Scan barcode
haleyy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
katerintree's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
jaynamihalick's review against another edition
4.0
Holy! This book definitely surprised me in that I didn’t know what to expect from it, but it ended up being great. Such a chaotic premise that totally took me to another world. However, there was so many childhood sexual assault references, which were important to understanding the true injustices on the ship, but also took me by surprise.
Overall, a great read!
Overall, a great read!
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
Pre-Review:
"An Unkindness of Ghosts will appeal to a broad audience, including fans of books such as The Magicians by Lev Grossman, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Cold Magic by Kate Elliott, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead, and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel."
I find it HILARIOUS how many of those books I've read and how out of 4 books I have read, the average rating is about 2.5 stars. I've only just past the halfway mark, but I'm fairly confident this will end up being either a 2 or 3 star book as well.
"An Unkindness of Ghosts will appeal to a broad audience, including fans of books such as The Magicians by Lev Grossman, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Cold Magic by Kate Elliott, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead, and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel."
I find it HILARIOUS how many of those books I've read and how out of 4 books I have read, the average rating is about 2.5 stars. I've only just past the halfway mark, but I'm fairly confident this will end up being either a 2 or 3 star book as well.
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
3.0
Bullet Review:
A gritty, at times unpleasant book that I contemplated quitting but just at the tipping point, I was invested enough to complete - and then Real Life prevented me from finishing sooner.
This is Antebellum South in Space. This book challenges the definitions of man, woman, in between. Is Aster female? Is she trans? Is Theo trans? Ultimately, it doesn’t matter.
This book also gives voice to the neurodivergent, the ones who puzzle over social cues and read too much into everything - or read too little into everything.
At the end of the day, this was a bit more serious, dark and broody than I like in my sci-fi. That said Rivers Solomon is a fantastic author, adept with the word and willing to push into territories untouched in sci-fi.
A gritty, at times unpleasant book that I contemplated quitting but just at the tipping point, I was invested enough to complete - and then Real Life prevented me from finishing sooner.
This is Antebellum South in Space. This book challenges the definitions of man, woman, in between. Is Aster female? Is she trans? Is Theo trans? Ultimately, it doesn’t matter.
This book also gives voice to the neurodivergent, the ones who puzzle over social cues and read too much into everything - or read too little into everything.
At the end of the day, this was a bit more serious, dark and broody than I like in my sci-fi. That said Rivers Solomon is a fantastic author, adept with the word and willing to push into territories untouched in sci-fi.
holli_g_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
bucketsjen's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Antebellum South, but on a spaceship in the distant future. The story centers around a autistic black woman named Aster, who struggles to deal with the unfair and nonsensical way society operates - and the secrets that she learns about the ship only amplify that until events reach a boiling point. It's not a subtle comparison to real history and real life. It's heavy, although it's managed deftly. There's a blend of things working in old ways and in futuristic ways which is very well done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, Physical abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Mental illness, Homophobia, and Violence
malmeis98's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
celerah's review against another edition
Had a difficult time with understanding the world building of the Matilda and visualizing the characters
ominousspectre's review against another edition
3.0
Okay Bri, I see why you did not vibe with this one. As an author writing about their own oppression, I think it you have to walk a fine line or you can end up alienating the people in your audience that bleed with you.
I love Rivers. The Deep and Sorrowland are both very dear to me in different ways. All of their style and intriguing ideas are here, but I think this would have been better as a novella? It felt endlessly long while also feeling like very little happens until the end. I did love the ending, and am obviously still a rabid follower of what this author will do next, but this debut just wasn't for me!
I love Rivers. The Deep and Sorrowland are both very dear to me in different ways. All of their style and intriguing ideas are here, but I think this would have been better as a novella? It felt endlessly long while also feeling like very little happens until the end. I did love the ending, and am obviously still a rabid follower of what this author will do next, but this debut just wasn't for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment