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valjeanval's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
At first I wasn't sure how this had not made as big a splash as Cloud Atlas. Mitchell is a very skilled writer, and in this spiraling series of interconnected narratives, he does an incredible job crafting voices and characters, and enjoyed it so much. However, I think the further the timeline stretched into the future, the less I enjoyed it. It's dangerous writing a novel in 2015 and making predictions for 2025. The ending too was a little too hand wavy, and I found it pretty hard to believe Hugo Lamb's motivations. That said, the writing is so good, I still enjoyed this one and am glad that I finally got around to it.
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Abortion
chelly_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
lilaceous's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
characters - ⭐️
plot - ⭐️
engaging to read - .5⭐️
would recommend - .5⭐️
would read again -
a very grim imagining of the future combined with convincing writing makes for an unsettling read.
i’m glad i read it because the ending and the central character are engaging and well written, but every hundred or so pages switched to a different narrator/main character, some of which were not enjoyable to read and didn’t feel necessary to the story.
a very grim imagining of the future combined with convincing writing makes for an unsettling read.
i’m glad i read it because the ending and the central character are engaging and well written, but every hundred or so pages switched to a different narrator/main character, some of which were not enjoyable to read and didn’t feel necessary to the story.
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Sexual harassment, and War
owenwilsonbaby's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
"Human cruelty can be infinite. Human generosity can be boundless."
Incredibly mixed feelings. I love Mitchell's world building and concepts. I was super eager to read this given Jasper's plotline in Utopia Avenue was my favourite. The cannibalistic body-hopping souls book should have been right up my street!! But the pacing was off and the novel only seemed to care about that central concept / magic system in Holly and Marinus's narrative sections. Why did Hugo, Ed and Crispin need such huge portions of narrative if they didn't appropriately release information or plot? The ending also felt a little detached but maybe that's my own anxiety with climate change apocalypse narratives. Holly Sykes remains an amazing character though.
Incredibly mixed feelings. I love Mitchell's world building and concepts. I was super eager to read this given Jasper's plotline in Utopia Avenue was my favourite. The cannibalistic body-hopping souls book should have been right up my street!! But the pacing was off and the novel only seemed to care about that central concept / magic system in Holly and Marinus's narrative sections. Why did Hugo, Ed and Crispin need such huge portions of narrative if they didn't appropriately release information or plot? The ending also felt a little detached but maybe that's my own anxiety with climate change apocalypse narratives. Holly Sykes remains an amazing character though.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, and War
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