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itspronouncedtessa's review against another edition
2.75
Starts off as a cute/bizarre preteen fantasy-horror, but devolves into a convoluted mess of underdeveloped tropes and very heavy handed morals. Boring, predictable and disappointing.
thehosk's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't enjoy this book.
The main characters are focused on how unluckily they are, how life is so hard. I found the main characters boring.
It's not well written, the plot is odd and unexciting and the characters are self obsessed.
The book even makes having magic powers dull
I don't really understand how this book got some many great reviews
The main characters are focused on how unluckily they are, how life is so hard. I found the main characters boring.
It's not well written, the plot is odd and unexciting and the characters are self obsessed.
The book even makes having magic powers dull
I don't really understand how this book got some many great reviews
travisdhill's review against another edition
2.0
Made it about 60% through the book before giving up. The first third, where the children were going through the awkward adolescent years, the struggles and fighting, the growth and discovery, felt very endearing and whimsical. But by the time they made it to (young) adulthood, the story grew stale to me. While I can understand the author is not writing a teen book, that's what felt good about it from the beginning. In adulthood, it felt as if edgy moments were simply tossed in to be tossed in (e.g. sitting around smoking a bong...). It really detracted and removed me from the story. More than anything, I believe it was an imbalance of my personal expectations exceeding what I found in the book.
This is perfect for some people, but not for me.
This is perfect for some people, but not for me.
impla77's review against another edition
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
Really good urban fantasy book, with our two main characters on opposite sides of trying to prevent the end of the world. Funny, but also deeply thought provoking
readingthething's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
thinkspink's review against another edition
5.0
The most fun an apocalypse can be. One of the jacket quotes compares it to Little Big, and that is bang on, it feels a modern version of that.
thebookishhedgewitch's review against another edition
2.0
The premise is two misfits - a girl who can talk to birds and a boy who can create just about anything (mainly focusing on computers) find each other in high school, the powers that be separate them (for various reasons), years later they find each other. Sounds pretty good, right?
The first problem (for me) - I didn't buy the love story between Patricia and Laurence. Patricia feels like he betrayed all those years ago, Laurence loathes her (and himself). These characters just... they treated each other horribly, used each other, didn't really seem to like each other and then... they just end up together. There's absolutely no character development for Laurence, he continues to be an absolute ass to anyone and everyone and Patricia never really addresses this or expects more from him. While I'm on board with accepting your partner for who they are, they should at least treat you like a valid human.
The second thing I really disliked about this book - there's along period of time where nothing happens. And it's a pretty short book and probably at least 50-60 pages, nothing happens, the plot doesn't move forward, Laurence is just sitting in his self-loathing, judgmental glass tower judging everyone and everything.
The third thing I didn't like about this book was Laurence. He's a shit human being with relatively no character development, he doesn't seem to feel remorse, and if he does, he certainly doesn't act on it. He's a self-loathing incel for the vast majority of the book and I cannot fathom what Patricia sees in him at all except for nostalgia for their middle school relationship.
I really enjoyed the fantasy element of Patricia's magic and the juxtaposition of the sci-fi aspect with Laurence's job and what his company is trying to do. The idea of artificial intelligence really gaining sentience and then how that interacts with the fantasy aspect was fascinating and great. The ending, however, was very Ready Player One for me and it felt like Anders' was phoning it in. I won't spoil the ending, but it was wholly disappointing.
The first problem (for me) - I didn't buy the love story between Patricia and Laurence. Patricia feels like he betrayed all those years ago, Laurence loathes her (and himself). These characters just... they treated each other horribly, used each other, didn't really seem to like each other and then... they just end up together. There's absolutely no character development for Laurence, he continues to be an absolute ass to anyone and everyone and Patricia never really addresses this or expects more from him. While I'm on board with accepting your partner for who they are, they should at least treat you like a valid human.
The second thing I really disliked about this book - there's along period of time where nothing happens. And it's a pretty short book and probably at least 50-60 pages, nothing happens, the plot doesn't move forward, Laurence is just sitting in his self-loathing, judgmental glass tower judging everyone and everything.
The third thing I didn't like about this book was Laurence. He's a shit human being with relatively no character development, he doesn't seem to feel remorse, and if he does, he certainly doesn't act on it. He's a self-loathing incel for the vast majority of the book and I cannot fathom what Patricia sees in him at all except for nostalgia for their middle school relationship.
I really enjoyed the fantasy element of Patricia's magic and the juxtaposition of the sci-fi aspect with Laurence's job and what his company is trying to do. The idea of artificial intelligence really gaining sentience and then how that interacts with the fantasy aspect was fascinating and great. The ending, however, was very Ready Player One for me and it felt like Anders' was phoning it in. I won't spoil the ending, but it was wholly disappointing.
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.lil1inblue's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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
3.5
pluviosity's review against another edition
1.0
The book didn't let me into its' world.
I hardly felt any connection, or sympathy, to any character of the book (well, that's something to say, being the characters are magicians and environmental villains..).
The lead characters, being abused mentally and physically by their families in their childhood, anti-social and bullied, suddenly grow up into this 'hip' magician and super-rich nerd, with lot of fine shag histories to tell. Whoop whoop.
(I say hip, because somehow the author apparently has this need to accentuate and insert the 'hipness' into any place the characters hangout)
Patricia is quite okay, actually. In fact, I really like the dark tone in the beginning of the novel, when she found out that she can talk to birds. But Laurence? Meh. Teenage Laurence is a whiny, self-absorbed, coward. And Adult Laurence is just the same apparently, seemed like that he never finish his puberty phase.
Why? because the world is collapsing when U.S military not there!
there's Arab Winter! (whatever that supposed to mean, it didn't explained)
the North Korea is coming!
Russians troops are moving west!
China's claimed border on South China Sea, OH NOOOOOO~~~!!
(not actually a news. it's already happening since the 19th century, dear.)
The solution? immigrate human population to a new planet. through a wormhole-sort-of-thing machine.
The time setting was questionable (twenty something years has gone and apparently nothing is quite different, in social-media tech and all). The trying-to be-hip-in-everything were gag-inducing. The sarcasm and the ironic jokes failed. The serious parts felt like joke. Hard to say anything about the quirky characters (Ernesto, Mr.Rose), because there's not enough to tell, even though they probably worth an attention.
Not that the imagination is not imaginative enough.
It's just so..unconvincing.
I don't feel any magic.
I hardly felt any connection, or sympathy, to any character of the book (well, that's something to say, being the characters are magicians and environmental villains..).
The lead characters, being abused mentally and physically by their families in their childhood, anti-social and bullied, suddenly grow up into this 'hip' magician and super-rich nerd, with lot of fine shag histories to tell. Whoop whoop.
(I say hip, because somehow the author apparently has this need to accentuate and insert the 'hipness' into any place the characters hangout)
Patricia is quite okay, actually. In fact, I really like the dark tone in the beginning of the novel, when she found out that she can talk to birds. But Laurence? Meh. Teenage Laurence is a whiny, self-absorbed, coward. And Adult Laurence is just the same apparently, seemed like that he never finish his puberty phase.
Spoiler
Main story is just ridiculous. A big storm coming in America and the leads somehow became the only saviors/heroes/saints of the world! While having overpriced coffee!Why? because the world is collapsing when U.S military not there!
there's Arab Winter! (whatever that supposed to mean, it didn't explained)
the North Korea is coming!
Russians troops are moving west!
China's claimed border on South China Sea, OH NOOOOOO~~~!!
(not actually a news. it's already happening since the 19th century, dear.)
The solution? immigrate human population to a new planet. through a wormhole-sort-of-thing machine.
The time setting was questionable (twenty something years has gone and apparently nothing is quite different, in social-media tech and all). The trying-to be-hip-in-everything were gag-inducing. The sarcasm and the ironic jokes failed. The serious parts felt like joke. Hard to say anything about the quirky characters (Ernesto, Mr.Rose), because there's not enough to tell, even though they probably worth an attention.
Not that the imagination is not imaginative enough.
It's just so..unconvincing.
I don't feel any magic.