A review by applesodaperson
Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

I would say that this was a decently satisfying conclusion to the Southern Reach series. It definitely wasn't perfect, and felt a little messy. It also answered a lot less questions than I expected it to. It pretty much didn't answer anything, except giving some more insight into the lighthouse keeper.
This book switched between 3 different perspectives. One was a flashback to the lighthouse keeper before Area X was created. It was interesting to see how
he absorbed that weird light sliver, which eventually turns him into the tower creature from the first book.
But other than that insight, I don't think his perspective was totally necessary. The second perspective was Ghost Bird and Control in Area X in the present. This was cool, but the time dilation was confusing. But seeing what actually happened to the biologist was absolutely insane and scary. But I also expected the present perspective to answer more questions. Although I did like that it was left unclear whether Area X has expanded to encompass the whole world. It is a very scary concept. The third perspective was the psychologist when she was the director of the Southern Reach. Honestly these chapters were forgettable and I'm still not quite sure what the reader was supposed to get out of it. 
Overall, the constant switching between perspectives and time lines left me a bit confused. So I did like this book, but like Authority, it failed to love up to the sheer terror and brilliance that is Annihilation. That book was just pure art and the other two just failed to reach that high.
Read borrowed copy from a friend.
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