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adj1920's review
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads makes this second best in the series so far (Middlegame was a strong 5 star read for me and Seasonal Fears was a weak 3 stars). Tidal Creatures has a plot that should be compelling- a moon goddess local to the UC Berkeley campus is killed. Her murder is actually one of a series going back years, and due to the nature of how moon gods are incarnated, it has gone unnoticed until now. The main characters are Judy, host to the Chinese moon goddess Chang'e, and Kelpie, a construct who escapes from one of the American Congress of Alchemy's labs.
I didn't particularly enjoy either of them, to be honest. Kelpie is childlike due to her sheltered existence and spends a lot of time whining about the turn her life has taken. Judy is remarkably anxious for a nearly immortal being, and projects that anxiety by trying to control everyone around her. Lots and lots of exposition follows. I appreciated the refresher because this series depends upon a lot of abstract concepts, but having skimmed back through Middlegame and Season Fears in preparation for this, it was obvious that basic concepts were being repeated ad nauseam.
There's a big cameo in this volume
Anyway, the murder isn't that hard to crack and I spotted the killer almost immediately. You'd think after all that build up the confrontation would be memorable but nope, we get the most surface level excuse for committing atrocities. The fact that we don't spend any time with the killer is another obvious tell that hurts the narrative. The reader doesn't really know this character, which makes it hard to care or muster any outrage or shock upon the reveal.
Once again I'm left wondering if Middlegame was just a perfect novel that should have been left to stand alone. It was just so good that it's hard for the sequels to measure up. I did read that two more volumes are planned, which is equal parts reassuring and worrying. Reassuring because I think that is the appropriate number of books to build to a satisfying conclusion. Worrying because after the Doctrine of Ethos, seasonal incarnates, and moon gods, I'm not sure what else is left to explore- it might be time to get a book from the perspective of one of the alchemists.
I didn't particularly enjoy either of them, to be honest. Kelpie is childlike due to her sheltered existence and spends a lot of time whining about the turn her life has taken. Judy is remarkably anxious for a nearly immortal being, and projects that anxiety by trying to control everyone around her. Lots and lots of exposition follows. I appreciated the refresher because this series depends upon a lot of abstract concepts, but having skimmed back through Middlegame and Season Fears in preparation for this, it was obvious that basic concepts were being repeated ad nauseam.
There's a big cameo in this volume
Spoiler
But even Roger and Dodger weren't enough to save this book. They were an unnecessary, but welcome cameo in Seasonal Fears. Here, it feels like they should have come in earlier. It seems uncharacteristic of them to be so casual about the havoc that the alchemists continue to wreak on the world, especially after all they did to save themselves. They are trying to live normal lives- Dodger works remotely for math and physics think tanks, Roger is a linguistics professor at UC Berkeley. Yet they have no idea about the moon goddesses even though they just got pulled into the world of seasonal incarnates. You'd think they'd have some kind of spidey sense for alchemical weirdness, but Erin (the embodiment of order) seems to be the one most involved in keeping an eye on potential threats.Anyway, the murder isn't that hard to crack and I spotted the killer almost immediately. You'd think after all that build up the confrontation would be memorable but nope, we get the most surface level excuse for committing atrocities. The fact that we don't spend any time with the killer is another obvious tell that hurts the narrative. The reader doesn't really know this character, which makes it hard to care or muster any outrage or shock upon the reveal.
Once again I'm left wondering if Middlegame was just a perfect novel that should have been left to stand alone. It was just so good that it's hard for the sequels to measure up. I did read that two more volumes are planned, which is equal parts reassuring and worrying. Reassuring because I think that is the appropriate number of books to build to a satisfying conclusion. Worrying because after the Doctrine of Ethos, seasonal incarnates, and moon gods, I'm not sure what else is left to explore- it might be time to get a book from the perspective of one of the alchemists.
giraffe9377's review against another edition
5.0
Oh how I missed the world, Rodger and Dodger… the magic…
paperback_cat's review against another edition
3.0
After the second book, Seasonal Fears, I went into this with a lot of FEAR that it wouldn't be good... but it was ok! Not great, but ok still feels like a win for this. I do wonder how I would feel about this if I could not compare it to Middlegame but I can't so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This is very slow but it does explore the concept of humans that are incarnations of different moon gods/goddesses in an interesting way.
p.s. I don't recommend the audiobook, maybe I would have enjoyed it better physically...
This is very slow but it does explore the concept of humans that are incarnations of different moon gods/goddesses in an interesting way.
p.s. I don't recommend the audiobook, maybe I would have enjoyed it better physically...
agathe_athena's review against another edition
4.0
With enough belief anything is possible, and with myths of lunar divinities all over the world, there are moon gods that manifest in order to lead the Moon over the sky of the Impossible City. But when a minor moon goddess is killed in the everything in-between, Chang’e wants to find who is responsible. Her search leads her to the Alchemists, who are still trying to gain access to the Impossible City. Their latest attempt with luring lunar deities, a construct meant to be a companion animal, has fled the lab, but she is trying to figure out who she really is and not just what they made her to be. Luckily the Doctrine of Ethos still resides in the city and might be able to help bring some order to the chaos.
This was a delightful continuation of this series, giving some nice fleshing out of the world with moon gods, but also has the return of Roger & Dodger. The world-building continues to be excellent with its explorations of folklore and anthropomorphism, and the characters are fun as they try to figure out who they are, not just what they were made to be. It does get a little expository at times, but that doesn’t ever feel like it impedes the pacing. The ending is a bit abrupt, but still really enjoyed it overall. Much happier with this book than the previous one. Looking forward to seeing where it goes next.
This was a delightful continuation of this series, giving some nice fleshing out of the world with moon gods, but also has the return of Roger & Dodger. The world-building continues to be excellent with its explorations of folklore and anthropomorphism, and the characters are fun as they try to figure out who they are, not just what they were made to be. It does get a little expository at times, but that doesn’t ever feel like it impedes the pacing. The ending is a bit abrupt, but still really enjoyed it overall. Much happier with this book than the previous one. Looking forward to seeing where it goes next.
mllocy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
bookalorian's review against another edition
3.0
The plot for this book really had me excited.
I had a huge problem with all the threads to the story. It was.... A LOT!
Too many POV to keep straight and I had to go back a few times because I missed stuff.
The character development was well done there was just so many characters and the tone didnt change much.
The ending was actually well worth the rest of the book and narration was well done!
3.5 stars
I had a huge problem with all the threads to the story. It was.... A LOT!
Too many POV to keep straight and I had to go back a few times because I missed stuff.
The character development was well done there was just so many characters and the tone didnt change much.
The ending was actually well worth the rest of the book and narration was well done!
3.5 stars
ithinktfiam's review against another edition
2.0
Sadly, I think I'm done with McGuire. Her early October Day and InCryptid stories were a combination of humor and drama that flowed smoothly. Then she got bored and too derivative. Day's ok but nothing special and I gave up on InCryptids.
This one is about tension between avatars of gods, focused on lunar gods, and alchemists. She spends far too much time to build a very dull world and the alchemists are major stereotypes. I couldn't get to page 200. I might read more Day, but I'm done with the rest.
This one is about tension between avatars of gods, focused on lunar gods, and alchemists. She spends far too much time to build a very dull world and the alchemists are major stereotypes. I couldn't get to page 200. I might read more Day, but I'm done with the rest.
netterknitter's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I like that Roger and Dodger don’t have to be the main characters in every book in the series. I love Seanan’s world building.
marziesreads's review
5.0
Spending more time with Rodger and Dodger is always wonderful. And Kelpie come live with me any time.
greysonk's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75