abookwormspov's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, and Grief
sektaufeis's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
to cite another review:
"… very odd really enjoyed the beginning but went off the rails. But still I would take messy gay sci fi over better heteronormative misogynistic sci fi "
I wasn't doing really good while reading this and the story is quite depressing. There are a lot of good ideas but for me these did not connect. After a strong start the story got more messy by the chapter and the ending seemed kind of unfinished. I had hoped for more world building and deeper character development.
Kind of sad cause I was excited about a trans* protagonist without trans being THE problem - which was the case - but the story did not catch me.
"… very odd really enjoyed the beginning but went off the rails. But still I would take messy gay sci fi over better heteronormative misogynistic sci fi "
I wasn't doing really good while reading this and the story is quite depressing. There are a lot of good ideas but for me these did not connect. After a strong start the story got more messy by the chapter and the ending seemed kind of unfinished. I had hoped for more world building and deeper character development.
Spoiler
How the seep talked to the people was really cringy for me. Or maybe just not my kind of humor?Kind of sad cause I was excited about a trans* protagonist without trans being THE problem - which was the case - but the story did not catch me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, and Grief
Moderate: Racism and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Transphobia and Sexual content
bluberrybooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Death of parent and Pedophilia
midikitty's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-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
2.75
I liked some parts of this but it really needed more world building and the characters could’ve had more depth. The diversity felt kind of like a checklist too, as if it were thrown in as an afterthought.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Addiction
salemander's review against another edition
5.0
finished this entirely on my 2 hour plane ride i could not put it down !!!! in the words of jeff vandermeer’s cover quote “mesmerizing”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Cultural appropriation, and Grief
aely's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
It was a good book, I’ll give it that. It made me reflect on my own life, which is always a good thing, in my opinion. I just didn’t care all that much about the characters, other than the boy and he didn’t end up playing that much of a role in the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes dystopia and living in the present. I didn’t connect much with the characters, but I didn’t dislike any of them either. It was a good book, just not a great one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Drug abuse, Racism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexual content, Drug use, and Grief
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Gun violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Body horror, Medical content, Transphobia, War, Death, and Dysphoria
ramalam98's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
This is such an interesting book full of love, grief, existentialism, and humanity.
There was a point around the 75% mark where it lost me slightly but I did end up really liking the ending after that.
A really quick read but it’s left me with a lot to think about.
There was a point around the 75% mark where it lost me slightly but I did end up really liking the ending after that.
A really quick read but it’s left me with a lot to think about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death and Suicide
Minor: Gun violence and Death of parent
tigger89's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.5
This book was incredible. I can't think of any other piece of media I've consumed that has featured a middle-aged trans women who isn't particularly femme as the protagonist, so that alone was unique. I also enjoyed the take on a utopia, where you can see how much better things are while at the same time spotting the cracks where maybe there's something less-than-perfect under the surface. Yet there isn't some grand conspiracy to uncover. This isn't the story of how the alien invaders were unmasked and repelled. The utopia is presented as a good thing, probably(though, like all good speculative fiction, it does leave you wondering a little).
Rather, this is a story that deals primarily with grief, as we follow Trina mourning not just the loss of her wife but also that of the world she remembers. She rejects the Seep, choosing to do things the old way whenever possible, a perspective that leaves her unable to cope when confronted with new views on death and rebirth. Her devotion to the old ways is ultimately so destructive that it puts her own health at risk, an apt metaphor for what humanity is doing to our planet and each other with the way we live. It's a sad story, but beautiful as well.
The one thing I thought was a little odd was how Trina's heritage was handled. She's half Jewish and half Native American. My apologies, if the nation was specified I've forgotten it and can't locate it now. While her Jewishness is reflected upon somewhat in the narrative, her Native American heritage didn't seem to be explored to any degree beyond her name: Trina FastHorse Goldberg-Oneka. Now, I'm not trying to say that a character's heritage has to be important to the plot. Of course they can just be Jewish, or Chinese, or Ojibwe, or whatever. What stood out to me here was the lopsidedness of it, where one half of her identity was recognized in the story while the other was kind of just...there. Perhaps this is a fault of the reader, that I didn't know enough to recognize the moments when it was made relevant. It's very possible.
Rather, this is a story that deals primarily with grief, as we follow Trina mourning not just the loss of her wife but also that of the world she remembers. She rejects the Seep, choosing to do things the old way whenever possible, a perspective that leaves her unable to cope when confronted with new views on death and rebirth. Her devotion to the old ways is ultimately so destructive that it puts her own health at risk, an apt metaphor for what humanity is doing to our planet and each other with the way we live. It's a sad story, but beautiful as well.
The one thing I thought was a little odd was how Trina's heritage was handled. She's half Jewish and half Native American. My apologies, if the nation was specified I've forgotten it and can't locate it now. While her Jewishness is reflected upon somewhat in the narrative, her Native American heritage didn't seem to be explored to any degree beyond her name: Trina FastHorse Goldberg-Oneka. Now, I'm not trying to say that a character's heritage has to be important to the plot. Of course they can just be Jewish, or Chinese, or Ojibwe, or whatever. What stood out to me here was the lopsidedness of it, where one half of her identity was recognized in the story while the other was kind of just...there. Perhaps this is a fault of the reader, that I didn't know enough to recognize the moments when it was made relevant. It's very possible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Abandonment, Addiction, and Grief
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Death and Suicidal thoughts
remimicha's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Medical content, Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Body horror
mosshaunt's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
loved the worldbuilding, but a lot of the plot felt like it could've been condensed down into a short story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Grief
Moderate: Racism and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Transphobia, Sexual content, and Suicide