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kendal_reads's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Minor: Police brutality, Abortion, and Colonisation
kalebd_2125's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
sundayfever's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Abortion and Colonisation
mckays's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Police brutality, Lesbophobia, and Classism
ottolee's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
maryellen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail
dawntin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
secre's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It's unique, I'll give it that. Set in a city trying to be born, New York has chosen five avatars, or protectors. Five individuals who will in turn become the city. Manny, or Manhatten, cold and ruthless, somehow threatening even though he doesn't remember his original identity. Bronca, or Bronx, with her mistrust and doubt, even as she becomes a community leader. Brooklyn, musician, lawyer and caretaker. Padmini, Queens, a quiet academic. And Aislyn, Staten Island, isolated and easily manipulated. Each hold a different power, each are rooted to a different section of the city. It's a multi-cultured mixing hub of individuals, as Jemisin points out, much like New York itself.
It's clever and holds a powerful message, but sometimes Jemisin falls into the trap of preaching rather than displaying and the moralising is too overt and self conscious. It's thought provoking and innovative, but it becomes bogged down in the message rather than the plot and therefore loses a lot of what could have been a tautly written plot. There's a lot of repetition as we see the same events through different characters eyes and a lot of bouncing around when it would have been better to be held by two or three main perspectives to pull the narrative forward.
In essence, this has a lot of potential. It's unlike anything I've read before, but it's trying to do too many things and suffers from a lack of cohesion leading to a lot of waffling before we get to the narrative. It's nowhere near as good as Jemisin's Broken Earth series which was frankly, spectacular.
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
heini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Suomennos oli hämmentävä. Ehkä ne ovat tyylikeinoja tai en vain ymmärtänyt, mutta lukukokemusta haittaa, kun jatkuvasti ilmaisut särähtävät korvaan. Puhutaan jonkun ensimmäisestä rodeosta; henkilö, jota alkuperäisteoksessa kuvaillaan ja nimitetään sanoilla 'strawberry blond man-bun' suomennetaan mansikanvaaleaksi hipster sämpyläksi; yleinen kirosana on paskapökäle ja joku on hullumpi kuin lepakonpaska (batshit crazy?).
Itse kirjasta: Seuraamme New York Cityn kaupunginosien ihmisavatareja, jotka ilmentävät suurkaupungin monimuotoisuutta.
Hahmot olivat mukavan ristiriitaisia ja oli mielenkiintoista, kuinka välillä ihmisen kauheista piirteistä tuli ominaisia ja "hyödyllisiä", osa tarvittavaa kokonaisuutta.
Tarina oli värikkäiden kertojiensa vuoksi hauska ja myös sivuhenkilöt olivat huippuja,
Valkoinen ja kirkkaus oli pahuuden ilmikuva, mikä on tietysti myös käänteinen kerrontaperinteen musta/pimeys=paha logiikalle, jota on ihonväriinkin sovellettu.
Kirjan yksi ydinkuvaus on, kuinka ennakkoluulot ja oletukset tuhoavat meitä (yksilöitä, yhteisöjä, yhteiskuntia) sisältä päin ja vain ruokkivat yhteisiä vihollisiamme.
Pelko, että ihmisyys tuhotaan kosmisessa maailmojen sodassa / pelko, joka syntyy kaikesta siitä "normaalista" tai normaaliksi hyväksystä (kauheista ja epämukavista asioista), jota arkemme ihmisinä ihmisten keskellä on.
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Gaslighting
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Rape, Abortion, and Alcohol
Spiders or spider-like creaturestakarakei's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Now could I explain the dynamics of all that happens in this book? Absolutely not, it's one of those books where you just have to accept the concepts that are being presented to you without a lot of questioning. I mean, people becoming the embodiment of cities? weird concept. You just gotta go with it! Along the way you'll get discussions of race, art, and what it means to "belong" to a place.
If you're a NYC area person I def think this is an interesting read! Very NYC-prideful. I personally am NOT from NYC or know all that much about it, so I couldn't pick up on if there were any inaccuracies in any way, but Jemisin has lived there for a long time and did a lot of research so I trust that she got it right. I really enjoyed all the little history bits of information thrown in about the city.
There's no one out there really writing SFF like Jemisin, and I am very excited to continue with this series.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Police brutality, Abortion, and Colonisation