andloveistoolong's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Grief, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Dementia, Terminal illness, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Animal death, Child abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Transphobia
Minor: Gore, War, Antisemitism, Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, and Racism
twocents's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
It's an interesting story, but the most divisive element needs to be stated: January blows right past "smart-mouthed detective" and straight into cruel. She verbally, publicly, repeatedly demeans hotel staff until they are in tears; she inserts herself into situations that do not require security just to sneer at the clientele and make things more difficult for the customer service side of the hotel; she repeatedly assaults customers and staff.
The book is told from a first-person perspective, so you also come to understand that she is crippled by her grief over her (recently?) deceased girlfriend. It provides an explanation for her frankly abusive behavior that renders her pitiable to me, but based on the number of other reviews that DNF'd the book specifically because of her cruelty, it's worth mentioning that whether she's sympathetic in addition to unlikable is going to be very much a case of: your mileage may vary.
Graphic: Violence and Murder
obviousthings's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Murder, and Racism
Minor: Vomit, Confinement, Dysphoria, Cultural appropriation, Antisemitism, and War
royalraspberry's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Blood, Death, and Chronic illness
Minor: Child abuse
lilifane's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I understand why people might not, but I did with all my heart. It was just the perfect book for me. Very wibbly wobbly, very timey wimey, very fast-paced and action packed, very funny, very VERY confusing. A lot of characters, and a lot of things happening at the same time on every single page (and when I say at the same time, I mean past, present and future). You don't really get a break to even catch a breath. It is super diverse and has lots of queer representation (lesbian, non-binary, trans). The protagonist is not the nicest person, but you get to understand her better through the book. I really really liked her. (My favorite character was an AI drone, though.)
You are not prepared for how wild this book is. But it also had some really good quotes in the second half, some deep, emotional and social commentary that I didn't expect. And I really liked the ending, it was very fitting.
Since the plot takes place in a single building and is so complex and confusing, it gave me "The 7 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" and "Man in the empty suit" vibes. I'd definitely recommend it to people who like Steven Moffat's Doctor Who episodes. This reads like all of them... at once, have fun.
Graphic: Medical content, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Death, Injury/injury detail, Murder, and Terminal illness
Minor: Drug use, Transphobia, Addiction, Confinement, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
blackmetalblackheart's review
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Gun violence
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
The elements I loved most in the book were twofold. There's a great cast of queer characters. January's a lesbian, her love interest is a trans woman, and there's a prominent side character who is non-binary. Also, January delivers some really awesome insults, especially hurled at the ultra-wealthy and powerful. I can only aspire to her creativity and wish I had the opportunity and boldness to mimic her in that regard.
Unfortunately, the story didn't grip me to the degree I hope for in the best thrillers. The tension lacked a sense of urgency despite the dinosaurs, assassination attempts, and timey-wimey dangers. Also, the science fiction elements weren't the kind to be fascinating or mind-boggling, but they somehow were still difficult for me to follow in terms of the rules and limitations of time travel for this world. I braced myself each time a new round of explanations was necessary because I didn't get far with them. Finally, there are themes in this story about grief and vulnerability that could have been very powerful. However, I didn't find the story engaged with them on a deep or personal enough level to say something profound or trigger an emotional reaction in me. I think part of the issue was that the characters fell into trope-y roles and stock personalities that prevented me from connecting with them on an empathetic level. In some ways, their actions and emotional trajectories were predictable because they were following a common path.
I don't think this is a book with a bad message or one that I would warn readers away from. It just didn't live up to either of the genres it drew from in my opinion, and I wish the characters were more fully realized. I think readers who enjoy smartass detectives and time travel will enjoy the story if they're content to engage with the tropes at surface level.
Graphic: Classism, Grief, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Lesbophobia, Racism, Religious bigotry, Antisemitism, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt