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pizzasprite's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
3.0
I have strongly conflicting feelings about this book.
It a took a while for me to get around to reading this one, since the plot of Axiom's End was so heavily based in American politics, which I am completely uninterested in as a non-American. However, Truth of the Divine does a better job exploring the international implications of first contact than Axiom's End did. The first half of this book was, well, divine - I was extremely interested in the relationship between Cora and Ampersand, and the urgency of resolving the main political conflicts continued on from the first book. I thought Kaveh was a much-needed different perspective to contrast Cora's limited viewpoints. I think that telling the story of first contact from a journalist's POV much more interesting than from a "militarist" perspective. I also loved Nikolas! The alien culture that Ellis has fabricated is truly fascinating, I almost wish this series was all about aliens with no human characters. The way Cora's PTSD and panic attacks were depicted were equally heartbreaking and sympathetic. This book depicts mental illness more earnestly than anything I have read recently.
The second half of the book is much weaker. The tension between Cora and Ampersand dissolved completely, since Ampersand is largely absent beyond Act 2. The sexual relationship between Cora and Kaveh made me so, so, so uncomfortable. It felt very gratuitous and came out of nowhere, almost like an editor insisted on their romance. In the author's notes, Ellis mentions that Kaveh used to be two characters, and you can definitely see that in the writing. There were many instances in which I felt like I could not continue reading, because their age difference and unbalanced power dynamic made me feel that uncomfortable. Early on, it's established that Cora feels very lonely, and needs another human to talk to: if Kaveh had remained her friend/mentor, this dynamic would have been perfect. However, the fact that they begin sleeping together makes their bond feel extremely creepy and toxic. This makes it difficult to "root" for Kaveh as a protagonist. I wish the book focused on the relationship between Ampersand and Cora, especially since their romance is alluded to early in the book. I suspect/hope this will be explored more in the next book.
I will probably read the next book in the series, to ultimately see what happens to Ampersand. But this one definitely left a foul taste in my mouth.
It a took a while for me to get around to reading this one, since the plot of Axiom's End was so heavily based in American politics, which I am completely uninterested in as a non-American. However, Truth of the Divine does a better job exploring the international implications of first contact than Axiom's End did. The first half of this book was, well, divine - I was extremely interested in the relationship between Cora and Ampersand, and the urgency of resolving the main political conflicts continued on from the first book. I thought Kaveh was a much-needed different perspective to contrast Cora's limited viewpoints. I think that telling the story of first contact from a journalist's POV much more interesting than from a "militarist" perspective. I also loved Nikolas! The alien culture that Ellis has fabricated is truly fascinating, I almost wish this series was all about aliens with no human characters. The way Cora's PTSD and panic attacks were depicted were equally heartbreaking and sympathetic. This book depicts mental illness more earnestly than anything I have read recently.
The second half of the book is much weaker. The tension between Cora and Ampersand dissolved completely, since Ampersand is largely absent beyond Act 2. The sexual relationship between Cora and Kaveh made me so, so, so uncomfortable. It felt very gratuitous and came out of nowhere, almost like an editor insisted on their romance. In the author's notes, Ellis mentions that Kaveh used to be two characters, and you can definitely see that in the writing. There were many instances in which I felt like I could not continue reading, because their age difference and unbalanced power dynamic made me feel that uncomfortable. Early on, it's established that Cora feels very lonely, and needs another human to talk to: if Kaveh had remained her friend/mentor, this dynamic would have been perfect. However, the fact that they begin sleeping together makes their bond feel extremely creepy and toxic. This makes it difficult to "root" for Kaveh as a protagonist. I wish the book focused on the relationship between Ampersand and Cora, especially since their romance is alluded to early in the book. I suspect/hope this will be explored more in the next book.
I will probably read the next book in the series, to ultimately see what happens to Ampersand. But this one definitely left a foul taste in my mouth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Eating disorder, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia
Minor: Misogyny
stormywolf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
Audiobook Read by Abigail Thorn, Kaveh Taherian, and Stephanie Willis
Unabridged Length: 17.3 Hours
Listened at 2x Speed
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, this was a great improvement and continuation of what came before. The new cast member added even more authenticity to the production (which was only fair considering his "consultant" status) and expertly ushered me through the bits of Farsi/Farglish that Kaveh and his family used throughout. I am both scared—considering how devastated this book left me at times—and excited for what comes next, and am eagerly awaiting the next update.
Unabridged Length: 17.3 Hours
Listened at 2x Speed
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, this was a great improvement and continuation of what came before. The new cast member added even more authenticity to the production (which was only fair considering his "consultant" status) and expertly ushered me through the bits of Farsi/Farglish that Kaveh and his family used throughout. I am both scared—considering how devastated this book left me at times—and excited for what comes next, and am eagerly awaiting the next update.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Abandonment
Minor: Infertility, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Dementia
Author's Note includes content warnings for trauma, post-traumatic stress, depression, addiction, alcoholism, domestic violence, mental illness, panic attacks, suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, attempted suicide, completed suicide, violent self-harm, racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, racially motivated violence, anti-Semitism, racial slurs, and (while she wouldn't consider it sexual violence) some uncomfortable sexual situations.