A review by dorhastings
All the Birds in the Sky, by Charlie Jane Anders
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
2.0
I am really struggling to figure out how I feel about this book. I don't think I'm going to have a lot to say about it, honestly, in part because I feel like I just didn't get it.
I also just genuinely did not enjoy the reading of this book. I marked it as science fiction (which was in part why I read the book; I vaguely remember looking for recommendations for newer scifi and this popping up), which means I will probably need to work to pay more attention. I can't read scifi at night. Granted, this book has won fantasy awards, but there are at least some pretty scifi elements to it. Anyway. I did like the blend of magic and science, although even the book was quite elusive when tying down what magic actually is.
The first half of the book felt like forever. I was determined to finish the book, but it would have been that much harder if that first section had continued on. Even then, not a lot of this book made sense to me. It was entirely too easy for me to put this book down. The plot felt very weird to me, but not in a super engaging way.
I did end up liking Patricia and Laurence quite a bit by the end, mostly because of how their relationship shifted over time. I appreciated how honest they were with each other, and how they dedicated a lot to each other. I found myself especially liking Patricia. As she got older, there was a whole list of reasons for people to not approve of her, and in the end she saw what they were saying, but I didn't really like it.
I feel like this is one of those books where you love it or you don't. It just didn't do it for me, but I know quite a few folks really like it.
I also just genuinely did not enjoy the reading of this book. I marked it as science fiction (which was in part why I read the book; I vaguely remember looking for recommendations for newer scifi and this popping up), which means I will probably need to work to pay more attention. I can't read scifi at night. Granted, this book has won fantasy awards, but there are at least some pretty scifi elements to it. Anyway. I did like the blend of magic and science, although even the book was quite elusive when tying down what magic actually is.
The first half of the book felt like forever. I was determined to finish the book, but it would have been that much harder if that first section had continued on. Even then, not a lot of this book made sense to me. It was entirely too easy for me to put this book down. The plot felt very weird to me, but not in a super engaging way.
I did end up liking Patricia and Laurence quite a bit by the end, mostly because of how their relationship shifted over time. I appreciated how honest they were with each other, and how they dedicated a lot to each other. I found myself especially liking Patricia. As she got older, there was a whole list of reasons for people to not approve of her, and in the end she saw what they were saying, but I didn't really like it.
I feel like this is one of those books where you love it or you don't. It just didn't do it for me, but I know quite a few folks really like it.