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cmcnutt's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The beginning is quite confusing in that it combines the fantastical world of the Rift and the real world, but it holds back much information until further into the book. For many, this suspension of knowledge can get overly complex in conjunction with younger characters that often prove their youth through immature actions/thoughts.
kleonard's review against another edition
5.0
This is a beautifully-crafted, -imagined, and -written novel. On an island that is home to a dimensional rift, the deer have magic in their antlers, the land is full of surprises, and the threat of giant Rift Hounds looms. Culled yearly, the deer are cared for by rangers who are often gifted with special sight, healing, and hearing powers. When Meg, a young woman, returns home to the island after many years away, she arrives at the same time as those who hunt the deer for a pharmaceutical company. This year's cull, though, goes awry in multiple ways, leaving Meg and a group of apprentice rangers to help repair the island and save the herd. I absolutely loved the world-building here, the facts of magic without the trappings of sentimentality, and the story's quick pace. Anyone who has liked Garth Nix, Margaret Killjoy, and similar authors will also enjoy this fantastic book.
cgmm10's review against another edition
3.0
It was amazing I just loved it so so much, I think it’s the best book I’ve read by a New Zealand author I 100% recommend it :)
milly_2022's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
meggreg's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, listen up because this needs to be said loudly and clearly: This book is absolutely nothing like any one of Maggie Stiefvater’s books. Or, like, her thoughts. Or her thoughts that she has yet to think. The literal only thing that this book has in common with anything Stiefvater has written is the idea of ley lines, which isn’t even unique to Stiefvater. That’s it. Oh wait—both this book and TRC have ravens in them. The end.
So, separating this actual novel from any false promises about premise, writing (ability or style), or theme, where does The Rift land? Probably like 2.5 stars. The story is… fine, if a little weird. But the plot suffers so much from the “this entire thing could be solved in 20 minutes if people just talked to each other” syndrome that so many YA novels suffer from. Instead of having Cal and Meg dance around each other and their history for 300 pages, why not just give them an opportunity to talk? Getting everything out in the open early in the story would have given them a deeper relationship and would have made their connection more believable. Instead they go through a traumatic experience together as children, go through another traumatic experience as adults, and suddenly they’re ~soul mates~ who like to kiss in the dirt while people are dying around them and weird portals are closing in the sky.
As for Black Water… man, I either totally missed the world-building here or it actually was kind of nonexistent. I appreciate letting the reader discover bits about the world along the way instead of experiencing it through info-dumps, but that only works if it makes sense in the end. Which it does not here.
So, 2.5 stars for ambition, but not much else. Oh, and deer are cool, so I liked the parts where there were deer. (But not the zombie deer.)
ETA I forgot that TRC also has zombie deer so there’s another Stiefvater connection for you, I guess.
So, separating this actual novel from any false promises about premise, writing (ability or style), or theme, where does The Rift land? Probably like 2.5 stars. The story is… fine, if a little weird. But the plot suffers so much from the “this entire thing could be solved in 20 minutes if people just talked to each other” syndrome that so many YA novels suffer from. Instead of having Cal and Meg dance around each other and their history for 300 pages, why not just give them an opportunity to talk? Getting everything out in the open early in the story would have given them a deeper relationship and would have made their connection more believable. Instead they go through a traumatic experience together as children, go through another traumatic experience as adults, and suddenly they’re ~soul mates~ who like to kiss in the dirt while people are dying around them and weird portals are closing in the sky.
As for Black Water… man, I either totally missed the world-building here or it actually was kind of nonexistent. I appreciate letting the reader discover bits about the world along the way instead of experiencing it through info-dumps, but that only works if it makes sense in the end. Which it does not here.
So, 2.5 stars for ambition, but not much else. Oh, and deer are cool, so I liked the parts where there were deer. (But not the zombie deer.)
ETA I forgot that TRC also has zombie deer so there’s another Stiefvater connection for you, I guess.
bookbybook's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no ways changes my opinion and all the words below are my own. My review is based on an advanced copy of the book and may not fully reflect the finished copy.
A lot happened in this book. Just to clear it out of the way, there were a number of times the tense slipped from present to past when it shouldn't have and a handful of typos, but I’m quite confident those are wrinkles that will be ironed out in the final copy.
My main reasons for both enjoying and not enjoying this book is the world building. It felt like I was supposed to have more information than I did at the start. The whole idea of the Old Herd, the Rift and all the magic that come with them is fascinating. It’s unique while still including well loved traits of a fantasy story. The biggest issue is that it’s set in a fairly modern time. No amount of treaties or “please turn off electronic devices" signs would actually stop the government of any modern country for pillaging that land or teens from using cellphones. If it was simply set back in time, or clearly on a different planet it would have been more realistic. Well, realistic in the fantasy sense. It seemed the one island is the only magical place which makes no sense. The magic was not given a huge backstory, basically just “it’s been like that for a long time and at some point humans started dealing with it".
While trying not to spoil what does/does not happen, I will say that i wish there was a little more backstory to the Rangers. We learn why they are there in the present, but the story of how they formed was pretty lost in the book for me. With that and with the love story was pretty basic, I still liked the characters, and the variety of people on the island. This definitely felt like a character field book. I was pretty invested in their stories and their friendships.
Overall, it was really just a quick read with a world that I hope gets fleshed out more in a sequel or prequel, because the characters were built well and just needed that little push of information.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no ways changes my opinion and all the words below are my own. My review is based on an advanced copy of the book and may not fully reflect the finished copy.
A lot happened in this book. Just to clear it out of the way, there were a number of times the tense slipped from present to past when it shouldn't have and a handful of typos, but I’m quite confident those are wrinkles that will be ironed out in the final copy.
My main reasons for both enjoying and not enjoying this book is the world building. It felt like I was supposed to have more information than I did at the start. The whole idea of the Old Herd, the Rift and all the magic that come with them is fascinating. It’s unique while still including well loved traits of a fantasy story. The biggest issue is that it’s set in a fairly modern time. No amount of treaties or “please turn off electronic devices" signs would actually stop the government of any modern country for pillaging that land or teens from using cellphones. If it was simply set back in time, or clearly on a different planet it would have been more realistic. Well, realistic in the fantasy sense. It seemed the one island is the only magical place which makes no sense. The magic was not given a huge backstory, basically just “it’s been like that for a long time and at some point humans started dealing with it".
While trying not to spoil what does/does not happen, I will say that i wish there was a little more backstory to the Rangers. We learn why they are there in the present, but the story of how they formed was pretty lost in the book for me. With that and with the love story was pretty basic, I still liked the characters, and the variety of people on the island. This definitely felt like a character field book. I was pretty invested in their stories and their friendships.
Overall, it was really just a quick read with a world that I hope gets fleshed out more in a sequel or prequel, because the characters were built well and just needed that little push of information.
areader_reading's review
4.0
The Rift is a YA novel that somewhat defies further categorisation. Part contemporary, part fantasy (or maybe sci-fi), part wilderness tale, and all these elements interwoven with such skill that it’s no trouble at all to suspend disbelief for the fantastical parts.
It had me on the edge of my metaphorical seat from beginning to end. The pace is relentless, the unknowns are many, and the main characters are so well written that I was immediately in love with them and very concerned for their safety. The idea of the rift is at first quite confusing, but as the story progresses, we learn more about it, right along side the protagonists. So if you’re confused at the beginning, don’t worry! And definitely persist.
I loved the island setting, the isolation and the wildness of life there, even in a fairly contemporary setting. Craw has perfectly captured the beauty and the danger of the setting, even before we’re introduced to the other dangers facing Cal, Meg & co from both on and off the island.
In short: I loved this book. Not a relaxing read, but a great one!
It had me on the edge of my metaphorical seat from beginning to end. The pace is relentless, the unknowns are many, and the main characters are so well written that I was immediately in love with them and very concerned for their safety. The idea of the rift is at first quite confusing, but as the story progresses, we learn more about it, right along side the protagonists. So if you’re confused at the beginning, don’t worry! And definitely persist.
I loved the island setting, the isolation and the wildness of life there, even in a fairly contemporary setting. Craw has perfectly captured the beauty and the danger of the setting, even before we’re introduced to the other dangers facing Cal, Meg & co from both on and off the island.
In short: I loved this book. Not a relaxing read, but a great one!
kleonard's review
5.0
This is a beautifully-crafted, -imagined, and -written novel. On an island that is home to a dimensional rift, the deer have magic in their antlers, the land is full of surprises, and the threat of giant Rift Hounds looms. Culled yearly, the deer are cared for by rangers who are often gifted with special sight, healing, and hearing powers. When Meg, a young woman, returns home to the island after many years away, she arrives at the same time as those who hunt the deer for a pharmaceutical company. This year's cull, though, goes awry in multiple ways, leaving Meg and a group of apprentice rangers to help repair the island and save the herd. I absolutely loved the world-building here, the facts of magic without the trappings of sentimentality, and the story's quick pace. Anyone who has liked Garth Nix, Margaret Killjoy, and similar authors will also enjoy this fantastic book.
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