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sunday_evening's review
I would give what I read 2.5 stars.
Into the Real was full of mediocre, predictable writing. Way too much prose, especially in the male Quinn POV. The entire plot would halt for several minutes of exposition or just random memories. Brewer commits the cardinal sin of writing throughout the book: telling, not showing. Also I hate genderqueer Quinn they are so annoying. Female Quinn was easily the most entertaining and the writing was best in that section. I imagine it was because that POV was completely grounded in reality and had no fantastical worldbuilding elements Brewer had to work with/explain. Male Quinn was easily the worst POV. So cringey and boring.
I did actually like how Brewer was hinting at the multiple universes. It felt well-paced and well-timed. However I don’t know if I trust Brewer to stick the landing in the end, and I guess I’ll never know. And I also liked that all 3 Quinns felt like distinct, separate people. A lot of the time with split POVs author can get stuck on all the characters having the same voice, but thankfully Brewer does not have that problem.
Into the Real was full of mediocre, predictable writing. Way too much prose, especially in the male Quinn POV. The entire plot would halt for several minutes of exposition or just random memories. Brewer commits the cardinal sin of writing throughout the book: telling, not showing. Also I hate genderqueer Quinn they are so annoying. Female Quinn was easily the most entertaining and the writing was best in that section. I imagine it was because that POV was completely grounded in reality and had no fantastical worldbuilding elements Brewer had to work with/explain. Male Quinn was easily the worst POV. So cringey and boring.
I did actually like how Brewer was hinting at the multiple universes. It felt well-paced and well-timed. However I don’t know if I trust Brewer to stick the landing in the end, and I guess I’ll never know. And I also liked that all 3 Quinns felt like distinct, separate people. A lot of the time with split POVs author can get stuck on all the characters having the same voice, but thankfully Brewer does not have that problem.
sunshinemagik's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75
pressi_d5's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
4.0
charkinzie's review
3.0
I'm new to books by Z Brewer, which is strange because they seem to have contributed quite a bit to the writing world! Anyway, this is my first and I would definitely look into others!
Into The Real by Z Brewer is quite a unique novel. Quinn is the main character... in three different stories. Z Brewer has created, what is essentially, three novels that merge into one ... "connection" by the end. There will be no spoilers here so don't expect me to reveal what happens in this book.
The first storyline that the reader is introduced to is one in which monsters are very much a reality. Genderqueer Quinn is on the run with a friend, Lia, and interloper Caleb. Their town is now surrounded by a dense fog that turns them around each time they try to leave the town. It's a disturbing thought and this is one scary world. The creatures are of nightmarish quality, screamers, unseen hands... it's all very disturbing.
In another storyline, Quinn has been banished from the family and sent to a conversion camp. The same cast of supporting characters appears in this world but their challenges and allegiances are quite different. This camp is a horrendous place. Quinn is subjected to therapy that is designed to guide her from her girlfriend, Lia, and instill in her very right-wing, religious attitudes about homosexuality and gender. There is physical abuse, mental and emotional abuse. Another world...with different kinds of monsters.
I was extremely uncomfortable with the way in which a trans character was treated at the camp. The character is dead named repeatedly and told that they are an abomination etc. While this is corrected by the other supporting characters it is my understanding that reading about deadnaming can be really triggering for some readers. I do feel there is a way to write about a situation in which deadnaming occurs, without actually using a character's deadname. (See Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass.) I would urge you to read the warnings for this book.
In the third storyline, Quinn is the commander of an underground resistance. They are locked in battle and also... locked into their gender roles. In this storyline, Quinn appears to be male and struggling with the fact that he is gay. He can't reveal his sexual orientation even to his closest companions. Women aren't allowed on the front lines in this storyline and even though Quinn finds he disagrees with that, he doesn't stand up to the ruling. Again, the same cast of supporting characters appears, again in different roles and fighting different monsters.
By the time all three storylines are introduced, it's clear that there's something strange going on for Quinn. There are hints that things are bleeding between the storylines. The same person begins to appear, words linger in Quinn's mind and each Quinn starts to feel oddly unsettled.
The idea behind this novel is intriguing. I was most interested in the first story that was introduced. Brume has become a town imperiled. Quinn is struggling to stay alive, fighting real monsters and protecting their friends. There was something really engaging about the first world. The conversion camp storyline was less engaging... perhaps because it's a common theme recently. The third storyline seemed a bit forced compared to the other two. Soldier Quinn was the character that I connected with the least. In spite of these differences, I feel as though each story could have been a novel in its own right.
This book is well-written and the storylines are significantly difference so it's easy to keep the stories separate in your mind... that is until they begin to merge.
Into The Real by Z Brewer is quite a unique novel. Quinn is the main character... in three different stories. Z Brewer has created, what is essentially, three novels that merge into one ... "connection" by the end. There will be no spoilers here so don't expect me to reveal what happens in this book.
The first storyline that the reader is introduced to is one in which monsters are very much a reality. Genderqueer Quinn is on the run with a friend, Lia, and interloper Caleb. Their town is now surrounded by a dense fog that turns them around each time they try to leave the town. It's a disturbing thought and this is one scary world. The creatures are of nightmarish quality, screamers, unseen hands... it's all very disturbing.
In another storyline, Quinn has been banished from the family and sent to a conversion camp. The same cast of supporting characters appears in this world but their challenges and allegiances are quite different. This camp is a horrendous place. Quinn is subjected to therapy that is designed to guide her from her girlfriend, Lia, and instill in her very right-wing, religious attitudes about homosexuality and gender. There is physical abuse, mental and emotional abuse. Another world...with different kinds of monsters.
I was extremely uncomfortable with the way in which a trans character was treated at the camp. The character is dead named repeatedly and told that they are an abomination etc. While this is corrected by the other supporting characters it is my understanding that reading about deadnaming can be really triggering for some readers. I do feel there is a way to write about a situation in which deadnaming occurs, without actually using a character's deadname. (See Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass.) I would urge you to read the warnings for this book.
In the third storyline, Quinn is the commander of an underground resistance. They are locked in battle and also... locked into their gender roles. In this storyline, Quinn appears to be male and struggling with the fact that he is gay. He can't reveal his sexual orientation even to his closest companions. Women aren't allowed on the front lines in this storyline and even though Quinn finds he disagrees with that, he doesn't stand up to the ruling. Again, the same cast of supporting characters appears, again in different roles and fighting different monsters.
By the time all three storylines are introduced, it's clear that there's something strange going on for Quinn. There are hints that things are bleeding between the storylines. The same person begins to appear, words linger in Quinn's mind and each Quinn starts to feel oddly unsettled.
The idea behind this novel is intriguing. I was most interested in the first story that was introduced. Brume has become a town imperiled. Quinn is struggling to stay alive, fighting real monsters and protecting their friends. There was something really engaging about the first world. The conversion camp storyline was less engaging... perhaps because it's a common theme recently. The third storyline seemed a bit forced compared to the other two. Soldier Quinn was the character that I connected with the least. In spite of these differences, I feel as though each story could have been a novel in its own right.
This book is well-written and the storylines are significantly difference so it's easy to keep the stories separate in your mind... that is until they begin to merge.
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