A review by ogokoo
Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear

adventurous hopeful reflective 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

3.25

If I read the words "atavistic" and "sophipath" one more time I'm going to lose my mind.... 
This read continuously confused me. The first person narration hurt it, in my opinion. Haimey was kind of an annoying narrator and also, the fact that it's an unreliable narrator created a sense of anticipation and anxiety which never paid off and which, in my opinion, hurt the vibe the book was going for. I was constantly doubting things and expecting a big reveal that Haimey was totally being brainwashed or whatever, but I don't think that's what the book wanted readers to feel at all... Also, every single action-y scene was destroyed by the super slow-pace narration, including the big finale. It became insufferable towards the end. Overall, I'm disappointed because this book has some terrific ideas that I want to know more about. I'll keep reading in the series. Maybe the next will be better.