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georgiesutton's review against another edition
2.0
I was disappointed because I thought the premise of the book was really cool and it didn't live up to that expectation. I found the book confusing, jumping between times and even within chapters the story seemed to flit about. A lot of the book I wasn't entirely sure what was going on which is fine sometimes when things are revealed but this was just plain confusing. Reveals or revelations were lost on me so I was still confused after things seemed like they were meant to be explained.
Whilst 'womens lit' is not normally a term I think is helpful this is a 'boy book' with explosions, sex, lack of emotion (other than horniness). None of our characters are likable because they are either unpleasant or too secretive.
I nearly DNFed but wanted to see if it got better. I should have DNFed after the first 100 pages.
It was interesting to read a sci fi book in Nigeria, but for the near future I thought there could have been more imagination than just aliens. It seemed there had been no progress in 30-40 years which I think is just a bit boring.
Whilst 'womens lit' is not normally a term I think is helpful this is a 'boy book' with explosions, sex, lack of emotion (other than horniness). None of our characters are likable because they are either unpleasant or too secretive.
I nearly DNFed but wanted to see if it got better. I should have DNFed after the first 100 pages.
It was interesting to read a sci fi book in Nigeria, but for the near future I thought there could have been more imagination than just aliens. It seemed there had been no progress in 30-40 years which I think is just a bit boring.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
mdegge's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Aliens, psychics, mystery, broken timeline! Tough to rate... Definitely dark. The plot and world building are good. I am excited to see where the series goes with these dynamics. I wish there were a more likeable character in the story, but the main character is kind of neutral.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Police brutality
mgracie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
bluberrybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Torture, and Medical content
deb_is_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Positives: There were so much elements in this story that was just plain cool. The aliens, Kaaro's and other's abilities, the female characters are interesting and I wanted to see more of them.
Negative: So there were a lot of time jumps that weren't chronological. We'd jump from the 2060s to the 2040s to the 2060s again then to the 2050s and references to other time periods within those time jumps. It felt like I should have had a scrap piece of paper to keep track of things. It was a little bit of work to follow. The writing is fine and digestible though.
Sexual moments were also very jarring at times. Romantic moments between Kaaro and Aminat were fine but there were also moments of random erections and sudden moments of sex/sexual assaults. I try to give the author the benefit of the doubt but I felt that a lot of random bouts of sexuality were straight up not needed. It's so strange because our main character is a stated misogynist and we do see him grow a bit, but the random sexual bits kinda ruin it.
Further thoughts: I might be more interested by the next installment because I think we follow more perspectives.
Negative: So there were a lot of time jumps that weren't chronological. We'd jump from the 2060s to the 2040s to the 2060s again then to the 2050s and references to other time periods within those time jumps. It felt like I should have had a scrap piece of paper to keep track of things. It was a little bit of work to follow. The writing is fine and digestible though.
Sexual moments were also very jarring at times. Romantic moments between Kaaro and Aminat were fine but there were also moments of random erections and sudden moments of sex/sexual assaults. I try to give the author the benefit of the doubt but I felt that a lot of random bouts of sexuality were straight up not needed. It's so strange because our main character is a stated misogynist and we do see him grow a bit, but the random sexual bits kinda ruin it.
Further thoughts: I might be more interested by the next installment because I think we follow more perspectives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Sexism, and Torture
saintmaud's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Vomit, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
luanagomes's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I struggled on the rating for this one. It has a non-linear structure, as we flash back and forth in the main protagonist Kaaro's life. I really liked that and how it slowly let the mystery and the world building unfold. I liked the setting in Nigeria, the city of Rosewater, the mysterious alien dome, and Kaaro's and the other sensitive's powers to see into people's minds. There are a lot of interesting plot threads at play here, Kaaro's powers, the xenosphere, Aminat's brother, the dome itself... However, Kaaro is not a likable character (tbf, everyone in the book, even Kaaro, seems to know this, but personally for me, I find that more challenging in a book); he is obsessed with sex and objectifies nearly every woman and wants to have sex with them. Kaaro's relationship with Aminat feels insta-lovey, and why would she even like him? The revelation that someone is killing the sensitives doesn't happen until halfway through the book, and I felt that is should have come sooner to amp up the urgency of the story. Lastly, I might be alone in this going by other reviews, but I thought the end was a let down, even knowing that this is a trilogy. I was surprised that was all there was to the book's climax; I was surprised the book was over, as it felt very abrupt. I was expecting more. Overall though, I really did enjoy the book and would recommend it. I hope to read the sequels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
maricasement's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I have conflicted feelings about this book. I went into it knowing only what was written on the blurb and was really excited for the story. The story is told in first person and as the main character (Kaaro) was introduced I got even more excited because I thought they were an interesting, if a bit misogynistic, female character. Alas, Kaaro turned out to be an arrogant and irritating misogynistic male character. My dislike for him was increased by being immersed in his inner thoughts and his obliviousness to his faults. However, I do understand why the author made the choice to use the first person perspective as it becomes more relevant and important in setting the scene as the book progresses.
Because of my dislike for Kaaro, the first half of the book dragged. There was a lot being set up at the start as well, and this meant that the book took a while to grip me. Once the book revealed an awareness of Kaaro's faults and the mystery started to take shape, I started enjoying the book a bit more. Don't get me wrong, Kaaro is still a character I dislike, but the other (female) characters, the plot and the world building now have me hooked.
I will probably read the next in the series, as it seems to be told from a different character's perspective and I would love to learn more about the world Tade Thompson has crafted.
Because of my dislike for Kaaro, the first half of the book dragged. There was a lot being set up at the start as well, and this meant that the book took a while to grip me. Once the book revealed an awareness of Kaaro's faults and the mystery started to take shape, I started enjoying the book a bit more. Don't get me wrong, Kaaro is still a character I dislike, but the other (female) characters, the plot and the world building now have me hooked.
I will probably read the next in the series, as it seems to be told from a different character's perspective and I would love to learn more about the world Tade Thompson has crafted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Vomit, and War
gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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
4.0
This book has me puzzled in a way that I don't know how to describe it. Even after finishing it can't tell you what the plot is about, but I can say that is had me hooked and left me still thinking about it.
The characters and the plot worked so well together that it felt like you were observing someone's life. There were moments of lull and intensity but it all felt realistic. It felt like someone was telling me their life story and not reading a book for entertainment.
With this being the first book in the trilogy I'm curious to see what the other two books will be about.
The characters and the plot worked so well together that it felt like you were observing someone's life. There were moments of lull and intensity but it all felt realistic. It felt like someone was telling me their life story and not reading a book for entertainment.
With this being the first book in the trilogy I'm curious to see what the other two books will be about.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Torture, Blood, and War
Minor: Sexual content