Beautifully written, but I wanted more plot
I've been chewing on this read for several days and still find myself struggling to review it. This book has so many strengths, but somehow still didn't quite do it for me?? There was so much to like and yet...?
Let's start with the strong points. The worldbuilding and the lore in this book are incredible. He creates a really amazing, futuristic world that beautifully balances that fine line of feeling super sci-fi, yet super believable and realistic. This is a world that could easily exist in a not-so-distant future where humans have had to adapt and flee following severe fallout from climate change. It's immersive without being overbearing and I loved that. I constantly wanted to know more about what happened and how these people were managing to thrive despite it all.
He's writing is incredibly visual and atmospheric and it was truly a joy to experience. Her descriptions of the sea and the beaches, of the gritty city streets were all so crisp that I could picture it, smell it, feel it as if I were there myself in that moment. She has this way of emphasizing all the tiny details she knows the reader will connect with and making them the focus of your senses for such a brief, delicate moment that you're completely transported without feeling like you're reading endless descriptive passages. It's positively magical.
But despite all of that beauty and clever wordcraft, I still somehow struggled with this story. One of my biggest complaints is the pacing. I spent the first half of the story waiting for something to happen. It felt like there was a lot of set up and I just kept waiting and waiting and waiting... Many scenes felt somewhat repetitive and I couldn't quite tell if the author was doing this on purpose to make a statement about how time was progressing within the story or if it was just plain repetitive.
Once things finally picked up, the plot was intense and twisty and I found myself genuinely surprised several times. My interest was fully restored and I was very nearly sure that the wait was finally going to pay off in a big way. But then the pacing fell off again... I felt like we were crawling across the finish line rather than racing through with any sense of urgency or excitement. Don't get me wrong - those plot twists and big reveals were incredible! I was so deeply invested and eager about what I was reading. But that twenty percent of engagement around the third quarter of the book wasn't enough to make up for the rest of it, I don't think. I just... wanted more?
All in all, this was a cool read, but I wanted it better paced or shorter or...something? The slower pace whittled away at my interest and the big reveals later on, as exciting as they were, weren't quite enough to pull me back in and keep me engaged when the pace lulled again towards the end. A reader looking for something quiet and character-driven, thoughtful and emotional would probably really like this story. I'm just not usually that kind of reader.
Let's start with the strong points. The worldbuilding and the lore in this book are incredible. He creates a really amazing, futuristic world that beautifully balances that fine line of feeling super sci-fi, yet super believable and realistic. This is a world that could easily exist in a not-so-distant future where humans have had to adapt and flee following severe fallout from climate change. It's immersive without being overbearing and I loved that. I constantly wanted to know more about what happened and how these people were managing to thrive despite it all.
He's writing is incredibly visual and atmospheric and it was truly a joy to experience. Her descriptions of the sea and the beaches, of the gritty city streets were all so crisp that I could picture it, smell it, feel it as if I were there myself in that moment. She has this way of emphasizing all the tiny details she knows the reader will connect with and making them the focus of your senses for such a brief, delicate moment that you're completely transported without feeling like you're reading endless descriptive passages. It's positively magical.
But despite all of that beauty and clever wordcraft, I still somehow struggled with this story. One of my biggest complaints is the pacing. I spent the first half of the story waiting for something to happen. It felt like there was a lot of set up and I just kept waiting and waiting and waiting... Many scenes felt somewhat repetitive and I couldn't quite tell if the author was doing this on purpose to make a statement about how time was progressing within the story or if it was just plain repetitive.
Once things finally picked up, the plot was intense and twisty and I found myself genuinely surprised several times. My interest was fully restored and I was very nearly sure that the wait was finally going to pay off in a big way. But then the pacing fell off again... I felt like we were crawling across the finish line rather than racing through with any sense of urgency or excitement. Don't get me wrong - those plot twists and big reveals were incredible! I was so deeply invested and eager about what I was reading. But that twenty percent of engagement around the third quarter of the book wasn't enough to make up for the rest of it, I don't think. I just... wanted more?
All in all, this was a cool read, but I wanted it better paced or shorter or...something? The slower pace whittled away at my interest and the big reveals later on, as exciting as they were, weren't quite enough to pull me back in and keep me engaged when the pace lulled again towards the end. A reader looking for something quiet and character-driven, thoughtful and emotional would probably really like this story. I'm just not usually that kind of reader.