Reviews

Everything Wildbow writes is incredible and everyone who loves fiction should go read all of it right now!! Every time I re-read his stories they are a totally different experience and they are always great! This one will really make you think about everything and if you love little sh*t anti-heros that really need a hug then this is perfect for you. Also if this is your first JC McCrae go read everything else immediately starting with Worm and check out Doof Media for great companion podcasts.

chrysolite's review against another edition

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5.0

DEVASTATINGLY FANTASTIC.

melodylavender's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

I kind of wish I saw in Twig what other people see.

Web serials go long, typically. We know this. I don't think Wildbow has ever written a work with pacing id call actively good. But Twig is where he really starts letting it slip.
Whichh is an additional problem, you see, because Twig just doesn't have as much meat behind it as those other serials. He doesn't quite have the world as fully realised, and I care about the main characters so sparingly little, most of the time. I think you can sort of tell it lacks stuff in the background, lacks the years of background worlbuilding and the strong thematic lodestars that defined his previous works. Twig is really just a book. You might even enjoy it! But it's just a long web serially book.
Rough, problem-solver, over-complicated, *stagnant* prose.
But hey he wrote a really good trans character and romance and I genuinely liked her so. ups and downs I guess

Content Warnings

morganmemento's review against another edition

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5.0

one of the best dystopias i have ever read with one of the best protagonists I have ever read. tone and writing style up there with the best YA fiction. the very ending I felt needed a bit more time to develop but the preceding 1.5 million words were absolutely fantastic. it gets super good 800,000 words in

dozydom's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It's very, very long, and it takes a little while before it finds its feet, but it's worth the time to read!

primmiiee's review against another edition

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100% will restart+continue someday

jaceive's review

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5.0

By far the best of Wildbows stuff. It manages to straddle the line between romance, horror, comedy, and so many other genres.

Sylvester is an incredibly deep protagonist, and sinking into his twisted psyche is both challenging and gratifying. The interactions between the main cast are fantastic, and the way they develop over the course of the book is intense and incredible. Certain characters change in merely superficial ways, while others undergo deep, fundamental shifts.

This is really the best book to demonstrate Wildbow's prowess as an author. His characters in this work are by far his best, and this shows in their interactions. Setting, tone, and plot are excellent. The only point that could be worked on is pacing, as the style and pacing shift several times throughout the story.

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