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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
3 stars. The world-building here was fairly effective – the mental image I got from the writing was fairly detailed. I’d have liked a little more history, though, and more details about nano-bonding and the breaks. These almost felt like gimmicks due to how influential, yet underexplored, they were. The characters were interesting, for the most part. The ending was confusing.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
Overall, not a bad novel. I liked the premise (a post-climate-change world in a city run by AIs) and the characters, but the plot was disjoint and, at times, uninteresting. Also, it was somewhat difficult to get started with the novel because there are so many characters and the POV is always changing. I also had some trouble visualizing the floating city of Qaanaaq based on the author's descriptions.
This novel had great ideas and a wonderful backstory to this incredible world floating in the middle of nowhere, but my God the characters annoyed me to such an extent that it took me a lot longer to finish than it should have.
The characters were progressive, yes, 1 star, and I enjoyed the inclusion of various genders, ethnicity and sexual preference; and the subtle nod towards an artificial takeover and climate change, 1 star, but in a book based on the trials of this one broken family that family was important and I just wasn't feeling it.
Perhaps I overlooked certain things about these characters as I read them, but I'm sure as hell not going back to read it again. I simply feel that their character development was either lacking and one dimensional (such as Ankit) or way too ridiculously sudden and different (like Soq and Kaev).
This book would probably make a good movie though, so there's that...
The characters were progressive, yes, 1 star, and I enjoyed the inclusion of various genders, ethnicity and sexual preference; and the subtle nod towards an artificial takeover and climate change, 1 star, but in a book based on the trials of this one broken family that family was important and I just wasn't feeling it.
Perhaps I overlooked certain things about these characters as I read them, but I'm sure as hell not going back to read it again. I simply feel that their character development was either lacking and one dimensional (such as Ankit) or way too ridiculously sudden and different (like Soq and Kaev).
This book would probably make a good movie though, so there's that...
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beware what you wish for, I think I would have liked this to either be much longer or the first book in a series. You may guess, because of that, that I liked it, and I did but I always felt like I wanted more.
Miller gave us a typical dystopia setup with a novel floating city in the arctic but I would have loved a bit more about how it came to be, differences in the arms, etc. He gave us a nano-bot, human bonding with animals thing that was fascinating and I really wanted to explore that more but the most you get is a glimpse of the feedback. There were genocides, corporate overlords, AIs, pirates, a polar bear and an orca (if that seems like a lot, it was). Then everything hits a brick wall, some characters go splat, the end.
I did become mildly attached to almost all the characters but only mildly, usually the mark of a great book is leaving the reader wanting more but I feel unsatisfied with what Miller gave us, with no more to look forward to.
3 stars for my grouchy, not sure what I want from a book, mood that I am in right now.
Miller gave us a typical dystopia setup with a novel floating city in the arctic but I would have loved a bit more about how it came to be, differences in the arms, etc. He gave us a nano-bot, human bonding with animals thing that was fascinating and I really wanted to explore that more but the most you get is a glimpse of the feedback. There were genocides, corporate overlords, AIs, pirates, a polar bear and an orca (if that seems like a lot, it was). Then everything hits a brick wall, some characters go splat, the end.
I did become mildly attached to almost all the characters but only mildly, usually the mark of a great book is leaving the reader wanting more but I feel unsatisfied with what Miller gave us, with no more to look forward to.
3 stars for my grouchy, not sure what I want from a book, mood that I am in right now.
2/17
I’m about halfway through and I feel like things are starting to slowly come together. I really liked the chapter from the pov of the orca lady, it really gave a lot of background to what the plot was actually about or building to, and it was really cool bc we basically got nothing about her or the orca or the polar bear before that, just lots of rumors and stories and brief observations. I also keep slightly confusing Kaev (fighter boy) and Fill (boy with the breaks) for some reason but it’s getting better. I’m moving along slowly w this book just bc I’m having a bit of trouble finding time/motivation to read rn, but maybe I’ll read a bit more as I gain momentum with where the story’s going.
3/11
One thing that my brain had a hard time adjusting to was the ages of the main characters. Bc I don’t think they were ever explicitly stated, and as more things became clearer and intertwined they changed from what I initially thought. Like originally I thought all 4 of the main characters (Ankit, Kaev, Soq, Fill) were in their late teens to early-mid 20s, but actually I think only Soq and Fill are that age and Ankit and Kaev must be 40-50
I just finished it and I really enjoyed it. The story and backstory and world are all so interesting, and the characters all have so much going on and it’s so cool.
Also rip the fact that it took me over a month to read this book, my brain has just been having a moment the past few weeks.
I’m about halfway through and I feel like things are starting to slowly come together. I really liked the chapter from the pov of the orca lady, it really gave a lot of background to what the plot was actually about or building to, and it was really cool bc we basically got nothing about her or the orca or the polar bear before that, just lots of rumors and stories and brief observations. I also keep slightly confusing Kaev (fighter boy) and Fill (boy with the breaks) for some reason but it’s getting better. I’m moving along slowly w this book just bc I’m having a bit of trouble finding time/motivation to read rn, but maybe I’ll read a bit more as I gain momentum with where the story’s going.
3/11
One thing that my brain had a hard time adjusting to was the ages of the main characters. Bc I don’t think they were ever explicitly stated, and as more things became clearer and intertwined they changed from what I initially thought. Like originally I thought all 4 of the main characters (Ankit, Kaev, Soq, Fill) were in their late teens to early-mid 20s, but actually I think only Soq and Fill are that age and Ankit and Kaev must be 40-50
Spoiler
bc Soq is Kaev’s child. And then Ora and Masaaraq are like 60-70 bc they’re Ankit and Kaev’s parents. Right? But I feel like the vibes of the characters don’t fit w that. Or probably just what I thought in the beginning influenced how I read the rest of it. <\spoiler>I just finished it and I really enjoyed it. The story and backstory and world are all so interesting, and the characters all have so much going on and it’s so cool.
Also rip the fact that it took me over a month to read this book, my brain has just been having a moment the past few weeks.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes