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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very enjoyable, gritty and interesting and I like how all the mysteries and things unfolded. Also the complexity of the characters was good. Less of a fan of Go’s sudden vibe switch with Kaev, though I guess it was meant to partly be a front or her pretending to him/herself she wasn’t like Podlove? Also, how is Kaev old enough to be Soq’s dad, I thought he was like 33. And Ora’s like 50. Did they just have kids as teenagers and the book didn’t address it?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Terminal illness, Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
Involves a disease that gives you neurological symptoms, the way it’s passed and is treated by the government has some parallels to HIV/AIDS.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The ending was very abrupt and themes were suddenly heavy handed at the latter portion of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book is 50% vibes, set in a dystopian futuristic city that is run by crime syndicates with extreme income inequality and in a post climate catastrophe world where most world governments have collapsed. The book follows 5ish seemingly unrelated characters and their varied perspectives of the city - some are rich, poor, criminals, government workers. Most of the characters are queer, and the book is incredibly queer normative despite taking place with a background of a sexually transmitted and fatal pandemic reminiscent of HIV (which the government ignores). So the setting is incredibly interesting and the vibes and atmosphere established dominate the book.
However the plot is quite thin. It took probably 60% of the book for the plot to truly emerge, and when it did finally all come together, I found it somewhat underwhelming. Characters that were pretty interesting as individuals in earlier chapters kind of fell apart in terms of character depth and personality when they were thrown into group situations in later chapters, and a lot of the relationships lacked the emotional charge that should have come with long awaited reunions and the revelations that came with them. A lot of the big mysteries set up throughout the book also fell kind of flat for me when they were finally revealed.
Overall I would rate this book 5 stars for vibes and 2 stars for plot.
However the plot is quite thin. It took probably 60% of the book for the plot to truly emerge, and when it did finally all come together, I found it somewhat underwhelming. Characters that were pretty interesting as individuals in earlier chapters kind of fell apart in terms of character depth and personality when they were thrown into group situations in later chapters, and a lot of the relationships lacked the emotional charge that should have come with long awaited reunions and the revelations that came with them. A lot of the big mysteries set up throughout the book also fell kind of flat for me when they were finally revealed.
Overall I would rate this book 5 stars for vibes and 2 stars for plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Police brutality, Abandonment, Deportation
Furcht. Dieses Buch ist Furcht. Großartige, Augen öffnende Furcht.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked the concepts in this book (like nanobonding with animals and how the breaks result in sharing memories) a lot more than the actual book. The world-building felt underdeveloped - there were a lot of cool concepts, but perhaps too many to take on in one book, because they were often not explained very well. Also, it took forever for all the different characters and threads to come together. I didn’t feel like I knew what was going on until about a third of the way through, and even then I was still confused about the logistics of some things, like nanobonding and the breaks.
Meanwhile, the anticapitalist messages felt over-explained. Sometimes, I feel like the “message” or moral of the story is too hard to figure out, but with this book I actually felt like it was way too easy because the author would explicitly say it many times throughout the book. That being said, I still really appreciate the anticapitalist messaging. 🫡
Another thing that was underdeveloped was the relationships between the characters. A lot of the characters had potential to feel more interesting and relatable had they been more developed.
All in all, super interesting concepts and a lot of potential for an interesting world and characters, but not enough development and depth, because of the massive amount taken on. Overall, 3/5 score. Also, THE COVER GLOWS IN THE DARK so that’s pretty fucking cool.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
dark
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
This was an incredibly frustrating read for me. Based on the synopsis and cover design, I assumed two things: (1) there would be some really exciting eco-horror/adventure happening, and (2) the author either identified as indigenous or at least had done his research. Unfortunately, I was wrong about both. The whole idea of the "neo-inuit" culture turned out to be extremely superficial, and based on Miller's own discussions of the book on his site and in interviews, his interests and expertise lie elsewhere.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Colonisation