I was incredibly disappointed by this book. I thought the premise was interesting but unfortunately the execution was subpar at best. If I hadn't readI was incredibly disappointed by this book. I thought the premise was interesting but unfortunately the execution was subpar at best. If I hadn't read this for school, I would not have finished it. I found it repetitive, didactic, and inconsistent.
While I did agree with the messages of the story, I didn't appreciate being lectured on these topics in every chapter. There was no nuance, no trust in the readers to understand what was going on. It embodied so many of the elements YA gets a bad rap for.
Jamal was constantly reminding us he was a journalist, in case we missed it the first 10 times, with absolutely no real evidence he knew what he was doing.
The writing was awkward and bulky, the main relationship was rushed, and the bad guys were all but twirling their mustaches.
The only reason I am giving this two stars is because I gave Peter Pan 1 star this month and I would feel bad to put them on the same level. At least it had good intentions.
Side note: There also was a character who initially was implied to be a young teen and then when she came back in the story, was implied to be around 6 or 7 years old, based on how she acted and how easily Jamal carried her. Very inconsistent....more
This book lived up to the hype. It is a classic for a reason. The only time travel book i love. Absolutely gripping. I'm shocked I didn't cry. BeautifThis book lived up to the hype. It is a classic for a reason. The only time travel book i love. Absolutely gripping. I'm shocked I didn't cry. Beautiful. I can't wait to read more of Octavia Butler's work. I cannot recommend this enough....more
wow, it has been a long time since I loved a scifi book I loved loved loved Wu Zetian
she was full of strong emotions, making her easy to connect to awow, it has been a long time since I loved a scifi book I loved loved loved Wu Zetian
she was full of strong emotions, making her easy to connect to and understand, even if I didn’t always agree with her lol
and she was super active in her story!! she moved a lot of the plot forward through her actions, which is always more interesting for me to read than passive protagonists
the love story!!! a triangle IS the strongest shape!!!
both Shimin and Yizhi were both interesting and sweet love interests and I enjoyed how Zetian’s relationship with each of them and both of them developed
they felt balanced and loving and respectful and I loved it
the gender deconstruction!!! destroying gender roles and just punching the patriarchy in the face, *chef’s kiss*
like the way modern issues were woven in and addressed in the book . .. . like question authority, absolutely
I did get a little squeamish at some of the more graphically violent scenes, so I may have . .. .glossed over them for my own well being
I did get some of the minor characters confused who were less developed
the villains!!! ooooo they made my skin crawl, everyone from the fathers to the war council, like wow, absolutely terrifying villains
the end went really fast for me, so much happened in such a short period of time and I just wanted to breathe but that might have been the point lol
I really loved it more and more and the book continued, what we learned with Zetian and how everything unfolded and just …. everything that was being unpacked in this book
a few minor nitpicks:
despite Zetian being an advocate for women, she had a lot of disdain for the women actually in the story. I hope in the next one we meet more women who she can either like or have a complex relationship with
like a lot of first person books, I had a hard time remembering Zetian’s name rip
as much as I enjoyed the relationships between Zetian, Yizhi, and Shimin, I personally prefer slowburns, so I would have loved more scenes between them before they were canon
the messages were a little didactic, which normally would bother me more but it actually was only occasionally annoying
overall, I am excited for the next book, whenever we are considered lucky enough to receive it!!! reading you like scifi, destroying gender roles, and calling out the patriarchy!!...more
Read the in depth three star reviews of this book before picking this up :/
This whole book was rushed and sloppy. And diversity in characters doesn't Read the in depth three star reviews of this book before picking this up :/
This whole book was rushed and sloppy. And diversity in characters doesn't cover up their lack of depth. There was too much going on to process any emotion in this book. It was shallow. It was so fast paced, I missed major moments because the narrative doesn't let the reader process them.
Also, a note. Saying a group of people is a "found family" does not make them one. Throwing them together on a room (or a spaceship) does not make them a family. They need development or established family bonds that feel real.
There were a few scenes I liked, Gwen and Ari had cute moments, Merlin had some decent perspectives. A few jokes here and there that made me chuckle. But overall, it felt like a waste of time to read for me....more
So this is a really good sci fi book, but as someone who doesn't read a lot of sci fi, the tech and terminology made it hard to get into the book. I fSo this is a really good sci fi book, but as someone who doesn't read a lot of sci fi, the tech and terminology made it hard to get into the book. I found it really slow and constantly kept putting it down.
I didn't think it was bad but not for me. Unfortunate, because I know a few people who love it a lot. ut that's books for you. ...more
Wow, I could not put this book down!!! Just like the first, it was so much fun!!! The ending felt a little rushed, I wish there had been maybe an extrWow, I could not put this book down!!! Just like the first, it was so much fun!!! The ending felt a little rushed, I wish there had been maybe an extra 10 or so pages, but it was still wonderful. Cassia and Kane have a great relationship and I adore how we saw them function alone and together. They have the kind of dynamic I could read about forever!!!
I wish this was one of the YA series that got really popular because while the worldbuilding can be a little strange, the characters really make the story incredibly vibrant. My favorite books are the ones where you can feel the emotion of the characters. And this book, every annoyance to every heartbreak was right there and it was amazing. ...more
Honestly, I really liked this series and this book, but I hate big reveals that happen in the last, like 50 pages of a book (one I predicted and one IHonestly, I really liked this series and this book, but I hate big reveals that happen in the last, like 50 pages of a book (one I predicted and one I didn't). The characters weren't given time to process the information and so it felt cheap.
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