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tinyhands15's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was hard for me to finish, and I think I wanted it to be longer. I loved the concept and characters. Toward the end, though, neither of the main characters felt like they had enough time in the sun to fully ripen. I think there was a lot of unused potential in this story, and the result, for me, was feeling a rush to the conclusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse
shankargopal's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-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? Yes
4.25
I loved this book, and I look forward to reading it again later. Despite having scenes of bullying and cruelty it is a gentle book whose characters seem both real and caring themselves. The humour is beautifully done and also gentle in its own way. I went into this book expecting an ordinary experience and got a special one.
The only reason I didn't give this five stars is that there seems to be some inconsistencies in the plot and then also in one of the main characters, whose caring nature is emphasized by literally everyone but who at times seems to react to horrifying situations with an odd indifference (in particular there's another character who is cruel to her as a child, but who is then punished in horrific ways that don't seem to move our character very much). Other than that, as said, I loved it.
The only reason I didn't give this five stars is that there seems to be some inconsistencies in the plot and then also in one of the main characters, whose caring nature is emphasized by literally everyone but who at times seems to react to horrifying situations with an odd indifference (in particular there's another character who is cruel to her as a child, but who is then punished in horrific ways that don't seem to move our character very much). Other than that, as said, I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Child abuse
saucy_bookdragon's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
"Weirdness is value neutral."
All the Birbs in the Sky is an ambitious book with a unique premise that attempts to blend sci-fi and fantasy, but it fails to make it past the idea phase. I found the first third to be interesting as a super genius and witch befriended each other, I enjoyed their dynamic and how they learned about their abilities. The rest of the book felt like a completely different story with the apocalyptic focus that comes to sudden, giving whiplash. The characters are unmemorable, peaking in interest at the beginning of their arcs but devolving into blandness after the time jump. The prose is also bland but tries (and fails) to be poetic and profound.
And on the genre blend, sci-fi and fantasy have blurred lines between them, but to make the contradiction work you have to define what makes them so different. If your sci-fi has no basis in some sort of real theoretical science or a scientific thought experiment, then what makes it different from fantasy? It's the difference between Star Wars and Interstellar and Jurassic Park; the fantasy elements of Star Wars blend with the sci-fi because they are equally as plausible, but fantasy elements would have felt out of place in Interstellar since it has a basis in actual science and they'd be out of place in Jurassic Park because that's based in a scientific thought experiment.
This book would have been more interesting as a concept if it was more grounded sci-fi along with magic, but I don't see what actually makes Laurence's super-genius different from Patricia's witchcraft on a genre level. What makes this genre blend different from most superhero media where magic and this flavor of sci-fi coexist? Patricia's magic was a little more interesting. It was nature itself and I like the idea that you don't control magic/nature you coexist with it.
All the Birbs in the Sky is an ambitious book with a unique premise that attempts to blend sci-fi and fantasy, but it fails to make it past the idea phase. I found the first third to be interesting as a super genius and witch befriended each other, I enjoyed their dynamic and how they learned about their abilities. The rest of the book felt like a completely different story with the apocalyptic focus that comes to sudden, giving whiplash. The characters are unmemorable, peaking in interest at the beginning of their arcs but devolving into blandness after the time jump. The prose is also bland but tries (and fails) to be poetic and profound.
And on the genre blend, sci-fi and fantasy have blurred lines between them, but to make the contradiction work you have to define what makes them so different. If your sci-fi has no basis in some sort of real theoretical science or a scientific thought experiment, then what makes it different from fantasy? It's the difference between Star Wars and Interstellar and Jurassic Park; the fantasy elements of Star Wars blend with the sci-fi because they are equally as plausible, but fantasy elements would have felt out of place in Interstellar since it has a basis in actual science and they'd be out of place in Jurassic Park because that's based in a scientific thought experiment.
This book would have been more interesting as a concept if it was more grounded sci-fi along with magic, but I don't see what actually makes Laurence's super-genius different from Patricia's witchcraft on a genre level. What makes this genre blend different from most superhero media where magic and this flavor of sci-fi coexist? Patricia's magic was a little more interesting. It was nature itself and I like the idea that you don't control magic/nature you coexist with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Bullying
Moderate: Death, Child abuse, War, and Violence
cb1984's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The first act was pretty poor. It was just relentless bullying, one of the characters not really being sure about their powers and the other... sort of learning technology but not really? I didn't really feel like the lifelong friendship was really that believably established.
I probably enjoyed it a bit more after the first act. There were bits that felt rushed, but I enjoyed the character development, including the minor characters. But overall, my review is basically "Eh." It was fine. Nothing special. No idea why it was nominated for so many awards.
I probably enjoyed it a bit more after the first act. There were bits that felt rushed, but I enjoyed the character development, including the minor characters. But overall, my review is basically "Eh." It was fine. Nothing special. No idea why it was nominated for so many awards.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Bullying
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Drug use
ehmannky's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A slightly absurdist book following two young people dealing with loneliness and the trials and tribulations of becoming an adult and learning about being connected and communication. And one just happens to be a witch and one is a big of a mad scientist who both accidentally find themselves working for groups with eco-fascist bents. I thought that the plot ended up being a bit thin at the end, but I thought the character build up and the relationship between Patricia and Laurence made this a really enjoyable and delightful read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Death, Murder, Violence, and War
alienem's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Animal cruelty
walkie_check's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Confinement
Minor: Chronic illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, Body horror, Ableism, Deadnaming, and Abandonment
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Torture, and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Grief, Gore, Sexual content, War, Violence, and Body horror
Minor: Animal cruelty and Death of parent
groenling's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Some odd jumps in tone and plot at the beginning. Main plot point (nature vs. texhnology) and ending felt a bit trope-y. Still a fun read, and the charachters are well fleshed out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
shadestate's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This book was hard to read. So much bullying. So many technocentered decisions fucking up the environment even more. In many ways, it was too real. Including a Muskrat billionaire treating 80% of humanity and all of the other life on earth as expandable.
Got through the book by thinking of it as a horror novel. Would not recommend it to friends, as most of us are neurodivergent with a past of bullying, and don’t need to relive that hell again.
Got through the book by thinking of it as a horror novel. Would not recommend it to friends, as most of us are neurodivergent with a past of bullying, and don’t need to relive that hell again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Bullying
Minor: Forced institutionalization