samusiamus's review
2.0
I needed something to read on a two and a half hour flight and I read about 4 to 5 chapters of this and had to stop. I just wasn't understanding what was going on and I found myself not really caring about the characters, or even being that interested in who they were. Everything felt like I was walking into the middle of the story and I just kept feeling lost, and that's not the best way to introduce readers into the world you're trying to build.
Like others have mentioned, I wonder if translation is something to blame for the absence of "pull" the story has or if it's just a case of bad writing.
Like others have mentioned, I wonder if translation is something to blame for the absence of "pull" the story has or if it's just a case of bad writing.
julia_rhys's review
4.0
The Capital
This book was pretty good! I didn't know what was going on half the time and I think that was intentional so we bond with the narrator. By the end, most things were solved and I understood. I liked the concept as well, it's a new idea of story and I enjoyed the exploration.
This book was pretty good! I didn't know what was going on half the time and I think that was intentional so we bond with the narrator. By the end, most things were solved and I understood. I liked the concept as well, it's a new idea of story and I enjoyed the exploration.
spoke's review
2.0
The love child of John Fowles and David Lynch but with none of their positive qualities, just the nightmares.
rosehelen's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
amy_loves_books's review
2.0
I should mention that I received a copy of this book free as a part of Amazon Kindle's First Reads.
I had a hard time engaging in this book and understanding what was going on. I thought this book would talk more about the latecomers and what happened to them, etc. Instead, it was more of a murder mystery. Just an ok book, mostly due to the fact that its description really didn't match the plot and the plot was confusing and hard to follow at times.
I had a hard time engaging in this book and understanding what was going on. I thought this book would talk more about the latecomers and what happened to them, etc. Instead, it was more of a murder mystery. Just an ok book, mostly due to the fact that its description really didn't match the plot and the plot was confusing and hard to follow at times.
nikkigee81's review against another edition
2.0
What the hell did I just read?
This book was a freebie from Amazon, during their annual World Book day or what have you, and this author seems to be known in her home country of Bulgaria for science-fiction stories.
There are some science-fiction concepts here, but also a murder mystery (with a multiple body count), some physics jargon, a native folk tale, abnormal psychology, and some other stuff. Dear book, what would you like to be? Because right now, you're just a hot mess.
As I do every time I read a book originally published in another language, I have to wonder, how much can be laid at the feet of the translator? I have no knowledge of Bulgarian, so I do not know how easy it is to translate to English, and if perhaps, some cultural differences or idioms do not come across well.
I wouldn't waste time with this one.
This book was a freebie from Amazon, during their annual World Book day or what have you, and this author seems to be known in her home country of Bulgaria for science-fiction stories.
There are some science-fiction concepts here, but also a murder mystery (with a multiple body count), some physics jargon, a native folk tale, abnormal psychology, and some other stuff. Dear book, what would you like to be? Because right now, you're just a hot mess.
As I do every time I read a book originally published in another language, I have to wonder, how much can be laid at the feet of the translator? I have no knowledge of Bulgarian, so I do not know how easy it is to translate to English, and if perhaps, some cultural differences or idioms do not come across well.
I wouldn't waste time with this one.
ntrlycrly's review against another edition
3.0
Got this book via a free Kindle promotion. Reminded me of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" with a a fantasy/futuristic twist to it. Seemed a bit disjointed in some places but this was an English translation of a Bulgarian work.
br00k3a133n's review
1.0
Noooooo, sorry. While this had some interesting ideas with some of the multiverse and mythical stuff, both the translation and the characters left a bad taste in my mouth. All of my highlights and notes for this book were from being exasperated because of something the main character did, thought, or said.
Maybe I should have put this into my DNF, but it was such a fast read that I didn't see the harm in at least reading all the ...twists(?) near the latter half of the book.
Maybe I should have put this into my DNF, but it was such a fast read that I didn't see the harm in at least reading all the ...twists(?) near the latter half of the book.
sparrow843's review against another edition
2.0
What did I just read? I'm serious--this book was bewildering. There are good ideas and some good premises here, but multiple plot twists per page get old fast, and I was pretty much slogging through the last third. I wonder if something was (literally) lost in translation. Can't recommend.