A review by literarylion
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

Pros:
  • St. John Mandel is all-around good at what she does. 
  • Well-crafted and executed impeccably. No unsatisfying loose ends. 
  • Perfect pacing and length, unique concept. 
  • The character development is unreal. Even minor characters felt lived-in. 
Cons:
  • I'd like to see her expand into a different genre. She's excellent in her element, but her past three books have been very similar to each other (not to say that I found them tedious or derivative)
  • I don't think that this story needed to be 
    tied to The Glass Hotel
    . I can see how it might be satisfying to make that connection but it could easily stand alone. 
  • Maybe I've been reading too many pandemic-focused books, but the details of the 
    SARS 5 pandemic
    felt a bit tired--maybe too similar to COVID-19
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