Reviews with content warning for Death - An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

I am not really a science-fiction type of person, so I don‘t know if this is the case for all novels of that genre, but I kid you not when I say that I did not see any if that plot happen. And that definitely pulled me in very strongly and made me very eager to continue reading despite not really liking the main character, April (although I think that‘s the point).
Admittedly, the first 50 pages or so were a bit tough and I was worried that it was just gonna be a book about internet fame and the downside of that and blablabla, but once it got to that one point, oh boy, I could not put this novel down and finished it in one sitting. So keep pulling through, it is so worth it.

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c_totume's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Mein Verhältnis zu dem Buch ist ein wenig gespalten. Ich fand es schwer mich aufzuraffen es zu lesen, weil es mich so nervös gemacht hat und so stressig war, aber gleichzeitig konnte ich nicht aufhören wenn ich es dann gelesen habe. Und eigentlich ist es ja auch gut, dass das Buch diese Emotionen vermitteln konnte. Am meisten haben mich die „ihr wisst alle was am tag xy passiert ist/ was als nächstes geschah/ etc.” -Aussagen fertig gemacht, weil ich ja eben NICHT wusste was passiert ist. Im großen und ganzen ein echt gutes Buch, wenn auch sehr nervenaufreibend….

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chaoticnostalgia's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I read this because it was compared to Lindsay Ellis's Noumena series, which I absolutely love so far.

Positives: The theme and message of the qualities of humanity. The dream sequences and puzzles were so much fun to read about. Seeing people work together to solve problems was heartwarming. I just loved the character of Robin. It was suspenseful and I cared about what happened.

Negatives: The writing style felt young and it was grating at times. The side characters were underdeveloped; I would have loved more chapters from other characters' perspectives! In Ellis's similar book, the government bungles things in a way that is just way more realistic. It was nice but unrealistic to see a completely competent, compassionate president in this situation, but it fit well with the overall themes. I wish there had been more of a relationship between Carl and April (a là Ellis's book again, oops!) I think I may be comparing this to her book too much, but I really did enjoy this.

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skye_madeline_h's review against another edition

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dark 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? Yes

5.0

“You can only do so much pretending before you become the thing you’re pretending to be.” Hank Green’s novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, is a young adult science fiction story about a young woman called April May and her journey to fame after discovering a mysterious sculpture in New York City. While April is coming back home from work, she notices a gigantic statue that seemingly just appeared there. Being someone who makes sure to appreciate works of art, she calls her friend Andy. They proceed to make a video in front of this sculpture that ends up going viral, causing April to gain quite a bit of attention from news outlets because it turns out the statues are actually all over the globe and nobody knows how they got there. The rest of the book centers on April’s quick jump from popularity to outright celebrity status and the discovery of how these sculptures came to be.

As our first person narrator, April takes us through her journey of fame. loneliness, and addiction, and shows us the dangers of extremism and social media. April wants to know more about these strange statues, but others wonder if they are dangerous for humanity. They also question April’s motives. Is she using these statues for attention, and therefore fame and wealth? Or is April genuinely trying to bring humanity together? Hank Green gives us a very believable female main character, and clearly ties in his own experiences with social media fame. Because of this, his messages of corruption of popularity and power are poignant and thought-provoking. April creates a social media persona to get her message across, but how long can she wear this persona before she becomes it?

I enjoy this book because it has themes of not getting too lost in your work and making sure you stay grounded in reality. Another thing I liked was the writing style, because it is written in such a way that it seems as if April is talking directly to the reader. Along with this, she is very honest about her own qualities, be them good or bad. I also appreciate, as previously stated, that April is a very convincing person, despite being a woman written by a man. And last but not least, I absolutely loved how good the suspense was built up and released, every new thing felt satisfying and exciting. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

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