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dijigoo53's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Murder
katiewhocanread's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Blood, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment
zarap's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
There's so much still to think about here, but I wanted to write a quick little review while it's fresh. I really enjoyed how Skyward Inn starts out very slice of life and fairly slowly paced before ramping up rather quickly in the last third or so - to me the pace fit the plot, and reflected how we (and the characters) often don't know or recognize that things are changing until they've already changed (to put it in a very vague and unspoilery way). It's a very classic sci-fi-esque premise in a way, but made fresh and current, and gave me a lot of food for thought on community and autonomy, the various insidious forms of colonization, and family (for worse and for better).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Murder
ergative's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This aimed for reflective and meditative, but instead only managed boring. Half credit for the ingenious nature of the Problem, but the book took the easy way out. Good plotting introduces an ingenious problem, but then also has people come up with and implement a solution. Or perhaps it introduces an ingenious problem, and people come up with a solution, but societal pressures or power relations or personal shenanigans prevent the solution from being implemented and the problem wins. Or perhaps it introduces an ingenious problem, and people try to come up with a solution, but can't, and despite their best efforts, the problem still wins. Or perhaps it introduces an ingenious problem, and people focus on that problem and fail to recognize the larger real problem that lurks somewhere else. All of these involve plot! Agency! Action! Something!
But this book did none of those things. It introduced an ingenious problem, which no one recognized as a problem (being too busy meditating and reflecting and feeling feelings), and so no one does anything, and then the problem wins. No plot. Boring.
Also Fosse was a creepy little monster, and I didn't enjoy having to spend time in his mind while he tries to come to terms with how haaaaaard it is to be a sixteen year old boy with mommy issues.
But this book did none of those things. It introduced an ingenious problem, which no one recognized as a problem (being too busy meditating and reflecting and feeling feelings), and so no one does anything, and then the problem wins. No plot. Boring.
Also Fosse was a creepy little monster, and I didn't enjoy having to spend time in his mind while he tries to come to terms with how haaaaaard it is to be a sixteen year old boy with mommy issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Murder