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ninj's review
4.0
Book 2 picks up shortly after book 1 and Mirii spends time working at a corporate warehouse. Some ties to book 1 with the main characters and story, but mostly introducing a new batch of players.
Fast paced and engaging.
Fast paced and engaging.
littleelfman's review
5.0
Can I have book 3 now? Please?
If you're in any way partial to dystopian YA or even just brilliant quality writing, then you have to read Welcome To Orpahncorp and then this. Just do it. No more wasting time. Get it done!
If you're in any way partial to dystopian YA or even just brilliant quality writing, then you have to read Welcome To Orpahncorp and then this. Just do it. No more wasting time. Get it done!
kieralesley's review
4.0
Psynode is the fantastic follow-up to Marlee Jane Ward’s successful debut Welcome to Orphancorp and is a fitting continuation and expansion of the world, themes and tone of the first. Mirii has left the Orphancorp but is desperate to find Vu, this leads her to scamming her way into a job at the capitalist endgame nightmare-world that is Allnode.
I found the story here a little less emotionally resonant than Orphancorp, but much bigger in terms of narrative and world. In some ways Psynode is more action-packed than Orphancorp – the final sequence is particularly brutal and memorable. The cast and world feels larger and we start to get a sense of the wider injustices of the world and the people living and struggling or thriving within it. Without giving too much away the people Mirii crosses paths with and the different agendas at play are fascinating and there’s a lot of room for Ward to work with going into the third book.
The social commentary is no less biting here than it was in Orphancorp. Still focusing on the people who fall through the cracks through no fault of their own, and how does one little babe survive on such tiny rays of hope? Even the glimpses we get of Mirii dreaming the life she could have if she “went straight” and gave up on finding Vu are bleak – grinding away in an Allnode factory for decades to earn luxuries such as a room of her own.
Ward’s language use is a highlight of this series – rough, stylised, 20-minutes-into-the-future slang-laden without ever feeling put on or out of place. Mirii’s voice is authentic and rich as she narrates her experiences and her world.
This is the socially-aware, original dystopia series you didn’t know you’d been waiting for.
I found the story here a little less emotionally resonant than Orphancorp, but much bigger in terms of narrative and world. In some ways Psynode is more action-packed than Orphancorp – the final sequence is particularly brutal and memorable. The cast and world feels larger and we start to get a sense of the wider injustices of the world and the people living and struggling or thriving within it. Without giving too much away the people Mirii crosses paths with and the different agendas at play are fascinating and there’s a lot of room for Ward to work with going into the third book.
The social commentary is no less biting here than it was in Orphancorp. Still focusing on the people who fall through the cracks through no fault of their own, and how does one little babe survive on such tiny rays of hope? Even the glimpses we get of Mirii dreaming the life she could have if she “went straight” and gave up on finding Vu are bleak – grinding away in an Allnode factory for decades to earn luxuries such as a room of her own.
Ward’s language use is a highlight of this series – rough, stylised, 20-minutes-into-the-future slang-laden without ever feeling put on or out of place. Mirii’s voice is authentic and rich as she narrates her experiences and her world.
This is the socially-aware, original dystopia series you didn’t know you’d been waiting for.
loosetoothfool's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
i honestly love this series so much. I haven't loved a series since 2015 so it's so nice to be absorbed in a dystopian world of my pre-teen reading taste, it's kinda nostalgic. but this series is just so well-written, so captivating, amazing characters and a BRILLIANT protagonist who U just want to see win and survive and fight, she has gone through so much. her voice is so funny and unique and strong and very sad and thought provoking. I CANT BELIEVE THAT A SAPPHIC LOVE STORY BETWEEN AN ABORIGINAL GIRL AND AN ASIAN GIRL IS AT THE CENTRE OF THIS BOOK!!!!!!! it makes me so happy. and seeing mirii go through hell for her love for vu 😭 this was gripping and intense and somehow fit so much story into such a short book, I also loooove the world building, I can picture it all and it's realistic too to how people might become which is very scary. this series is seriously so good I wish more people would read it. so emotionally impactful and quite beautifully written and a GREAT STORY!!!!! I will definitely be finishing this series and I better see mirii be happy or else >:( doesn't seem likely tho
blackmetalblackheart's review
4.0
An excellent follow up to the first in the series. I love the voice that Psynode is written in. It feels exactly like I imagine the main character should be. It is genuine, weird, and all around wonderful.
I had a couple problems with events near the end, but nothing that kept me from enjoying what I read. This was a genuinely great experience.
I had a couple problems with events near the end, but nothing that kept me from enjoying what I read. This was a genuinely great experience.
cupiscent's review
5.0
Great. Lacks quite the brutal emotional suckerpunch of the first one (because it's not kids-brutalising-each-other-in-the-system) as we get out into the wider world and look at some other ramifications of capitalism-gone-feral. It's more of an action thriller than a psychological twist, but it's still grounded in Mirii's casual, clever, Aussie-as narration, which remains an absolute delight.
laurenmitchell's review
5.0
I enjoyed Welcome to Orphancorp so much and when I discovered this sequel I was super excited and read it in one sitting and I would like the next eleventy books in this series/setting immediately now and thank you.
What I love about it is that the world that's been built, with its own details and quirks of language and everything, is so easy to get absorbed in. It's not like some spec fic worlds where one needs a glossary for unfamiliar words, because they're so easy to pick up from context.
I also love the queerness about it, not only Mirii's quest to find Vu but all the background references and how casually they're dropped in and how it's not a big deal. Tat's singular they pronouns make me happier than I can express.
What I love about it is that the world that's been built, with its own details and quirks of language and everything, is so easy to get absorbed in. It's not like some spec fic worlds where one needs a glossary for unfamiliar words, because they're so easy to pick up from context.
I also love the queerness about it, not only Mirii's quest to find Vu but all the background references and how casually they're dropped in and how it's not a big deal. Tat's singular they pronouns make me happier than I can express.
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