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A review by racheljane96
Rosewater by Tade Thompson
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Concept, 5 stars. Execution, 2 stars.
I absolutely blew through this book, but by the second half I think what was keeping me going was more momentum and hope it would all tie together at the end. Spoiler: it did not.
The world-building and concept behind this book was highly engaging and interesting, and uncovering it all and Kaaro's backstory in the first half of the book was excellent.
However, by the second half, as all the plot threads started to unravel and tangle and the protagonist remained unreadable; I was just hoping for some sense.
Ultimately, there was far too much going on in this book. The narrative jumping over time worked in the beginning but just made me so lost and confused as to the direction of the story and what I was supposed to be understanding from any of it by the end.
What I later realised was supposed to be a big reveal fell flat as I had no sense of build up with the random plot threads and jumping around, and no real rounding off of the story.
The array of characters were believable in the setting, but still felt a bit 2D, potentially because Kaaro is apparently a sociopath and probably the most purposelessly misogynistic character I've ever had the displeasure of reading. It feels like the end is supposed to redeem him as a character as he chooses the woman over this alternative future, but the relationship feels false, shallow, and frankly unbelievable at every turn.
Possibly 3 stars is too generous based on the above, with only the novel speculative elements keeping it up. I will not be reading the following books.
I absolutely blew through this book, but by the second half I think what was keeping me going was more momentum and hope it would all tie together at the end. Spoiler: it did not.
The world-building and concept behind this book was highly engaging and interesting, and uncovering it all and Kaaro's backstory in the first half of the book was excellent.
However, by the second half, as all the plot threads started to unravel and tangle and the protagonist remained unreadable; I was just hoping for some sense.
Ultimately, there was far too much going on in this book. The narrative jumping over time worked in the beginning but just made me so lost and confused as to the direction of the story and what I was supposed to be understanding from any of it by the end.
What I later realised was supposed to be a big reveal fell flat as I had no sense of build up with the random plot threads and jumping around, and no real rounding off of the story.
The array of characters were believable in the setting, but still felt a bit 2D, potentially because Kaaro is apparently a sociopath and probably the most purposelessly misogynistic character I've ever had the displeasure of reading. It feels like the end is supposed to redeem him as a character as he chooses the woman over this alternative future, but the relationship feels false, shallow, and frankly unbelievable at every turn.
Possibly 3 stars is too generous based on the above, with only the novel speculative elements keeping it up. I will not be reading the following books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny