Stuff happens in this book, but it doesn't have an actual plot. There are no character arcs. All the characters end the book exactly as they started. I see no evidence of why the characters perform the actions they do. This is perfect example of why good writers and directors say "show don't tell". This book isn't a work of creative writing. It's more a factual recounting of some ideas the author had but she never made a professional story out them.
I wish this book had actually been about the the title. This book is about para-psychology. I wasn't looking for a book on that topic, but it was interesting to learn about how the field has been very seriously researched.
I really enjoyed the story. I had to give only an average review because it was too dependent on info dumps. If some of the world building could have happened a little more conversationally it would have been much better.
I feel ridiculous even giving a star rating, let alone trying to review this book. I was fascinated, I was intrigued, but I know I did not comprehend. While I did get a lot to think about from this book, someone smarter than me would get a lot more.
I really wanted to like this book, because I liked the way it was written. I would be willing to read another from this author. But I kept wondering if this was supposed to be satire and I wasn't catching on. Every character is a caricature with flaws exaggerated beyond belief. I could not get in sync because every decision made was the worst possible decision. Always wrong, always thoughtless, usually selfish, maybe if they had done something right just once, even by accident, I could have found some some sympathy.
4.5 really. It’s really got everything you’d want in the realm of adult, epic, dark fantasy; but, I didn’t like it quite as much as the first book.
Very tonally inconsistent. I'm not sure if this was supposed to be meta, or a spoof, but it was. Everything felt like the author was saying, "if this was one of those cheesy pulp novels then 'X' would happen to magically get me out of this predicament", but then that very thing happened. Was it intentional? If it was then I missed it.
There are parts of this I like, and I really liked the first trilogy, but I'm being generous with the 3 star review. This book is totally over-written. Too much, too much everything. Too many tone shifts and clever devices and twists and turns. At the end, there was only half as much story as pages written.
This was really close to a 5 star book for me. The structure of the book meant you got a lot of different perspectives, and a lot of different ideas, but it wasn’t overwhelming with too many characters to keep track of. The clear through lines kept the theme on track while allowing for a lot of exploration. I felt like I was reading a completely original book that gave me a lot of new concepts to think about. I really appreciated reading something that was a new experience for me and not a rehash of standard settings and tropes.