Scan barcode
sassmistress's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There's a "good" ending, but it takes a lot of excessive violence, cursing, sexual topics, cynicism, moral ambiguity, etc to get there. There were funny parts, and it was very well-written, but it's not my favorite thing. There aren't really any noble characters (I think it says there are, but they're super flawed).
Hard to gauge pace, because there were times of nonstop action, but also some slow portions.
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Sexual content, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, and War
chris_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War
Moderate: Body horror, Genocide, Medical content, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Chronic illness, and Suicide
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Drug use, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, and Kidnapping
swordrager's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Sexual harassment
bookstoashes's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
menomica's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Everyone too busy trying to survive to spend any time creating something new.
I’m gonna be honest the only reason I read this book was for my writing class. If you’re into sci-fi and zombies, this book will probably be up your alley. But I’m more a realistic-fiction girlie so there were good stretches of this book where I was kind of bored.
I will admit, I was able to keep myself entertained throughout the middle and end of the book by just reading it as a character study. I mean, almost all the (male) characters were character types that I was not into, but I think it was a nice exercise to dissect why I was turned off by them.
My writing prof said there was more stuff that gets developed in later books that actually seemed interesting to me (why tf is Amos like that, Naomi pov), but I did not care enough about this first book to feel motivated to keep going. Y’all have fun though.
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence and War
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Vomit, and Police brutality
iono's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and War
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
blakethebookeater's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a reread for me! And it was just as good the second time around. Read this because I'm hosting an Expanse readalong this year in prep for the final book coming this fall! The live show discussion for this book is linked above and you can follow the Twitter account @ReadTheExpanse for more information/announcements!
So this book follows two main plots: Joseph Miller is searching for the missing Julie Mao, and James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are...just constantly on the run. Eventually their two narrative intersect and then this book finishes off with quite an explosive finale!
Now I do think I was inclined to like this book more because I do already have a knowledge of where these characters go from here and seeing how their arcs started out was just a joy. I will have to say that this novel doesn't quite focus on character, and moreso focuses on plot, but that is a-ok because the plot really needs to be focused on. A LOT happens.
The Expanse takes place in a future where we have three main factions: Earth, Mars (technologically superior), and the Belt (basically everyone else living on various space stations). An event at the beginning of the novel sparks a solar-system-wide war and Holden and his crew race to discover the cause/stop it and Miller's mystery might have something to do with it as well.
I highly recommend this book is you're a fan of science fiction, and recommend the series as a whole. Because as crazy as this one is, it only gets crazier and more epic.
Moderate: Body horror, Cancer, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Racism, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Chronic illness, and Sexual assault
futureofmydays's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Fatphobia, Genocide, Hate crime, Blood, Excrement, and Murder
Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Infertility