This was my first John Green and I was a bit disappointed. I loved the themes and philosophical questions posed but didn’t feel attached to the characters or into the plot. There were were some great scenes but it was mostly slow going for me. (Incidentally, I had just finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which felt similar in many respects but I adored. Perhaps an unfair comparison.)

This was like a 4.5 for me. Really it was perfect in every way, poignant and touching and real, but for some reason the main character seemed less vivid than I hoped. I think I would have liked to have known him better maybe, or seen more of the details of his life and history and how he and his relationships developed, had it been a longer book. I still loved it and would highly recommend.

I wanted to love this so much. Maybe my expectations were too high, but It just didn’t captivate me like the first two. I still enjoyed it, and still adore the series as a whole and would definitely read more, but was disappointed. As another reviewer noted, the plot and characters here (both old and new) fell flatter. Cora especially seemed a bit one-dimensional. I was also very aware of the many times the author attempted to justify her plot or world-building choices by over explaining the technicalities, and it took me out of the story. I enjoyed meeting new characters and worlds though and am always impressed by the beauty and sheer capacity of her creativity. And I will definitely be showing up for the next book in the series, with high hopes.

I have no review for this book other than to say that I found myself alternately stunned, enraged, and in tears listening to the audio, narrated by Khan-Cullors. It was evocative of The Glass Castle for me, both being beautiful memoirs of childhood adversity that cause an almost painful level of empathy to settle in one’s gut. A new favorite to slowly and carefully absorb, and true required reading. I plan to reread in print format next. If you’re looking for a follow-up, try The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander.

I somehow made it through all of high school and an entire English degree without having to read this. Some passages were very poignant and I think if I had read it in a high school English class it would have a lot more weight for me. Stand alone as a thirty-something, it wasn’t love for me, but I’m definitely glad to have finally read it.