katielanza's review
5.0
Even if the plot were not thought provoking and interesting, this book would still be amazing because of the sheer beauty of the prose. I look forward to reading more by this author.
evvahoo's review
4.0
such interesting premises: In the novel's world, insomnia becomes a lethal illness. Many people die daily because of it. The Corp is a volunatry organisation trying to find people (sleep donators) to donate their sleep to the victims. The best donators are actually babies. Being robbed of their sleep, babies are unaware of their precious gift which heals many people who suffer with insomnia.
I really really liked this book and only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because of its length and the resulting lack of depth. But for its short length, Russell did a brilliant job discovering this dystopian world and introducing it to the reader. It is told out of the first person perspective of a girl who lost her sister due to insomnia. The girl is volunteering but constantly finds herself in a dilemma. Moral questions arise, whether the cause is positive or negative. especially when younger people are involved who cannot decide for their own life yet. I liked how she addresses these themes without judging and without giving a right or wrong answer to these moral questions.
I really really liked this book and only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because of its length and the resulting lack of depth. But for its short length, Russell did a brilliant job discovering this dystopian world and introducing it to the reader. It is told out of the first person perspective of a girl who lost her sister due to insomnia. The girl is volunteering but constantly finds herself in a dilemma. Moral questions arise, whether the cause is positive or negative. especially when younger people are involved who cannot decide for their own life yet. I liked how she addresses these themes without judging and without giving a right or wrong answer to these moral questions.
radicalrachelreads's review
This was good but I had hoped for something a bit stranger.
briar_rose_reads's review
2.0
I really wanted to like Sleep Donation; it had a fascinating premise, and the prose was sometimes very good. Unfortunately I ended up feeling that the author was a bit too enamored of the sound of her own eloquence. Also, I would have liked an actual ending.
lil_nerdz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
estaskato's review
3.0
2.5 rounded up. I love Karen Russell’s style and what she does as a whole with subject and going about crafting the narrative and such, but this was just a bland novella. I feel bad saying this, but when Russell leaves magical realism for speculative fiction, her writing struggles. The concept is fun, and I do believe if this were novel length, Russell would have the room to improve upon what she has. The conclusion was just a bit too... mundanely(?) abrupt as well, and I was left like “okay, that happened?” However, it wasn’t the worst ever, and Russell is very talented at writing in general, so I give 2.5 stars.
rapgamenancyreagan's review
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
the_baroness_will_see_you_now's review
3.0
Her prose is so beautiful but this story didn't do as much for me as any of the stories in "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves."