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zazztheboy 's review for:
Hummingbird Salamander
by Jeff VanderMeer
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
my first vandermeer joint. liked it enough at first, then read the southern reach trilogy which made me realize this book kinda sucked in comparison. the protag is horribly unlikable in a pretty major way (compared to the protagonists of the southern reach who are similarly unlikable but for better reasons), the person who sent her on this goose chase is also unlikable in a pretty major way, and the only likable characters are the ones she treats like trash throughout the book and not in a "flawed character" way but in a "dickhead for no reason" way. its very bleak, it ends even more bleak, and it almost makes you feel like you wasted your time a bit, but the mystery itself is pretty dang good and i liked the concept of her completely failing to actually solve the mystery, and many years later explore one final lead and find the remnants of what she was meant to find all along even if it makes you feel pretty bad. certainly not his best work but it got me to read his actual best work so it's cool