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sofia_santana's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
dawntin's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- 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
This book was not for me. There were a ton of pop culture references and the overall message of the book, while meaningful, was too heavy-handed in my opinion. Each character was introduced with the traits that made them special (race, ethnicity, sexuality, occupation, etc.) and they all had superpowers, due to being the avatars of major cities. This was cool and all, but I felt like the author tried way too hard to be quirky and inadvertently ended up playing into some stereotypes in the process of making her characters super-quirky and diverse. Like, did the main Indian character really need to have math-related superpowers? Also, the avatar of Hong Kong literally being named Hong Kong and his accent being described as “Chinese-inflected British English” was straight up weird. The Black characters were fine though, maybe because the author is Black herself. Besides the characters, the pacing was weird and the book wrapped everything up in the last 20 or so pages. It felt like there was so much build-up before they saved the day, and when they did, I wasn’t even sure what was happening.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
book_gremlin42's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Classism
artemis7's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Violence
kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? No
4.0
This is one of the coolest books I've ever read.
It's so unique and innovative. The way Jemisin personified each borough of NYC was brilliant. The writing is descriptive and the world building is excellent, bringing each borough and character to life in this metaphor for gentrification. Each avatar had a separate and distinct voice from one another, and it's hard to choose a favorite (although the least favorite is obvious 😂 IYKYK).
Although I've never lived in the city, it's just a train ride away, so I'm sure it helps having experience with NYC and understanding the references. But if you've never been here, you can still enjoy the book for sure. The connections to the city are just a bonus for us New Yorkers.
This was just so damn cool and N.K. Jemisin is a genius and I need to get my hands on book two immediately.
It's so unique and innovative. The way Jemisin personified each borough of NYC was brilliant. The writing is descriptive and the world building is excellent, bringing each borough and character to life in this metaphor for gentrification. Each avatar had a separate and distinct voice from one another, and it's hard to choose a favorite (although the least favorite is obvious 😂 IYKYK).
Although I've never lived in the city, it's just a train ride away, so I'm sure it helps having experience with NYC and understanding the references. But if you've never been here, you can still enjoy the book for sure. The connections to the city are just a bonus for us New Yorkers.
This was just so damn cool and N.K. Jemisin is a genius and I need to get my hands on book two immediately.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia
heini's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- 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.
Content Warnings
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 creaturesmementomoriiv's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Jemisin has a fascinating twist on issues of xenophobia and the recent upsurge of the alt right and men's rights movement. It's cleverly written and keeps the reader's interest throughout the text. I look forward to the sequels!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
kayberlyn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual harassment
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.5
First of all - I read this in combination with the audiobook - which is FANTASTIC! Absolutely phenomenal narration AND sound design/effects, it was almost like listening to a graphic audio dramatized version! So I can't recommend the audiobook enough (especially if you are someone who listens to SFF audio). Although I will note it was helpful to be reading along at parts due to the effects.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Police brutality, Abortion, and Colonisation
salemander's review against another edition
5.0
i really didn’t know if i was gonna like this one but nk jemisin DOES NOT MISS !!! this was such a fun and cheesy and action packed read and the audiobook was a whole theatrical production! this gave me the same feeling as reading percy jackson and american gods did when i was a kid, on the edge of my seat half the time and laughing the other half. and the characters are just so loveable and fully formed, what’s not to love!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Police brutality