kalilakingsfordsmith 's review for:

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

3.25

adventurous slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I found it quite hard to immerse myself in this book - the worldbuilding at first was just hard to slip into, and then later once I understood the world, I still hard a hard time remaining deep and engaged during my reading sessions. I ultimately did not like Misery’s characterizations, which I think there was some intention to that end, but the blind faith ended up rubbing me the wrong way. At times, the gender diversity read as a point to teach the reader how much a writer can respect chosen pronouns. 

I did finish it, and it did accelerate, and yet I feel like the author was withholding some truths that frustrated me, barely hinting at them in the end. This I think is a solid intention to maintain mysteriousness and keep the reader guessing at what the reality was, but I struggled with this method throughout the book. Would recommend to folks who can fluidly enter sci-fi worlds, and who can navigate a flawed main character.