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mrsdragon's review against another edition
3.0
I think this book was supposed to be an exploration of memory--how it makes us who we are, how we change when we lose it, etc.
Instead, it read a little oddly. There is an exciting adventure investigating "junk" at the beginning of the book, a morose middle, then we get back to the "junk", and then the book ends. I would have preferred a book about the junk and it's capabilities. Or a more nuanced study of memory. Still the book is a quick read with characters familiar from the earlier books.
Instead, it read a little oddly. There is an exciting adventure investigating "junk" at the beginning of the book, a morose middle, then we get back to the "junk", and then the book ends. I would have preferred a book about the junk and it's capabilities. Or a more nuanced study of memory. Still the book is a quick read with characters familiar from the earlier books.
una_10bananas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
neilsef's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
This book is different from the first two, insofar as the tone of the writing does not have the same whimsical charm, this is primarily down to the fact that in the first two novels, Killashandra is relatively new to Crystal Singing, whereas in this novel she has been doing it long enough that she is suffering from the effects the Crystals have on a Singer's memory as well as the emotional and psychological problems that can cause.
Both the emotional and psychological stress, combined with the consequences memory loss can bring, form a major theme of this novel, which together with the wonderful characters and an interesting plot, make this a captivating read, with an unexpectedly tense and emotionally charged ending.
Both the emotional and psychological stress, combined with the consequences memory loss can bring, form a major theme of this novel, which together with the wonderful characters and an interesting plot, make this a captivating read, with an unexpectedly tense and emotionally charged ending.
feoh's review against another edition
4.0
I definitely enjoyed this book. There are undoubtedly some aspects to the story that make people such as myself living in the modern world realize just how much things have changed (particularly the depiction of gender roles in sci-fi) but I never let that get in the way of my enjoying a good story.
The plot moves briskly, the characters are vibrantly fleshed out and interesting, and the story doesn't try too hard to be an epic for all time or anything like that.
This is good, eminently readable, entertaining science fiction, and I appreciate that.
The plot moves briskly, the characters are vibrantly fleshed out and interesting, and the story doesn't try too hard to be an epic for all time or anything like that.
This is good, eminently readable, entertaining science fiction, and I appreciate that.
librarygirlreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
aurora69006's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
felinity's review against another edition
3.0
My least favorite of all the Crystal Singer books, I'm still compelled to read it each time I re-read the other two, as we see Killashandra's arrogance make her just like Borella: dismissive, deliberately forgetful, and uncaring. I think that's actually the reason I don't like it - because I hate to see characters change in negative ways - but in many ways that was McCaffrey's intent, to help the reader feel the same emotions as the support staff and others who actually remember!
treasuressecret's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
kjboldon's review against another edition
3.0
This book starts and finishes strong, has a terrible cover and is a hot mess in the middle but probably not for the reasons some might think. Killa behaves very badly in the middle, but that was entertaining to me. She is a damaged diva and fun for me to read. What wasn't was the terrible writing (so much chuckling, how many timea was the word dork used?), the sudden appearance and overuse of a religious epithet not used in either prior book, the timeline that felt completely wonky yet I dont want to go back to provide receipts (17 years seemed to get lost), woefully underdeveloped characters, one storyline that gets completely dropped, all of which highlighted the deficits in the world building that ought to have been addressed much earlier in the series, things like communications, cutter claims, thrall, fuel.... Also, this is so boringly cis, with a bi villain in book 2 and only the possibility of same sex love at the very end of this one! Dated as all get out. Still, a strong conclusion, interesting look at memory problems in singers, the problems inherent in a long term relationship, crystal more overt as addiction, and an ending that opened up some interesting avenues that were never followed up on, alas.