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lost_keys's review
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Vandermeer’s prose is so chewy and toothsome, and his characters are so human and strange.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Animal death and Torture
bookmaxxing's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
woah. this book rules
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Death, Violence, and Body horror
Minor: Sexual content and Cannibalism
TW: many many bugs and insect horrorsannenichols's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
I think I really enjoyed this. At first, I wasn't sure I liked the voice (meaning the tone - I read this with my eyes, not audio). I think it calmed down a bit, or it grew on me. The start is very, very weird - stick with it. The relationship between Rachel and Borne was so beautiful - a stunning reflection on motherhood . Borne is a fascinating character.
The atmosphere was so tense; I stayed up so late reading it. The protagonistis in constant danger , which makes the book fast-paced and exciting.
The book requires quite the suspension of disbelief because the scifi isn't really explained or sensical. I usually prefer things to make sense, but accepting the world at face value was worth it for the story and the thoroughly rendered sense of place. The world is very well-woven if you accept the premise.
There were some good plot twists. The ending was somewhathappy, which I appreciated .
The dystopian features of how humanity destroyed itself were interesting as well.
The atmosphere was so tense; I stayed up so late reading it. The protagonist
The book requires quite the suspension of disbelief because the scifi isn't really explained or sensical. I usually prefer things to make sense, but accepting the world at face value was worth it for the story and the thoroughly rendered sense of place. The world is very well-woven if you accept the premise.
There were some good plot twists. The ending was somewhat
The dystopian features of how humanity destroyed itself were interesting as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
mementomoriiv's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Animal cruelty
mes0pelagic_fan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I don't know if I enjoyed reading this book, but I think it's amazing and I want to make everyone in my life read it so I have people to share it with. It's so well done, and by turns sweet and hopeful and gruesome and disturbing. The real meat of the story is a mother's journey to reconcile the truth of the world with the haunting lie of memory, both in the context of her relationship with her freakish squid shapeshifting and unwillingly murderous child as he grows up and becomes his own person and also her violent toxicly apocalyptic home that she shares with her mind-altering-biotech/drug-dealing boyfriend who keeps things from her. The idea that life can really only mean something because it ends underpins the emotional crux of this story and contextualizes both the pain and joy of life, taken to wild extremes in this devastatingly brutal story.
I had a hunch things would end upbeing crushing but also hopeful and I was rewarded with such a plausible vision of Rachel and the city's future! Her in the renovated balcony cliffs with Wick and the children who could be what she wanted, more than Borne could be, but not any less loved literally made me crazy. She literally is breaking generational cycles!!!!! keeping the horror of her life from those kids and letting them think she hadn't suffered enough to become hardened when she suffered enough to become kind by realizing that life doesn't mean anything when you're just surviving, and that to be a person you have to do more than that. And Bourne's happy ending-- so much reduced but exactly what he wanted, to be back home in the Balcony Cliffs with Rachel and Wick, made me want to cry.
Annihilation may be the scariest movie I can remember seeing in my life, but this book takes that unforgettable freak bear and made me feel grateful to be alive.
Also, this author is obsessed with bears.
I had a hunch things would end up
Annihilation may be the scariest movie I can remember seeing in my life, but this book takes that unforgettable freak bear and made me feel grateful to be alive.
Also, this author is obsessed with bears.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
toastrats's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Chronic illness and Animal cruelty
msawyer77's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Blood, Body horror, Child death, and Death
ranas_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I don't really know how to review this book. It was weird, beautiful, disastrous, and horrifying. I didn't really like any of the characters, especially Rachel, and I didn't understand her fascination with Borne. Everything at the end was very disorienting and confusing. Not much was explained, not about the before, not about the after, so there is a bit of mystery that remained unsolved. But it was a fun read and a good ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
bedtimesnack's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Confinement, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Child death, Cannibalism, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
gogol's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, Violence, Grief, and War