notallwhowanderarelost 's review for:

The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

3.25

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

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Really enjoyed certain aspects of this one, particularly the main themes being a scathing indictment of capitalism and gentrification as well as a commentary on what it means to be a person, I really enjoyed the concept of the Great Bargain. It's a very inclusive book, very LGBTQ+ friendly with multiple characters representing a broad range of both sexual and gender identity. 

What lets it down for me slightly is the pacing. Spoilers ahead...

The book features some pretty hefty time skips particularly between part 1 and part 2. Act 1 has a very fast pace and I really engaged with the characters and then all of a sudden their part is done and we skip ahead to a new main character and same again between part 2 and part 3. I enjoyed all of the characters, particularly Scrubjay, but I wanted more time with them. It really felt strange when each character's arc ended quite abruptly. 

I was started to feel the narrative was losing it's way but then explodes into action for the final segment and ends on a hopeful note you can't help but enjoy.