Reviews with content warning for Death - Sea of Tranquility

totally snuck up on me and gradually revealed itself in such a fun way. It was a perfect mystery; some things I was able to figure out and felt very rewarded about being right, and other things caught me totally by surprise. A must read for sci fi enjoyers!

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emmagreenwood's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

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caebrown's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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theebster's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Excellent all around. As always, the interconnectedness of the characters was delightful to uncover. The settings were also fantastic, I really enjoyed envisioning the moon colonies and how they changed over time.

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pacifickat's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

*review pending*

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maeverose's review against another edition

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4.0

This took a long time - about half the book - to grow on me. Up to that point it was very ‘meh’. But then once the stronger sci-fi elements came in I didn’t want to put it down, and the first half became more interesting in hindsight.

I don’t want to say too much, I think it’s better to go into it not knowing much. If you like sci fi stories that involve a mystery but mainly focus on characters, their relationships, and mundane aspects of people’s lives, I would recommend. I found the writing style very easy to read as well, not confusing or difficult as sci-fi books can be for me sometimes, especially with my adhd brain.

The main content warning I would give for this, in the least spoilery way possible: it involves questioning reality. I didn’t personally feel like it was done in a triggering way. It doesn’t dwell on it too much. But if that’s an especially triggering topic for you then that’s something to keep in mind. The spoiler version:

It’s a ‘life is a simulation’ situation. It’s never fully confirmed in the book that this is the case, but it’s strongly suggested.

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brekaboujie's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

First 5 star review which is very exciting!! I have literally just finished this so this might change once I've let it settle in my brain a little more.

I raced through this book, it was very fast paced. I was a bit concerned at the beginning that the structure would put me off, as sometimes jumping from so many perspectives or plot lines can leave me a bit detatched or impatient to get back to my favourite bits, but this wasn't like that at all. There was a constant thread that went through the whole book, which I wasnt expecting as I'd completely forgotten the blurb by the time I'd picked it up. Relevant side note, would definitely recommend jumping straight in without knowing the plot by the way, it was fun.

I also have to admit, I got a violent sense of dread by the time I was half way and the first plot twist came in. Generally the book seemed like just an interesting exploration through time to start but that middle section and the way it pulled everything together was really chilling to me. It gave me Piranesi (by Susanna Clark) vibes - I found that book pretty intense and unsettling at times, and this matched that. It was a really cool take on this kind of storyline.

Only thing to note I guess was that there was loads left out plot wise.

Like, what the hell is actually going on with the Time Institute? I get a real vibe that its run by people who know 100% about the simulation already, or that there is something bizarre going on. Why are they protecting a particular timeline? And there are multiple??? Is this leading up to a Zoey sequel?? (Personally idk if i would vibe with that but there is plenty of space for it). Also what about Dion's special project helping to build the insitute, was that just a throwaway line to connect everything in? There was sinultaneously a feeling of a very fleshed out setting in each of these spaces and also the most SHALLOW description of each.

Each of these things didn't take away from the experience of reading it but it has left me with a lot of just like WHAT IS THIS THOUGH etc.

Overall, found it super pacey, interesting premise, loved the twists (oh my god I haven't even talked about the end i LOVED the end), and a very unique feeling to a book, I've not really read anything like it l!! Which is always exciting.

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withlivjones's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A mind-blowing and existential read. Books that involve time travel sometimes fall into the trap of trying to be too clever and ending up with loads of plot holes and very little closure. This is not that kind of book. I love the way everything was wrapped up in this book in a way I would never have expected, and how all the tiny details mentioned earlier in the book had their own place. It also asks some really interesting questions about fate - if you knew when and how everyone you know was going to die, what would you do? Would you try and prevent those deaths regardless of the possible consequences?

I’m not sure if I’ll ever really enjoy a pandemic novel (which this book briefly becomes - I lived through it and I don’t fancy experiencing it again thanks), and I do think that the pacing was a little all over the place (the beginning, for example, is extremely slow and leans more into historical fiction than sci-fi) but the ending is more than worth the wait.

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