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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Annihilation worked better for me personally. This one was just a nice book to read but nothing more to me. Neither bad nor good.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A quick read! When I sit and think about it in a more detached way, the story probably is worth 2 stars, and overall the book might pull 3, which makes sense. I, however, liked it a lot. It was nice to have something a little more coherent than Dead Astronauts, but also a little unhinged (intentionally). There is a slightly otherworldly feel in here a lot of the time, but it’s definitely this world. Nothing supernatural. No future tech. Just, consequences of our actions sort of weird. So did I give it an extra star because I liked the vibe? You better believe it. Far from a perfect book, but a book I can see myself picking up again in 10 years (if we haven’t ruined everything by then).
I have to confess that I love the Southern Reach Trilogy and I had a lot of expectations for this book. In the beginning, I could feel echoes of that trilogy: the mysterious/aloof protagonist, the preoccupation with strange flora/fauna and feeling that you're constantly being kept in the dark. I felt that Hummingbird and Salamander began really well; it set up an engaging premise, and I wanted to know more about it. However, as the book progressed, it felt more and more like crumbs laid out in the beginning which never really went anywhere. I was very excited to see the Humboldt reference in the novel; there is even a picture from his expeditions, but this was just dangled in the text and was never developed. I felt the same about Silvina- she's present in bits and pieces, as journal entries (similar to Southern Reach), but at the end of the novel, it seemed that she was only a plot device for intrigue. I would have liked to see more of her journey. The protagonist of this book felt a little stiff, with dialogue that didn't work for me. This is not to say I didn't enjoy reading the book; however, the book feels like a novel haunted by the possibilities of what could have been.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dnf at like 171 pages idk I just couldn't get into it :,/ maybe I will give it another try again
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed the writings of Thoreau at face value, the descriptions of nature and his often humourous tales.
I really struggled with the criticisms that took up the second half of this tome - by the end I never wanted to read another word on Walden or Wild Apples.
Don't get me wrong, there were interesting ideas on feminism and race that were tackled by some of the critics but I ploughed through a lot of literary loam to get there!
I really struggled with the criticisms that took up the second half of this tome - by the end I never wanted to read another word on Walden or Wild Apples.
Don't get me wrong, there were interesting ideas on feminism and race that were tackled by some of the critics but I ploughed through a lot of literary loam to get there!
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes