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tigger89's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was okay. I didn't have any expectations going into it(I wasn't familiar with the author, and I picked it up primarily due to the setting), and the read was quick enough. I just feel like it could have been more. Details of the setting were teased but never explored. We spent very little time underwater, despite it being the cover image. I thought the blending of speculative future and detective story was done well though, and I enjoyed the plot for the most part. Despite being listed as the first in a trilogy, it reads perfectly well as a standalone.
You will hate the point of view character for the first little while. He's a real jerk of an old cop, playing out a classic trope of the crime genre. He does get better, and while I can't say I loved him by the end, I could at least stand to be in his company.
I liked the use of synesthesia in the book. Is it entirely plausible? Eh, probably not. It's explained enough by the end that I can suspend my disbelief, though.
I did not like how women were written in this book. The only one who wasn't antagonistic, dead, or both, was the main character's wife, who can best be described as complicated. I'm not familiar enough with the author to know if this is a known failing of his or if he just had an unfortunately-constructed cast here, but with that in mind I'd hesitate to pick up another of his titles.
I also question the meta-implications of one of the major plot points. Spoilers ahead:
So one of the big reveals is that Sessho-seki might have been a lie to unite the world, and all the naysayers were killed as a coverup. By itself, this is fine. I enjoyed it when Ozymandias did it in Watchmen, and it was a good twist here as well. What I'm less fine with is how the conversation around Sessho-seki had previously played out using arguments that clearly were a parallel to the climate change "debate." I believe the author might be accidentally saying something here that he hadn't intended(or maybe it was intended), and it left a sour taste in my mouth.
You will hate the point of view character for the first little while. He's a real jerk of an old cop, playing out a classic trope of the crime genre. He does get better, and while I can't say I loved him by the end, I could at least stand to be in his company.
I liked the use of synesthesia in the book. Is it entirely plausible? Eh, probably not. It's explained enough by the end that I can suspend my disbelief, though.
I did not like how women were written in this book. The only one who wasn't antagonistic, dead, or both, was the main character's wife, who can best be described as complicated. I'm not familiar enough with the author to know if this is a known failing of his or if he just had an unfortunately-constructed cast here, but with that in mind I'd hesitate to pick up another of his titles.
I also question the meta-implications of one of the major plot points. Spoilers ahead:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty and Misogyny
For misogyny, the main character occasionally uses the word "bitch" to refer to women.
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