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ishara's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bizlet's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
I don't understand the hype about this book. The characters are flat and empty, there are huge info dumps that aren't interesting to take in, and the reveal is not interesting or exciting.
The game didn't make sense as a game and didn't from the beginning, there was no mystery to it, and it was oddly repetitive since the story wasn't chronological.
The ideas about humanity didn't feel novel to me. I appreciated the pressures there were to be politically safe, but I never understood the rules so I never felt tense or concerned for anyone.
I found the romantic interests shoe-horned in and it felt insulting to have a female character be competent in her role then immediately talk about the main character's attraction to her. This happened twice, which was obnoxious and again, not interesting!
This book was so hyped up, I'm really disappointed. I only finished it so I could leave a review with a rating and not DNF it.
The game didn't make sense as a game and didn't from the beginning, there was no mystery to it, and it was oddly repetitive since the story wasn't chronological.
The ideas about humanity didn't feel novel to me. I appreciated the pressures there were to be politically safe, but I never understood the rules so I never felt tense or concerned for anyone.
I found the romantic interests shoe-horned in and it felt insulting to have a female character be competent in her role then immediately talk about the main character's attraction to her. This happened twice, which was obnoxious and again, not interesting!
This book was so hyped up, I'm really disappointed. I only finished it so I could leave a review with a rating and not DNF it.
kamja's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
michaelesch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I first watched this story on Netflix. I had no idea it was a book. Once I found out, I went out and bought the book because I loved the TV Show. This story is different than the stories I typically read. It has the alien invasion, but from a completely different twist, along with murder, cult conspiracy, government secret agencies, virtual reality, hard sciences, and moral dilemmas.
The author is from China and the story had to be translated into English. This was my first time reading a novel from there. Normally, Asian stories are not initially interesting to me, because I think their culture is so foreign to my own, so it adds a layer of complexity to the story that I typically avoid, and that is definitely part of this book. There is parts of Chinese history and cultural references, I did not understand and had to look up. I found the names to be difficult to remember.
But with all of that I loved this story. I loved it even right after finishing the show. The book is different. The TV show added relationships to the story. This was a complexity that I did like as it was lacking in the story. But I would say it was not necessary because the plot of this story is so well done. Normally I am really looking for companionship of the characters, but this story was so good without it, that I did not care. I was super into it and had a hard time putting it down.
This is definitely going to be in my top 5 favorites of the year.
The author is from China and the story had to be translated into English. This was my first time reading a novel from there. Normally, Asian stories are not initially interesting to me, because I think their culture is so foreign to my own, so it adds a layer of complexity to the story that I typically avoid, and that is definitely part of this book. There is parts of Chinese history and cultural references, I did not understand and had to look up. I found the names to be difficult to remember.
But with all of that I loved this story. I loved it even right after finishing the show. The book is different. The TV show added relationships to the story. This was a complexity that I did like as it was lacking in the story. But I would say it was not necessary because the plot of this story is so well done. Normally I am really looking for companionship of the characters, but this story was so good without it, that I did not care. I was super into it and had a hard time putting it down.
This is definitely going to be in my top 5 favorites of the year.
redindisguise's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
max_pink's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 Stars
The stakes could not be higher in this utterly unhinged, very hard sci-fi novel. And yet I leave it feeling rather cold. Maybe this is a lost-in-translation issue, but this book is so emotionally distant from its characters. It seems to care far more about themes and science than people.
Is it technically proficient, with science that makes you feel like you're trying to solve an abstract puzzle? Yes. Will I probably forget 95% of it because I had no characters to latch onto? Also yes.
The stakes could not be higher in this utterly unhinged, very hard sci-fi novel. And yet I leave it feeling rather cold. Maybe this is a lost-in-translation issue, but this book is so emotionally distant from its characters. It seems to care far more about themes and science than people.
Is it technically proficient, with science that makes you feel like you're trying to solve an abstract puzzle? Yes. Will I probably forget 95% of it because I had no characters to latch onto? Also yes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
theredqueenlinnea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lucieleguay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5