Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer | Review

[@tristangruener9571]

Glad I'm not alone in what has appeared to be an utter inability to grasp what exactly is going on upon reading the first few chapters. I was so intrigued that I actually read the first few chapters twice to try and and gain some clarity. I'm about a quarter of the way through (taking things slow lol) but I am still hooked and really want to see how everything comes together. Glad I found your channel today! Nice work. subbed :)

[@TheReadingRhodes]

Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying it, despite the complicated bits all throughout. I totally get where you're coming from - I had to reread passages constantly, before realizing I still didn't fully understand them haha. It's interesting, because this and the first book are written from a perspective (Mycroft's) that already knows what's going to happen. So I think a lot of the confusing details are there for people who have already read to the end of the second one. So you kind of just have to keep pushing along until things start to make more sense and earlier confusions start to get a lot more context. I hope you enjoy the rest of it, let me know how it went when you're finished :)

[@Bittenbyaradioactivebook]

I've read Too Like the Lightning last year and your review echoes a lot of the thoughts I had as well. I really enjoyed how alien this new human society feels, but still how plausible it sounds. This is definitely a book I can see myself pick up every few years and discover something new that might relate differently to the social and political circumstances I'm reading it then. Out of interest, how difficult do you think the transition is between the two books, because it might be 6-8 months since I read the first one and I think about either trying to read the second one or just waiting a while and do a reread of the first one and read the second back to back.

[@TheReadingRhodes]

Hey Michael, I'm glad you enjoyed this! I agree wholeheartedly that this is the kind of book that's perfect for rereading, as you can tell the author has left some things for the reader to find after reading more and more of the story. Especially since the character telling the story already knows the whole time what's going to happen. As for going from this first one to the second book - I'd actually say it's not THAT difficult, as she really doesn't introduce any new characters or plots and instead expands on what's already there. So, unlike the first book, where a ton of new and hard-to-process information is thrown at you all the time, the second one is much easier to dive right into. At the beginning of the second book, also, is a list of characters that I think could really help. So, I think you could start the second one right now (unless you really want to make sure you have ALL the details straight when you go into it).

[@BookCravings]

Wow! Sounds truly amazing. A must read.

[@brittabohlerthesecondshelf]

Ah, thats great, I loved this one as well! (Had a bit of a bumpy start with it, bought it last year and dnf'd it but picked it up again a couple of weeks ago, and the 2nd time, I couldnt put it down).

[@TheReadingRhodes]

Glad to hear you gave it a second chance and loved it! I can imagine, actually, I'd have put it down for a later time as well had I not have had the second book already, plus knowing that I'd be reviewing them and interviewing the author. I'm so glad that I stuck through some of the things that confused me in the beginning, though, because it honestly felt so fulfilling to finally have things click. Really hope you'll read and love the second one some time soon as well!

[@deeeebbbbbbbbb]

Ahh. I really want to read this

[@TheReadingRhodes]

It's fantastic and totally worth picking up! Let me know if you do!

[@FinalBlowJoe]

Rachel and Bree have both made me very interested in this. For now I'm leaving them alone until I reduce my unread books a little. It's laughable me saying that as I buy books as fast as I read them.

[@TheReadingRhodes]

Well now's the perfect time to start this series, as the first and second books go together SO well! They are two halves of a very well-written whole. I really think you'd find them intriguing and rewarding. They're the kind of SF that I think more author's should be writing! Either way I look forward to the day that you give them a shot!

[@jituhirwani4413]

where i find pdf file for this novel btw good review