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A review by kapellosaur
Emilie and the Hollow World by Martha Wells
3.0
I came to Martha Wells via the Murderbot series and so it's interesting to see an example of her earlier work, particularly given this is written very differently to Murderbot: it's third-person (though does track the single named protagonist throughout), aimed at a younger audience, and fits more in the steampunk genre than sci-fi.
I found the plot engaging enough but did struggle to empathise with Emilie, who isn't as closed emotionally as Murderbot (nowhere near it!) but I think her experience isn't communicated quite as well here. The worldbuilding was okay, though the scienfification of magic didn't quite hold together for me, and the sexual dimorphism of the non-human species felt far too human to be believable. As with Murderbot, there are a lot of secondary characters, and I did struggle to remember quite who all of them were at any given point.
I would be curious to read the second book of the series, but I might give it a bit of time first; I don't think I'm eager enough for more here to dive straight into it.
I found the plot engaging enough but did struggle to empathise with Emilie, who isn't as closed emotionally as Murderbot (nowhere near it!) but I think her experience isn't communicated quite as well here. The worldbuilding was okay, though the scienfification of magic didn't quite hold together for me, and the sexual dimorphism of the non-human species felt far too human to be believable. As with Murderbot, there are a lot of secondary characters, and I did struggle to remember quite who all of them were at any given point.
I would be curious to read the second book of the series, but I might give it a bit of time first; I don't think I'm eager enough for more here to dive straight into it.