Scan barcode
teaxmillions's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Physical abuse
quinnjuliac's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book was incredible. Sweeping story of finding nonbiological family and the ties that bind us, in a dysphoric future where the earth has been obliterated by climate change and misuse, and other worlds are created and then colonized by capitalism. Really beautiful, highly recommend. The first half seems to be more about the dysphoric world created by the author and traveling through it, and the second half is really about relationships and the love we find and lose, and how worth it these losses are.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Slavery, Child abuse, Torture, Colonisation, Suicide attempt, Death, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Vomit
vsnuffles's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5
"It felt like a funeral." - William Shatner describing his voyage to space in the Guardian. I read the article today and couldn't help being reminded of this book.
This was an excellent and incredibly depressing read. I recommend reading it with caution due to just how very sad it is - it's definitely worth it but you'll want to be ready for some self-care afterwards. Do not expect a happy ending unless you like being very sad.
More in-depth:
The world-building is excellent: it's such a well thought-out future setting and the details of it are so elegantly incorporated it never feels like too much or too little. The writing was so good it was almost poetic at times, it was quite beautiful and poignant. The characters are grey and interesting. You get to see how they impact each other and the book has an excellent way of zooming out through the first few chapters, expanding the world before it settles on a more continuous story. It is a very bleak story and world, quite dystopian in a way that would feel cyberpunk if it were more focused on the digital world. Some mild spoilers for the tone of the ending/story overall:I felt as though what hope there was for the characters was relentlessly crushed after being built up. To be fair, I think that this tone is set up well in the first chapter. But it is common for stories to pick up after tragedy and I would argue this one does not really pick up by the end in tone and the dystopian society is only more dystopian by the end.
If I had to say the story has a theme woven throughout I would have to say it is about cruelty and exploitation of humans through colonialization and capitalism. There is plenty more going on in the very well written characters, how they are shaped by their traumas in good and bad ways and being able to see how they grow based on how they react to their circumstances.
This was an excellent and incredibly depressing read. I recommend reading it with caution due to just how very sad it is - it's definitely worth it but you'll want to be ready for some self-care afterwards. Do not expect a happy ending unless you like being very sad.
More in-depth:
The world-building is excellent: it's such a well thought-out future setting and the details of it are so elegantly incorporated it never feels like too much or too little. The writing was so good it was almost poetic at times, it was quite beautiful and poignant. The characters are grey and interesting. You get to see how they impact each other and the book has an excellent way of zooming out through the first few chapters, expanding the world before it settles on a more continuous story. It is a very bleak story and world, quite dystopian in a way that would feel cyberpunk if it were more focused on the digital world. Some mild spoilers for the tone of the ending/story overall:
If I had to say the story has a theme woven throughout I would have to say it is about cruelty and exploitation of humans through colonialization and capitalism. There is plenty more going on in the very well written characters, how they are shaped by their traumas in good and bad ways and being able to see how they grow based on how they react to their circumstances.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Blood, Alcohol, Murder, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, Deportation, Confinement, and Sexual content
n_asyikin_'s review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
I don't think I have the right words to describe how reading this book made me feel. Humbly, it was mindblowingly incredible!
Jimenez spins words like a master magician. I'm just in awe.
Jimenez spins words like a master magician. I'm just in awe.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Vomit
johannab's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
caseythereader's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
- I do not know how to properly review THE VANISHED BIRDS, a book that burrowed deep into my heart right from the opening pages.
- Yes, it is an inventive adventure across time and space, but it's also a tender exploration of trauma and of found family.
- Also, it doesn't say it in the synopsis, but queerness is quite embedded in this story, and in such a loving way.
- Yes, it is an inventive adventure across time and space, but it's also a tender exploration of trauma and of found family.
- Also, it doesn't say it in the synopsis, but queerness is quite embedded in this story, and in such a loving way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Violence
notagreatreader's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Well, wow, this book was amazing. Totally not what I was expecting, somehow, but still totally great. It's a much heavier and dystopian book than I expected based on a few reviews I saw. It's essentially a book about a future where the galaxy is ruled by a capitalist corporation, which sucks into itself entire worlds and treats the people as commodities/acquisitions as much as any natural resources present. So, kind of giving me those Jupiter Ascending vibes, except darker. This is a story about people who are used by the corporation in different ways and it's all pretty horrible, except the part where people manage to eke out a little time and joy for themselves.
This book is also about found family, but a found family, part of which is somewhat reluctant, essentially forced together at first. That was an interesting dynamic and the progression of them getting closer was very well done, I think.
The pacing of this book is interesting. At first, it seems to jump a lot in time and between different POVs, but it doesn't feel disjointed, perhaps because the tone feels consistent and also the pieces start coming together pretty quickly. There was but one thing that kind of left me bothered/confused which I think might be a plot hole:Vaila's sabotage of the ship. Like, it was pretty obvious that she knew that it was Umbai and not Fumiko who sent them the coordinates for the rendezvous. But how did she know? Did they contact her? How did that pass by Nia and the others? Her motivation is also unclear. Was her loyalties always divided despite how much she loved Fumiko? Why would she sabotage the mission just before finally being reunited with Fumiko? Did Umbai contact her and tell her that Fumiko was dead? Or exiled? But if the latter, why would she not enlist her found family to look for Fumiko?
Lastly, this book is wonderfully queer. Admittedly, the characters go through quite a lot of suffering and some of the characters are very morally grey or outright immoral if you really get down to it, but that's the time of book this is. There is no ethical consumption under capitalism, as they say. It's still nice to see (some of) the characters persevere and carve out happiness for themselves any way they can.
This book is also about found family, but a found family, part of which is somewhat reluctant, essentially forced together at first. That was an interesting dynamic and the progression of them getting closer was very well done, I think.
The pacing of this book is interesting. At first, it seems to jump a lot in time and between different POVs, but it doesn't feel disjointed, perhaps because the tone feels consistent and also the pieces start coming together pretty quickly. There was but one thing that kind of left me bothered/confused which I think might be a plot hole:
Lastly, this book is wonderfully queer. Admittedly, the characters go through quite a lot of suffering and some of the characters are very morally grey or outright immoral if you really get down to it, but that's the time of book this is. There is no ethical consumption under capitalism, as they say. It's still nice to see (some of) the characters persevere and carve out happiness for themselves any way they can.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Physical abuse
More...