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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I so wanted to give this book a five for the amazing writing, character and plot development, and so much more. But I just can't look past the ending. It wasn't terrible, I didn't hate it, but it didn't quite answer the burning question(s) the entire book was centered around. Other than that, I loved the book. I definitely got lost in the world Shaun created, and I grew great attachments to the characters + their stories. HIGHLY recommend. Great read!!
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
I'm so glad I read this book... and not just because it really reminds me of a situation I've been processing as of late and almost felt like I got tricked into a therapy session. Definitely worth the read. By far the best book I've read so far.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Self harm
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide
Minor: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Gaslighting
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
emotional
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
"It’s impossible to let go of the people we love. Pieces of them remain embedded inside of us like shrapnel. Every breath causes those fragments to burrow through our muscles, nearer to our hearts."
The premise of this book is so fascinating, but, for me, it failed to deliver. The story is haunting and heartbreaking and beautifully written, the characters are strong and developed if not always likeable, and there are a lot of important discussions, so it deserves credit for those things, but I just found the sci-fi side of things to to fall entirely flat. It should've either gone much further or not been included at all, as I ended up feeling frustrated and annoyed and with a bunch more questions.
I thought for a little while that the story was going to go a particular way, and that would've worked so much better than the way things do end up going. The overall message is fine, but it could've been achieved in a much better way that didn't sacrifice all of the build-up. Additionally, while generally the book makes insightful and important points about a variety of topics (mental health, abuse, complex relationships, and growing up, to name just a few), there are a few questionable moments and comments that don't quite fit with the general tone of the story.
I don't think this is a bad book, as it definitely had me hooked and gave me a lot to think about, and the plot had so much potential; it just didn't reach it for me. I don't read much sci-fi, so maybe I expected too much, but I just think it wouldn't have taken too much to sharpen up the plot and change certain elements to make it all make a lot more sense.
The premise of this book is so fascinating, but, for me, it failed to deliver. The story is haunting and heartbreaking and beautifully written, the characters are strong and developed if not always likeable, and there are a lot of important discussions, so it deserves credit for those things, but I just found the sci-fi side of things to to fall entirely flat. It should've either gone much further or not been included at all, as I ended up feeling frustrated and annoyed and with a bunch more questions.
I thought for a little while that the story was going to go a particular way, and that would've worked so much better than the way things do end up going. The overall message is fine, but it could've been achieved in a much better way that didn't sacrifice all of the build-up. Additionally, while generally the book makes insightful and important points about a variety of topics (mental health, abuse, complex relationships, and growing up, to name just a few), there are a few questionable moments and comments that don't quite fit with the general tone of the story.
I don't think this is a bad book, as it definitely had me hooked and gave me a lot to think about, and the plot had so much potential; it just didn't reach it for me. I don't read much sci-fi, so maybe I expected too much, but I just think it wouldn't have taken too much to sharpen up the plot and change certain elements to make it all make a lot more sense.
whew that was a journey. so i absolutely adore shaun david hutchinsons books and im working my way through all of them. this was my second, after we are the ants and i’m not too disappointed. i loveeedddd ozzie so much and his friends were incredible (ngc and ace rep, way to go shaun!!!) i felt his familial and romantic relationships were very real and i liked how they were explored, though i felt like they could have used more exploring. at the same time, i feel like this book could’ve been shorter, basically the whole book u r confused and it’s repetitive but i get it’s important to the plot and to feel for ozzie’s situation. although i liked we are the ants more, i love how this book talks about the universe and our perception of it. i also felt like calvin’s character was very realistic depression representation, but he could’ve been fleshed out more and developed. another thing i really appreciated about this book was ozzie’s need to talk to people, and he knew that. even though he didn’t want to burden anyone with his problems he knew he had friends who cared and would listen and i really liked that because usually all angsty characters bottle up until they explode but ozzie knew what he needed. but anyway, the ending was okay, i liked how profound it felt but it was also very anti climactic and didn’t explain everything but overall, interesting quick read but needed more plot and character development.