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blindforest's review against another edition
3.0
love the world and the writing but the plot meanders way too much for my taste
shinyscout's review against another edition
Had to return to library! But still interested
kaeliwolf's review against another edition
2.0
I have absolutely no idea why this book was so frustratingly long. I have no idea what was happening most of the time. I don't believe I will ever pick up another book by this author whether because I'm too brainless to understand the complex ideas or some other reason.
tmholsman_1994's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
If you do not have a "what the f**k am I reading" moment while you read this book...than it's probably not for you. I admit that it took me a while to get into the story because it is so bizarre and abnormal, but I love it. I absolutely loved this book. I loved the kookiness and bizarrness of the story.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
1.0
1/5
Ok, What in the world did I just read? First off, I had this book on my Libby app and it told me it was over a thousand pages. I Haven't read a book that long in a long while. Here is the thing, for me to read a book that long it has to hold my attention. I thought it would considering how the description sounded but oh. OH. I didn't know what I was getting into. The first few chapters were alright. I was excited to learn about the mystery. But then it started to drag on and the characters were just.. odd. On top of this I found myself wondering if it was a middle grade book but it reminded me it wasn't when their would be some heavy cursing at random parts. The doors were so confusing to me. The whole mystery part of the book through me for a loop. Not to mention the talking carrots and Napoleons head? (??????)
Ok, What in the world did I just read? First off, I had this book on my Libby app and it told me it was over a thousand pages. I Haven't read a book that long in a long while. Here is the thing, for me to read a book that long it has to hold my attention. I thought it would considering how the description sounded but oh. OH. I didn't know what I was getting into. The first few chapters were alright. I was excited to learn about the mystery. But then it started to drag on and the characters were just.. odd. On top of this I found myself wondering if it was a middle grade book but it reminded me it wasn't when their would be some heavy cursing at random parts. The doors were so confusing to me. The whole mystery part of the book through me for a loop. Not to mention the talking carrots and Napoleons head? (??????)
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
I have a love/hate relationship with VanderMeer and was fully expecting to DNF this one. (It took me several tries to get through the first two books in [b:Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy|22752442|Area X The Southern Reach Trilogy (Southern Reach, #1-3)|Jeff VanderMeer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1412547809l/22752442._SX50_.jpg|42299018]). However, I enjoyed the parallel Earth in the story, it's silliness reminded me of [a:Terry Pratchett|1654|Terry Pratchett|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1235562205p2/1654.jpg]'s Discworld, but this was a bit darker.
loont's review against another edition
1.0
"How many tropes can I pack into the opening of a book?"
That's apparently the challenge the author took up for themselves, and upon doing so began writing this book. It was a struggle to even get past the opening so let's make a checklist: Fish out of water teenager, yep! Mysterious note promising intrigue and adventure, handed right to him! Unwanted boarding school, yes in England, with unwanted high expectations from grown ups, uh huh!
I would go on, there's more, there's literally another paragraph of them in the first ten pages of this book. But wait, because even within that span that last one I stopped on doesn't make any sense. Who, exactly, has these high expectations of the main character. His mom is missing, presumed dead by our protagonist even as he states "no, it's silly to expect her to not be dead even though she's only stated as missing", a statement that reads like a 12 year old non prodigy's attempt at foreshadowing.
Ok, wait, go back, criticizing this book is hard because almost every sentence has some point that doesn't make sense. Back to "who is it that expects our protagonist to achieve great things at their unwanted boarding school." Because f**k if I know, the protagonist just tells us this as if uninterestedly checking off a "list of plot points a book should have". Because his mom is missing and she didn't send him to the school, and his dad is gone or something so he didn't. And his grandfather doesn't talk to him or communicate with him at all. So wait how did he even get to the boarding school, who sent him there, who put these "unwanted expectations in his head"?
I don't know. And I tried reading a few more pages, but there's no answers and it gets no better. The plot is spun out as some uninterested, distant and emotionless drivel. This isn't a novel. It's a checklist of plot points filled out by a cynical, worn out person hoping to wring a paycheck out of whatever fans they have left from their previous successes.
That's apparently the challenge the author took up for themselves, and upon doing so began writing this book. It was a struggle to even get past the opening so let's make a checklist: Fish out of water teenager, yep! Mysterious note promising intrigue and adventure, handed right to him! Unwanted boarding school, yes in England, with unwanted high expectations from grown ups, uh huh!
I would go on, there's more, there's literally another paragraph of them in the first ten pages of this book. But wait, because even within that span that last one I stopped on doesn't make any sense. Who, exactly, has these high expectations of the main character. His mom is missing, presumed dead by our protagonist even as he states "no, it's silly to expect her to not be dead even though she's only stated as missing", a statement that reads like a 12 year old non prodigy's attempt at foreshadowing.
Ok, wait, go back, criticizing this book is hard because almost every sentence has some point that doesn't make sense. Back to "who is it that expects our protagonist to achieve great things at their unwanted boarding school." Because f**k if I know, the protagonist just tells us this as if uninterestedly checking off a "list of plot points a book should have". Because his mom is missing and she didn't send him to the school, and his dad is gone or something so he didn't. And his grandfather doesn't talk to him or communicate with him at all. So wait how did he even get to the boarding school, who sent him there, who put these "unwanted expectations in his head"?
I don't know. And I tried reading a few more pages, but there's no answers and it gets no better. The plot is spun out as some uninterested, distant and emotionless drivel. This isn't a novel. It's a checklist of plot points filled out by a cynical, worn out person hoping to wring a paycheck out of whatever fans they have left from their previous successes.
_leitmotif_'s review against another edition
a boring version of ‘a starless sea’. vandermeer is an astonishing author, but inconsistent. the annihilation trilogy is intricately unforgettable. but this one is not that.
gveltaine's review against another edition
I was not enjoying the structure, very hard to follow
Gave it a second chance. It meanders into weird thought processes and is very hard to follow. The premise is good but overall not worth my time
Gave it a second chance. It meanders into weird thought processes and is very hard to follow. The premise is good but overall not worth my time