Reviews tagging 'Gore'

The Actual Star by Monica Byrne

11 reviews

blrobin2's review against another edition

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When I'm 33% into the book and it's still building its world, I find it hard to stay invested. I'm vaguely aware of a dozen characters, but I still don't know what this book is about. 
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cdc95's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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jordynkw's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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? Yes

5.0

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tangerineflame's review

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adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Slow paced but it held my attention.


Loved the world building, overlapping timelines, and character parallels 
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cleo_wylde's review

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adventurous challenging dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

Loved the world the author has conceptualised and how it all comes together. A book that tries very hard to hit lots of points and overall succeeds.
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cadimy's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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caseythereader's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thanks to Harper Voyager for the free copy of this book.

 - Wow, how do I even review a work like THE ACTUAL STAR? This book is a massive undertaking, telling the stories of three sets of people in three timelines each a thousand years apart. We watch as their stories braid, repeat, differ, and merge.
- I saw elements of Ursula LeGuin, Octavia E. Butler, Simon Jimenez, and more from across decades of sci-fi and fantasy literature in this story.
- I felt deeply invested in each timeline, and was on the edge of my seat as the stories came together. It’s quite a feat to make a slow paced, 600+ page novel a page turner.
- Story aside, the writing is fantastic, too. Beautifully written, with the recurring elements never becoming too heavyhanded. 
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nikichem's review

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adventurous emotional informative reflective tense slow-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

5.0

I finished this book and immediately started to reread it. I loved it so much but once you know how it ends you want to go back and enjoy all the Easter Eggs. I have been recommending this book like crazy. In each of the first three chapters, there were things that were shocking. I loved the ending. I loved the beginning and I loved the middle. I am not writer; I am a reader and this is the 1st book I can recall starting to read it again as soon as I finished it the 1st time. If you like speculative fiction, Slipstream, Science-Fantasy, Genre Blending, Visionary, Historical check this out it will change the way you view humanity. This book gave me Octavia Butler vibes and it also reminds me some of Cloud Cuckoo Land only based in Belize and with a span of 2000 years (1012 to 3012).
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islasoul's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

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voidboi's review

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense 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

5.0

Genius storytelling and worldbuilding, thoughtful reflection on change, religion, humanity, place, entropy, and so much more. Every time I started a new chapter I would be excited all over again to see what was happening with Ixul, or Leah, or Niloux (and the surrounding characters). Discovering the threads running between each time was delightful. I loved the structure of this novel, and how it collapses in on itself. 

In particular, the world of Laviaja was fascinating, and the conflict between Niloux and Tanaaj was the perfect framing for a refreshingly nuanced look at utopia. I both longed for a society like Laviaja, and found it difficult at many times. I was pulled in strongly and challenged by the characters and the way they think about their world.

Also, this book has an excellent acknowledgements section, which only impressed upon me more the labor and care that the author took to create such an intelligent and compassionate story.
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