Reviews tagging 'War'

S. by J.J. Abrams, Doug Dorst

12 reviews

kat_smith24's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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sadie_g's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective slow-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

3.75

Really interesting book and concept. It was so cool to read and look through. 

Definitely was a lot more interested in the storyline between Eric and Jen, and the mystery than the Ship of Theseus storyline.  
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mdwsn27's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Not sure I fully understand it, but it was fun!
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marshmallowpirate's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book was... SO GOOD...but also so long. You're essentially buying a book to read three times over the course of reading it once. The format is given in the form of a basal book "the ship of theseus" which you read first. It's quite good and well written, while giving some personal reflection. You then go back to the beginning and get into the "S." part of the book. You read the notes in the margins to get a hold on the two main characters. I definitely recommend, but you need time to read this. 
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random19379's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny inspiring mysterious relaxing tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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portraitofabibliophile's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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beeinthemist's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book is a read that requires you to think. The structure and format of it is so unique and the stories inside are fantastic. it engaged me in a way that I can't say a book has in a long time.
All of the stories within open ended and the lack of defined closure is a result of the medium the book uses but also the main thing keeping it from being a perfect read.
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diana_raquel's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

"What begins at the water shall end there, and what ends there shall once more begin.” 

When I discover this book I immediately wanted to read it. It's a book with two stories that are linked and told by using mixed media. I found that concept to be interesting and immediately brought it! I was so excited that when I got the book in my hand, I started reading it almost immediately. And I don't do that very often. 

I think my excitement may have been also the main culprit for the 3-star rating. I started reading the book, and I was really liking it. However, as my excitement started dying down, my enjoyment of the story also started to decrease. Don't get me wrong. This is a "me" problem and not a "book" problem. The story is really interesting, full of plot twists and surprising outcomes, and the mixed media is really interesting, as are the characters. However, the slow pacing and the dying of my excitement got the best of me, and that had an impact on my experience. 
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cdt96's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.75

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devin_raquel's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This story is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I’ve used the term “story-within-a-story” before, but no novel truly encapsulates this idea like S does. 
The many storylines and non-linear presentation of these storylines kept my attention throughout the whole story, and I can confidently say this novel is anything but boring. A book that you absolutely HAVE to read a second (possibly a third) time to completely grasp all that’s going on in the text; and, of course, in the margins. 
Abrams & Dorst give the readers information, while withholding just enough, just keep the ending shrouded in mystery and open to the readers interpretation. While the included notes, photos, maps, etc. make the readers feel like they’re helping uncover the mystery along with the characters. All the components of a mystery, fantasy and romance novel rolled into one. 
As a literature major this book touched a special place in my heart with the annotations. While the majority of them where just notes between the two main characters, Jen & Eric, some of these notes have the potential to teach readers how to correctly annotate. Questions in the margins that cause the readers to think, different perspectives of thought, going beyond was literally written down. 
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