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jjw's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
feywildfiction's review
Yeah no, I thought about continuing with it but I just cannot get over the explicit sex scenes between a pair of twins. I did not want to hear about how she laughed so hard her muscles pushed him out or how she jokes about her being "mostly made of him" because he comes so damn much, are you serious???
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
Minor: Self harm
trashkatchewan's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was weeeeeeird but like on an ~accessible sci-fi read~ level it was phenomenal, anyone could read this book and be like "how am I reading about X right now and still continuing to read the book". This book is like one of Stefon's descriptions of New York's hottest club. Told a friend I wanted to get lost in a book and this was that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, and Incest
caseythereader's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thanks to Harper Voyager for the free copy of this book.
- Wow, how do I even review a work like THE ACTUAL STAR? This book is a massive undertaking, telling the stories of three sets of people in three timelines each a thousand years apart. We watch as their stories braid, repeat, differ, and merge.
- I saw elements of Ursula LeGuin, Octavia E. Butler, Simon Jimenez, and more from across decades of sci-fi and fantasy literature in this story.
- I felt deeply invested in each timeline, and was on the edge of my seat as the stories came together. It’s quite a feat to make a slow paced, 600+ page novel a page turner.
- Story aside, the writing is fantastic, too. Beautifully written, with the recurring elements never becoming too heavyhanded.
- Wow, how do I even review a work like THE ACTUAL STAR? This book is a massive undertaking, telling the stories of three sets of people in three timelines each a thousand years apart. We watch as their stories braid, repeat, differ, and merge.
- I saw elements of Ursula LeGuin, Octavia E. Butler, Simon Jimenez, and more from across decades of sci-fi and fantasy literature in this story.
- I felt deeply invested in each timeline, and was on the edge of my seat as the stories came together. It’s quite a feat to make a slow paced, 600+ page novel a page turner.
- Story aside, the writing is fantastic, too. Beautifully written, with the recurring elements never becoming too heavyhanded.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Infidelity, Self harm, Violence, Cursing, Drug use, Murder, Sexual content, Child death, Death, Blood, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
Minor: Terminal illness
krys_kilz's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book blew me away! The world building was awe inspiring and each of the characters were complex and multifaceted. And how the three timelines braided together to create a multi-generational saga... it was powerful and truly mind blowing.
I could see parallels to Octavia's Earthseed books with god as entropy, Ursula K. Le Guin (especially The Dispossessed) with the questioning/challenging of utopia, and so many other influences.
This is probably one of my favorite books I have ever read.
I could see parallels to Octavia's Earthseed books with god as entropy, Ursula K. Le Guin (especially The Dispossessed) with the questioning/challenging of utopia, and so many other influences.
This is probably one of my favorite books I have ever read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Self harm, and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Death
Minor: Terminal illness
lemonlemonster's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow wow wow. Best book I’ve read this year. If you’re a fan of the Parable series by Octavia E Butler you’ll probably like this book, as I feel like the two are in conversation. They both have themes of climate change, new religions, and conversations around entropy.
The storyline in the year 3012 really stuck with me and made me think about what’s possible in a thousand years and what we might see as inevitable pats of life (capitalism, nation states, strict sex/gender/sexuality identities) and how they’re not necessarily inevitable. The book really zoomed me out from the present and helped me imagine what it might be like to live post-climate change or post-“Age of Emergency”. Each timeline was so well written and I was never disappointed to get back to another storyline or characters and I really can’t imagine them as separate books (as Byrne has said she originally wrote it as). Do yourself a favor and pick up this book, especially if you feel like you need a new perspective on the craziness that is the 21st century.
I also thought it was interesting it shares with the Parable series the controversial idea of humans leaving Earth. It was a small part but i feel Butler would have enjoyed it. :) <\spoiler> ).
The storyline in the year 3012 really stuck with me and made me think about what’s possible in a thousand years and what we might see as inevitable pats of life (capitalism, nation states, strict sex/gender/sexuality identities) and how they’re not necessarily inevitable. The book really zoomed me out from the present and helped me imagine what it might be like to live post-climate change or post-“Age of Emergency”. Each timeline was so well written and I was never disappointed to get back to another storyline or characters and I really can’t imagine them as separate books (as Byrne has said she originally wrote it as). Do yourself a favor and pick up this book, especially if you feel like you need a new perspective on the craziness that is the 21st century.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
samsearle's review
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Self harm, and Violence
nikichem's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I finished this book and immediately started to reread it. I loved it so much but once you know how it ends you want to go back and enjoy all the Easter Eggs. I have been recommending this book like crazy. In each of the first three chapters, there were things that were shocking. I loved the ending. I loved the beginning and I loved the middle. I am not writer; I am a reader and this is the 1st book I can recall starting to read it again as soon as I finished it the 1st time. If you like speculative fiction, Slipstream, Science-Fantasy, Genre Blending, Visionary, Historical check this out it will change the way you view humanity. This book gave me Octavia Butler vibes and it also reminds me some of Cloud Cuckoo Land only based in Belize and with a span of 2000 years (1012 to 3012).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Incest, Sexual content, Torture, and Abandonment
Moderate: Violence, Child death, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Classism, and Death
Minor: War, Classism, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Religious bigotry
sarahjsnider's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
I love this. A lot. Go in with as few spoilers as possible, but you should know:
1) there is a fair amount of self-cutting
2) there is a glossary at the end that I wish I had known about before I started
1) there is a fair amount of self-cutting
2) there is a glossary at the end that I wish I had known about before I started
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm