Ethan Poole
I couldn't put it down. A classic coming-of-age story, done really well. I love-hated the two protagonists. As an avid video-game player, the setting resonated with me and was fun. (The descriptions of LA are spot-on too, lol.)
I picked this up as “homework” for Demon Copperhead. Having finished, I can appreciate the book for what it is: a coming-of-age story. It's very touching and has great characters. I can see why it resonates with certain people. It is a bit of a slog, and I put it down several times to read other stuff.
(Also, my 100th book for 2023!)
This sequel is very different from the first book—less comedy and romance. I liked it, but not nearly as much as the first book.
Complicated and dense, more so than BLRW. I get why it was written in a dialect (of sorts?), but it was distracting. But, I couldn't put it down.
Phenomenal book! Kuang really knows how to write a page-turner. And what an ending! The themes of language and academia are all in my wheelhouse. The characters were a little one-dimensional, but it worked for the story being told. The overarching message (as I see it) about the connection between academia and colonialism is an important one. (As an academic linguist, I know a lot of Lettys...) Also, I appreciate such a solid standalone fantasy novel.
I nearly DNFed at 20%. I like the drama between the characters, but almost nothing happened plot-wise.
Beautiful series of interconnected, moment-in-time short stories about humanity recovering from a climate-driven plague. I feel I personally got an extra dimension out of it because of the Japanese(-American) cultural references.
Three books linked thematically (companionship, identity, family, happiness) plus some shared motifs (mostly character and place names), but otherwise quite different in genre and structure. I really enjoyed the third book, a dystopian novel set in NY after a series of devastating pandemics. I like Yanagihara's prose; something about it holds my attention very well.
A magnificent ending to the trilogy. Like [b:Dawn 60929 Dawn (Xenogenesis, #1) Octavia E. Butler https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388290339l/60929.SY75.jpg 1008111] and [b:Adulthood Rites 116249 Adulthood Rites (Xenogenesis, #2) Octavia E. Butler https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390116834l/116249.SY75.jpg 249001], it was interesting, thought-provoking, and full of subtext. I really liked the concept of the “ooloi” (a third sex) and so enjoyed how this book gives us more detail about them. As always, I loved Butler's writing style and the way she tells stories.
Fantastic end to the trilogy! This has become one of my favorite fantasy trilogies. I loved how the characters grew throughout the books. Anden and Wen are still my favorites.
I wish that the supporting characters didn't change each book, but I enjoyed this third book nonetheless. Still love Doomslug!
The ideas are interesting and thought-provoking, but the characters and the plot are paper thin.
Meh. Not a sequel worth reading. It tries to touch on too many social issues, and the end result doesn't form a cohesive story.
A very interesting and engaging book. I don't think that humans can overcome the Contradiction (intelligence + hierarchy), but I appreciate how Butler captures the nuances of the question.
It took me about 30% for the plot to pick up, but I enjoyed it after that. I was somewhat annoyed that the author uses lots of Spanish words for plants and animals to set the atmosphere, but then has people “speak Mayan”, instead of naming actual Mayan languages...
Very interesting book, and somewhat disturbing. I loved it. It reminded me a lot of [b:Clay's Ark 60933 Clay's Ark (Patternmaster, #3) Octavia E. Butler https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461533398l/60933.SY75.jpg 1008173] in its exploration of what it means to be human, but the story was much more compelling.
