modernmegan's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 ⭐️
Brilliant plot- totally up my alley with the macabre. What if there was a place where within just 10 days you could become totally fluent in any language you want? That’s what the centre is. Our main character is so interesting and powerful. The ending however left me a little unsettled, which is why I rated it a little lower than I was expecting throughout the entire read. Perfect for spooky season!
Brilliant plot- totally up my alley with the macabre. What if there was a place where within just 10 days you could become totally fluent in any language you want? That’s what the centre is. Our main character is so interesting and powerful. The ending however left me a little unsettled, which is why I rated it a little lower than I was expecting throughout the entire read. Perfect for spooky season!
bloupibloupreads's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Misogyny, Islamophobia, Racism, and Murder
Minor: Classism, Colonisation, and Cultural appropriation
chaoticbooklover's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
asktheletters's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
quizzicalchris's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
cricri31's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
amreynrt's review against another edition
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
Well that was a page turner for sure! I loved the way the book starts, the very first line is quite funny.
I was really into the story and found it interesting to dive more into the topic of translation. But all in all, I feel like I loved the book all the way until the trip to India. After that, I didn't really like the decisions made by Anisa, nor the Inception-type writing Siddiqi chose. Are we, really, a Learner as well? This felt a little forced, especially since we could not feel like Learners without the whole Centre experience. I felt like the intent was for the readers to feel "oh, wow, I'm one too", but it just didn't happen for me.
The story itself is interesting and you definitely want to find out how they achieve fluency in such a short time period. I liked that the main character was flawed and that they let her know, even though she doesn't feel any remorse at all.
In the end, I think I did not understand who Anisa is as a person. I didn't really understand the ending either.
I was really into the story and found it interesting to dive more into the topic of translation. But all in all, I feel like I loved the book all the way until the trip to India. After that, I didn't really like the decisions made by Anisa, nor the Inception-type writing Siddiqi chose. Are we, really, a Learner as well? This felt a little forced, especially since we could not feel like Learners without the whole Centre experience. I felt like the intent was for the readers to feel "oh, wow, I'm one too", but it just didn't happen for me.
The story itself is interesting and you definitely want to find out how they achieve fluency in such a short time period. I liked that the main character was flawed and that they let her know, even though she doesn't feel any remorse at all.
In the end, I think I did not understand who Anisa is as a person. I didn't really understand the ending either.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault