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paperd's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia
planetdaniel14's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A very satisfying follow up to Axiom's End, however much more darker and introspective.
A raw look into PTSD, suicide, and self harm which can be quite graphic, however does not pull any punches in the story that it is telling.
I didn't particularly care for the Cora / Kaveh romance subplot which slows the middle of the book down somewhat (which is why I deducted half a star), but picks up when the focus is Cora and the Amygdaline or Kaveh and the Amygdaline as you get a glimpse into the culture clash and the potential for human reaction which comes to a head in the final part of the book.
The debates around how you would grant aliens personhood were genuinely thought-provoking as well as the looks into how we deal with our own emotions (the quote being most standout to me being "why do we dismiss how our parents taught us relationships as 'daddy issues')
While the ending left me melancholy, I am looking forward to Book 3 and where the themes take me next
A raw look into PTSD, suicide, and self harm which can be quite graphic, however does not pull any punches in the story that it is telling.
I didn't particularly care for the Cora / Kaveh romance subplot which slows the middle of the book down somewhat (which is why I deducted half a star), but picks up when the focus is Cora and the Amygdaline or Kaveh and the Amygdaline as you get a glimpse into the culture clash and the potential for human reaction which comes to a head in the final part of the book.
The debates around how you would grant aliens personhood were genuinely thought-provoking as well as the looks into how we deal with our own emotions (the quote being most standout to me being "why do we dismiss how our parents taught us relationships as 'daddy issues')
While the ending left me melancholy, I am looking forward to Book 3 and where the themes take me next
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, War, and Injury/Injury detail
jenny_d's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt
aglimpseinto's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
The story goes into some dark spots and it led me on a spiral regarding humanity and our worth. Not recommended to someone who might be struggling with their mental health but it's an engaging story that kept me wanting to know what would occur next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, and Blood
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Alcoholism and Bullying
geekmom's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was interesting and ended on a strong note. However, it had some issues, many of which I think come from it being the second book in a trilogy exploring some very complex and difficult legal, moral and philosophical issues, and others which are likely the byproduct of trying to write about a character with serious mental health challenges without ending up with a book nobody would want to read. I’m glad I finished this book, and I’ll read the third one, but I hope it’s less uneven.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, and Murder
qoutrot's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
annajfehr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, and Abandonment
lostwaterbottle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
There’s different flavors of alien sci fi. In this one, the aliens evolve with many of the same flaws of humanity. I find that hard to believe because is supposes a predisposition/nature of intelligent life for violence. From that perspective this reads more as a story using aliens to warn readers of the danger of right wing politics.
Some readers might feel there’s too much politics in this story, but I think the author is pretty accurate in imagining how the US would react to first contact. If immigrants at the border move us closer to authoritarianism and the government actively supports the genocide in Palestine, then of course that rhetoric would be used toward ETs.
I did appreciate the depiction of PTSD in Cora and what she was going through as a young person with a traumatic past. Her character felt real and believable to me. I’m disappointed that the sex between her and Kaveh when she was clearly distressed and not in the right headspace to give consent, was never addressed but we just moved past it. <\spoiler>
It was a little slow for me in the second half- I didn’t even tear up at the end tbh. I’m used to more dramatic and smutty books tho. If read the next one. I hope to see a redemption arc for Sol and Cora’s family. I’m also curious as to how humanity preps for meeting the superorganism.
Some readers might feel there’s too much politics in this story, but I think the author is pretty accurate in imagining how the US would react to first contact. If immigrants at the border move us closer to authoritarianism and the government actively supports the genocide in Palestine, then of course that rhetoric would be used toward ETs.
I did appreciate the depiction of PTSD in Cora and what she was going through as a young person with a traumatic past. Her character felt real and believable to me. I’m disappointed that
It was a little slow for me in the second half- I didn’t even tear up at the end tbh. I’m used to more dramatic and smutty books tho. If read the next one. I hope to see a redemption arc for Sol and Cora’s family. I’m also curious as to how humanity preps for meeting the superorganism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
Minor: Domestic abuse
bean_7088's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Oof... that was a rough one.
Wanna be sad about the human race? Wanna feel fairly hopless? This one is for you!
It does end on a hopeful note... but like that hopefulness is somewhat undercut by the way the character speakin treated.
This one had a lot of tense scenes I wanted to hide from. I had to stop a lot and explain what was going on to my roommate so I could get those jitters out. Like, a televised "discussion" between two different sides of the alien personhood debate. A hearing where unknown evidence comes up.
Anyways, it was still really good.
I'm not sure how I felt about Kaveh. And I'm not sure if it was how he was written or just his voice actor 😅 I'm sure the guy is normally fine, but the main voice actor Stephanie Willis is so incredible that switching to him is quite jarring.
Waring that Cora goes through a lot, this poor kid traumatized over and over. And Stephanie Willis will make you feel it. Listening to Cora's Panic attacks was very distressing.
The ending left on such a wild note I am excited to see where the 3rd book will go. Now I just have to wait 7 months 🥲
Wanna be sad about the human race? Wanna feel fairly hopless? This one is for you!
It does end on a hopeful note... but like that hopefulness is somewhat undercut by the way the character speakin treated.
This one had a lot of tense scenes I wanted to hide from. I had to stop a lot and explain what was going on to my roommate so I could get those jitters out. Like, a televised "discussion" between two different sides of the alien personhood debate. A hearing where unknown evidence comes up.
Anyways, it was still really good.
I'm not sure how I felt about Kaveh. And I'm not sure if it was how he was written or just his voice actor 😅 I'm sure the guy is normally fine, but the main voice actor Stephanie Willis is so incredible that switching to him is quite jarring.
Waring that Cora goes through a lot, this poor kid traumatized over and over. And Stephanie Willis will make you feel it. Listening to Cora's Panic attacks was very distressing.
The ending left on such a wild note I am excited to see where the 3rd book will go. Now I just have to wait 7 months 🥲
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt
Lindsay Ellis does a big Content Warning before everything starts. At least in the audio book.mikkiokko's review against another edition
dark
sad
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
However, the biggest problem for me in this book was Kaveh and Cora's relationships. I had a lot of problems with it. I understand that Kaveh is a flawed character and there are certain aspects about him that I do empathize with. But, I felt like much of the time he was too emotionally immature to be in a relationship with Cora, especially while she was struggling severely from PTSD and self-harming tendencies. He often neglected her feelings and well-being completely so that he could have sex with her all while having an insane savior complex. And look, when he got died at the hands of some psycho redneck fascist I did feel bad for him, but I also wished that instead of him dying being the exit of his character it would have been something more along the lines of Cora leaving him or them both leaving each other that way his serious flaws could've been acknowledged better. Instead it felt like much of that was glossed over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug abuse