Reviews with content warning for Death - Mroczna materia

A very interesting premise. Explores identity - what makes us us in the most basic sense?

A very well-written story, and I loved that it incorporated scientific concepts!

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kirtreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is the kind of book that is really going to sit with me for a while. I had no idea what this book was really about going into it apart from everyone saying it was a great novel so I really did not anticipate the wild ride that I got. I was never quite sure where it was going and what was happening, so it was a great summer read.

This book was a lot of fun, and I thought that all the actual science parts were well explained but I never felt too bogged down with information. I thought that Jason was compelling enough to really care about what happens. This book did have a little bit of a perfect white man saviour issue, but it never got obnoxious and I actually think that it thematically helped the novel. Sometimes this really drives me nuts but it didn't become a big issue for me. The two women in the novel are not over the top emotional and total idiots so it has some saving grace.

I am still mulling over the ending and I am not 100% sold on loving the ending but I think that it was the only way that it all could have ended. This book leaves you with a lot of big questions not only about the story but also philosophically and I am not sure if I love the way that he wrapped up these large ideas.

My only other complaint is that the pacing dragged a little in the middle. By the nature of the story it was very cyclical but I could have done with a few less cycles. Overall though, I think its a great read if you are looking for something pretty action packed and relatively fast paced outside of the normal thriller genre.

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lemilysnikda's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I wanted sci-fi but got thriller and… romance? I went into this with no context, which is my fault, because I’m not a fan of thrillers. I think if you enjoy thrillers and want to dabble in some sci-fi elements, you may really enjoy this.

*spoilers from this point on*

Great concepts, dull characters, fine execution. This could also be me being really late to the party here, but I’ve consumed so much media in recent years with the concept of a multiverse that interesting ideas alone can’t do it for me. Here, I think the protagonist was intended to be likable, but I actually found him to be pretty annoying and almost always two steps behind.

I’m also super picky about romance, and the way Jason Desson thinks about his wife is like he loves her as a concept but not as an individual. Exemplified by the fact that he was cool with getting with his wife’s doppelgänger and how he continually fixated on other versions of her knowing they weren’t her. Also why couldn’t he and Amanda be totally platonic?

I would’ve liked to have seen more development of Jason 2 and Amanda. Or maybe his son that he barely thinks about until they’re reunited.

Maybe not my cup of tea, but still a good story and easy quick listen on a long drive.

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