Max

2.5 stars; lackluster at best, poorly written and moderately racist at worst. Of the two stories I think were best, one felt rushed and like the author didn't have the time or space to flesh out what could've been a really cool horror concept, and the other had enough Black stereotypes and anti-Blackness as to leave a sour taste in my mouth. I appreciate the concept as I always love a good mashup/reimagining, and a lot of the conceits for combinations seemed interesting, but unfortunately I was sorely disappointed.


[Spoilers but I'd like to add that if I never have to read a poorly formatted script about man-eating Pokémon and the Pokémon equivalent of a furry again it'll be too soon.]

Maybe someday I'll write a better review but for now it gets the highest praise I can offer, which is that it not only changed my life but it made me cry.

1.5 stars. Some interesting concepts but unfortunately they were written by a racist sexist old white cis man obsessed with young women/girls so I am giving them as little credit as I possibly can.

One of the very few books that has made me cry. Please read it, especially if Angels in America made you feel things.

The second book of this series is just as compelling and enjoyable as the first, and you can really feel the world and her writing expanding as you continue reading. AI ethics and threads of found families are incredibly well woven throughout, and Sidra is one of the most compelling and accurate autistic-coded characters I've ever come across (including Sissix from the first book who I believe is also autistic coded!). Everything Sidra expressed about how she felt in and viewed the world was a direct analog of the way I experience things and I've never had that kind of experience before. This is right up with Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet as one of the greatest books I've read, and I can't wait to read the third one and to fall even deeper in love with Becky Chambers' world.