Let me preface this by saying this is part of my personal opinion. I’ll be as objective as I can, but in the end, this just wasn’t a story for me.

With that said, onwards to the review!

This story is very well written in terms of grammar, sentence construction, and coherence of thought. I didn’t have to re-read a single paragraph, and the few errors I did find were minor. That is, in itself, a huge win.

Now, for characters and worldbuilding: the world is well written, although it takes itself a bit too seriously at times. However, the story is built around a topic that doesn’t leave much room for us to truly learn about the world beyond the MC’s lens of religion, which left me feeling it was a bit... Lacking.

The characters, as a rule of thumb, suffer from the same issue. We do get glimpses of their likes, dislikes, fears, and motivations, but I wish we could have seen more of Niels, Elisa, Vivian, and even Shinko outside the barrier of the MC’s (and the author’s, somewhat) religious perspective. That would probably help make them feel more human.

Speaking of that religious lens, this is where the story really loses points for me. Coming from a background where I was encouraged to explore all religions and form my own conclusions, I felt the way Shinko approaches faith is just too... Simplified. Black and white, maybe? There’s no nuance, no deeper reflection on the social or historical contexts behind what’s being discussed.

And that’s just when talking about Christianity, which, from what I could gather, was the main religion being explored. The level of critical thinking needed to discuss religion in a way that doesn’t come across as purely dismissive simply isn’t present here, and that disappointed me. I expected more when I saw the title and synopsis - I was hyped for a philosophical discussion that never really happened. The most we got was a swing from “God is an asshole” to “God needs me,” and then a sudden, unearned shift to “God loves me.” It didn’t leave me feeling like I’d gained anything from the story. That might work for some readers, but for me, it didn’t.

Plot-wise, we also get a frustratingly inconclusive ending. Shinko wants to go home. He says and does questionable things throughout the story to achieve that goal. But when he finally gets the chance... He just decides to fight God instead? In a scene that was supposed to be uplifting, no less, but that completely missed the mark. Without getting too deep into spoilers, I’ll just say that the story (and the side characters) are far too forgiving of him.

Overall, the writing was solid, but the story itself left much to be desired.