Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Cantique pour les étoiles by Simon Jimenez

17 reviews

metanav's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-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

patience is necessary—i nearly dnf this book but i persevered and it paid off. i didn’t start to enjoy it until the story leaves the first planet, but the imagery and characters were beautiful and the sci-fi world building felt familiar but also fresh. pacing is slow at times but it gives you time to really get to know the characters and it definitely made me emotional near the end

just keep in mind content warnings, i added what i could remember but it probably isn’t all exhaustive. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bangarangbec's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious reflective 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

4.25

Beautiful sci-fi narrative. This cast was endearing and following them through these many, many years was so worth it. I would've read twice as many words about them and all the things they did and all the ways they grew together. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

zsabella's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

I think 2024 is the year I fully realize that I’m deeply fond of speculative, character-driven science fiction. I loved how the vanished birds gives off a distinct feeling of negative space and technological minimalism that doesn’t distract from the characters’ interactions. it’s frankly impossible not to immediately buy into every relationship nia has ever formed. simon jimenez writes natural dialogue so easily it feels like reading a transcript of *real people* conversing, arguing, courting, etc. but not at the cost of world building—he can easily evoke beautifully sparse images of futuristic cities, natural environments, and different planets within the universe he’s imagined.

I do think the third act could’ve been a bit tidier and had a less abrupt transition, but it’s a small nitpick in the grand scheme of a heartwrenching story. at its core this is a found family, coming of age cosmic drama that reflects on the figurative and literal power of human connections and what ordinary, but conflicted, people are willing to do to preserve them.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lakeofstars's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective slow-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

5.0

this book was hand catered for me i think
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

dlrosebyh's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional slow-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

5.0

Simon Jimenez, I was not familiar with your game. 

I am not the same person pre-TVB and post-TVB. I’ve been hesitant to read The Vanished Birds because a lot of reviews said it was boring, and for me, no, it really wasn’t. And yes, it might be slow, and the chapters are long, but the pacing made perfect sense.

A lot of people compare The Vanished Birds to the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers. And if you know me, you know I loved that series. While that series is healing and comforting, this book will tear your heart into pieces, throw it against the wall, run it over by a truck, break it even more with a hammer, and pierce it with a sword. I was expecting a simple space found family moment, but noo, Jimenez had to break my heart a million times. My heart broke for every character in this story.

This book is so rich in many ways. The characters, the plot, the world building, the atmosphere, everything. I was so shocked to find out that this is Jimenez’s DEBUT NOVEL. Only a mastermind can do such. I loved how he used scientific explanations for the progression and the effects of capitalism. Those footnotes really intrigued me.

Character wise, I have a question for you, Mr. Jimenez. Did you somehow go through my brain while writing Nia? Because why is she SO ME. The way she tries to protect everyone and is willing to give up anything just to keep everyone safe made me sob so hard. I loved how she treated Ahro, and Ahro, my baby, I will protect you with everything I have. And don’t even get me started on DanaFumiko because I cried over them so many times.

In short, please read this book. Any bad mouth against it shall fall.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

avocadosocks's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

ostenreal's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

laurareads87's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Beautiful, devastating, and brilliant. The Vanished Birds has a lot that I love: strong character development, an interesting multi-POV structure, and a clear anti-capitalist spirit.  This does not read like a debut novel; I can't wait to read more from Simon Jimenez.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

charlotteregan's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad slow-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

5.0

Started: 051923
Finished: 052023
Reviewed: 061223

I am not the same after having read TVB. Me taking too long to fully review this book says a lot about it. If you’ve read negative things about this book, don’t listen to them. DO NOT. I kid you not, you have to read this book.

Jimenez’s writing has me in awe, it perfectly captured my entire being just from its first chapter. His compelling and complex characters, alongside its vivid and incredible setting/plot, gripped me, making me not want to put the book down. Tbf, I was traveling while reading this book and when I reached the last chapter and the last lines, I forced myself to not cry because I was with my family and I wasn’t gonna cry there. But the night after I finished TVB, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and how it made me feel so many emotions all at once. I have a thing for books that can elicit the strong and hidden emotions inside of me, yup.

The lines here about scientific progress and the effects of capitalism and the planet full of dogs and distancing yourself from others AND LITERALLY FUMIKO WERE INCREDIBLE, I HAVE NO WORDS. How did Jimenez debut with this novel?? HOW?? IS HE A MASTERMIND??? I will never know. The found-family here was even more insane.

ALSO FUMIKODANA. FUMIKODANA. I CANNOT TALK ABOUT THEM WITHOUT CRYING. LISTEN TO ILLICIT AFFAIRS AND CLOSURE BY TAYLOR SWIFT AND CRY WITH ME ISTG THEY WRECKED ME AND I WILL NEVER READ OR HEAR THE WORD CHERRY BLOSSOMS THE SAME ANYMORE.

It was the movement that did it. The way she tucked the nozzle against her right temple, until the nozzle became a cherry blossom, tucked behind her ear by a blond woman with purple eyes, and the pistol slipped from her trembling hand, clattering to the floor, as did her knees, as she wept, for after centuries, she remembered Dana’s name.

AND AHRO MY BABY. 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I CAN’T SAY ANYTHING SO I’LL JUST CRY.

LASTLY, NIA AND THE CREW OH MY GOD JIMENEZ WILL PAY FOR WHAT HE DID WITH THEM. 😭 NIA IMANI IS SO JUST LIKE ME IT’S SCARY HOW JIMENEZ WROTE HER.

I have no words anymore. If you wanna read this book, read it. If you don’t, I get it because who would wanna read 400 pages of grief?? NO ONE. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

quinnjuliac's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book was incredible. Sweeping story of finding nonbiological family and the ties that bind us, in a dysphoric future where the earth has been obliterated by climate change and misuse, and other worlds are created and then colonized by capitalism. Really beautiful, highly recommend. The first half seems to be more about the dysphoric world created by the author and traveling through it, and the second half is really about relationships and the love we find and lose, and how worth it these losses are.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings