Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
adventurous
relaxing
slow-paced
medium-paced
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Am I the only person out there who didn't find this story cosy and optimistic? What I got from it was basically that the world could be as close to ideal as possible, and you can still be fucking depressed.
I liked the worldbuilding and don't mind that it didn't make much sense; this is more of a whimsical existential parable than a real look at a post-industrial eco-society. I enjoyed the descriptions of the pastoral post-Awakening society.
I didn't like Dex as a protagonist; I found them to be arrogant and whiny and generally lacking in personality. This would be fine if there was any character growth over the course of the novella, but it ends right as any such growth could occur. The novella opens with Dex deciding to become a tea monk, yet completely skips over their journey to becoming one and suddenly they are the best tea monk in Panga. Why not just open the story at that point? As it is, it feels like a whole bunch of potential character development is skipped over.
There's also a really weird section where Dex is objectifying someone who has come to them for their helpful services, and it goes way beyond simply finding them attractive:
Dex swallowed a wistful sigh as they saw their next visitor approaching. Mr. Cody was a good-looking man, with arms that split logs and a smile that could make a person forget all concept of linear time. But the two babies strapped to his torso - one squealing on the front, one dead asleep on the back - made Dex keep any thoughts about the rest of Mr. Cody's anatomy completely to themself. From the circles under Mr. Cody's eyes, it looked as though sex was the last thing on his mind.
If you're going to have a twee society where everyone is nice and kind and happy, maybe don't throw in random sexual objectification just to give Dex a personality beyond "tea monk"? Imagine if they'd said the same about a new mother.
In terms of the actual story/plot, it's thin on the ground, but that's fine by me. But as a slice-of-life piece it wasn't cosy enough, and as a philosophical discussion, it was pretty much the equivalent of a quote you might find on a wine mom's kitchen wall.
This novella frustrated me, but I'm going to read the next one to see whether it improves upon the issues I had with this one. Also Mosscap is precious.
I liked the worldbuilding and don't mind that it didn't make much sense; this is more of a whimsical existential parable than a real look at a post-industrial eco-society. I enjoyed the descriptions of the pastoral post-Awakening society.
I didn't like Dex as a protagonist; I found them to be arrogant and whiny and generally lacking in personality. This would be fine if there was any character growth over the course of the novella, but it ends right as any such growth could occur. The novella opens with Dex deciding to become a tea monk, yet completely skips over their journey to becoming one and suddenly they are the best tea monk in Panga. Why not just open the story at that point? As it is, it feels like a whole bunch of potential character development is skipped over.
There's also a really weird section where Dex is objectifying someone who has come to them for their helpful services, and it goes way beyond simply finding them attractive:
Dex swallowed a wistful sigh as they saw their next visitor approaching. Mr. Cody was a good-looking man, with arms that split logs and a smile that could make a person forget all concept of linear time. But the two babies strapped to his torso - one squealing on the front, one dead asleep on the back - made Dex keep any thoughts about the rest of Mr. Cody's anatomy completely to themself. From the circles under Mr. Cody's eyes, it looked as though sex was the last thing on his mind.
If you're going to have a twee society where everyone is nice and kind and happy, maybe don't throw in random sexual objectification just to give Dex a personality beyond "tea monk"? Imagine if they'd said the same about a new mother.
In terms of the actual story/plot, it's thin on the ground, but that's fine by me. But as a slice-of-life piece it wasn't cosy enough, and as a philosophical discussion, it was pretty much the equivalent of a quote you might find on a wine mom's kitchen wall.
This novella frustrated me, but I'm going to read the next one to see whether it improves upon the issues I had with this one. Also Mosscap is precious.
This was such a comforting read. The dialogues were so wholesome; it felt like a warm hug and letting out one big sigh of relief. Everyone should read this book and slow down for a moment.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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