Scan barcode
princessdana36's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, and Injury/Injury detail
luberseed's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I was so intrigued by the premise and description of this book, and was hoping for a good post-apocalyptic/magical realism tale with Indigenous influence.
But holy cow this was a slog. I barely made it through, mostly due to the fact that the main character, Calliope, was so flat and infuriating.
Imagine that you’re thrust into some improbable dream world in which monsters roam about, most humans have disappeared, and you see visions of your dead relatives. Sort of like the “upside down” if you’ve watched Stranger Things. How long would you deny that things right in front of your eyes were happening? How long would you endanger other people who are with you by saying “nope, that’s not real” while you all run for your lives? Well if you’re Calliope, it’s most of the book. At many points I was hoping she’d die, and another character would take over- it’s that tedious. And unfortunately, her’s is the only inner world you get, everyone else is a collection of broad strokes and cliches, existing mostly for Calliope to rule over how credible she personally finds their needs and feelings. It was just wild.
There were so many good ideas here, but it felt like the story could have benefited from a strong editor to shape it, and character development that suggests knowledge of real human beings. Bonus points for the wildly out of place and tonally weird explicit sex scene near the end!
But holy cow this was a slog. I barely made it through, mostly due to the fact that the main character, Calliope, was so flat and infuriating.
Imagine that you’re thrust into some improbable dream world in which monsters roam about, most humans have disappeared, and you see visions of your dead relatives. Sort of like the “upside down” if you’ve watched Stranger Things. How long would you deny that things right in front of your eyes were happening? How long would you endanger other people who are with you by saying “nope, that’s not real” while you all run for your lives? Well if you’re Calliope, it’s most of the book. At many points I was hoping she’d die, and another character would take over- it’s that tedious. And unfortunately, her’s is the only inner world you get, everyone else is a collection of broad strokes and cliches, existing mostly for Calliope to rule over how credible she personally finds their needs and feelings. It was just wild.
There were so many good ideas here, but it felt like the story could have benefited from a strong editor to shape it, and character development that suggests knowledge of real human beings. Bonus points for the wildly out of place and tonally weird explicit sex scene near the end!
cloelia79's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
guido_the_nature_guide's review against another edition
2.0
This was the dumbest set of characters I have encountered in a long while. I don't mean silly, just lacking basic intelligence to solve simple problems or to raise fundamental questions. The plot had more holes than Donutland, and the main character's self-ruminations grew tiresome. For a similar approach to SW Native American culture try Rebecca Roanhorse, whose "Sixth World" series is vastly superior. Or read the late Tony Hillerman mysteries, which are far more evocative of both the land and the people.
anarmandameg's review against another edition
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Had me in the first half, NGL
kleonard's review against another edition
1.0
Calliope, a professor, is driving when she experiences what she thinks is an earthquake. But she finds almost all of the population in her area missing--empty cars litter the highways, her neighbors are gone, as are her husband and son. Taking charge of the six-year-old girl from next door, she embarks on a long and nonsensical road trip. Along the way she encounters people turned to stone, Coyote the Trickster, and some very angry Zuni gods, who appear to be getting revenge on the atomic bomb testing of the 1940s. Throughout, Calliope protests that she's a scientist and that none of this can be real. She also falls in love with a traveling stranger, apparently giving up on ever finding her husband again. But through magic and fighting, Calliope and her fellow travelers are returned to the world they know. This could have been a good read, but the prose is positively purple throughout and horribly overdone; the plot has holes the characters walk through, the "science" Calliope and others cite is mostly BS and badly presented to boot, and the characters have no depth. A good developmental edit could have made this a fun and interesting book, but it's too messy and wordy by half.
rakoerose's review against another edition
2.0
Man, I’m really bummed by how much this book wasn’t for me, because I really was fascinated by the premise!
”Children are too smart for anything but the truth, mujer.”
“Yeah, but whose truth?”
“Exactly.”
First and foremost, the piece of this that angered me the most: I absolutely loathe cheating in fiction. Calliope is married and I already hated the implied emotional cheating, and my dislike grew to detestment with their relationship. She only ever remembered Andres when it was convenient it seemed.
Another big part that made this book difficult to read is Calliope herself. That same convenience hypocrisy happened as she is an anthropology professor (aka invested in cultures) and yet absolutely refused to listen to Chance’s explanations for what was going on based on his Zuni heritage. She also didn’t listen to Eunjoo, belittling her worries as nothing but nightmares, when there was clear evidence it was more than that. I don’t know how you can just ignore the evidence in front of you for both counts - it was so anger inducing.
Not to mention that instead of treating Amy with respect and saying “I would like to do this and then we’ll look for your family” she lied by omission and was going to take Amy on a different path to find Calliope’s family instead. I think that’s what made this so difficult. Calliope just had such a fundamental disrespect for everyone around her. It doesn’t make for a very likeable protagonist. Even with her pregnancy as an “excuse,” a lot of it was still unforgivable to me.
It’s so unfortunate because I liked Chance (until cheating occurred) and Eunjoo! Eunjoo is honestly my favorite and I think this book would have been stunning if told just from her wide-eyed, child perspective. Seeing her visions and reactions to learning about other cultures, instead of through the uninterested lens of Calliope. If I were to ever come back to this it’d be primarily for her. With Chance, I don’t like how he seems to fit an overly-attractive, “mystical” Native stereotype. It just didn’t sit well initially, though I do like a lot of other parts of him. His gentle disposition was a good contrast to Calliope’s.
I also really was interested in the Zuni aspects of this! I’ve never read about them before and my excitement was really hampered by all the other negative aspects. I also can’t speak to its accuracy, though this author is not native to that culture, as far as I know.
I don’t know what else to say other than at times I was actively avoiding reading this book. I was just really disappointed by this, but I’m still open to seeing what Givhan will do next.
”Children are too smart for anything but the truth, mujer.”
“Yeah, but whose truth?”
“Exactly.”
First and foremost, the piece of this that angered me the most: I absolutely loathe cheating in fiction. Calliope is married and I already hated the implied emotional cheating, and my dislike grew to detestment with their relationship. She only ever remembered Andres when it was convenient it seemed.
Another big part that made this book difficult to read is Calliope herself. That same convenience hypocrisy happened as she is an anthropology professor (aka invested in cultures) and yet absolutely refused to listen to Chance’s explanations for what was going on based on his Zuni heritage. She also didn’t listen to Eunjoo, belittling her worries as nothing but nightmares, when there was clear evidence it was more than that. I don’t know how you can just ignore the evidence in front of you for both counts - it was so anger inducing.
Not to mention that instead of treating Amy with respect and saying “I would like to do this and then we’ll look for your family” she lied by omission and was going to take Amy on a different path to find Calliope’s family instead. I think that’s what made this so difficult. Calliope just had such a fundamental disrespect for everyone around her. It doesn’t make for a very likeable protagonist. Even with her pregnancy as an “excuse,” a lot of it was still unforgivable to me.
It’s so unfortunate because I liked Chance (until cheating occurred) and Eunjoo! Eunjoo is honestly my favorite and I think this book would have been stunning if told just from her wide-eyed, child perspective. Seeing her visions and reactions to learning about other cultures, instead of through the uninterested lens of Calliope. If I were to ever come back to this it’d be primarily for her. With Chance, I don’t like how he seems to fit an overly-attractive, “mystical” Native stereotype. It just didn’t sit well initially, though I do like a lot of other parts of him. His gentle disposition was a good contrast to Calliope’s.
I also really was interested in the Zuni aspects of this! I’ve never read about them before and my excitement was really hampered by all the other negative aspects. I also can’t speak to its accuracy, though this author is not native to that culture, as far as I know.
I don’t know what else to say other than at times I was actively avoiding reading this book. I was just really disappointed by this, but I’m still open to seeing what Givhan will do next.
cc_tay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
carriedbythecosmos's review against another edition
5.0
This book was an enthralling read. The first few chapters set up mysteriously. There was no grounding, which worked for the book because it placed us in the same situation as the protagonist. We were thrown into chaos from the first page and wanted nothing more than to figure out what was happening and how to stop it.
Once I had a footing in the setting, I couldn't put it down. The plot was intense; the turns and surprises twisted my expectations for dystopian novels. The language was sensational and, at times, definitely read like poet-turned-novelist (more poets should write novels).
I appreciated the way the worldbuilding happened in this book: subtlely and over time. I take issues with books that gave genre elements when the genre elements have an extensive backstory that begins early on, or we cannot grasp one part of the world before we move into another aspect. This book avoids all of that and masterfully pulls you more and more into a reality that is unlike any you might have expected.
Also, I love seeing moms as protagonists. And I especially loved seeing a mom pregnant with twins as a protagonist. We don't see this often and it feels good to read about other moms in a dystopian world. Like, moms would kick ass in dystopians. Why aren't there more as protagonists in dystopians?
Once I had a footing in the setting, I couldn't put it down. The plot was intense; the turns and surprises twisted my expectations for dystopian novels. The language was sensational and, at times, definitely read like poet-turned-novelist (more poets should write novels).
I appreciated the way the worldbuilding happened in this book: subtlely and over time. I take issues with books that gave genre elements when the genre elements have an extensive backstory that begins early on, or we cannot grasp one part of the world before we move into another aspect. This book avoids all of that and masterfully pulls you more and more into a reality that is unlike any you might have expected.
Also, I love seeing moms as protagonists. And I especially loved seeing a mom pregnant with twins as a protagonist. We don't see this often and it feels good to read about other moms in a dystopian world. Like, moms would kick ass in dystopians. Why aren't there more as protagonists in dystopians?
curlymango's review against another edition
3.5
Quick read with a lot of fun and spooky imagery. I think the clairvoyant child trope gets overused. She was ok in this. The little twists along the way were good. There were some passages that read kind of stiffly for me (mostly the parts where Chance sits down Calliope and says “I’m going to tell you a story to give context for that thing we just saw”). Overall, really cool take on an “apocalypse” as a thing with its own agency, in a way.