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A review by jaybirder
City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
Great read with some bumps in the road. For a world so grounded in technical advancement, AIs, etc., I found the use of technology and its limitations to be very scatttershot. The main characters fight an opponent who, without too many spoilers, takes over technology, but very much at the speed of plot. It’s both seemingly everywhere at once, giving people a sense of paranoia, but also oddly constrained at times that I felt wasn’t fully explained by certain reveals later in the book.
The romance was also all over the place. The main character’s romance is a slow-burn that takes most of the book to come to fruition, without all that much payoff. A different romance takes most of the focus of the book, which; while nicely showing one of the protagonists bisexuality, not often portrayed in these stories, meant that both romantic storylines felt odd and “off” in their pacing.
Still very much enjoyed the story and the world built so far, and look forward to (hopefully) more to come in this world.
The romance was also all over the place. The main character’s romance is a slow-burn that takes most of the book to come to fruition, without all that much payoff. A different romance takes most of the focus of the book, which; while nicely showing one of the protagonists bisexuality, not often portrayed in these stories, meant that both romantic storylines felt odd and “off” in their pacing.
Still very much enjoyed the story and the world built so far, and look forward to (hopefully) more to come in this world.