I have no intention of being objective with this review - I frankly had THE best time reading this book after watching the TV adaptation loooool

Was it the most skillfully crafted piece of literature I have ever come across? No.

Was it the most enjoyable and easily consummable book I’ve read in months? Probably!

The show directly borrows SO many lines of dialogue from the book that reading this felt like getting a behind-the-scenes insight into how the main characters felt during each scene.

10/10 would recommend for anyone who has also developed an unhealthy obsession with the show x

This story owns my heart, and the first book was maybe one of my favourite reads of the decade so far… but I sadly can’t ignore all the issues I had with this sequel 🥲

The split perspectives took me away from the immersion far more than I would have liked, and the pacing was pretty chaotic - especially with the amount of big plot-relevant events that happened off-page.

Nevertheless, I care deeply about these characters and respect how ambitious this book was in all the threads it tried to weave together.

You best believe I am sat for the next book in the series 🙂‍↕️

Very thought-provoking (and accessible) exploration of colonialism and industrialization through an interesting setting and original magic system. Loved this one!

Highly recommend it as an audiobook - the narrator was fantastic and made some really solid choices.

Also obsessed with how unlikeable the main character was lmao

This story owns my heart, and the first book was maybe one of my favourite reads of the decade so far… but I sadly can’t ignore all the issues I had with this sequel 🥲

The split perspectives took me away from the immersion far more than I would have liked, and the pacing was pretty chaotic - especially with the amount of big plot-relevant events that happened off-page.

Nevertheless, I care deeply about these characters and respect how ambitious this book was in all the threads it tried to weave together.

You best believe I am sat for the next book in the series 🙂‍↕️

A woman with as much depth as the puddle in her backyard falls for a man who wants to be a mole and study particles that don't exist

Head full, many thoughts

I’ll start by saying this would be a great book to study in an academic setting given how much depth is lurking beneath its (slightly labyrinthic) surface. Thankfully, it is also incredibly funny and enjoyable!

Did I catch every single reference and subtle nod to the intricate themes in this book? Absolutely not.

But if you’re willing to either A) take the time to deeply engage with each chapter and consider annotating passages to deconstruct more complex paragraphs and parallels etc, or B) just go along for the ride like I did, then you’re in for a fantastic read!