what I could say about Too Like the Lightning. Godspeed to anyone who wants to read it.
Too Like the Lightning is an 18th century history (+ some epistolary) about a near future where gender, religion, and the idea of "a majority" are taboo. The cover art and blurb are quite misleading so if you are in the review section of this app wondering if this book is for you, please know that. And also know that the content warnings are NOT exaggerating.
Here is my best attempt at describing my feelings towards this novel...
Characters: Good. Enjoyed. What more could you want besides a cute little boy and a supporting cast of wildly despicable people. Character beats were rolled out well.
Worldbuilding: It's giving Divergent. Also everyone is mixed race but only about five ethnicies seem to exist. There are maybe a bit too many "what if the future was like *this*" premises because parts of the book end up drowning in the set dressings but I do see the vision. Overall it's interesting, if a bit goofy at times.
Plot: One of the aspects of the book that worked the best for me! I liked all how all of the threads wove together (though the actual scene where things are finally made clear is really underwelming). Pacing is a bit off--imo it does something I don't like very much where it is very clear that this is The First Book of A Series. Idk maybe it's a ~stylistic choice~ to leave off on a cliffhanger but to me it's just a bit cheap.
Vibes: The 1700s thing is neat. It is SO pretentious, but the book knows it's being pretentious. There are times where the line between the narrator and the author is very blurry and they are largely the bits where they defend the pretentious-ness/style. I do like the long asides where people just have discussions about 18th century philosophers--really on the nose there but it's fun. On the other hand-slash-consequently, this is a very grotesque book filled with very uncomfortably vivid descriptions of sex (in both meanings) and violence. I think the weird carnality struggles to convey any higher theme or meaning but again--I see the vision. Masturbatory in all senses. BUT REALLY WEIRD VIBES ABOUT GENDER HOLY SHIT. Every woman* has her tits described. In detail. (*Everyone with a vagina is a woman and everyone with a dick or a position of power is a man.) Either this author** sucks or the book just did not age very well wrt sex vs gender. (**It does seem to push beyond the narrator here--that shit is hammered the fuck in.) Thrusting 18th century vibes on gender onto a more androgynous future is, idk, fun to play with I suppose but very analogous things are extremely happening in the real world and it is extremely scary to be living through. This was the biggest frustration for me and the thing that put me the closest to putting the book down. I think I am possibly Supposed To Be Frustrated but it is just not something I want to be pushed to be frustrated by.
Theme??/Politics???: Jesus CHRIST. Best way I can put it is this book describes...anti-Enlightenment? We start with a world supposedly liberated from gender discrimination (oppression and also distinguishment), organized religion, and geographic nations/hegemony and learn along the way that all of these things stuck around. Cool ok. Except...I *really* cannot tell and I want to believe I am off here...but the takeaway seems to be that these things are all good?? Effective maybe?? I was waiting for some sort of subversion or something but nothing else in this book made my skin crawl the way a scene where a naive and reader-inserty protagonist faces a long and condescending lecture about how [reductive ideas about womanhood] are Cool and Powerful. Again the line between author and narrator/characters is imo a bit blurry so I hope I am just on the wrong side here and the invoked revulsion is not supposed to be a "haha gotcha" revulsion. Plus this is book 1 of 4 (god help me but I think I'm going to pick up the next one) so maybe I'll get some clarity on this.
There is no tldr for this and honestly I think my small essay is quite abridged relative to what I could say about Too Like the Lightning. Godspeed to anyone who wants to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Sexual content, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, and Cannibalism
Minor: Incest, Suicide, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt
zephyrscape's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt
violentlyagitated's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- 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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Cannibalism and Suicide attempt
kaiiyo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Had my brain churning every chapter, grabs hold and then flips you around
Truly disturbing but extremely compelling
Truly disturbing but extremely compelling
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Stalking, Suicide, Gore, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Rape, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death, Emotional abuse, Cannibalism, Torture, War, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Outing, Violence, Addiction, and Body horror
Minor: Incest
midwichtriffid's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- 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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Rape, Body horror, and Cannibalism
Minor: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Violence, Sexual assault, Grief, Death, Car accident, Incest, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Rape, War, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, Murder, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse
agavemonster's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
"Would you destroy a better world to save this one?"
Brilliant! I absolutely loved the presumptive pronouns assigned by the narrator, the explorations of Life's Big Questions through the lenses of multiple characters and their priest-cum-therapists, the wild experimentations with form, genre, and tone, and the slowly unraveling realization that this "utopia" (still wildly surveilled and a dystopia by many of our current standards of living) has many, many darknesses wrapped at its core. Three-quarters stars off for what I perceived as a clumsy characterization and dialogue of both children and what are meant to be "charming" characters, but I must say, now that I've read the whole book, I can appreciate what the author was intentionally doing with those more juvenile sections. Contra many other reviewers, I appreciated thesudden turn into sexuality and violence, as when we discover Mycroft's crimes and when Mycroft was first accosted by Saladin, as the embodiment of the characters in this future world seemed to be a little missing in previous chapters. I was ultimately surprised, relieved, and amused by the knowledge that the author can do "adult" topics, as many in SFF can't or won't, and was choosing not to use them (by having the narrator choose not to use them) until the moment they would cause the most shock. Clever turnaround!!!
The only part of the world I still want to see revealed is the sexual/romantic dynamics of the "accepted" mainstream genderless society, as we get a good look at every type of relationship in this future world (familial, friendly, rivalry, servitude, taboo "genderful" brothel) other than that.
Still slightly less elegant overall than I think the author was striving for, especially since I got lost so much in all the plurality of nicknames different characters have for one another, but it is a first novel. Would recommend, absolutely.
Brilliant! I absolutely loved the presumptive pronouns assigned by the narrator, the explorations of Life's Big Questions through the lenses of multiple characters and their priest-cum-therapists, the wild experimentations with form, genre, and tone, and the slowly unraveling realization that this "utopia" (still wildly surveilled and a dystopia by many of our current standards of living) has many, many darknesses wrapped at its core. Three-quarters stars off for what I perceived as a clumsy characterization and dialogue of both children and what are meant to be "charming" characters, but I must say, now that I've read the whole book, I can appreciate what the author was intentionally doing with those more juvenile sections. Contra many other reviewers, I appreciated the
The only part of the world I still want to see revealed is the sexual/romantic dynamics of the "accepted" mainstream genderless society, as we get a good look at every type of relationship in this future world (familial, friendly, rivalry, servitude, taboo "genderful" brothel) other than that.
Still slightly less elegant overall than I think the author was striving for, especially since I got lost so much in all the plurality of nicknames different characters have for one another, but it is a first novel. Would recommend, absolutely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Torture
Minor: Sexual violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt