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sarahweyand's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.0
I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. I'm hesitant to pick up books where death is one of the presiding themes and isn't merely ancillary to the plot - they tend to make me anxious and panicky and I'm not looking to have a panic attack or existential crisis while reading. However, I thought this book handled its themes and topics well, and I was okay while listening.
It's clear to me the author did a thorough job of planning and theorizing the fallout and outcomes of her plot idea, because this book seemed well thought-out and complete in its premise. I enjoyed the look into the politics, military, and societal consequences of the strings, and felt like everything discussed was a realistic reaction. I liked all of our characters, even if I didn't feel extremely emotionally attached to them, and I was pretty equally invested into all their storylines, which is a feat for an author writing so many POVs.
The only part where I felt this book was lacking was the lack of discussion around religious implications. I understand that that might not be where the author wanted this plot and theming to go, but it did seem like a clear oversight to have little to no mention of religion. I got over the question of "where did the strings come from" pretty quickly when I realized the author wasn't going to explain, but I was surprised that every person in the book seemed not to care either. There was talk about scientific research, but it was fleeting and didn't touch on what would have clearly been high amounts of religious fallout.
Overall, I'd recommend this book if you feel you're in the headspace to read it! Higher rating than anticipated for sure.
It's clear to me the author did a thorough job of planning and theorizing the fallout and outcomes of her plot idea, because this book seemed well thought-out and complete in its premise. I enjoyed the look into the politics, military, and societal consequences of the strings, and felt like everything discussed was a realistic reaction. I liked all of our characters, even if I didn't feel extremely emotionally attached to them, and I was pretty equally invested into all their storylines, which is a feat for an author writing so many POVs.
The only part where I felt this book was lacking was the lack of discussion around religious implications. I understand that that might not be where the author wanted this plot and theming to go, but it did seem like a clear oversight to have little to no mention of religion. I got over the question of "where did the strings come from" pretty quickly when I realized the author wasn't going to explain, but I was surprised that every person in the book seemed not to care either. There was talk about scientific research, but it was fleeting and didn't touch on what would have clearly been high amounts of religious fallout.
Overall, I'd recommend this book if you feel you're in the headspace to read it! Higher rating than anticipated for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Grief
maggiekate's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Grief, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Cursing, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
katharina90's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Really intriguing concept with a lot of potential. Ultimately I didn't care much for any of the characters which made the book less impactful than it could have been.
Maybe there were just too many perspectives which limited my ability to get to know the characters and feel invested in their stories.
I did enjoy pondering some of the questions the book poses:
If you could find out how much time you have left, would you want to?
And if so, would that knowledge change your life choices?
Maybe there were just too many perspectives which limited my ability to get to know the characters and feel invested in their stories.
I did enjoy pondering some of the questions the book poses:
If you could find out how much time you have left, would you want to?
And if so, would that knowledge change your life choices?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Bullying, Outing, and War
kdonovan's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Grief
wellreadmegs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, Murder, and War
jasminechocklettslee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Outing and War
just_jess02's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.0
The parallels with the way our world deals with differences and makes assumptions about people based on superficial categories is so powerful. This book was not at all what I expected- I thought it would be a more fanciful adventure… but it spired self reflection, mindfulness, and both concern & hope for the human condition. This was a great read and it would be awesome for a book club or class room discussion.
It also has a lot of fantastic representation that is just naturally part of the story and doesn’t feel like the author is trying to get diversity points or forcing anything.
It also has a lot of fantastic representation that is just naturally part of the story and doesn’t feel like the author is trying to get diversity points or forcing anything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Suicide, Car accident, and Murder
mega_reader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gun violence
whimsykat's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, and War
katrinarose's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, it was heavy on character development and I think it was done really well. All the main characters felt real and I cared about them all. It was heavy on political messaging and while the author and I clearly have the same political affiliation, I felt like at times she wasn’t giving the reader enough credit to read between the lines, and it was a bit overdone. I think the moral messages would be completely lost on someone who didn’t share political ideologies for this reason. However, the premise really makes you think about the far reaching effects of these strings would have in our society and I enjoyed how the author’s incorporated her speculations about this. It’s something I think I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
One thing that I felt like was never addressed which seemed obvious to me is determinism vs free will. The strings seem to mean determinism is the way the world works, yet no one in the book seems to think this, or has any sort of existential crisis about it. Everyone just seems to come to the conclusion that they still have free will even though they can’t stop their death (or life). I think this topic should have been explored more, or at least discussed.
Overall, a fascinating premise (just don’t expect a sci fi novel) which delivers on character development and societal commentary.
One thing that I felt like was never addressed which seemed obvious to me is determinism vs free will. The strings seem to mean determinism is the way the world works, yet no one in the book seems to think this, or has any sort of existential crisis about it. Everyone just seems to come to the conclusion that they still have free will even though they can’t stop their death (or life). I think this topic should have been explored more, or at least discussed.
Overall, a fascinating premise (just don’t expect a sci fi novel) which delivers on character development and societal commentary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Grief
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, and War