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simonlorden's Reviews (1.38k)
Drinking game: drink every time they say "herd immunity". (it's just a funny phrase, okay? i know it's serious stuff.)
After the spread of anti-vax ideology damages America's herd immunity, a new virus appears and kills millions, leaving the survivors immunocompromised. A doctor called Isabel Gauley starts gathering those who have not been infected to quarantine them on private islands, where they can wait and live (potentially for decades) until a cure is found and they can return to society.
It's a very ethically ambiguous story, especially with the twist at the end, which is wow.
It is also very very American, because Europe has had mandatory vaccinations for certain illnesses for like, forever. Unfortunately, like control, many Americans believe mandatory vaccinations are the work of the Devil. (If the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it - I know not all Americans think this, but enough that mandatory vaccines would be met with riots.)
For the life of me I don't understand Angela's logic, and even some of Isabel's, since she seems to be against mandatory vaccination at first then has a much more reasonable view later. But it's a complicated topic.
After the spread of anti-vax ideology damages America's herd immunity, a new virus appears and kills millions, leaving the survivors immunocompromised. A doctor called Isabel Gauley starts gathering those who have not been infected to quarantine them on private islands, where they can wait and live (potentially for decades) until a cure is found and they can return to society.
It's a very ethically ambiguous story, especially with the twist at the end, which is wow.
It is also very very American, because Europe has had mandatory vaccinations for certain illnesses for like, forever. Unfortunately, like control, many Americans believe mandatory vaccinations are the work of the Devil. (If the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it - I know not all Americans think this, but enough that mandatory vaccines would be met with riots.)
For the life of me I don't understand Angela's logic, and even some of Isabel's, since she seems to be against mandatory vaccination at first then has a much more reasonable view later. But it's a complicated topic.
There is a trans M/cis M romance in this, which is nice and all, but it's definitely secondary to the family feels of one guy deserting from a fascist regime to save a little girl. Lily is so good.
In an underwater world, two introverted nerds begin a correspondence and fall in love, then disappear in a tragic accident. A year later, their respective siblings share letters to deal with their grief and perhaps find out what happened.
The worldbuilding here is fascinating, since most of the planet is covered in water and there is very little dry land, so people mostly live on ships or artificial islands - and the main character, E., actually lives in an underwater house. Also, E. refuses to use her full name because she thinks it's embarrassing.... but honestly, compared to her siblings, it's not even that bad.
I liked how this all started out with letters between two people and then gradually grew to include letters and documents from others, as well as poems and chapters from books. The whole story is written in documents and occasionally transcripts of conversations, with no spoken dialogue.
The characters are also amazing. Henerey is a Puppy, E.'s chronic anxiety is presented in a very relatable way, and I love how Sophy and Vyerin form a friendship through the letters.
Of course, there is a big world-shaking mystery as well as a family secret, because apparently nobody in this family knows how to communicate with each other. I loved the unfolding mystery, but this book is definitely a first in a series, because it kind of ends in the middle of interesting action.
The worldbuilding here is fascinating, since most of the planet is covered in water and there is very little dry land, so people mostly live on ships or artificial islands - and the main character, E., actually lives in an underwater house. Also, E. refuses to use her full name because she thinks it's embarrassing.... but honestly, compared to her siblings, it's not even that bad.
I liked how this all started out with letters between two people and then gradually grew to include letters and documents from others, as well as poems and chapters from books. The whole story is written in documents and occasionally transcripts of conversations, with no spoken dialogue.
The characters are also amazing. Henerey is a Puppy, E.'s chronic anxiety is presented in a very relatable way, and I love how Sophy and Vyerin form a friendship through the letters.
Of course, there is a big world-shaking mystery as well as a family secret, because apparently nobody in this family knows how to communicate with each other. I loved the unfolding mystery, but this book is definitely a first in a series, because it kind of ends in the middle of interesting action.
I'm ambivalent on this book, and it was mostly the last part that pulled my rating down. I'm conflicted on the topic of capturing wild animals to take them away from their homes, but Durrell seems to care about them and care well for them for the most part. However, getting the animals first and THEN trying to get a land for the zoo is incredibly irresponsible. Apparently, it took months and he even considered giving up on the whole thing, and there was a risk of the animals dying over the winter (but in the end he found them a temporary place).
Still, there are some great animal anecdotes in this. I especially liked the parts with the various monkeys that are almost like human children in the stories.
Still, there are some great animal anecdotes in this. I especially liked the parts with the various monkeys that are almost like human children in the stories.
Beautifully delivered romcom with a sci-fi twist. I liked how August's character was built - you can sort of tell there is trauma from the beginning, and then it unfolds gradually. Jane similarly. And then there's a romantic mystery, and a family mystery, and a queer community with drag performers and trans people, and there's a little local business to be saved. It's really neat.
There are some awkward consequences of Jane not being able to leave the subway though, like all the long makeout scenes and sometimes even sex taking place on the subway. Sometimes while it's packed with people. So yeah. That was awkward.
There are some awkward consequences of Jane not being able to leave the subway though, like all the long makeout scenes and sometimes even sex taking place on the subway. Sometimes while it's packed with people. So yeah. That was awkward.
A queer science fiction epic that is waaaay too close to home. In the not-so-far future, humanity has destroyed our Earth, and the galaxy is ruled by a fascist government, under which no queer person is safe. Our protagonists are Castor, a nonbinary butch lesbian with autism and a prosthetic leg, and Juno, a 19-year-old trans girl who started out making videos about her hobbies and somehow became the face of the anti-government rebellion just for being herself.
It's a bit tough to read because wow, those are BABIES. Even though Castor is jaded and bitter and calls everyone "kid", so I kind of judged them to be at least 30 and closer to 40, so I was shocked when it turned out they are only 20.
It's a bit tough to read because wow, those are BABIES. Even though Castor is jaded and bitter and calls everyone "kid", so I kind of judged them to be at least 30 and closer to 40, so I was shocked when it turned out they are only 20.
I read this in one sitting and enjoyed it, but I still don't have much to say about it? The main characters are interesting, and I liked how the mystery was gradually unraveled.
The vampires were good, especially the solution. The romance was kind of mid, they often frustrated me, but I liked Nena as a character. Also, this is entirely my own "fault", but I'm realizing that I really can't handle bigoted/strict parents who would rather make their child miserable than lose a tiny bit of their reputation.
There's a lot of class difference between Nena and Néstor, which was an interesting conflict - they love each other, but can they really bridge that gap of expectations?
Unsurprisingly, the real monsters are not the vampires, but the white people.
I gotta say, you kind of need either a dictionary or a decent knowledge of Spanish for this one, because I still don't know what a lot of the words mean.
There's a lot of class difference between Nena and Néstor, which was an interesting conflict - they love each other, but can they really bridge that gap of expectations?
Unsurprisingly, the real monsters are not the vampires, but the white people.
I gotta say, you kind of need either a dictionary or a decent knowledge of Spanish for this one, because I still don't know what a lot of the words mean.