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theskyylife's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Infertility and Violence
Minor: Rape
peachani'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Trafficking, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Murder, Sexual content, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Body horror, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Trafficking, Cannibalism, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Rape, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
Minor: Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Deportation, Kidnapping, Vomit, Child death, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Cultural appropriation, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Cancer, Confinement, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Transphobia
kelsokake's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
In our city, it is unwise to trust reality.
I have been betrayed by reality, betrayed by my subconscious, shipwrecked from reality.
Now every thought must be deceased from my mind before its birth.
While it took me a while to get invested, once I was in it, I was in it. The last quarter of the book had me constantly gasping in surprise and while the metaphor/allegory got a little heavy-handed towards the end, I still found myself wanting to know what was going to happen. I would definitely check out other books by Tlotlo Tsamaase
Graphic: Sexism, Infertility, Misogyny, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Colonisation, Car accident, Body horror, Child death, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Miscarriage
Minor: Racism and Sexual violence
poisoned_icecream's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Sexual assault, Death, Drug use, Infertility, Car accident, and Gore
Moderate: Pregnancy, Incest, and Miscarriage
ashley_tx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Violence, Car accident, Suicide, Murder, Infidelity, Infertility, Sexism, and Sexual assault
pm_me_book_recs's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
I did like the setting, concept, and progression of story and conspiracy- but the characters were a little flat or relied too much on the plot for development? Some decisions felt forcibly poor, like I feel no one with a concept of cause and effect would make the choices that happened in this story. Once the plot picked up, it was a wild ride and action packed, and as I said, full of conspiracy and also incorporated Botswanan mythology/pantheon. There are very lengthy interruptions of internal monologue, however, that at times had me struggling to remember what was even happening before it started.
Like a combination of Altered Carbon, Handmaid's Tale, and The Truman Show. Major commentary on bodily autonomy and misogyny, class privilege, but much of it got lost in the action.
I listened to this ALC via Libro.fm and thought Cristel Mutombo did a great job, her voice is dynamic and it was easy to differentiate between characters, she is super emotive!
Graphic: Car accident, Drug use, Grief, Death of parent, Gore, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Sexual content, Classism, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Violence, Alcohol, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Rape, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Gun violence and Transphobia
planet_taffy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It terms of the sci-fi elements, Tsamaase's future Botswana is also full of layers from artificial immortality through "body-hopping" to the many tools of surveillance and control giving us the dynamic of second class citizens through "microchipped people". Xe is pretty good about explaining new technologies each time they come up so that, by the time they're super important to the plot, you're quite familiar with them.
All in all it's a rewarding read, even if the verbiage is a bit hard to get through on the first pass. Nothing in the book is a throwaway, making the ending one of the most satisfying I've read. My only complaint is that I wish less scenes had taken place in the car.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Misogyny, Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Blood, Death, Sexism, Death of parent, Violence, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Miscarriage, and Child death
Minor: Kidnapping and Pregnancy
These are pulled from the frontmatter of the book. Sensitive topics are used with purpose, but there is quite a bit of gore & body horror.gurpreetlally's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Infertility, Blood, Car accident, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Infidelity and Misogyny
thegothiclibrary's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Infertility, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Murder, Sexual assault, and Car accident
lattelibrarian's review
- 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
4.5
Nelah lives in a world where you can live for nearly forever: your consciousness--though you may not remember previous lives--can be uploaded into bodies of people who have revoked their rights, or, as we discover, into bodies of people who have been trafficked for this very purpose. She's growing her baby in a lab, her husband grows increasingly suspicious, her award-winning work's money dries up, and her lover continues trying to convince her he loves her--despite his father being one of the most felonious men out there. When she accidentally hits a young woman one night in a drug-fueled bender with her lover, she decides to bury the body. After all, her microchip didn't paralyze her. But while she reckons with the guilt, she realizes that the young woman is haunting her in a very real way. In trying to stop this haunting, she uncovers a conspiracy that only an elite few are privy to and she wonders how to dismantle it all.
So, based on the above, this is clearly a complex novel. Don't forget, of course, all the world-building required and mentions of racism and sexism. But it's a genre- and gender-defying book that begs the questions: What is family? Who are we, really? How is justice meted out?
A riveting and impressive debut.
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicide, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Murder, Body horror, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Infertility, and Drug use
Minor: Incest