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A review by christinecc
Truth of the Divine by Lindsay Ellis
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Ok, truth time for "Truth of the Divine."
- The bad news is that I was super nervous about reading this sequel because the first book left me confused (entertained, but confused).
- The good news is that reading "Truth of the Divine" felt like eating a bucket of popcorn at the movies, and I got hooked in spite of my better judgment. (Much sleep was sacrificed to this book. Just one more chapter...)
"Truth of the Divine" is the second installment of the Noumena series and picks up right where "Axiom's End," well, ends. Main character Cora is recovering (poorly) from the ordeal of the first book's finale, Ampersand the extraterrestrial is somehow more comforting and less trustworthy than when she met him in the back of a van, and a minor character makes a big, big comeback in the form of Kaveh Mazandarani, journalist & globe-trotter extraordinaire (complete with bad jokes and many internal narration exclamation points). Plus we keep Sol Kaplan, CIA agent and resident Sad & Frustrated Man (who gets some added depth this time around!).
The story starts off slow and fairly rough: Cora's working for the government now, interpreting for the ETs (or ETIs, as they go by here), and having, as the kids say, a Straight-Up Bad Time. She can't turn to anyone but Ampersand, which isn't great considering she barely knows him and he's not terribly thrilled about being mind-connected to a human he can't begin to understand. (Not that this isn't his fault, it's totally his fault.) And then we meet Kaveh, and more aliens, and suddenly the ball gets rolling like a boulder chasing after an 80s action hero. As a bonus, author Lindsay Ellis gives us more repulsive glimpses of Cora's manipulative father Nils (from afar) and some good old American political circus adventures to boot.
If you read "Axiom's End" and feel ambivalent about picking this up: squash that feeling. Seriously. This is a great time. Darker, with some content warnings for trauma and suicide, but it grabs you with earnest emotions and a boost in energy that was missing from the first installment.
Recommended for anyone who likes a summer-popcorn adventure that isn't afraid to delve into the bad consequences of living through the previous summer-popcorn movie. Also good for anyone who wants to laugh one second and tear up the next.
One more warning: if you know any elderly people who speak Farsi,,, maybe don't ask them what "Jendeh" means when used as a greeting. Just google it.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
- The bad news is that I was super nervous about reading this sequel because the first book left me confused (entertained, but confused).
- The good news is that reading "Truth of the Divine" felt like eating a bucket of popcorn at the movies, and I got hooked in spite of my better judgment. (Much sleep was sacrificed to this book. Just one more chapter...)
"Truth of the Divine" is the second installment of the Noumena series and picks up right where "Axiom's End," well, ends. Main character Cora is recovering (poorly) from the ordeal of the first book's finale, Ampersand the extraterrestrial is somehow more comforting and less trustworthy than when she met him in the back of a van, and a minor character makes a big, big comeback in the form of Kaveh Mazandarani, journalist & globe-trotter extraordinaire (complete with bad jokes and many internal narration exclamation points). Plus we keep Sol Kaplan, CIA agent and resident Sad & Frustrated Man (who gets some added depth this time around!).
The story starts off slow and fairly rough: Cora's working for the government now, interpreting for the ETs (or ETIs, as they go by here), and having, as the kids say, a Straight-Up Bad Time. She can't turn to anyone but Ampersand, which isn't great considering she barely knows him and he's not terribly thrilled about being mind-connected to a human he can't begin to understand. (Not that this isn't his fault, it's totally his fault.) And then we meet Kaveh, and more aliens, and suddenly the ball gets rolling like a boulder chasing after an 80s action hero. As a bonus, author Lindsay Ellis gives us more repulsive glimpses of Cora's manipulative father Nils (from afar) and some good old American political circus adventures to boot.
If you read "Axiom's End" and feel ambivalent about picking this up: squash that feeling. Seriously. This is a great time. Darker, with some content warnings for trauma and suicide, but it grabs you with earnest emotions and a boost in energy that was missing from the first installment.
Recommended for anyone who likes a summer-popcorn adventure that isn't afraid to delve into the bad consequences of living through the previous summer-popcorn movie. Also good for anyone who wants to laugh one second and tear up the next.
One more warning: if you know any elderly people who speak Farsi,,, maybe don't ask them what "Jendeh" means when used as a greeting. Just google it.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gun violence
Minor: Forced institutionalization