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eviethebookworm's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A solid science fiction murder mystery! Attack on Titan meets Sherlock Holmes meets Star Trek.
I do however have a major gripe with Rob’s use of the adjective ‘queer’ throughout the book. Especially considering there’s LGBTQIA+ representation, there’s certainly an awareness as to the connotations of using it as a way to describe strangeness. I would have rated this novel higher had there been more care during editing to whittle it out of the manuscript more (because I KNOW that there would have been so many more instances of it).
But alas, it cropped up seven times in the span of 170 pages or so. And that’s only after I got annoyed enough to start marking them!
I do however have a major gripe with Rob’s use of the adjective ‘queer’ throughout the book. Especially considering there’s LGBTQIA+ representation, there’s certainly an awareness as to the connotations of using it as a way to describe strangeness. I would have rated this novel higher had there been more care during editing to whittle it out of the manuscript more (because I KNOW that there would have been so many more instances of it).
But alas, it cropped up seven times in the span of 170 pages or so. And that’s only after I got annoyed enough to start marking them!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Body horror
Moderate: Gore and Classism
Minor: Vomit and Drug abuse
mar's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.5
OKAY. BANGER
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Death, and Gore
elizabeth_lepore's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism and Bullying
lbelow's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
4.75
An excellent book and a compelling start to a new series! I'm not often one for Sherlock/Watson duos because a lot of authors take that kind of "smart" to mean "callous". And there's no denying that the Sherlockian character in this book is weird AF (and I suspect on the autism spectrum due to her sensory issues), but she also does things like take the time to check in with Din after he's had a near-death experience. The other thing I loved: the disability rep. Din is dyslexic and that reflects in how he navigates the world as well as the workarounds he comes up with to capture information.
This world is just as weird and unique as its main characters. And it's introduced with just enough finesse for the aspects of the world explored to tie back to the plot. As for that plot, some of the twists I guessed, and at least one important piece I did not. With the way that information is presented in this book, that makes me excited to reread this and pick up on the clues I missed during the first pass.
I recommend this book and will be searching out more by this author!
This world is just as weird and unique as its main characters. And it's introduced with just enough finesse for the aspects of the world explored to tie back to the plot. As for that plot, some of the twists I guessed, and at least one important piece I did not. With the way that information is presented in this book, that makes me excited to reread this and pick up on the clues I missed during the first pass.
I recommend this book and will be searching out more by this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Cursing, Blood, Ableism, Body horror, Murder, Gore, Sexual harassment, and Mental illness
Minor: Drug use
micheala's review against another edition
4.5
I picked this up having enjoyed The Founders Trilogy previously. Plus a fantasy murder mystery sounded like it could be a fun time.
Ana and Din gave me Sherlock/Watson vibes, but not quite as far, with Ana's conclusions being easier to follow. But as someone who doesn't commonly read mysteries I'm not comfortable saying if it's a "fair" mystery, as I'm just along for the ride and never trying to figure it out first.
Bennett does fantastic worldbuilding, and this was no exception. I'm really excited to get more answers about the world in future books. I do wish we had gotten a little more information about the different races in this book.
Ana and Din gave me Sherlock/Watson vibes, but not quite as far, with Ana's conclusions being easier to follow. But as someone who doesn't commonly read mysteries I'm not comfortable saying if it's a "fair" mystery, as I'm just along for the ride and never trying to figure it out first.
Bennett does fantastic worldbuilding, and this was no exception. I'm really excited to get more answers about the world in future books. I do wish we had gotten a little more information about the different races in this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Body horror, Death, Murder, Police brutality, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
nightstitch96's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Murder
Moderate: Violence and Blood
Minor: Ableism and Classism
saltycoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
mariakureads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
My first favorite read of the year!!!
This was just fun from the first paragraph! It was fast, action-filled, and full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.
The dialogue is fast-paced, well-written, and witty. I was in love with the first-person POV of Din, the "Watson" to Ana, the "Holmes" if you will of this mystery thriller, they have such an interesting dynamic, which I loved as he's her apprentice and so about the book vs her more dynamic vibe that I can't get over how much I loved reading about her from his perspective because there's just so much truth coming across that she feels real.
Bennett's use of language to create the world's, characters, backstory, and tension was atmospheric and his choice of the first person POV gave, me the reader, a front seat to what Din saw and experienced and I love that feeling.
I didn't know what to expect as this is my first read from this author but not my last! I need to know what else Ana and Din get themselves into as Ana is still very much a mystery as she was at the beginning of the book, actually more so.
This was just fun from the first paragraph! It was fast, action-filled, and full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.
The dialogue is fast-paced, well-written, and witty. I was in love with the first-person POV of Din, the "Watson" to Ana, the "Holmes" if you will of this mystery thriller, they have such an interesting dynamic, which I loved as he's her apprentice and so about the book vs her more dynamic vibe that I can't get over how much I loved reading about her from his perspective because there's just so much truth coming across that she feels real.
Bennett's use of language to create the world's, characters, backstory, and tension was atmospheric and his choice of the first person POV gave, me the reader, a front seat to what Din saw and experienced and I love that feeling.
I didn't know what to expect as this is my first read from this author but not my last! I need to know what else Ana and Din get themselves into as Ana is still very much a mystery as she was at the beginning of the book, actually more so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Death, and Body horror
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Animal death
korpney's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Classism, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content
blewballoon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was my first time reading Robert Jackson Bennett, but I've heard lots of good things about their writing. This didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed the "biopunk" universe where technology was based on plants and biology. I liked Dinios Kol and Ana Dolabra very much, which I had been a little worried about before reading. They charmed me quickly and I enjoyed their conversations. I wasn't really trying to solve the mystery, but I did manage to put together some pieces for myself before the reveals. When I talked about it with my friend, they said that sometimes fantasy mysteries are a bit easier to solve because the author has to explain how the world works, and what they are required to point out and explain for things to make sense tends to be relevant to solving the mystery. I listened to this on audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job, but I do think it made it a little harder for me to follow all the unusual names and keep things straight. With regards to content warnings, there is a fair amount of body horror and gore, but (extremely mild spoiler) there was one weird gross sexual scene that I'm not sure how to accurately content warn about. I'll file it under Sexual Harassment I suppose? I found that scene unsettling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Classism, Ableism, and Drug use