smoakwithwifi's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I have very complicated thoughts about this book. On the one hand, there were some very interesting worldbuilding concepts and perspectives of a near-future India. On the other, characters were rather unlikeable and the author used a dialogue-heavy writing style tending toward stream of consciousness—building up a feeling almost of doomscrolling, which may have been intentional but set my teeth on edge nevertheless.
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
Moderate: Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Gaslighting, War, Classism, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Stalking, Death, Genocide, Islamophobia, Bullying, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Drug use
booksthatburn's review against another edition
The initial worldbuilding is immersive and dizzying, a firehose of terms as if to impress indelibly the near-future-ness of the setting. Unfortunately, it was too much for me to track, too quickly, and I stopped a couple of chapters in. If the goal was to communicate the stress the characters were under, it certainly did that, but not in a way I could keep up with.
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Confinement, Blood, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Violence, Rape, and Death
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