Scan barcode
yodamom's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
I am not going to tell you anything about the book. I read it blind on a recommendation and think it was better for it. it you enjoy science fiction with intense action and mystery give it a go.
I really enjoyed this unique little science fiction read. Great characters, a world that was fresh and exciting, and a mystery that I didn't figure out till it was revealed. The relationships each of the character had with each other was so different it was a touch off putting at first but soon became normal for this world in my mind. This would make a fabulous movie, it was so visually written.
The story is filled with twists and turns that I didn't even know where twists till towards the end. When it was finally pieced together I was practically a drooling bag of goo from the intensity or the actions that lead to that point. Seriously I did get hot and a touch sweaty on the brow. I wish there was a book 2 I could see a future worth knowing at the end.
Okay the author is a foodie, a glorious one too. She mentioned Cioppino and Fainting Iman, the first is my # Fav food the second I'll be making very soon. So I loved her book and her taste in food , double winner. Yep, she is going on my must read author list.
I am not going to tell you anything about the book. I read it blind on a recommendation and think it was better for it. it you enjoy science fiction with intense action and mystery give it a go.
I really enjoyed this unique little science fiction read. Great characters, a world that was fresh and exciting, and a mystery that I didn't figure out till it was revealed. The relationships each of the character had with each other was so different it was a touch off putting at first but soon became normal for this world in my mind. This would make a fabulous movie, it was so visually written.
The story is filled with twists and turns that I didn't even know where twists till towards the end. When it was finally pieced together I was practically a drooling bag of goo from the intensity or the actions that lead to that point. Seriously I did get hot and a touch sweaty on the brow. I wish there was a book 2 I could see a future worth knowing at the end.
Okay the author is a foodie, a glorious one too. She mentioned Cioppino and Fainting Iman, the first is my # Fav food the second I'll be making very soon. So I loved her book and her taste in food , double winner. Yep, she is going on my must read author list.
bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
Well, that...did not go where I was expecting it to.
I can't quite figure out how I feel about this book. Two stars doesn't seem fair as I liked many things about it, but it just didn't hold together for me in the end. I feel basically "meh" about it.
Read at your own risk as there will be MEGA spoilers.
- Some of the book was so resonant, like when Hwa read the rape threat on her wall and started thinking about how many times women have had to put up with that threat. I'm sure any woman who reads this book is nodding at that part. I hope any man who reads it stops and takes note.
- The love scene between Hwa and Daniel actually brought tears to my eyes. It was so lovely. Their whole relationship was lovely.
- But damn is that extradimensional being thing just did not work for me. I don't think it came up out of nowhere as there are clues planted throughout the story, but I guess the book wasn't what I expected. That disappointed me, but obviously that's a matter of personal preference and not what I would call a flaw of the book. I'm not opposed to stories about extra dimensions, and sometimes I enjoy them, but I didn't think that's what was going on in this book, and the sense of dissonance I felt made it hard for me to feel satisfied in the end.
- Hwa is a great character. She's complicated and cranky and vulnerable and all the things I want a good character to be--male or female. She breaks the "strong woman" trope in a way--not because she isn't strong, but because strength means a lot more than that trope would lead you to believe.
- There is diversity all over the place in this book, and it is good.
I can't quite figure out how I feel about this book. Two stars doesn't seem fair as I liked many things about it, but it just didn't hold together for me in the end. I feel basically "meh" about it.
Read at your own risk as there will be MEGA spoilers.
Spoiler
- Wow, has pop culture left me jaded. I suspected Joel for a good stretch, both because of the "blind spot" dream and because he was just so nice. Pop culture has taught me nice is not to be trusted. How sad is that? I'm sorry, Joel. I did you wrong, and you didn't deserve it. I love the fact that you're a decent, nice, and moral character. I would really love to see more characters like you in literature.- Some of the book was so resonant, like when Hwa read the rape threat on her wall and started thinking about how many times women have had to put up with that threat. I'm sure any woman who reads this book is nodding at that part. I hope any man who reads it stops and takes note.
- The love scene between Hwa and Daniel actually brought tears to my eyes. It was so lovely. Their whole relationship was lovely.
- But damn is that extradimensional being thing just did not work for me. I don't think it came up out of nowhere as there are clues planted throughout the story, but I guess the book wasn't what I expected. That disappointed me, but obviously that's a matter of personal preference and not what I would call a flaw of the book. I'm not opposed to stories about extra dimensions, and sometimes I enjoy them, but I didn't think that's what was going on in this book, and the sense of dissonance I felt made it hard for me to feel satisfied in the end.
- Hwa is a great character. She's complicated and cranky and vulnerable and all the things I want a good character to be--male or female. She breaks the "strong woman" trope in a way--not because she isn't strong, but because strength means a lot more than that trope would lead you to believe.
- There is diversity all over the place in this book, and it is good.
willrefuge's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 / 5 stars
Kinda lost me towards the end where it felt a bit rushed. Packed some many plot twists into so little space the experience was almost intestinal—not that the end product was what you’d expect from a build-up like that. I got a little lost; had to reread a few parts several times before getting back on board. Up until then, it was an enjoyable speculative-thriller, pseudo-scifi, kinda-mystery, that I had no problem getting through. It was a fast, enjoyable read with somewhat relatable characters that felt a little unrealistic at times, if I’m being honest. But all in all, a good journey.
aseel_reads's review against another edition
dark
funny
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
I really liked everything you until the last bit, then it became super confusing and probably didn't need to exist - the timeline stuff wasn't done very well and didn't really strengthen the novel. But I liked everything else enough to give it 4 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence
Moderate: Violence, Bullying, Death, Racism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Vomit, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual harassment
midici's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. All the spoilers.
I really liked some things about this book, and some others I really didn't which made giving it a rating a bit difficult.
Some things I really liked:
-It's set in Canada! I have yet to read a lot of sci-fi set in Canada but anything that makes fun of people for wearing insufficient winter clothing or not knowing the wonder that is peameal bacon, is great by definition
-The way Hwa's organic nature leaves her isolated and is both a weakness and a source of strength
-Joel does manage to come across as a dorky teenager most of the time and I appreciate his earnestness
-The concept overall
Things I disliked:
-Jerky narration made transitions occasionally confusing
-Insufficient description of technology that left me confused (are specs implants? contact lenses? but you can't rip off contact lenses while running which Hwa does several times - are they high-tech glasses? I DON'T KNOW)
-Hwa is very good at fighting people who don't pose a real threat and bad at all the life or death ones. I realize this creates tension and drama but makes her position as bodyguard somewhat suspect
-Unnecessary subplots (what was the point of the side venture where a bunch of other security guards break into her place?). Also, plot I couldn't figure out (if Branch wasn't sending Joel death threats who was? Maybe I'm being a really dense reader here but I don't know)
-If all Joel's siblings wanted was for their dad to just die already and stop involving them in a cult, I feel like they could have solved the issue themselves much earlier
-Why was Branch's plan so bad? If he originally started killing Hwa's friends/colleagues to get her to quit, why continue when it clearly wasn't working? If he wanted Joel to focus on his generation ship idea, why wouldn't he realize that Joel kept ignoring the problem to help Hwa and therefore his plan was not working?
-Point #2 about Branch's plot - I thought he was murdering people in a sort of regular serial killer way... but at the end of the book, when discussing the bio-nano implants that Hwa was 'infected with' she says "What had killed them had saved her." So I guess the nano machines are so occupied with keeping her whole and healthy that they don't mutate and kill her? But if the nano things are the cause of death how did Branch know ahead of time, to get the women to isolated places before they died? Did he do experiments to see how long it would take an 'infection' to kill them? And how come some of them died in a sort of gruesome dismemberment style but one of them just sort of choked to death?
-Point #3 about Branch - a cyborg from the future should be able to survive anything Hwa can survive via her implants. But he doesn't because... I don't know why.
-Last issue here: this is the first and only time I've encountered both "magical healing dick" and the "the dick of death" in the same book. Daniel literally fucked Hwa's disability away and Branch literally fucked like, 3 different women to death. I realize a sci-fi reason is given for both those things but I really don't know how I feel about these troupes even in a context that provides an explanation.
I realize having my dislike section twice as long as my like section makes it seem like I didn't actually like it. I did! I just have many questions and specific aspects I am frustrated with. I liked the characterization, of almost every character. I liked the idea of the United Sex Workers of Canada. I did like (mostly) how the world was described simply as is and the reader needed to pay attention to learn about how implants and gene edits make this world different from out own. I liked how Hwa's inexperience with the high-tech she hasn't had access to all her life gave Joel his own chances to shine, teaching her just as she teaches him self-defense. Daniel I did like, but he seemed a little too perfect. I'd have liked him better with a few flaws - he's nice, patient, talented, loyal, very handsome - he needs to have some sort of human flaw too.
My final gripe here is that Branch implies that if he fails humans will NEVER get to space. They'll never make generation ships, or spread throughout the galaxy. But look, as much as I want to avoid future murderous cyborg entities, I am not okay with everyone being stuck on Earth forever because Joel decides not to go ahead with his ship ideas, after severe trauma enforced by his time-traveling singularity-based descendants. Or whatever. That's not a good enough reason to lose a future full of spaceships, in my opinion.
I really liked some things about this book, and some others I really didn't which made giving it a rating a bit difficult.
Some things I really liked:
-It's set in Canada! I have yet to read a lot of sci-fi set in Canada but anything that makes fun of people for wearing insufficient winter clothing or not knowing the wonder that is peameal bacon, is great by definition
-The way Hwa's organic nature leaves her isolated and is both a weakness and a source of strength
-Joel does manage to come across as a dorky teenager most of the time and I appreciate his earnestness
-The concept overall
Things I disliked:
-Jerky narration made transitions occasionally confusing
-Insufficient description of technology that left me confused (are specs implants? contact lenses? but you can't rip off contact lenses while running which Hwa does several times - are they high-tech glasses? I DON'T KNOW)
-Hwa is very good at fighting people who don't pose a real threat and bad at all the life or death ones. I realize this creates tension and drama but makes her position as bodyguard somewhat suspect
-Unnecessary subplots (what was the point of the side venture where a bunch of other security guards break into her place?). Also, plot I couldn't figure out (if Branch wasn't sending Joel death threats who was? Maybe I'm being a really dense reader here but I don't know)
-If all Joel's siblings wanted was for their dad to just die already and stop involving them in a cult, I feel like they could have solved the issue themselves much earlier
-Why was Branch's plan so bad? If he originally started killing Hwa's friends/colleagues to get her to quit, why continue when it clearly wasn't working? If he wanted Joel to focus on his generation ship idea, why wouldn't he realize that Joel kept ignoring the problem to help Hwa and therefore his plan was not working?
-Point #2 about Branch's plot - I thought he was murdering people in a sort of regular serial killer way... but at the end of the book, when discussing the bio-nano implants that Hwa was 'infected with' she says "What had killed them had saved her." So I guess the nano machines are so occupied with keeping her whole and healthy that they don't mutate and kill her? But if the nano things are the cause of death how did Branch know ahead of time, to get the women to isolated places before they died? Did he do experiments to see how long it would take an 'infection' to kill them? And how come some of them died in a sort of gruesome dismemberment style but one of them just sort of choked to death?
-Point #3 about Branch - a cyborg from the future should be able to survive anything Hwa can survive via her implants. But he doesn't because... I don't know why.
-Last issue here: this is the first and only time I've encountered both "magical healing dick" and the "the dick of death" in the same book. Daniel literally fucked Hwa's disability away and Branch literally fucked like, 3 different women to death. I realize a sci-fi reason is given for both those things but I really don't know how I feel about these troupes even in a context that provides an explanation.
I realize having my dislike section twice as long as my like section makes it seem like I didn't actually like it. I did! I just have many questions and specific aspects I am frustrated with. I liked the characterization, of almost every character. I liked the idea of the United Sex Workers of Canada. I did like (mostly) how the world was described simply as is and the reader needed to pay attention to learn about how implants and gene edits make this world different from out own. I liked how Hwa's inexperience with the high-tech she hasn't had access to all her life gave Joel his own chances to shine, teaching her just as she teaches him self-defense. Daniel I did like, but he seemed a little too perfect. I'd have liked him better with a few flaws - he's nice, patient, talented, loyal, very handsome - he needs to have some sort of human flaw too.
My final gripe here is that Branch implies that if he fails humans will NEVER get to space. They'll never make generation ships, or spread throughout the galaxy. But look, as much as I want to avoid future murderous cyborg entities, I am not okay with everyone being stuck on Earth forever because Joel decides not to go ahead with his ship ideas, after severe trauma enforced by his time-traveling singularity-based descendants. Or whatever. That's not a good enough reason to lose a future full of spaceships, in my opinion.
tricapra's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know if I actually loved this book, or if it just seems that way because of what a slog my last read was. Either way, this is definitely a fun cyberpunk futurism thriller. I look forward to reading more from Madeline Ashby in the future.
kleonard's review
5.0
Smart, well-paced, and well-plotted. A thriller with a futuristic-ish setting that will appeal to both sci-fi readers and thriller readers who might not usually overlap.
jesperhauge's review
3.0
I really liked this cyber-punk style sci-fi novel for its female protagonist, and her female view. There aren't to many of those around in my feeds. I also liked the milieu, the tech ideas, and the action parts.
What I liked less was the progression of the novel. There are some jumps in time specially towards the end, that left me a bit confused, and had me feeling like something was left out.
What I liked less was the progression of the novel. There are some jumps in time specially towards the end, that left me a bit confused, and had me feeling like something was left out.
iceberg0's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting future telling of the direction our cities may take us.