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traa's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Death, Violence, War, Physical abuse, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Classism, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Abandonment, Child abuse, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Vomit
melodei3's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Grief, Torture, Addiction, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
lyzz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
What I particularly liked about this book:
- World building is imaginative and explores themes of racism, classism and homophobia.
- I loved that the author let us explore this world before diving into the main plot. The plot unfolds slowly and this allows us to immerse ourselves in this world.
- Interesting character development that is meaningful - especially in the Cara character.
- There were some interesting support characters like Gene and Del that are also well-developed and contribute meaningfully to the story.
- Cara's voice is strong in this book. She is a bit sarcastic, humorous, pragmatic, a little idealistic, and scrappy. I loved her.
I do want to emphasize that I would 100% recommend this book to someone looking for a science fiction read. I would caution them about listening on audiobook unless they have experience listening to SFF on audio and can follow a complex world with multiple characters. I definitely think this is a book I'll reread to capture some of the details I missed this go-round.
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Murder, and Drug abuse
Minor: Homophobia
omarickman's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Cara is a likable main character with some noticeable flaws. These flaws feel authentic and real. It allows you to really connect with her and understand where she's coming from. Cara feels well developed and rounded out. She's also deeply intersectional, layered, and dynamic in a refreshing way. With that being said, many of the side characters felt slightly underdeveloped. While the story is from Cara's point of view, I wanted more from the side characters in terms of their relationship with Cara. Overall, I enjoyed the characterization and character growth throughout the novel.
As the story progresses it becomes obvious that this is not just a Sci-Fi novel but also a mystery, thriller, and romance as well. I personally found the blend between all of these to be perfect. I adored the explorations of race, class, religion, and power, and the social commentary on modern-day, real-word issues. I only wish that the ending hadn't felt a little flat.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it!
Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Moderate: Drug abuse, Violence, Vomit, Death, Police brutality, Addiction, Classism, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Racism, and Religious bigotry
readerette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Minor: Racism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Child death, Classism, Drug use, Grief, Miscarriage, Murder, Death, Infidelity, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, and Child abuse
dmbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Colonisation, War, Racism, Domestic abuse, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Confinement
Minor: Drug use
emmagrace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Classism, Grief, Addiction, Car accident, Death, Drug use, Murder, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Gore, Death of parent, and Miscarriage
sequelmage's review
- 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
3.75
Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, and Drug use
banrions's review
- 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
I’m gonna be thinking about this book for fucking weeks. This is such a perfect amalgamation of things specifically designed to HURT ME and draw me into the story which i ducking devoured in like a day and a half. If I had had time, i would have read this in a single setting. I just… I don’t even know what to SAY yet about how I feel about this—I feel fucking everything. I adore Cara as a protagonist, she felt like a punch to the gut, a mirror held up at your worst and most uncomfortable moment, a tight almost painful hug, I just… I love her. I love her. I love her. I loved being inside of her head, I loved seeing her with her sister, with Dell, fighting against Nik Nik and Adra, and walking through the infinite worlds. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS BECAUSE IT HAS RENDERED ME PRETTY MUCH INCOHERENT.
So, bullet points:
-I fucking LOVE the way they bring in parallel universes to this. It is one of my favorite tropes and concepts to explore and I really love the way it was in this story.
-I shall reiterate, I LOVE CARA AS A PROTAGONIST
-I also fucking LOVE dell, and their relationship
-I also fucking ADORE Esther and the sister relationship with Cara.
-I love the exploration of class and capitalism and the environment that is peppered into this story about world hopping
-I love the prose in this. Several lines hit me like a gut punch, some of them made me groan out loud and then get yelled at by my mother, the single highest praise I can give.
I want to read everything this author ever writes and I want to read this book again about 8 million times.
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
taliahsbookshelf's review
- 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
The premise, the plot, the characters, all of it fits together in this super intricate way. It's easy to follow but it's not easy to anticipate what's coming next.
I can't pinpoint the exact moment when I was reading that I went "Oh, this is what good writing is," but I can tell you I knew it. The whole time, I was engaged with the plot, I was invested in the characters and their journey, and I was intrigued by all of the challenges. Every time I put it down to take a break or go for a walk or get a snack, I couldn't stop thinking about it. To me, that's a sign of good book. And this? This was definitely a good book.
Although there is some worldbuilding that I felt could have been expanded to make this a duology, Micaiah Johnson crafted a world that feels eerily realistic and having a simple standalone definitely worked out.
While this does contain a romance, it's not the main plot of the book, and only serves to further character development of everyone involved. That being said, though, I was invested in the romance and was rooting for it to work
I will let you know: This isn't a YA novel. Although it doesn't contain any graphic scenes, the messaging and the divide between good and evil are incredibly subtle, though very power. I think younger readers could pick this up and would absolutely enjoy it, but marketing it as anything other than an adult sci-fi would be disingenuous to Micaiah Johnson's writing.
Favorite quotes:
"Even worthless things can become valuable once they become rare."(5)
"Death can be senseless, but life never is."(191)
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Physical abuse