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regina_184's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
1.75
This book has a really interesting plot but honestly I was left disappointed. The beginning of the book seemed a little too lighthearted with funny plot lines regarding the cheesecake factory. Then the book became very depressing and I almost stopped reading around page 150. But then the theme changed again and it became interesting as the characters became adults. Although the last 3rd of the book is better, I still didn't enjoy the constant change of tone.
Regarding the actual plot I think a lot of the most interesting parts of the book ( witchcraft and technological improvements) are overshadowed and left me wanting more.
Focusing on the writing quality, I found it odd that the characters live in the US but sometimes use phrases from the UK like 'wanker', so it distracted me from the plot and took away from the story.
Overall, not a terrible book but I disliked the ending and felt like a lot of the best aspects of the book were glossed over, so I don't think I would recommend this.
Regarding the actual plot I think a lot of the most interesting parts of the book ( witchcraft and technological improvements) are overshadowed and left me wanting more.
Focusing on the writing quality, I found it odd that the characters live in the US but sometimes use phrases from the UK like 'wanker', so it distracted me from the plot and took away from the story.
Overall, not a terrible book but I disliked the ending and felt like a lot of the best aspects of the book were glossed over, so I don't think I would recommend this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
angorarabbit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Clarketech: antigravity on a macro scale, possible travel to other dimensions.
TLDR: A well written fantasy on the theme of technology vs nature saving the world.
A friend gave me this years ago. I admit that the first book of the story took me a few tries to read due to the almost unremitting bullying the two main characters (mc) experience. Books 2-4 still have the bullying, but to a lesser degree. Despite the novel’s fantastical plot iit s very realistic when it comes bullying and the aftereffects of bullying.
Ms Anders’ characters are well fleshed out and diverse in personality and ethnicity. I was disappointed that there were no lgbtqaa+ relationships. Her two mc are understandable and consistent continuing to grow as the story moves forward. They also, despite their differences, are very loveable, I was rooting for them both despite their divergent goals.Ms Ander’s world building is detailed taking time to describe the plants, birds, and machines so a reader can see them The plot keeps you turning pages as the fate of everything we know lies in the balance.
My only criticisms are first; Berkley is abandoned. This is remedied in the short story Clover which makes more sense if you read it after All the Birds in the Sky. I downloaded my free copy from Tordotcom. The second is there never is an explanation for why the mc’s parents act the way they do. Their actions are so unredeemable I feel there must be some explanation. We don’t get their backstories though.
These are small things and the ending was everything I needed.. I will be reading more from this author.
Thank you Zoey’s mum for this wonderful book. I’m sorry it took my brain so long to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide
The one chapter containing graphic sexual content (sc) can be skimmed, you do have to read the last paragraph or so which is after the sc. All other sc is brief and not detailed. The bullying can cause serious flashbacks to garbage swirlies in some people.clairebau's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I expected to think this book was just okay, and then I went and loved it. I love a coming-of-age story. I love light science fiction. I love stuck-up, idiot-smart male characters and genuinely interesting & feminine female ones. Magical realism is always a bit of a hit or miss for me, but in this case, it was a huge hit. I love a weird ass book. God, this book was weird, but in an off-beat, well developed way. The strength of this book was in its characters and writing style. The plot was just-fine, I guess, but I liked the other aspects too much to care.
My critiques are few. There were too many minor characters with too-few contributions to the story at large. Like with most books, I felt the ending was a bit rushed and not as fleshed out as the beginning (which, in the case of this book, was especially carefully done). Slight deus ex machina at the end, but there was enough leading up to it that I'm not mad about it.
I'd love if this author focused less on plot-ambitious stuff and kept at the coming of age, realistic romance sort of thing, as that's what I thought she excelled at. I'll likely be rereading this one.
My critiques are few. There were too many minor characters with too-few contributions to the story at large. Like with most books, I felt the ending was a bit rushed and not as fleshed out as the beginning (which, in the case of this book, was especially carefully done). Slight deus ex machina at the end, but there was enough leading up to it that I'm not mad about it.
I'd love if this author focused less on plot-ambitious stuff and kept at the coming of age, realistic romance sort of thing, as that's what I thought she excelled at. I'll likely be rereading this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and War
tinyhands15's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was hard for me to finish, and I think I wanted it to be longer. I loved the concept and characters. Toward the end, though, neither of the main characters felt like they had enough time in the sun to fully ripen. I think there was a lot of unused potential in this story, and the result, for me, was feeling a rush to the conclusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization
shankargopal's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I loved this book, and I look forward to reading it again later. Despite having scenes of bullying and cruelty it is a gentle book whose characters seem both real and caring themselves. The humour is beautifully done and also gentle in its own way. I went into this book expecting an ordinary experience and got a special one.
The only reason I didn't give this five stars is that there seems to be some inconsistencies in the plot and then also in one of the main characters, whose caring nature is emphasized by literally everyone but who at times seems to react to horrifying situations with an odd indifference (in particular there's another character who is cruel to her as a child, but who is then punished in horrific ways that don't seem to move our character very much). Other than that, as said, I loved it.
The only reason I didn't give this five stars is that there seems to be some inconsistencies in the plot and then also in one of the main characters, whose caring nature is emphasized by literally everyone but who at times seems to react to horrifying situations with an odd indifference (in particular there's another character who is cruel to her as a child, but who is then punished in horrific ways that don't seem to move our character very much). Other than that, as said, I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Child abuse
saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
2.0
"Weirdness is value neutral."
All the Birbs in the Sky is an ambitious book with a unique premise that attempts to blend sci-fi and fantasy, but it fails to make it past the idea phase. I found the first third to be interesting as a super genius and witch befriended each other, I enjoyed their dynamic and how they learned about their abilities. The rest of the book felt like a completely different story with the apocalyptic focus that comes to sudden, giving whiplash. The characters are unmemorable, peaking in interest at the beginning of their arcs but devolving into blandness after the time jump. The prose is also bland but tries (and fails) to be poetic and profound.
And on the genre blend, sci-fi and fantasy have blurred lines between them, but to make the contradiction work you have to define what makes them so different. If your sci-fi has no basis in some sort of real theoretical science or a scientific thought experiment, then what makes it different from fantasy? It's the difference between Star Wars and Interstellar and Jurassic Park; the fantasy elements of Star Wars blend with the sci-fi because they are equally as plausible, but fantasy elements would have felt out of place in Interstellar since it has a basis in actual science and they'd be out of place in Jurassic Park because that's based in a scientific thought experiment.
This book would have been more interesting as a concept if it was more grounded sci-fi along with magic, but I don't see what actually makes Laurence's super-genius different from Patricia's witchcraft on a genre level. What makes this genre blend different from most superhero media where magic and this flavor of sci-fi coexist? Patricia's magic was a little more interesting. It was nature itself and I like the idea that you don't control magic/nature you coexist with it.
All the Birbs in the Sky is an ambitious book with a unique premise that attempts to blend sci-fi and fantasy, but it fails to make it past the idea phase. I found the first third to be interesting as a super genius and witch befriended each other, I enjoyed their dynamic and how they learned about their abilities. The rest of the book felt like a completely different story with the apocalyptic focus that comes to sudden, giving whiplash. The characters are unmemorable, peaking in interest at the beginning of their arcs but devolving into blandness after the time jump. The prose is also bland but tries (and fails) to be poetic and profound.
And on the genre blend, sci-fi and fantasy have blurred lines between them, but to make the contradiction work you have to define what makes them so different. If your sci-fi has no basis in some sort of real theoretical science or a scientific thought experiment, then what makes it different from fantasy? It's the difference between Star Wars and Interstellar and Jurassic Park; the fantasy elements of Star Wars blend with the sci-fi because they are equally as plausible, but fantasy elements would have felt out of place in Interstellar since it has a basis in actual science and they'd be out of place in Jurassic Park because that's based in a scientific thought experiment.
This book would have been more interesting as a concept if it was more grounded sci-fi along with magic, but I don't see what actually makes Laurence's super-genius different from Patricia's witchcraft on a genre level. What makes this genre blend different from most superhero media where magic and this flavor of sci-fi coexist? Patricia's magic was a little more interesting. It was nature itself and I like the idea that you don't control magic/nature you coexist with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Bullying
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Violence, and War
cb1984's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The first act was pretty poor. It was just relentless bullying, one of the characters not really being sure about their powers and the other... sort of learning technology but not really? I didn't really feel like the lifelong friendship was really that believably established.
I probably enjoyed it a bit more after the first act. There were bits that felt rushed, but I enjoyed the character development, including the minor characters. But overall, my review is basically "Eh." It was fine. Nothing special. No idea why it was nominated for so many awards.
I probably enjoyed it a bit more after the first act. There were bits that felt rushed, but I enjoyed the character development, including the minor characters. But overall, my review is basically "Eh." It was fine. Nothing special. No idea why it was nominated for so many awards.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use and Forced institutionalization
ehmannky's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A slightly absurdist book following two young people dealing with loneliness and the trials and tribulations of becoming an adult and learning about being connected and communication. And one just happens to be a witch and one is a big of a mad scientist who both accidentally find themselves working for groups with eco-fascist bents. I thought that the plot ended up being a bit thin at the end, but I thought the character build up and the relationship between Patricia and Laurence made this a really enjoyable and delightful read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Death, Violence, Murder, and War
alienem's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Bullying
walkie_check's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Ableism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic