Scan barcode
library_of_wonder's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse and Death
Moderate: Sexual content and Medical trauma
Minor: Emotional abuse
vsnuffles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was an excellent and incredibly depressing read. I recommend reading it with caution due to just how very sad it is - it's definitely worth it but you'll want to be ready for some self-care afterwards. Do not expect a happy ending unless you like being very sad.
More in-depth:
The world-building is excellent: it's such a well thought-out future setting and the details of it are so elegantly incorporated it never feels like too much or too little. The writing was so good it was almost poetic at times, it was quite beautiful and poignant. The characters are grey and interesting. You get to see how they impact each other and the book has an excellent way of zooming out through the first few chapters, expanding the world before it settles on a more continuous story. It is a very bleak story and world, quite dystopian in a way that would feel cyberpunk if it were more focused on the digital world. Some mild spoilers for the tone of the ending/story overall:
If I had to say the story has a theme woven throughout I would have to say it is about cruelty and exploitation of humans through colonialization and capitalism. There is plenty more going on in the very well written characters, how they are shaped by their traumas in good and bad ways and being able to see how they grow based on how they react to their circumstances.
Moderate: Physical abuse and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
astroprojection's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, and Medical trauma
Minor: Emotional abuse, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
johannab's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Colonisation
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
- Yes, it is an inventive adventure across time and space, but it's also a tender exploration of trauma and of found family.
- Also, it doesn't say it in the synopsis, but queerness is quite embedded in this story, and in such a loving way.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder