Kallia

The sectioning and chapter breaks are a little confusing and seemingly arbitrary. Safina has a lot of good things to say, but the organization leaves a bit to be desired within the sections themselves. Overall still an enchanting look into the cultural lives of a few of nature's most beloved animals.

Jolly good fun, interesting enough to keep reading - not so interesting you can't put it down. The romance angle was unnecessary especially given that the author clearly understands that social bonds can be powerful and meaningful without a romantic tilt. That said it's not egregious and is more of a footnote in the story than a main theme, so it's manageable. Sort of cabin in the woods meets reality competition.

Definitely leans more YA than the previous series. And I don't love the repeating of the "southern dark-skinned people are murderous warmongers" trope, even if it is plot explained. That said, it's still good fun and fantasy - a good listen for during work.

An absolutely beautiful layout of the way plant science is coalescing into something completely new and unexplored. The way we look at the world around us is starting to change - perhaps to change back to a way it already had been in the past - but to change nonetheless. This feels like a spiritual exploration of the fact that plants are people too. Not humans, but people.

A lot more kiddish and fantastical than the previous series, but still good fun. It's always nice to return to a familiar fantasy world, even if every installation of it can't be as good as your favorite one.

A good look into the way language shapes our relationships to groups, mindsets, and each other. I would say this is an incredibly good primer, but not an all encompassing deep dive. It leaves you with a lot of directions to go in if you want to learn more, but a well rounded basic understanding if you don't.

Very well written. This book does an excellent job of weaving together the history and movements of this family with the history and opinions of the the places they inhabited. I found moments a bit bogged down in history of politics in rural Alaska, but that's about the only complaint I could muster for it. Wildly interesting, very heartbreaking.

This is not really a book I would ordinarily pick up based on content. But after reading God of the Woods I was starving for more of Liz Moore's way of constructing prose and articulating stories. The characters are so believable, there's so much depth and reality to the people and stories she creates. This book did not disappoint.

I found this book incredibly frustrating. It took until about 3/4 of the way through for it to become a story. Before that it felt like a contextless jumble of experiences. If I hadn't been at work with nothing else to do I probably would have stopped listening. That said, coming to the end I am mildly intrigued by the world that's created here and the rules of it. But wading through this writing style leaves me unlikely to pick up anything else by this author. If you like narration and writing without a lot of detail or context, this is for you.

Moore writes in such a captivating and starkly human way, I think I'll slurp up any story she puts out regardless of genre. The weaving together of these interlocking stories is done so artfully, you feel like you're discovering them yourself. Shines a dark light on the realities of humanity, and the way every moment ties inexorably into every other moment - even when you think they don't matter.

I don't think this book knew what it was trying to say at any point in the story. I think Kiefer had a vague idea and just ran with it, it feels incredibly first draft. There isn't really a plot so much as a series of events I assume the author thought we'd find shocking. But it's just a jumble of happenings and the dialogue feels like walking on one of those acupressure mats with your brain. There is precisely one likeable character in this book.

Honestly it's a bit of a hodge podge. A fun read the way a bad movie can be fun, but that's about all the merit I can give it. The plot is all over the place and doesn't seem to have been incredibly well thought through. The actions of the characters often seem motivationless, even when the author is clearly trying to portray their motivations. The story manages to feel all over the place and predictable at the same time, just vaguely interesting enough to get through it. Also, the "romance" in this book is dismal, forced, and unnecessary in an egregious way. The most compelling bits are the small stories within the story.

The ending is a little corny and abrupt, but it's sweet in its own way. I still love the story and the characters, and I think that's all that matters at the end of the day.