Mary P. > Recent Status Updates

So freakin good!

This is the right book at the right time for me. I’ve been hi-lighting constantly.

SPOILERS: COINCIDENTALLY




You mean to tell me that Sterling’s mom dies, mentioning a kid named Brom in a letter, and the way that these two main characters meet is that they JUST HAPPENED to be in the same place at the same time one day?

I am disappointed with the coincidences in this book, beyond the content of the book (that I hesitate to describe), skipping over transitional action scenes, and more.

How this has a 4.11 from 62 readers is beyond me.

CW for this book: Rape, torture, misogyny, justified slavery.

If you read the 1 star review for this book, that’s where I am at right now.

My credentials: I have a creative writing degree and have been a beta reader for published authors. I also have personal experience with gaslighting and abuse, and I’m an almost 40 AFAB.

I am debating putting this book down and moving on.

I am about 1/4 way through and I am still not sure about this book; the world building is fantastic and beautifully detailed, the characters are interesting - but I continue to struggle with the constant shifts in writing formats. Reading this takes a labor of care - like directing a movie? Scenes written out of order in time, a juxtaposed amalgamation of something lovely.

I am mystified and unsure - intrigued and hesitant. The format of this book so far is not what I expected (it's not the book's fault - I did not know much about the book before I opened it except that it was on a list of science fiction books with strong female leads). This book so far has an interesting hook- enough that I lost an hour reading - though I was thinking to myself that reading felt exerting.

This is the best book I have ever picked up. I am halfway through and I do not want it to end.