by J.D. Mitchell

A Science Fiction, 2024 by Tinsel Forest Time, 364 Pages 

What I Didn’t Like:

• The invented language is hard to get into. While this isn’t wholly unexpected for science fiction, it does make you have to read very slowly. Also, as a personal note, I never like altered or inventive language rooted in pop culture. It always feels gimmicky.
• Cumbersome. The text is clunky, the descriptions are awkward, and the result is sentences you often have to read twice to get the meaning of.
• Awkward attempts at banter and dialogue make for characters that fall flat. So much of a good relationship is built on conversation and these characters are lacking that in a big way. 

What I Did Like:

• Some science was left in this science fiction, which is always nice. 
• Big themes related to knowing oneself, which I always enjoy. One of the main characters really struggles with understanding who she is in a relatable way. 
• Complex world building. The history is built into the story and that makes the world deeper.

Who Should Read This One:

• If you’re craving deep science fiction with world travel and plot is more important to you than character, you may like this more than I did. 

My Rating: 2 Stars

• The cumbersome, dry text made this one very hard to enjoy.