elijahs_bookshelf's reviews
96 reviews

I love that this book leans fully into its zany worldbuilding. I wasn't too sure about it at first, but it didn't take too long to convince me. The way the author introduces the worldbuilding bit by bit, slowly layering it in, is done with a lot of care, and for me, a lot of success. I also always enjoy when magical worldbuilding, social worldbuilding, and the actual plot all collide as we accumulate information throughout a story, which this book certainly does. The worldbuilding might be a bit much for some, but for me, it landed well.

The character work was also done quite well--Ilis felt deep, and she is dealing with a lot of inner turmoil that I think would have come across as melodrama in the hand of a lesser author. Her conflicts felt weighty without being overbearing, and important without taking over the book. There was also a lot of internal movement within Ilis, which gave the emotional narrative some great texture. It added to both her authenticity and development as a person.

I also quite like this author's writing style. The prose was consistently fun to read, which is always a definite benefit to a story.

The character work in this book is fantastic. Cass has relatable motives and attitudes and all of her actions feel very understandable and sensical. The pressure applied on her by the plot all feels natural. The secondary characters are also all fantastic; I especially love how the culture divide between Meridian and Loyala is set up and portrayed. Grandam is a great source of personal antagonism, Cass' relationship with Andie is so sweet, and the romance with Rollie is cute. Day is also a powerful villain, even if she's somewhat predicable/cliche in my mind.

Stemming from Day's cliche role, the entire plot structure of the book feels rather predictable to me, too, which would be one of my bigger critiques. At the same time, though, if you like stories about a talented underdog who feels trapped by the machinations of an evil corporation, well... this narrative structure is popular for a reason. This is an excellent delivery of this common premise. I would say that the worldbuilding does add just enough newness into the equation that I wouldn't harp too much on this point--I'm very fascinated by the setting that's just far enough in the future to give rise to foreign cultural components and technologies while still being close enought to today's world that I can easily see where these parts of the culture came from.

While I still loved this one, I think it's the weakest of the three in the trilogy, especially in how it highlights Hobb's weak plotting. The plot meanders from event to event instead of feeling like a coherent, single narrative in and of itself.

That said, the character work is as wonderful as ever. If you've read the first two, then you probably know what to expect from this book in terms of quality of character writing. They continue to face interesting challenges, fall victim to their individual weaknesses, and grow in meaningful ways.

The ending was fitting for the trilogy, which is satisfying, of course.

Toni Morrison's writing is beautiful. This book is heavy, thought-provoking, and showcases characters and situations and decisions from which you cannot look away. Beloved is a very deserving classic.

This series continues to impress me with its complex character relationships. Despite the high physical stakes and all the action, the truest tension in this book is consistently centered around character conflicts. Each character seems to have goals and motivations that conflict with both each other and themselves, giving rise to complicated relationships. This book continues to keep relationships dynamic, while also doing a great job of developing characters by forcing them to peel back their layers until they confront their deeper fears, regrets, and insecurities. If I have one complaint, it’s that there might be a touch too much romantic plot for my own personal tastes, but I’d say that it’s still handled well overall.

This book is also very strong in how it functions as a part of the larger series. You can really tell how things are ramping up and will be coming to a head soon—mysteries mentioned in previous books without much attention are continued here, where more light is shed on some of these worldbuilding secrets. At the same time, many of these secrets are answered in ways that just cause more questions in a way that I think will really energize the next book. Especially given the stinger at the end of the book, I’m so excited to continue reading this series. The author gave me just enough to be satisfied with this book while also leading me on and making me impatient for more answers!

This is a story with a lot of personality! The character, worldbuilding, and plot are all crafted to fit together perfectly--each story element really belongs with all the other story elements. The structure of the book is also well done; the pacing feels immaculate, and that sort of thing.

If you've heard much about this book, then it's exactly what you think it is. This isn't necessarily a critique of the story; if you're looking for something cozy, predictable, and fairly light, then this is a great pick!

For my personal tastes, though, it was a bit *too* cookie cutter: when predictable plot points are revealed and the narrative treats it like a big plot twist, even though I saw it coming from a long way away, it can feel like the story thinks itself to be more than it is, which leaves me feeling that deficit rather than the story's actual merits for what it is. If that makes sense?

The humor is admittedly good, though. I especially loved Chauncey, although all of the children were fantastic. Klune definitely knows how to make likeable characters!

This is definitely one of my favorite books I've read during my time as a publishing intern with Future House Publishing! Both main characters, Masia and Barrin, are likeable. The story is split really well between their points of view! Each chapter is interesting, and the POVs are perfectly balanced in how they work to reveal and advance the plot. The story world is also fleshed out quite well, with attention to both the small details of each character's life and a solid understanding of the broader world as well. The transition from our mundane world to a very speculative vision of a future with ATLAS in it feels both cumulative and sudden in a way that's totally believable.

I don't really have any strong criticisms, but if I were to point to something, it would be at how this story is strongly plot driven, as opposed to character driven. If you prefer strong character stories, I think you'll appreciate how these characters are realized upon the page, but ultimately feel that their characteristics are not foundational to the story. In many ways, I believe that the characters have been crafted to fit the plot, rather than allowing the plot to be built up from the character level. The plot certainly never feels convoluted though, so this isn't a criticism so much as it's a note on style and taste.

The dystopian setting of this story is expertly crafted, and the characters are full of depth. I'd heartily recommend this to anyone wanting a story that examines our bleak future through an ultimately hopeful lens!

It's always hard to write reviews for big, well-known authors like this, but... yeah, James Baldwin is famous for a reason. He's a good writer. This certainly isn't the most plot-heavy, exciting book out there, but if you want a deep look into characters and incredibly powerful prose, Baldwin might be for you.