OH MY GOODNESS! WHY DIDN’T I READ THIS SOONER??

Blurb: A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square-shaped hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.
Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved – the object’s origins, architects, and purpose unknown.
But some can never stop searching for answers.
Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top-secret team to crack the hand’s code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the relic they seek. What’s clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unravelling history’s most perplexing discovery-and finally figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, will the result be an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction?

Genre: Science Fiction
Page Count: 320
Published: April 26th 2016 by Del Rey
Source: Library
CW: mild descriptions of death, mild description of sex (consensual), very mild descriptions of violence

There I was searching for a fiction book that other readers just loved as audio books. One of the first I came across was Sleeping Giants. And am I so glad that I decided to pick this series up! Finally! I shelved this book on my TBR about two weeks before it came out. I guess one upside is that I get to listen to the whole trilogy back to back.
“Generally speaking, people tend not to question what they’ve been told was true. Scientists are no different; they’ve just been told a lot more things.”
The first thing that I want to talk about is Neuvel’s writing and how he structured the novel. Since I read/ listened to this as an audio book, I can’t tell you how well he did in developing the characters and their voices on paper. Though I can take a guess and say he did a remarkable job! As did the voice actors and production team in bring this story to life. Each character was completely unique and well developed, even though we only really get snippets from their perspectives.
“I think people are scared, and dumb, and selfish on their own, but put enough of them together and they’ll be half-decent”
I loved the format of the book where everything we learn is through military documents, recordings of meetings or phone calls, voice diaries, etc. I both read and listened to the Illuminae Files, so I know that I enjoy this type of format in both media types. But it just really works in an audio book … I always can’t wait to have to drive somewhere or do mindless tasks for work because I knew I got to put this on.
The plot was on the darker side though very engaging, well written, and action packed. And very fast paced. Which I was totally okay with. Neuvel took this slightly weird yet intriguing idea and ran with it. And made it work! Even though the readers clearly don’t get to ‘see’ all of the files related to the project, we still get a full picture of what’s going on. It was really easy for to me feel and imagine the tension, the hurt, the sadness, the incredulity of the situation(s). I definitely was walking right next to each of them! I don’t think I have a favorite character, although I found the narrator/ top secret engorgement type person to be really intriguing. Multiple times I found myself going between disliking him and liking him.
“I wish I knew where this journey will take us, but I don’t. All I know is that this is bigger than me, my self-doubt, or any crisis of conscience. I now truly realize how profoundly insignificant I am compared to all this. Why does that make me feel so much better?”
I honestly can’t think of anything that I found wrong or annoying about this debut from Sylvain Neuvel!

[…] Nicole @ Sorry, I’m Booked checks how her favourite books rate on Goodreads. It is interesting to see whether her opinions align with the average Goodreads reader! Nicole also posted a glowing review of Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel, which made me so happy be…. […]
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Oh, I haven’t read this book but I remember having it in my Goodreads to-read shelf. I should pick it up because, from your review, it sounds like a book I would love! 🙂
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Oh yay! Yes, I was hooked pretty quickly and I definitely recommend as an audiobook. I’m halfway through the last book and the tension and the plot are still just as engaging!
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I’m totally getting the audiobook 🙂
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I’m so glad you liked this one! It sounds like such an interesting read. I absolutely loved Illuminae, so it sounds like something I would enjoy as well!
Hope your next read is just as good as this one!
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I think you’ll enjoy this one too! Although, there isn’t much space stuff, but the writing format is similar and definitely is sci-fi. Happy reading 🙂
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Oh gosh I’ve been meaning to read this for years as well! I love the sound of it! So glad it was so good! Excellent review!
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Hope you get to read it soon then! 🙂
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[…] book was a great follow-up to the first book, Sleeping Giants, and thankfully didn’t suffer from middle book […]
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Sleeping Giants has been laying around on my physical TBR for a few months now but this review really makes me want to read it asap!
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Yay! I really recommend it! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
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[…] Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1) by Sylvain Neuvel – My Review […]
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[…] series starter: Sleeping Giants (Themis Files) by Sylvian Neuvel (my review) AND The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings) by J.R.R. Tolkien (my […]
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[…] listen to; it’s easier to get lost in the story and go along for the ride. Read my reviews: Sleeping Giants, Waking Gods, Only […]
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