Reviews

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez

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haylee_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective 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

5.0

Simon Jimenez has done it again! Well technically this is his debut, but still. The Vanished Birds was so incredibly lush in its world building. This book spans across centuries, planets, and galaxies. The world building is actually pretty easy to follow and I never felt bogged down with info dumping. The theme of found family runs deep and this was a love story of sorts. The characters in this book are deep and complex and filled with so much nuance. Jimenez shines with his storytelling and his ability to absolutely confuse and enthrall. I love love love love his books and I highly recommend.

debchan's review against another edition

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3.75

even if you hated the entire book, the last 6-7 pages made it worth it.

now i'm not a fan of space opera. i am, dare i say it, a hater in fact. i have no interest in space or the new world tech or leaping through space to other planets. but there is one thing that i do love about space opera stories and that's the human spirit. the encompassing vastness of space and the small humans that manage to bridge an entire universe by simply being human and loving someone. that i can get behind.

now i found this book difficult to read. it's not cohesive, sometimes you have no idea what simon jimenez is talking about and it's not BOOM exciting, must-turn-the-page action. it's slow, meandering and i can appreciate it i really can even though it's not my preference. because it fits the message and tone of the book. i just have difficulty when one paragraph is like a full page and it's just a gigantic block of text of description. to joke, there was a lot of yapping albeit meaningful and written very beautifully.

nia: she's so human. captain of the debby she often feels time slipping away from her as she constantly leaves people behind. no she's the definition of the indomitable human spirit bc she does NOT give up. and then she finds someone she can love again after losing so many times and he's worth it. and she can finally have a family again! and the way she doesn't let go of it, no matter what. she keeps looking after losing, refusing to give up. she's such a compelling main character.

ahro: born with a special talent that people want to use and exploit. he's had a harsh upbringing until he finds music and nia. with her, he finds someone who loves him unconditionally and protects him like no other. there's a moment where ahro does something kinda wrong and nia wants to be so mad at him but rather than yell, she just fiercely loves him. one of my favorite moments of the book! and that last bit, after years and years, after searching for each other for so long, trying to catch a note of their song between the universe, ahro who has been ripped apart and stitched back together finds the song.

fumiko: she was such a fun character to read about. a genius, she was the one who started this whole living and traveling in space idea. she's been kept alive for so long and her memories shape her. now she's not exactly good or gentle, but her actions were decisive and i was rooting for her. she had to leave the woman she genuinely loved behind for her work and lost her in the end. and yet she still chases dana - turning all her consorts into dana lookalikes. imagine even hundreds of years in the future and fumiko is still looking for dana in anything she can find. wow... i really like how her past catches up with her in moments and it all comes crashing down... so painful 🥲

ok one thing i didn't fully understand...

so fumiko was deemed a traitor by umbai which she lowky made in the first place. she mentioned how she was betrayed by the own birds she created. so wasn't she the like ruler, the almighty? was it just like a coup or was she just a VIP and the umbai leadership a separate entity? and i wasn't 100% sure on the details of the Quiet Ones who would snap ahro's bones. were they able to jaunt as well and were just really mean? like they were trying to flee the umbai.

i feel like i didn't get these answers bc i didn't read it in-depth but i think the worldbuilding is cool.

another just cool thing. love how nia's ship was named after her sister, deborah! i don't often see my name pop up in books! that's not like a rude old grandma or something. and umbai was located in malaysia (where i was born)! again, don't often see SE asia mentioned, especially malaysia (usually it's singapore for tech and stuff).

i am more of an action person but i know this was written beautifully and there were definitely things i missed. yeah, my eyes glazed over some parts and skipped sentences but there were certain passages that hit. the entire first chapter was so gripping i know everyone wanted the book to just be about the first chapter lol. i think even if you find this kinda boring, just stick through it because the ending IS worth it.