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kermit_the_wrong's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
snielsen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Murder
skyeoak's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
niels1303's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I've already read quite a few novels about time travel, but this novel is surprisingly different. Tom Sweterlitsch didn't reinvent the wheel but he combined different genres in a very clever way. The beginning of the book is a little bit more slow paced but towards the end the story the story gets so tense, that I couldn't put the book away. I didn't see quite a few events coming and even though the story feels quite dark and hopeless at times, the ending was quite satisfying. The only minor gripe I had was that some scenes are pretty gore and that in my opinion the very "graphic" scenes don't necessarily add any depth to the story. All in all it is a very good sci-fi novel that will especially appeal to people who like a challenging complex plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
teaandtales1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
Really great book until the last 5 pages. The ending truly ruined a fantastic story and I'm real mad about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death and Suicide
Minor: Alcoholism
mackenzi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Racism
lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Wow, this book was wild. WILD!
I haven't read a book like this before, and it really made an impression on me.
The investigation in the beginning has True Detective Season 1 vibes. I liked that, although the story then went into a totally different direction.
There is time travel, which I always love. But the way it's done here is so unique and also complex (and sometimes complicated, it's hard to wrap one's head around). I loved how the author used actual scientific research and theories to explain things, though. The direction the plot takes, phew.... did I mention it was wild? Because it's really mind-blowing sometimes.
There are mysterious scenes, there are action packed scenes, there are reflective scenes, there are gruesome scenes, there are unbelievable scenes. And at the same time, there is this melancholic atmosphere that dominates the whole book. It got really depressing at some point tbh.
I really liked the protagonist btw. She's very cool, what she does for a living (wild!) and the way her disability is portrayed in the book... I really, really liked that. Most of the time, when a character has a disability, it's either not effecting the plot at all, or it's dominating the plot. But here... it was just there, and we got really detailed every day experiences of a disabled person. The disability affected the plot sometimes, but it didn't dominate it.
There were some action-packed scenes that were described like movie scenes, and this made me wish for a movie adaptation. At this point, I have to mention the 90s pop culture reference because as a 90s kid myself, I had a lot of fun with them. But I also loved how thought-provoking the story is. There is so much to think about and to discuss.
Although I think the ending was very satisfying, I'm not a fan of the epilogue. It somehow felt like a punch in the gut to me to have these complex characters and then do THIS at the end. But then again, it is a great discussion point.
I'm glad I read this so slowly and had time to reflect on the different parts. This book will stay with me for a long time, mostly because I can't believe an author pulled something like this off. I have the most respect for Tom Sweterlitsch.
Do I recommend it? Yes, but it's definitely not an easy read and I don't think it's for everyone.
I haven't read a book like this before, and it really made an impression on me.
The investigation in the beginning has True Detective Season 1 vibes. I liked that, although the story then went into a totally different direction.
There is time travel, which I always love. But the way it's done here is so unique and also complex (and sometimes complicated, it's hard to wrap one's head around). I loved how the author used actual scientific research and theories to explain things, though. The direction the plot takes, phew.... did I mention it was wild? Because it's really mind-blowing sometimes.
There are mysterious scenes, there are action packed scenes, there are reflective scenes, there are gruesome scenes, there are unbelievable scenes. And at the same time, there is this melancholic atmosphere that dominates the whole book. It got really depressing at some point tbh.
I really liked the protagonist btw. She's very cool, what she does for a living (wild!) and the way her disability is portrayed in the book... I really, really liked that. Most of the time, when a character has a disability, it's either not effecting the plot at all, or it's dominating the plot. But here... it was just there, and we got really detailed every day experiences of a disabled person. The disability affected the plot sometimes, but it didn't dominate it.
There were some action-packed scenes that were described like movie scenes, and this made me wish for a movie adaptation. At this point, I have to mention the 90s pop culture reference because as a 90s kid myself, I had a lot of fun with them. But I also loved how thought-provoking the story is. There is so much to think about and to discuss.
Although I think the ending was very satisfying, I'm not a fan of the epilogue. It somehow felt like a punch in the gut to me to have these complex characters and then do THIS at the end. But then again, it is a great discussion point.
I'm glad I read this so slowly and had time to reflect on the different parts. This book will stay with me for a long time, mostly because I can't believe an author pulled something like this off. I have the most respect for Tom Sweterlitsch.
Do I recommend it? Yes, but it's definitely not an easy read and I don't think it's for everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy
bakerreads's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
shirku's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Interesting time travel story but very dark and surprisingly graphic in some parts with the violence. And maybe because they made so many characters women, a lot of the violence is against women. The time travel premise is interesting and I didn't see them breaking the rules like many authors accidentally do but I could be wrong. Interesting and suspenseful. Not a fan of the epilogue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
sayitagainjen's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Fatphobia