crownoflaurel's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Sadly suffers from the ultra-naive young female character voice that was popular in this era; it’s almost impossible to guess her actual age between what we are told and how she is treated. Overall, the story is trying to share big philosophical ideas, but unfortunately I had trouble keeping focus.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Xenophobia
Minor: Gaslighting and Deportation
radagast_the_brown's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
thebowandthebook's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Really lovely book. I loved the different writing styles employed for the different POV's, very distinctive. Nice clean fantasy
iteechesinglish's review against another edition
3.0
The premise for this was interesting: three different races with different levels of civilization collide. The protagonist is from the most scientifically advanced civilization and works as a sort of anthropologist of other races. The narrative is told from the point of view of each civilization. Unfortunately it bogs down in minute details of each character's reaction to events. There's some foggy moral reasoning involving the importance of allowing each civilization to develop independently of the others and how certain things aren't immoral, just immature. I think I liked the idea behind the story more than the actual story.
acarpenter92's review against another edition
5.0
I do not enjoy sci-fi. I never have and I don't know that I ever really will.
But I LOVED this book.
I asked my mom one day what her favorite book had been as a teenager, and she ended up ordering this for me. I read it not out of an actual desire to read the book, but rather because I love her and wanted to talk with her about it.
The first couple of chapters were basically what I expected out of a sci-fi novel, and I didn't have high hopes that I'd like it. But by maybe three or four chapters in, I was actually captivated — partially by the plot itself, but mostly by the way it was written and how it made me feel. Rarely has a book made me stop and think so much; I frequently found myself stopping to really absorb what had just been said because it was so thought-provoking and paradigm-shifting, at least for me.
Above all, this book gave me hope: hope in the power of mistakes and what we learn from them, hope in the genuine goodness love and faith can produce (and how much of a difference it makes in ours and others' lives), and in people's and societies' ability to evolve beyond what we can presently imagine.
This is truly an extraordinary novel and I'm so thankful to have read it.
But I LOVED this book.
I asked my mom one day what her favorite book had been as a teenager, and she ended up ordering this for me. I read it not out of an actual desire to read the book, but rather because I love her and wanted to talk with her about it.
The first couple of chapters were basically what I expected out of a sci-fi novel, and I didn't have high hopes that I'd like it. But by maybe three or four chapters in, I was actually captivated — partially by the plot itself, but mostly by the way it was written and how it made me feel. Rarely has a book made me stop and think so much; I frequently found myself stopping to really absorb what had just been said because it was so thought-provoking and paradigm-shifting, at least for me.
Above all, this book gave me hope: hope in the power of mistakes and what we learn from them, hope in the genuine goodness love and faith can produce (and how much of a difference it makes in ours and others' lives), and in people's and societies' ability to evolve beyond what we can presently imagine.
This is truly an extraordinary novel and I'm so thankful to have read it.
linneahedvig's review against another edition
3.0
This is not the best written book, but it has so much going on. It's about three civilizations, all essentially the same, but at different points in their development. The interaction between them is what makes this book so interesting. Even though it's science fiction, it's kind of left ambiguous which of the civilizations, if any, represents Earth.
I loved how the story managed to blend post-modern and pre-modern (almost fundamentalist) ideas. The most advanced, post-modern civilization is intervening to save the pre-modern people from the imperialist forces of the modernist civilization, but as the po-mo and pre-mo people interact they realize they have a lot in common, mainly their ability to acknowledge things they don't understand. Anyway, from the advanced society's perspective it's a pretty heavy story about invasion and intervention, but from the early society's perspective it's a story about dragons and enchantresses and magic stones with the power to save the world.
I loved how the story managed to blend post-modern and pre-modern (almost fundamentalist) ideas. The most advanced, post-modern civilization is intervening to save the pre-modern people from the imperialist forces of the modernist civilization, but as the po-mo and pre-mo people interact they realize they have a lot in common, mainly their ability to acknowledge things they don't understand. Anyway, from the advanced society's perspective it's a pretty heavy story about invasion and intervention, but from the early society's perspective it's a story about dragons and enchantresses and magic stones with the power to save the world.
elenajohansen's review against another edition
2.0
I was initially intrigued by the premise: a tale that was both science fiction and fantasy, fairy tale and space exploration.
But I got tired of Elana's constant self-doubt, and her father's endless moralizing. It was worsened by the fact that every time he had to explain something to her about their plan, or about her commitment to their service, or basically any moral choice she made, she then spent a few pages whining or agonizing about it. And then, sometimes, she also had to "explain" it again in vague, magical terms to Georyn, because his native/uncivilized status meant they couldn't reveal themselves as alien.
The actual plot got lost for me in the psychological rigamarole. Too much introspection and not enough actually happening.
But I got tired of Elana's constant self-doubt, and her father's endless moralizing. It was worsened by the fact that every time he had to explain something to her about their plan, or about her commitment to their service, or basically any moral choice she made, she then spent a few pages whining or agonizing about it. And then, sometimes, she also had to "explain" it again in vague, magical terms to Georyn, because his native/uncivilized status meant they couldn't reveal themselves as alien.
The actual plot got lost for me in the psychological rigamarole. Too much introspection and not enough actually happening.
11rose25's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jennykeery's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0