Reviews

Rosalera by Tade Thompson

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stelladallas's review against another edition

I started off really enjoying this. The main character's voice felt really strong and fresh, and the world was fascinating. But by the end I was just sick of this guy and how goddamn horny he was. Not a woman crosses his path he doesn't leer over.

I also feel like the story ran away from itself; or maybe I feel like the scale of the story did not feel appropriate for the actual content. Like, the place where the story began was so interesting and engaging all on its own, and it feels like we didn't get a chance to explore that because the story goes off in an entirely other direction. Just didn't land. Truly hate the mental image of

this guy fucking that alien butterfly

tauboi's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

xandy's review against another edition

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4.0

This was weird!! Good, creative, unique, intriguing weird!

_maymay_be's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

remjunior's review against another edition

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3.0

African Science Fiction has been challenging. The first that I read was Black Leopard, Red Wolf, and to say that was a challenging read would be an understatement. This one, while easier to digest, is still just...odd.

I think one of my biggest gripes is the time jumping. I don't understand the purpose of this other than trying to be creative, but it really hurts the pacing of the story and ends up being confusing for no reason at all. I'm not dumb--I can track the time jumps--but it's making me work harder to read this for no real payoff.

Karo, while I didn't like him, is understandable. I don't really need to "like" the main character to enjoy the book, but I wish we had gotten a little more about why he thinks the way he does. We get a little bit of that at the end with his father, and the story about how his mother basically left him to be murdered sets up some of why he is the way he is, but there are still gaps and he comes across as a misogynist for no discernible reason.

The plot is interesting, especially at the end when you realize exactly what is happening with Wormwood. It isn't the most original idea, but it is certainly cool and the way it is done is unique.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I'm not sure if I like it enough to really want to finish the trilogy when it is done, but I'm sure I will give it a chance at some point in the future.

borjabilbao's review against another edition

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3.0

3,5

Una novela muy interesante con ciertas aportaciones al género que gustan.

Tiene algunas cosas que se me hicieron algo extrañas, principalmente en los capítulos donde nos cuenta el pasado del personaje. Esto es lo que ha hecho que haya perdido una estrella de las que podría haber tenido.

Leeré la segunda parte.