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anjasshelf's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Gore, Murder, Cursing, Body horror, War, and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence
Minor: Sexual assault and Adult/minor relationship
patchworkbunny's review
4.0
Rosewater is a bustling city and its mayor, Jack Jaques, wants to declare independence from Nigeria. Whilst Kaaro is retired, Aminat still works for S45 who are trying to find ways to separate the xenoforms from the people. But something's going on with the dome, Anthony is ailing and a mysterious plant has arrived in town.
I was so excited to revisit Rosewater and this second book doesn't disappoint! There are some new characters thrown into the mix as well as familiar faces. Alyssa wakes up one morning with no memory of who she is, her husband or daughter. She could almost be another person entirely. It's not hard to come to the conclusion that the aliens have started the next phase of their invasion.
Eric is a sensitive who managed to avoid the cull, and now he's been sent to kill the mayor of Rosewater before he causes too much trouble. Kaaro plays a much smaller part in this book but is still around. Everyone's better informed about the aliens now, so he can't just pop into the xenosphere for everything. He finds ways though.
The mayor's wife is campaigning for rights for the reanimates... or differently animated. Jack has bigger things to worry about, like a possible war with Nigeria over their status. Plus the alien dome looks sickly and people aren't healing so well. What does Rosewater have to offer if not the health benefits of the dome?
I wasn't so keen on the chapters from Walter, the author. Some of them are "extracts" from his novels set in Rosewater and others are his account of events as he was hired to do. I'm not sure this added that much to the narrative or world-building and it took me away from the action.
S45 still wants to rid the world of the alien presence and save humankind... But maybe there's a different solution? One beneficial for all. Tade Thompson does a great job of balancing the position of the aliens versus humans. At first they are benevolent, helping cure people. Then at the end of Rosewater, it's revealed they're in the midst of a slow invasion, which continues here. Yet the alien plant suddenly seems like more of a threat. Maybe it's the choice of host the plant chooses, a thoroughly unlikable character.
I was so excited to revisit Rosewater and this second book doesn't disappoint! There are some new characters thrown into the mix as well as familiar faces. Alyssa wakes up one morning with no memory of who she is, her husband or daughter. She could almost be another person entirely. It's not hard to come to the conclusion that the aliens have started the next phase of their invasion.
Eric is a sensitive who managed to avoid the cull, and now he's been sent to kill the mayor of Rosewater before he causes too much trouble. Kaaro plays a much smaller part in this book but is still around. Everyone's better informed about the aliens now, so he can't just pop into the xenosphere for everything. He finds ways though.
The mayor's wife is campaigning for rights for the reanimates... or differently animated. Jack has bigger things to worry about, like a possible war with Nigeria over their status. Plus the alien dome looks sickly and people aren't healing so well. What does Rosewater have to offer if not the health benefits of the dome?
I wasn't so keen on the chapters from Walter, the author. Some of them are "extracts" from his novels set in Rosewater and others are his account of events as he was hired to do. I'm not sure this added that much to the narrative or world-building and it took me away from the action.
S45 still wants to rid the world of the alien presence and save humankind... But maybe there's a different solution? One beneficial for all. Tade Thompson does a great job of balancing the position of the aliens versus humans. At first they are benevolent, helping cure people. Then at the end of Rosewater, it's revealed they're in the midst of a slow invasion, which continues here. Yet the alien plant suddenly seems like more of a threat. Maybe it's the choice of host the plant chooses, a thoroughly unlikable character.
unhappygilmore's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
wearyreader'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
4.0
marta0r's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
willowwitch's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hank's review
5.0
Wonderfully weird with a ton of ideas packed into the book. 4.5 stars rounded up, Tade is stuffing so many pieces into the story it can be hard to keep up sometimes. Girl power! Aminat, Femi, Lora all rock! Femi's character arc is fascinating to me, I find myself alternately cheering for her and loathing her and am completely uncertain where my final emotion will land at the end of the trilogy. Very unusual, I tend to make quick judgments and stick to them. I will definitely read the third book when it comes out.
shellbellbell's review
4.0
This book is better than the first one, only because it's no longer narrated by Kaaro. Multiple character POVs are involved, and the story is improved by that choice. Now that I'm no longer distracted by how unlikable the first person narrator is, I can actually appreciate this unique take on alien invasion in a foreign-to-me setting.It's action-y, intriguing, a page-turner. A fun read. I can see it being adapted to a movie or TV series one day. And in general I wholeheartedly support spec fic set in Lagos or anywhere else on the African continent. More please!
suzemo's review
3.0
I'm never quite sure if I should call this post apocalyptic or dystopian, but here we are.
Second book in the Rosewater trilogy, one definitely needs to read Rosewater before moving onto Insurrection. The first novel's main character, Kaaro, largely takes a back seat in this novel. The storyline is more linear, more traditional, and more action-sci/fi (I think).
It's told through a few third person viewpoints - Aminat (Kaaro's live in girlfriend and best character in the series, I think) takes up most of it. There's Jack, who is the "mayor" of Rosewater, before declaring it a city-state and going to war with Nigeria. There's Alyssa, who is a resident of Rosewater who gets subsumed by the alien... mind? consciousness? form? and there's a writer, who seems to exist for info-dumps in the latter part of the book.
Honestly? I did not like this one as much as Rosewater. It does continue the story of both the city and the alien life force/form and continues to tell the story. I would throw in a content warning, because Thompson's writing is just as gritty and rough here as anywhere else I've read it - and there are descriptions of rape, violence (necklacing, in particular) that someone more sensitive might want to stay away from, but over all, it was a solid book.
I'll definitely see where the story ends with the last in the trilogy, but this just dragged a little long for me, and I will not be jumping straight to Redemption until I've had a little... palate cleansing.
Second book in the Rosewater trilogy, one definitely needs to read Rosewater before moving onto Insurrection. The first novel's main character, Kaaro, largely takes a back seat in this novel. The storyline is more linear, more traditional, and more action-sci/fi (I think).
It's told through a few third person viewpoints - Aminat (Kaaro's live in girlfriend and best character in the series, I think) takes up most of it. There's Jack, who is the "mayor" of Rosewater, before declaring it a city-state and going to war with Nigeria. There's Alyssa, who is a resident of Rosewater who gets subsumed by the alien... mind? consciousness? form? and there's a writer, who seems to exist for info-dumps in the latter part of the book.
Honestly? I did not like this one as much as Rosewater. It does continue the story of both the city and the alien life force/form and continues to tell the story. I would throw in a content warning, because Thompson's writing is just as gritty and rough here as anywhere else I've read it - and there are descriptions of rape, violence (necklacing, in particular) that someone more sensitive might want to stay away from, but over all, it was a solid book.
I'll definitely see where the story ends with the last in the trilogy, but this just dragged a little long for me, and I will not be jumping straight to Redemption until I've had a little... palate cleansing.
livelywormy32's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0