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wyvernfriend's review against another edition
3.0
This seemed to me to be a great idea book. The author had a great idea (and the idea I liked, criminals with spirit animals is a rather cool idea, the creation of an othering by way of a visible burden of an animal, cool) but I didn't care for the characters and by the end of it didn't really care who lived or died.
There were moments where I stopped and the book made me think about a big idea or it had me think of ways I would have done things but I found that that almost got in the way of the story instead of making it flow for me. It took me a while to read the book, with a few others interrupting it, and there was a few times that I almost had to force myself to keep going.
Am I sorry I read it? No. Is it my kind of read? No. Will I be reading more by this author? I doubt it
There were moments where I stopped and the book made me think about a big idea or it had me think of ways I would have done things but I found that that almost got in the way of the story instead of making it flow for me. It took me a while to read the book, with a few others interrupting it, and there was a few times that I almost had to force myself to keep going.
Am I sorry I read it? No. Is it my kind of read? No. Will I be reading more by this author? I doubt it
gavinsteyn's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
arteziya's review against another edition
4.0
Very original and fresh urban fantasy. Main plot's culmination and ending were a letdown though, so I'd give it 4 stars.
ashmeanything's review against another edition
3.0
Um. Wow. Okay. In short, consider this my anti-recommendation. I don't think anyone should read this book.
Three stars because it's incredibly evocative, mostly coherent, and has a really unique concept. People with small-scale magic and animal attachments that come out of trauma? Very interesting. But the threads of discomfort I felt throughout the whole book came down REALLY hard in the last 100 pages, and I am horrified.
Content warnings for nearly everything, and let me be clear - this book does not have mere mentions of things. It has brutal, agonizing descriptions that are far more detailed than they need to be. Reading the acknowledgements, the author did her research, so good job?? Specifically, this book contains drug abuse, violence, racism, brief homophobia, assault, sexual assault, animal abuse, murder, addiction, child abuse, emotional manipulation, and trafficking of minors.
The worst part of this book is that alongside all of its intense topics, a lot of the plot points don't matter. The main character says she has killed someone, and we open on her being accused of another murder. Besides making her more brooding and potentially criminal, it doesn't make any difference to the main story. The magic system is kept in secrecy, and social interactions of the world are convoluded, which is annoying when so many of the people come up again (and have tons of nicknames) but aren't really important at all. Imagine trying to recall the plot of a movie where you fell asleep, and you'll understand the feeling of remembering characters in this book.
It's like the author needed a way to make every piece a little bit more interesting, so she threw in as many things as she could possibly imagine. The core idea is simple: woman with dark past has a talent that leads her to both jobs and trouble. Why did we need to meet the roommates, multiple lovers, an annoying neighbor, other neighbors, and other people who each had some horrible & detailed scenario to share? Maybe I'm picky with exposition, but it felt messy and made me wonder where the story was going.
In essence, if you like following a path that takes tons of detours (but they don't really matter at all) AND reading descriptions of graphic violence, then this book is for you. Get a better writer for this blurb, because it's hardly representative of the twisted story in these pages.
Used as part of 2022 r/Fantasy Bingo (set in Africa, hard mode); also fits mental health, anti-hero, standalone (hard mode), urban fantasy, family matters, and no ifs, ands, or buts.
Three stars because it's incredibly evocative, mostly coherent, and has a really unique concept. People with small-scale magic and animal attachments that come out of trauma? Very interesting. But the threads of discomfort I felt throughout the whole book came down REALLY hard in the last 100 pages, and I am horrified.
Content warnings for nearly everything, and let me be clear - this book does not have mere mentions of things. It has brutal, agonizing descriptions that are far more detailed than they need to be. Reading the acknowledgements, the author did her research, so good job?? Specifically, this book contains drug abuse, violence, racism, brief homophobia, assault, sexual assault, animal abuse, murder, addiction, child abuse, emotional manipulation, and trafficking of minors.
The worst part of this book is that alongside all of its intense topics, a lot of the plot points don't matter. The main character says she has killed someone, and we open on her being accused of another murder. Besides making her more brooding and potentially criminal, it doesn't make any difference to the main story. The magic system is kept in secrecy, and social interactions of the world are convoluded, which is annoying when so many of the people come up again (and have tons of nicknames) but aren't really important at all. Imagine trying to recall the plot of a movie where you fell asleep, and you'll understand the feeling of remembering characters in this book.
It's like the author needed a way to make every piece a little bit more interesting, so she threw in as many things as she could possibly imagine. The core idea is simple: woman with dark past has a talent that leads her to both jobs and trouble. Why did we need to meet the roommates, multiple lovers, an annoying neighbor, other neighbors, and other people who each had some horrible & detailed scenario to share? Maybe I'm picky with exposition, but it felt messy and made me wonder where the story was going.
In essence, if you like following a path that takes tons of detours (but they don't really matter at all) AND reading descriptions of graphic violence, then this book is for you. Get a better writer for this blurb, because it's hardly representative of the twisted story in these pages.
Used as part of 2022 r/Fantasy Bingo (set in Africa, hard mode); also fits mental health, anti-hero, standalone (hard mode), urban fantasy, family matters, and no ifs, ands, or buts.
chuckleszeclown's review against another edition
3.0
Reasonable read, I liked the world and the main character felt very human. Plot tootled along at a reasonable pace. I’ll definitely take a look into another of her books, probably Moxyland
triceliatops's review against another edition
4.0
Un roman bien chelou, mais hyper original et vraiment sympa !
https://sphinxou.wordpress.com/2016/08/17/zoo-city-_-lauren-beukes/
https://sphinxou.wordpress.com/2016/08/17/zoo-city-_-lauren-beukes/
thinkspink's review against another edition
4.0
In an alternate Jo'burg, the penalty for murder is to be given a magic sloth?
terrabby's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.5
leigheldridge's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.25
numshah's review against another edition
3.0
Beukes creates a world that just sucks you into its gritty details. This versionof a not-so-distant future of South Africa is wonderfully balanced in that it is still recognisably African and not all flying cars and spaceships. I love how future poverty is characterised and the emergence of a new lowest rung of society is created. Beukes' imagination truly is wonderful.
Unfortunately, the plot veers off in too many different directions for the story to be coherent as a whole. The attempted plot resolution at the end falls flat; it appears that the world of Zoo City is too big, too complex and has too many things going on in it to be addressed in a single book. Beukes is working with too many threads and cannot satisfactorily tie them up neatly.
Still, its an amazing universe which has tonnes of potential. I look forward to another story set in this universe, provided Beukes will limit herself to a manageable number of plotlines, characters and story arcs.
Unfortunately, the plot veers off in too many different directions for the story to be coherent as a whole. The attempted plot resolution at the end falls flat; it appears that the world of Zoo City is too big, too complex and has too many things going on in it to be addressed in a single book. Beukes is working with too many threads and cannot satisfactorily tie them up neatly.
Still, its an amazing universe which has tonnes of potential. I look forward to another story set in this universe, provided Beukes will limit herself to a manageable number of plotlines, characters and story arcs.