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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3-1/2 stars. I was very engaged in the first half of this, a bit less so during the third quarter, and confused by the end. An original idea and great world-building. I felt as if the last few chapters got a bit too chaotic and unclear.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
An ensemble thing with a variety of characters that were interesting to me in particular, though the handling of some of the characters I was not thrilled about.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
One of those reads where I felt there wasn't enough book for what the author was trying to do. It's an interesting tale of a city built above the ocean (think oil rigs) in a dystopian world. Miller posits a diverse population with some crucial class differences but almost no politics (in that governance has been handed over to shadowy AIs). You have a host of narrators (not surprisingly, more connected than you first think), a mysterious broadcast about facets of the city, and the sudden appearance of a warrior woman with an attendant orca and polar bear.
That's a lot, and that description still skips a great deal of material. Miller brings it all together and answers (almost) all the questions, but it read too fast for me. I didn't really savor all the connections. However, I'd be interested in trying more books from Miller --- there's a ton of inventiveness here.
That's a lot, and that description still skips a great deal of material. Miller brings it all together and answers (almost) all the questions, but it read too fast for me. I didn't really savor all the connections. However, I'd be interested in trying more books from Miller --- there's a ton of inventiveness here.
adventurous
dark
I was excited to read this book and there were many elements I enjoyed about it, but it was too much to keep track of. The climate dystopian world was pretty interesting and dark, rich people escaping the flooding by building floating cities that hosts many refugees. So obviously a humongous wealth gap, really poor living conditions etc. I was also excited about the animals bonding with humans, which I think there should have been more of!
It didn’t feel completely worth it to juggle that many characters, and there were too many real life themes that could have been impactful but fell short. For example there was a genocide that was clearly inspired by indigenous people… idk am I the only one that thought that was weird?? Also an epidemic called the breaks that was basically sci-fi aids (especially because it had gay connotations??) but didn’t seem necessary to have that connection in the end.
It didn’t feel completely worth it to juggle that many characters, and there were too many real life themes that could have been impactful but fell short. For example there was a genocide that was clearly inspired by indigenous people… idk am I the only one that thought that was weird?? Also an epidemic called the breaks that was basically sci-fi aids (especially because it had gay connotations??) but didn’t seem necessary to have that connection in the end.
I could tell within the first 20 pages that this was NOT a 'me' book. I am a ball of sadness because I was really excited over the whole "orcamancer" bit. Sigh.
Issues I had within a mere dozen pages:
1. Massive infodumps that made it hard to follow and also I re-read the same paragraph about 93845 times because my brain kept checking out
2. There were THREE switching POVs (maybe more, didn't get that far) and that's just too many for me. They didn't feel different and I don't feel like being lost in POVs the whole book
3. It felt annoyingly political and that is just NOT my cup of tea thanks
4. It was boring AF to the point of making me narcoleptic. Pass
Issues I had within a mere dozen pages:
1. Massive infodumps that made it hard to follow and also I re-read the same paragraph about 93845 times because my brain kept checking out
2. There were THREE switching POVs (maybe more, didn't get that far) and that's just too many for me. They didn't feel different and I don't feel like being lost in POVs the whole book
3. It felt annoyingly political and that is just NOT my cup of tea thanks
4. It was boring AF to the point of making me narcoleptic. Pass