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snoonio's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
emilycarney's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
this was golden. no notes
nikki_silk's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
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? Yes
5.0
jasbah's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
shksprsis's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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
4.5
jenniferavignon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
leekleek's review against another edition
4.0
Rao might be my favorite book character to exist yet. I laughed so hard at how much of a dick he was.
Minus one star because I struggled to follow what was going on with prophet and who was creating it and why.
Minus one star because I struggled to follow what was going on with prophet and who was creating it and why.
jimbonothing64's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
nigellicus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
5.0
but two Sci-fi-espionage-horror-weird-romance fiction that's ultimately in the same category as Jeff Vandermeer's Southern Reach series, except that it's so busy being all those other things, which are very readable, when the real Weird Horror is unleashed near the end you're left wondering why the whole book hadn't been like that. It also kinda cops out on being truly transformative and mind-bending in favour of a (sorry spoilers) happy ending.
The other fault was the admiration for not one super-soldier macho types which felt way too bog-standard for something that was clearly going for being subversive and critical. One character, upon learning that she's been working for a secret network of billionaires who wield way too much power (also a bit bog-standard) decides to retire an work in a dude ranch. I mean, these are secret agents, weapon-trained, combat experts, the best at espionage and counter-espionage, they learnt the world is being screwed by a powerful group that have essentially played them for fools and almost destroyed the world, and they just shrug and walk away. When you get down to it, that's weird, not that I want them to go to war with them or anything, that would probably be even worse, but it does expose how weak and tired some of these tropes really are.
That all sounds critical, but it's a hugely readable book, just one or two things jumped out at me probably because the main interest of the book is actually the central romance.
The other fault was the admiration for not one super-soldier macho types which felt way too bog-standard for something that was clearly going for being subversive and critical. One character, upon learning that she's been working for a secret network of billionaires who wield way too much power (also a bit bog-standard) decides to retire an work in a dude ranch. I mean, these are secret agents, weapon-trained, combat experts, the best at espionage and counter-espionage, they learnt the world is being screwed by a powerful group that have essentially played them for fools and almost destroyed the world, and they just shrug and walk away. When you get down to it, that's weird, not that I want them to go to war with them or anything, that would probably be even worse, but it does expose how weak and tired some of these tropes really are.
That all sounds critical, but it's a hugely readable book, just one or two things jumped out at me probably because the main interest of the book is actually the central romance.