Reviews tagging 'Death'

Les Oiseaux du temps by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

488 reviews

sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

1.0

I’m sorry. I know from all the reviews this is a much beloved book but it just wasn’t for me. I had high expectations: initially when I saw this book floating around I thought it was nonfiction due to the title and cover. After realizing it’s fiction and about time travelers falling in love, I was excited! Unfortunately, the writing was too sparse and I did not feel much for the characters, making it made it a very difficult read.

I think my biggest issue might be my disinterest in science fiction. I am always trying to reach outside my comfort zone and read genres I may not consider. In this case, the characters were so science fiction they didn’t feel human, although I think that was the point? I think? I genuinely don’t know if they were supposed to be nonhuman or just futuristic humans.

I really struggled with the writing. There were some very beautiful sentences but it was not cohesive and felt confusing. This also made me sad because normally I love wordy books and reading between the lines, but here I just felt frustrated because I didn’t feel any sense of a plot. Again, maybe it’s just not my cup of tea, but the fact that there was so much time jumping between letters and points in their lives didn’t help me see how their relationship developed over time (this is ironic for a time traveler story, I know).

Overall, I would recommend this to fans of science fiction and queer literature. Maybe only people I am acquainted with, though, I don’t think I could ever recommend this to a friend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement and Colonisation

ebp's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Suicide attempt, and War

Moderate: Torture, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death and Confinement

fabell6's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

This was another slow burn story. I found it confusing and repetitive initially. As it progressed I found an emotional connection with the characters that made me not want to put the book down. Sci fi is not my favorite genre to read; I prefer to watch sci fi movies or shows to see a concrete representation of what someone imagined. This book was a stretch to read and imagine, but it became a satisfying read. A nice change from my comfort zone of genre, to read a sci fi thriller, but at its core is the kind of hopeful story I love of people finding and making meaning out of life and love. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

leannanecdote's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

linkamarisa's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Genocide, Torture, and Forced institutionalization

carefulfearanddeaddevotion's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 cried several times while reading this book, not because it’s particularly sad, but because the prose is so beautiful it moved me to tears. i think the only thing that i’ve read that’s more romantic than this book is pablo neruda’s poetry. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Suicide, Torture, Murder, and War

Minor: Stalking and Pregnancy

mangofraiche's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Torture, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and War

dreadspawn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture

melist6's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, and War

Moderate: Death

eagerreader2022's review against another edition

4.5

This one takes some concentration to read since the authors barely build the world. Instead, you build the world in your head as the story progresses.

I think I understood what happened, but I might have to do a reread to truly 'get' the story. Which I would do if there weren't other books on my backlog :/

I was very intrigued by the world created and the mysterious aspects of the story!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and War