Read because of Maree Brown‘s unrelenting recommendation and first foray into Afro-futurism!
Very captivating, read it within two days. An alien species that is benevolent (sort of? Who gets to decide that?) and a seemingly insurmountable conundrum for the protagonist: creating unity and collaboration within humanity, without hierarchy.
That was looooong. I liked many bits about it including Emma‘s character arc and Austen‘s writing of course but it felt way too long for no good reason.
Enjoyable read, interesting how one’s (my?) perception of whether the human race as it is is worth saving or not shifts over time.
Some aspects such as the four parents plus Ooloi thing to create an offspring or the bonding between siblings felt a bit superfluous and tedious at points. Not as good as the first one.