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the_midwest_library 's review for:

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
3.5
challenging mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

3.5 rounded up 

An avent-gard, beautiful mess of a book. So let's talk about what I loved, the themes and exploration of colonialism from a very interesting perspective. I also enjoyed the ambiguity of the characters identities and self imagery. 

The bad: the pacing was all over the place, being rapid fire in some sections and bloated in others. I also disliked the prose. I have a complicated dislike for the prose I guess would be more accurate, the first part of the book I loved it, then I slowly started finding it tedious as the book progressed. The prose itself causes the book to be a lot of dialogue and less of the characters actually doing things. Which got old fast. 

Overall, a very unique reading experience. I'm curious and will of course be finishing the duology!