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orange_flower's reviews
123 reviews
Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
I would have loved this to be a longer story in a series
The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere by John Chu
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
HELLOOO WHERE IS THE REST OF THE STORY !!! GIVE IT TO ME PLEASE
The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil
1.0
The author is delusional at best and a terrible researcher at worst. Even his initial premise of researchers underestimating the rate of scientific and technological progress falls apart immediately. He makes the claim that researchers are pessimists and cannot accurately predict growth rates, but also that humans will practically be cyborg by 2030. So the scientists are smart enough to create this grand technology but can't estimate the time it will take? It simply doesn't make sense.
Asserting that humanity's progress is exponential is also laughable, as this is true for maybe a small percentage of tech, and there is barely any proof provided that a singularity would follow such a trend.
Considering that most of Kurzweil's predictions have not come true, I can safely say that this book is not worth reading. It has been 20 years since the book was published, and neither nanotechnology nor AI is at the level that he describes for a singularity to occur. DNF due to how underdeveloped and scientifically inaccurate the arguments were.
Asserting that humanity's progress is exponential is also laughable, as this is true for maybe a small percentage of tech, and there is barely any proof provided that a singularity would follow such a trend.
Considering that most of Kurzweil's predictions have not come true, I can safely say that this book is not worth reading. It has been 20 years since the book was published, and neither nanotechnology nor AI is at the level that he describes for a singularity to occur. DNF due to how underdeveloped and scientifically inaccurate the arguments were.
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The premise was interesting, but the writing seemed to get weaker towards the second half. While I don't begrudge the author for discarding scientific accuracy to focus on the other themes, the disregard for character accuracy is concerning.
Comparisons to Westworld are blasphemous, as the plot is nowhere as expansive or well thought out. The most mundane and predictable things are framed as thrilling plot twists and the characters react to them as such, making all of them seem uber dramatic. Evelyn in particular has no excuse for being surprised by these "twists"/missing as much as she did, as she's supposed to be a literal scientist with national funding and awards to her name.
Overall, it's an interesting concept, but the author's writing could use a lot more work. The science of cloning is not supposed to be a main focus of the book, but that doesn't justify the repetitive writing or how uncompelling every character is.
Comparisons to Westworld are blasphemous, as the plot is nowhere as expansive or well thought out. The most mundane and predictable things are framed as thrilling plot twists and the characters react to them as such, making all of them seem uber dramatic. Evelyn in particular has no excuse for being surprised by these "twists"/missing as much as she did, as she's supposed to be a literal scientist with national funding and awards to her name.
Overall, it's an interesting concept, but the author's writing could use a lot more work. The science of cloning is not supposed to be a main focus of the book, but that doesn't justify the repetitive writing or how uncompelling every character is.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
This would be the perfect prequel to a 5 book series called "Bod Owens: Vampire Helper" 😪
The Tetradome Run by Spencer Baum
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.75
This is a decent story with interesting concepts, but not worth reading due to the cliffhanger at the end. While the novel is marketed as dystopian, it doesn't quite feel that way because of how unrealistic the actual run portions are. The plot "twists" are also quite predictable and not as clever as the author thinks they are.
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This is so cute, perfect for 4-9 year olds, but I really enjoyed it as an adult too. Concepts such as death and autonomy are discussed, but they are handled elegantly and in a manner appropriate for a children's story. It's definitely not too "mature" or "dark" just because it has themes about the realities of life.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I can see why some might find it a bit long and slow, but I really enjoyed the incorporation of so many mythologies in this story. There was always something interesting to think about even in the slower chapters.
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5