lindsy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
nitebeing's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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
joliendelandsheer's review against another edition
5.0
My rating of the 4 novellas averages out to a little more than 4, so that's what I'm sticking with here. As for the individual novellas, here are my ratings:
- The Black Tides of Heaven: 4.5 stars
- The Red Threads of Fortune: 4 stars
- The Descent of Monsters: 4.5 stars
- The Ascent to Godhood: 3.5 stars
Overall, I really enjoyed this series of novellas. The world is fascinating, intricate, yet easy to understand. The characters are complex, flawed and interesting. Out of all the stories, The Black Tides of Heaven was my favorite. It's the longest out of the four, as Neon Yang needed the time to show you the world itself. Akeha was also my favorite character, and this was his/their POV.
What I find interesting is that Neon Yang took the time to try out different writing styles. One is a story spanning many years, allowing you to get to know the world and first characters. One a story spanning only a few days. One is more a collection of investigative reports & letters (which I loved!), and lastly, we have a story that's being told to "us" (wherein the reader is playing the role of a character, if that makes sense). I liked this exploration of different writing styles within the same series and universe, I don't think I've ever read anything like it.
I have to admit that I found the final novella quite disappointing. We've been building up to something for 3 stories and I can't help but feel like we were denied of the story's climax. Especially since it was so short as well!
Overall, I'd highly recommend this series.
- The Black Tides of Heaven: 4.5 stars
- The Red Threads of Fortune: 4 stars
- The Descent of Monsters: 4.5 stars
- The Ascent to Godhood: 3.5 stars
Overall, I really enjoyed this series of novellas. The world is fascinating, intricate, yet easy to understand. The characters are complex, flawed and interesting. Out of all the stories, The Black Tides of Heaven was my favorite. It's the longest out of the four, as Neon Yang needed the time to show you the world itself. Akeha was also my favorite character, and this was his/their POV.
What I find interesting is that Neon Yang took the time to try out different writing styles. One is a story spanning many years, allowing you to get to know the world and first characters. One a story spanning only a few days. One is more a collection of investigative reports & letters (which I loved!), and lastly, we have a story that's being told to "us" (wherein the reader is playing the role of a character, if that makes sense). I liked this exploration of different writing styles within the same series and universe, I don't think I've ever read anything like it.
I have to admit that I found the final novella quite disappointing. We've been building up to something for 3 stories and I can't help but feel like we were denied of the story's climax. Especially since it was so short as well!
Overall, I'd highly recommend this series.
jaywcj's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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? No
4.0
jason_waterfalls's review against another edition
5.0
“My greatest fear is not that I will find some sort of half-animal creature, wild-eyed and untamed. It is that I will find a genuine monster:someone perfectly human but with a heart of stone, turned cruel from enduring years of cruelty. What if they are not a tool enslaved by the Protectorate but a willing blade? What if they are proof or what I should have known all along—that there is something broken inside me, only waiting for the right environment to bring it out?”
khobb's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, and Violence
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Transphobia, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Confinement, Child death, and War
scrow1022's review against another edition
5.0
Very different in format, still marvelous in story, characters, tone and setting.
ninsiana0's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Read THE DESCENT OF MONSTERS if you love epistolary tales, mysteries, detectives, cover-ups, missing children, destiny, creepy settings, beasts, class dynamics, and heroes.
katzuyas's review against another edition
2.0
used to the choppy pacing, random time skips and the lack of character development from the first two books, I could appreciate the plot itself in this one just a little. I even liked the plot twist at the very end. but still, this book just proved to me that this author writes fiction in images, sort of like movies or stage plays, where you simply skip from scene to scene. and while this works in other media, as a book it falls short.
good thing this was such a quick, painless read, but it didn’t impress me at all. 2 stars
good thing this was such a quick, painless read, but it didn’t impress me at all. 2 stars