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ladyleckus's review against another edition
5.0
I received ARC of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own!
This book was so fascinating!
Jimenez somehow managed to seamlessly weave together fantasy and sci-fi but make it all feel real. Wonderfully complex characters and great world-building. I felt like I understood the world in which the novel operated but Jimenez didn't bog down the book with unnecessary details and explanations.
Just such a great book with such interesting characters. Highly recommend!
This book was so fascinating!
Jimenez somehow managed to seamlessly weave together fantasy and sci-fi but make it all feel real. Wonderfully complex characters and great world-building. I felt like I understood the world in which the novel operated but Jimenez didn't bog down the book with unnecessary details and explanations.
Just such a great book with such interesting characters. Highly recommend!
book_scent's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars!
A wonderfully written and atmospheric story that fell a bit short of my expectations!
I loved the opening chapters and the world that was being introduced. The beautiful prose drew me in quickly and I felt an almost instant connection to the characters, wondering how the story would unfold - and then it went in a very unexpected direction. While I did appreciate the unconventional storytelling, unfortunately, the non-linear narrative didn't quite work for me, which is probably why
the middle part didn't feel as captivating. But certain moments still managed to get to me on an emotional level and especially the ending felt tragically bittersweet. This may not have been the anticipated 5-star read, but the poetic writing and intriguing concept have me looking forward to reading more from Jimenez !
A wonderfully written and atmospheric story that fell a bit short of my expectations!
I loved the opening chapters and the world that was being introduced. The beautiful prose drew me in quickly and I felt an almost instant connection to the characters, wondering how the story would unfold - and then it went in a very unexpected direction. While I did appreciate the unconventional storytelling, unfortunately, the non-linear narrative didn't quite work for me, which is probably why
the middle part didn't feel as captivating. But certain moments still managed to get to me on an emotional level and especially the ending felt tragically bittersweet. This may not have been the anticipated 5-star read, but the poetic writing and intriguing concept have me looking forward to reading more from Jimenez !
beccabts's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
38_simulated's review against another edition
3.0
Four stars for the prose, two for the plot. It’s very well written, but parts of the book appear to be aiming for magical realism which doesn’t gel with the SF element and makes what should be an emotional climax kind of silly. Also, and this might just be because it’s a picaresque, I definitely got the vibe that some of the episodes here were existing short stories or other pieces that had been given bit of a rerub to work them into the novel. A few reviews have mentioned Ursula LeGuin, and I have to say that the last part certainly put me in mind of The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas. It’s not as good as that, of course, but very little is. Overall, flawed but promising.
kluluk's review against another edition
2.0
Dropped 20%
I have little patience for this style of writing, which to my mind is the voiceless, distanced style of "high quality" ao3 oneshots. I enjoyed the first chapter of the book (the prologue, in essence) but it felt deeply derivative to me -- the premise of an immortal/time traveller meeting someone intermittently over the span of their short lives is not new, it's been done numerous times in even bloody Harry Potter fanfiction for gosh sake. Beyond that, the rest of the book (until I dropped it) was a poor man's Cloud Atlas with none of the character voice, charm or meta-elements.
Not inherently unreadable so 2 stars.
I have little patience for this style of writing, which to my mind is the voiceless, distanced style of "high quality" ao3 oneshots. I enjoyed the first chapter of the book (the prologue, in essence) but it felt deeply derivative to me -- the premise of an immortal/time traveller meeting someone intermittently over the span of their short lives is not new, it's been done numerous times in even bloody Harry Potter fanfiction for gosh sake. Beyond that, the rest of the book (until I dropped it) was a poor man's Cloud Atlas with none of the character voice, charm or meta-elements.
Not inherently unreadable so 2 stars.
eiarain's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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
4.75