Welcome to Litsy!

Since it‘s longlisted for the Women‘s Prize for fiction, I tried really hard to make this book happen. But despite having engaging writing, the story is so convoluted that I‘m not following it well and I just don‘t care. I made it 2/3 through and am calling it. I could stare at that cover all day long, though.

Today's #libraryhaul. 😁📚

What a disappointment. I love science fiction and was delighted that an SF book made the #Womensprize long list. For most of the book, I was confused. When the puzzel pieces came together, I no longer cared about the story. 2 🌟

Next

Only marginally a standalone. Readers who haven't read the first two books will struggle to orient themselves or feel invested. Lots of characters from previous books, allusions to events and people that are only relevant if you know the backstory. I read these back to back and I still found it messy. Soft pick for me but fully understand if others bail in confusion.
#WomensPrize2024 #WomensPrize

I took off the dust jacket and now it's in storage ?
Anyway
Overall a really nice long form debut from Link; I wanted to love it a little more than I actually did though, mainly because it was Too Long. I can justify length if you're doing worldbuilding in scifi or fantasy, but this wasn't a 650 page story.
Still overall positive to it, @donut_jefa called it "casually dark", which is very accurate and very typical of Link.

Owen was also a benefactor... Money from his music royalties... was being funneled into teamwork research, both in raw games like football and in VR gaming. But it had been Charyssa, a savvy media mogul and entertainment icon in her own right, who had noticed Owen's interests and decided to recruit him to her dream of a unified Earth.

"That's perfect, that is," Kanoa muttered to himself. "A former beauty queen who really wants world peace."

Another lovely book club pick for a quadrennial event with @annamatopoetry .

Kelly Link continues to be a provocative writer, and there are many things to like in this book. I enjoyed the way intimacy of different configurations is presented. I especially loved the distinctive interiority of the characters.

It is not a perfect book, and definitely not my recommended entry to her work. But all in all, a unique and fantastic novel debut.

What a great SF Little Mermaid retelling! A scientist who devoted her life to studying a species of underwater beings seeks out a man who purports to be able to turn humans into "mermaids," and after rescuing one and going on the run from the government, she's desperate to find some way to learn more about them again. Sticks devastatingly close to the original fairy tale.

Reading with my foster kittens