The characters and dialogue in this were so cheesy and overdone it was obnoxious. Even psycho misogynists don’t talk to others or themselves like this. It was bizarre - like it was attempting to be comical but definitely wasn’t. 

The concept of the story was actually good - interesting and had twists that you didn’t anticipate. However, the way it got there was so completely unbelievable, with plot holes, insane perfect-scenarios, and inconsistent characters, it totally ruined it. Also, so much of the other dynamic of characters was just weird, forced, and unrealistic as well. I felt like I was waiting for the punch line in all of it but nope, it was intended. So ridiculous. 

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine. 

Really creative take on dual-timeline and time traveling. I enjoyed the story, and seeing both times of pirates in 1727, as well as the prohibition era of 1927. And the tension of Caroline having to function in both those times was done really well, both trying to disguise herself in the earlier time with the pirates, and in navigating her family dynamics in the latter. 

I thought the writing was really good, and the depth of characters was also excellently done. The concept of shame and feeling stuck in your mistakes and bad decisions, and accepting God’s redemption was also well done and relatable. 

All in all, I had a very hard time putting this down and loved all the elements in it. Really enjoyed it. 

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine. 

Intense and horrifying. On the whole, I felt it was well written, though the beginning was a lot to slog thru. The fictionalized scenario - sort of like a war games theorizing of what a nuclear war would look like - was the good part of the book. The beginning was a little odd with the minutiae of detail, especially an entire chapter devoted solely to the names and titles of the people she interviewed - usually something that is at the end as a footnote, which I just skipped. 

I will say I disagree with her conclusion that the blame lies with the weapons tho. The weapons didn’t create themselves nor did they decide to launch or push the button to launch. I agree it’s not any one specific group of people - but it is humanity and our arrogance, vindictiveness, and hunger for power that’s to blame. You wouldn’t blame a knife for stabbing someone, you blame the person who did it. Same for this type of weapon. Only human depravity can do that. It’s insane we even have this as a possibility. 

DNF at 26%. I'm sorry but I just don't get it... It's like a Hunger Games ripoff which was the biggest turn off for me. Also Kai's character is so inconsistent he felt completely unbelievable between actions and reputation/thoughts, it felt like he was schizophrenic almost. And Paedyn's character is just annoying with how spiteful and angry she is, without asking any questions or considering something isn't at face value, which is really ironic given her supposed talent at reading people.

While this wound and weaved for a little longer than I preferred, the story itself was fantastic and the way the small little details kept changing the narrative from what you thought you knew was pretty brilliantly laid out. Sad for much of it but really good.

Such a beautiful depiction of wrestling with our faith in suffering we don’t understand and learning to trust God in the midst of it. I appreciated so much the struggle between what we can’t make sense of and can’t control, especially when facing hit after hit, trusting and leaning on God even when it doesn’t make sense. Also such great description of the fear of vulnerability and failure, and forgiveness. I thought it was very well done. 

Also loved the glimpse into WW2 in Burma which I’ve never read about before. Really fascinating. 

I read (listened to) this because of a reading challenge, reading something with a setting in Sudan. While it was an easy listen of short stories, they were mostly pretty depressing it seemed. Most dealt with awful marriages or relationships. I appreciated the look at multi-racial/cultural couples where one is living in another country and the struggle they faced, but I can't say I really enjoyed the sort of constant defeatism I felt in all of it. 

3.5 ⭐️s. Good murder investigation, true-crime sort of mystery. There is little to no character development so I wasn't really connecting with any character at all or felt fully invested in the story. It made it sort of devoid of emotion. But the investigative process was good and interesting. 

A mix of WW2 and Vietnam in the dual timeline, both settings in the US, the book gave a really great look at the Internment Camps in the US for German, Japanese and Italians living in the US at the time. It’s enormously sad how people were corralled and ripped away from their homes and lives just because of a maybe - many even citizens or first generation children. 

I thought Gunther’s character portrayed so well the feelings of injustice and betrayal at being arrested and imprisoned, but also the fear of living in the US afterwards with all the prejudice and discrimination, knowing first hand how easily it could get ripped away without evidence. My heart constantly went out to him. 

The political polarization of Vietnam was also well conveyed, though Mattie’s extreme anger and self-centeredness (about everything) wore on me a little, and I didn’t really like her all that much. 

All in all well written and a really great story. I enjoyed it a lot. 

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine. 

Both so good and so sad. A lot that was relatable to me. And I loved the tie ins with the other books.